Samares et Strobiles 2024

Wine Description for Samares et Strobiles 2024 by Hunter McKirdy

Colour & Appearance

Slightly hazy garnet – a visual hint that this wine was consistently unfiltered and unfined into the bottle. The colour actually recalls a light red wine more than what one would expect from Pinot Gris.

Nose

Enchantingly multi-layered: bright red berries and vineyard peach meet ginger and spiced pear. After air contact – and this wine practically demands decanting – orange zest, cranberries and cool graphite notes unfold. An aromatic complexity that shifts between white and red wine character.

Palate

Here the true nature of this extraordinary wine reveals itself: The phenolic grip from extended skin contact lends it a structure more commonly found in red wines. Spicy, tannic and hearty, with a vibrant acidity that carries the wine. On the palate, a fascinating tension develops between fruit and mineral precision.

Finish

Long and aromatic with hints of cinnamon and apple skin. The tannins remain present without becoming intrusive – a finish that calls for food.

Grape Variety & Vinification

100% Pinot Gris, vinified like a red wine – a radical yet logical interpretation of this often underestimated grape variety. McKirdy harnesses the dark pigmentation of fully ripe Pinot Gris grapes and treats them with the same respect as Pinot Noir. The result is a wine that redefines the boundaries between white and red.

Terroir & Origin

The name references elms (samare) and larches (strobiles) that grow on the vineyards from which the grapes originate – a poetic allusion to the Alsatian landscape and its biodiversity.

Food Pairing Suggestions

This wine demands food: braised rabbit, Coq au Vin, roasted salmon with lentils, mushroom dishes or spicy Asian cuisine. Also an exciting pairing with aged Comté or Munster.

Special Characteristics

A bold, unconventional wine that demonstrates Pinot Gris can be far more than a simple white wine. McKirdy’s radical approach challenges our preconceptions about grape varieties and wine styles – and convinces entirely in doing so.