Kamil Barczentewicz Pinot Blanc Béton 2024

Pinot Blanc Béton is made by Kamil Barczentewicz, a rising producer in the Małopolska region of eastern Poland, working from a twelve hectare family estate established in 2017 after he trained in France and Austria. The wine is farmed organically and made as a natural wine, with minimal intervention. Poland is a cool, northerly and continental climate, so the growing season is short and the fruit keeps high, fresh acidity, which suits Pinot Blanc, a variety valued for its clean orchard fruit and gentle body. The wine is fermented and aged in cement eggs, eleven of them as the name Béton, French for concrete, suggests. The egg shape sets up a slow, natural circulation of the wine over its lees, adding texture and roundness, while the inert concrete gives micro oxygenation without any oak flavour. The colour is pale with a faint haze typical of the style. The nose is fresh and orchard led, with green apple, pear and white peach over white flowers. The palate is dry and mineral, with a subtle lees texture and a clean, savoury finish. Serve at 9 to 11 degrees. Decant briefly if you prefer to soften it.