2025 'Patte Bleu' Pinot Gris

SNAPSHOT

·        Style: Mid-slope Alsatian-inspired Pinot Gris—dry, powerful, textural, age-worthy

·        Technique: Short skin contact for aroma + gentle phenolics; long lees for shape

·        Vegan: Yes (PVPP; low-intervention, limited MLF)

·        Bottled: Feb 2026. Released June 2026

·        Cases Produced: 391

“Patte Bleu” is local slang for the blue feet of Poulet de Bresse, from the family’s hometown Beaurepaire-en-Bresse (east of Beaune). A nod to Burgundian roots—and to wines built for food, texture and ageworthiness.

TERROIR

Ultra-cool inland site above Rylstone at ~650 m ASL with big diurnal range. Limestone reef (Ordovician ≈450 Myr) under very shallow sands/sandy-loams; low heat retention and valley cold-air pooling deliver effective night temperatures like ~1,200–1,300 m, preserving acidity and aromatics. Estate planted in 1998 (Bordeaux/Rhône/Burgundy varieties) to chase Burgundian structure in a continental season.

VINTAGE & VINEYARD

Season: A late, balanced cool-climate vintage with steady ripening and excellent acid retention. Despite the later season, Pinot Gris was harvested on 20 February, helped by a light-to-moderate crop load of 5.2 t from 1.3 ha (~4 t/ha). This allowed the fruit to reach full flavour ripeness early, moving the wine from the finer mid-weight profile of 2024 into a richer, more powerful Alsatian Grand Cru frame—dry, textural and layered, but still shaped by bright acidity and limestone tension. Intensive canopy management maintained airflow and fruit quality.
Block/Clone: A Block, D1V7, ~24-year-old vines on shallow, free-draining sand (to ~30-40 cm) over limestone, moderate slope.
Harvest: 20 Feb (evening) at 14.5° Baumé; Yield: ~4 t/ha (~16 hL/ha).

WINEMAKING

Crushed + destemmed; ~6 h skin contact. Very gentle 5 h press; hard pressings excluded. Wild (native) yeast ferment starting cool (~16 °C) in stainless; racked to tank at ~90% through ferment. Limited MLF for polish without blur. Élevage: 8 months on fine lees in stainless (minimal bâtonnage) for texture and mid-palate weight; no oak. Vegan friendly.

Analysis at bottling pH: 3.3 TA: 6.2 g/L    RS 2.1g/L

TASTING

Aromatics: ripe pear, quince and yellow apple with honeysuckle, ginger spice and a faint smoky-earthy edge.
Palate: dry, powerful and textural—pear, citrus peel and stone fruit wrapped around fine phenolics, lees-built breadth and bright acidity; long, savoury finish with grip, spice and limestone freshness.

FOOD & SERVICE

Built for richness, spice and texture: monkfish, swordfish, scallops, roast chicken, pork belly, mushroom risotto, terrines, foie gras, washed-rind cheeses, Indian curries, dahl and Asian wok-fried dishes with sweet-sour or spice.
Serve: 8 °C / 46 °F in large white stems; no need to decant.

WHY THIS STYLE HERE?

The Gris brief is Alsace, not aperitif Pinot Grigio: richness without flab, aroma + phenolic line from skin contact, and shape from lees—not cosmetic add-ons. In 2025, the higher natural alcohol gives the wine a more Grand Cru Alsatian feel: deeper, broader and more powerful than 2024, yet still held by cool-climate acidity and limestone drive. On this ultra-cool site, Pinot Gris can ripen fully without losing spine, making a serious food wine with genuine cellar potential.