Kuentz-Bas Alsace Blanc 2023

If the Beaujolais produces France’s quintessential bistro-quaffing reds, Alsace is arguably home to its white-wine counterparts. Regional blends like this blanc from Kuentz-Bas so often deliver unrivaled charm, food-friendliness, and value that they are an obvious choice when deciding which bottle to open for a potluck among friends or a family gathering. The 2023 Alsace blanc achieves the impressive task of balancing roundness and crisp refreshment, and its mouthwatering flavors of lychee, peach, and jasmine offer a perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of dishes.

The Kuentz-Bas Alsace Blanc 2021 is a blend of 65% Pinot Blanc, 15% Dry Muscat, 14% Riesling, 6% Gewurztraminer. Vinified just barely off-dry, it has a heady perfume with gorgeous flowers and spices and peaches. A very happy, day-brightening kind of white wine. The estate owns 10 hectares of vineyards that are certified biodynamic and 6 hectares are organic, with vines ranging in age from 25 to 45 years. The total production comes from 30 hectares on the steep slopes in and around the village of Husseren-les-Châteaux. All grapes are hand-harvested. 

Maison Kuentz-Bas was first established by the Kuentz family in 1795, and the domaine as we know it today was forged through a marriage that joined the Kuentz and Bas families in 1895. Nestled in the town of Husseren-les-Châteaux, it sits at one of the highest points in Alsace, and the vineyards stretch out from the village over an area of ten hectares. More than two hundred years of tradition and vineyard pedigree have made these wines perennial favorites, with the grand crus of Eichberg and Pfersigberg earning the highest esteem. However, when the family sold the property to famed vigneron Jean-Baptiste Adam in 2004, many wondered what direction the new team would take. Adam, like the estate’s former owners, has a reputation for being an advocate of Alsatian terroir, and he is the fourteenth generation to continue a family winemaking tradition that began as early as 1614. Eager to restore Kuentz-Bas to its former glory, Adam lowered yields significantly and reverted to natural methods, following organic and biodynamic approaches to vineyard work.