Sophie Evans first came my attention via Instagram. She was working in Germany at 2Naturkinder, a winery in Franken, until fairly recently, dabbling more than a bit with Silvaner and its lesser-known cousin Blauer Silvaner. She has since returned to the UK, where she now farms a hectare of vineyard down in Kent, adopting the same biodynamic approach as her Franconian friends. I’ve never drunk anything from 2Naturkinder, but I know that their zero-sulphur wines have won admirers in this country. I need to order a bottle or two one day.

Sophie’s first English vintage was 2022. She has made three debut wines – ‘Electric Field’ (a field blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Bacchus, and Reichensteiner); a Pinot Noir; and this Pinot Gris. She aged all three for 12 months, using demijohns and stainless steel. Unlike 2Naturkinder, she preferred the added insurance of a solitary pinch of sulphur before bottling (10 mg/l).

This Pinot Gris has an attractive hue of dark salmon merging into blood orange merging into amber – the result of 13 days of maceration involving gentle punchdowns. I get an ever-so-slight ‘natural’ whiff of volatile acidity and bruised apple skin after uncorking the bottle. But the nose also shows some reductive hints (think squash balls that have been thrashed around a squash court). This suggests that any funk will dissipate. Which indeed it does by the second evening. What follows is a touch of autumnal undergrowth along with some faint varietal hints – maybe peach, maybe even raspberry – that seem slightly candied. Oh, and wood varnish. Nice wood varnish. By the third and fourth evening, this has turned into something even finer. I would describe it as mahogany, accompanied by red apple skins and hints of pastry verging on marzipan.

This is bone dry on the palate, showing much of the above at various turns. A slight tannic tug lends structure and freshness. I love the fact that a medium body belies an innate inner density and sweetness of mouthfeel. By day four (that’s how many days the bottle was open), the volume seems to have a upped a notch while the mouthfeel is now silky. The finish is prolonged and satisfying.

This is a simple wine in the best sense, in that it oozes goodness and purity. Only 405 bottles were produced.