The Kientzler Gewurztraminer Osterberg Grand Cru 2021 is a demi-sec Alsace white with real perfume and, unusually for the variety, a clear line of acidity holding it together. Around 45 grams of residual sugar sit inside a wine of just 13% alcohol, so it reads as gently sweet rather than heavy.

Lychee and rose lead, with pink grapefruit peel, ginger and a dusting of white pepper behind them. Air brings something more savoury — beeswax, dried mandarin skin and a faint smokiness that keeps the aromatics from tipping into sweetshop territory.

The palate is broad and glossy through the middle, then narrows on a firm, faintly bitter finish that cuts the sugar cleanly. Cool nights through the drawn-out 2021 season preserved acidity and aromatic intensity, and it shows here in a Gewurztraminer with more tension and less oiliness than the variety often gives. The east-facing Osterberg site, sitting just above Geisberg, delivers fruit weight without blowsiness.

Pour it with Thai green curry, a coconut-heavy laksa, or salt and pepper squid. It is also very good with washed-rind cheese, pork terrine and anything involving smoked duck or quince paste.

Drinking beautifully now, though Kientzler's wines have a long habit of tightening before they open out. Expect this to hold and improve through to 2033 and beyond.