30% Sylvaner, 30% Pinot Blanc, 20% Riesling, 10% Muscat, 5% Pinot Gris, 5% Gewurztraminer

One look at the the Kuentz-Bas label and you know this is not going to be one of those simpering, simple Alsatian wines that have become so ubiquitous in the market.  This is going to be Olde School.  This venerable property is now owned by one of the region’s most venerable winemakers, Jean-Baptiste Adam, and he’s given Kuentz-Bas a complete and long overdue makeover.  Using all his family has learned in 14 generations of farming these hills, he’s converted all of the vineyards to organic, drastically lowered the yields to increase the quality of the fruit and has shifted the focus of the winemaking to create drier wines that more explicitly express  ‘Alsace.’ The results have been fantastic, and Kuentz-Bas has truly been restored to a level of quality not seen here in generations.  In order to differentiate the ‘new’ K-B from the old, Adam resurrected the winery’s 1960s era label to sort of connect the dots.  This is, indeed, an Edelzwicker sort of blend evocative of another era in Alsace- nearly bone dry, exhilaratingly aromatic and a ton of fun to drink.  While Gewurz and Muscat comprise only around 15% of the final blend, they make their presence felt in the slightly exotic florality and dried-honey aspect of the aromatics, while Riesling (20%) brings a dash of lemon, green herb and stony mineral to the party.  And it is a party indeed!  When you open a bottle, you too will want to do a little dance. We immediately envisioned a cold bottle of this alongside a fresh-from-the-oven Tarte Flambe d’Alsace, but any sort of richer cheese dish would work.  Or turn up the spice with some Singapore style noodles!  Plenty of acidity here so you can go with richer fare.  Or, really, this is darned good all on its own as an aperitif or alongside some smoked meats.  So-much-fun!