Gewürtztraminer & Pinot Gris, Alsace, France
A scene-stealing, perfectly aromatic Alsatian skin-contact ready to convert the most fervent non-believer. Leo Dirringer is a 4th generation farmer in Dambach-la-Ville, an ancient fortified village on the eastern slopes of the Voges Mountains in north eastern France. A region heavily involved in wine since the Middle Ages, it is fair to say the sandy, gravel soils atop dense granite are a perfect place to grow grapes. The ‘Virose’, is Leo’s star orange, a blend of aromatic gewürztraminer (90%) with a splash of plush Pinot Gris (10%) that spend 4 days on their skins before 8 months developing complexity on the lees. Lychee, macerated peaches and smoky spice. Quite simply one of the best orange wines we’ve had all year.
