Aromas of honeycomb soaked in apple juice. Lime zest, tangerine, bee pollen, chamomile, nutmeg, and the smell of a flower garden on the first warm day of spring. Flavors of pear butter and applesauce cut with fresh lemon juice. Waxy and full bodied, rich and creamy yet energetic and defined by a heaping helping of acidity. Orchard fruits dusted with baking spices linger on a finish that begs for salmon, grilled summer squash, or couscous with seven vegetables. Some things change, some things stay the same. One thing that seems to never change is Brian O’Donnell’s Belle Pente Pinot Gris. Vintage after vintage, his Pinot Gris brings us as close to Alsace as we can get without a plane ticket. Brian and crew farm their “Belle Pente” organically, and in keeping with Alsatian traditions, they let the grapes hang until the last possible moment so the grapes sop up every available drop of autumn sunshine. In the cellar, the wine is fermented cold and slow to preserve the freshness of the fruit and acid while the yeast does its work to build layers of flavor. A year on the lees makes for a positively full bodied wine, lush yet fresh, and a couple extra years in bottle puts this wine in unusual company, especially for a wine, whether it be white, rose, or red, under $20.