Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve / 2020 / 375mL

Description:

The Trimbach Pinot Gris Réserve 2020 is a dry, mid-weight Alsace white in a 375mL half bottle, with ripe orchard fruit held in check by a firm, savoury line. Trimbach vinify their Pinot Gris in a straight, precise style rather than a sweet or showy one, and the Réserve sits a step up from the classic range.

Poached pear, quince and yellow apple lead, with a hint of ginger and wet stone behind them. There is a smoky, almost mushroomy edge that Pinot Gris picks up with a bit of age, and 2020's warm, early-ripening season in Alsace shows in the fruit weight rather than in any sugar sweetness.

The palate is broad through the middle but tightens on the finish, so the wine reads as generous and dry at once. Texture is the main event here: a slightly oily, waxy feel across the tongue, then a clean, gently bitter twist of almond skin at the close.

Half bottles suit a table of two, a solo dinner, or a first course before something red. Pour it with roast pork belly, smoked trout, a mushroom tart, or a plate of washed-rind cheese and charcuterie. Bear in mind that a 375mL matures faster than a 750mL, so this is the format to open sooner rather than cellar deep.

Drinking well now and through to about 2028, served cool rather than cold so the texture has room to speak.