Samares et Strobiles 2024

Wine Description for Samares et Strides 2024 by Hunter McKirdy

Colour & Appearance

Slightly cloudy garnet – a first, unmistakable indication that this wine breaks with all the conventions commonly associated with Pinot Gris.

Nose

The nose is simply seductive: bright red berries, vineyard peach and ginger open the play, accompanied by a pear steeped in spices. After decanting – which this wine decidedly demands – it opens to orange zest, cranberry and a cool, mineral graphite note that lends depth and seriousness to the whole.

Palate

On the palate, the 2024 displays remarkable determination: the phenolic grip gained through skin contact gives the wine structure and bite without sacrificing elegance. Lively, spicy, with an invigorating acidity – a wine that never stands still for a moment.

Finish

Long and precise, with lingering notes of cinnamon and apple skin. A finish that invites contemplation – and the next sip.

Terroir & Origin

The grapes come from vineyard sites in Alsace, whose terroirs are home to elms and larches – precisely those trees whose fruits (samaras and strobiles) give the wine its poetic name. Nature and wine as an inseparable unity.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Pinot Gris – officially a cépage gris, not blanc – is treated here consistently as what it botanically is: a red wine grape. Hunter McKirdy vinifies this 100 per cent Pinot Gris using exactly the same methods as his Pinot Noir, including skin contact. The result is not a fence-sitter, but a convinced red wine with its own character and 12.0 % Vol. – lean, focused, without compromise.

Food Pairing Suggestions

This wine seeks the table. It harmonises beautifully with grilled salmon, duck breast with spiced jus, Munster or robust Alsatian dishes such as Baeckeoffe. Also an exciting encounter with Asian-spiced dishes featuring ginger and citrus notes.

Special Features

A wine that makes a thesis – and proves it convincingly. Hunter McKirdy’s Samares et Strobiles is not provocation for provocation’s sake, but the logical result of a deep understanding of his grape variety. Anyone who previously knew Pinot Gris as the white companion to flammekuchen will be taught otherwise here.