2024 Albert Mann Pinot Blanc Auxerrois Biodynamic, Alsace

Domaine Albert Mann is one of Alsace’s benchmark family estates, run by brothers Maurice and Jacky Barthelmé and their families. Based in Wettolsheim, the domaine farms its vineyards organically and biodynamically, with an emphasis on healthy soils, low yields and wines that speak clearly of their origins. Their Pinot Blanc Auxerrois is a particularly inviting introduction to the estate — quietly serious, beautifully textured and far more interesting than its modest billing suggests.

The blend brings together the brightness of Pinot Blanc with the broader, more supple personality of Auxerrois. Alsace’s dry climate, sheltered by the Vosges Mountains, allows slow, even ripening, while biodynamic farming encourages a lively expression of the region’s varied limestone and clay soils. The 2024 vintage gives the wine lovely freshness and aromatic lift without sacrificing texture.

Pale gold with green highlights, the nose opens with crisp pear, yellow apple and white peach alongside lemon blossom and fresh almond. With air come hints of quince, chamomile, wet stone and a little citrus peel. The palate is supple and gently rounded, with orchard fruit carried by fresh acidity and a subtle creamy texture. Pear skin, almond and a savoury mineral note build through the middle before a dry, mouthwatering finish.

This is a wonderfully adaptable food wine: tarte flambée with onion and bacon, roast chicken with tarragon, pork dumplings with ginger, grilled trout with almonds or a bubbling leek and Gruyère tart. Our pick is the tarte flambée — crisp pastry, smoky bacon and creamy fromage blanc against cool Alsace white is dangerously easy work.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2032.

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