Zind Humbrecht: eleven brilliant whites from the 2017 vintage
|
|
|
Last week we had one of the best tastings we have enjoyed in a long time; the new 2017 vintage release from Zind Humbrecht. We were fortunate to be the first UK merchant to taste the newly arrived cask samples. Everyone in the wine trade loves wines from Alsace, but we all struggle to communicate how brilliant they are to the public. Zind Humbrecht's whites are a match for many premier and grand cru white burgundies, but at scarcely more than village level prices (all the more remarkable considering some of the vineyards are so steep as to be almost
unworkable). If ever a flight of wines was likely to convert you, the eleven wines featured below will!
A true star of the winemaking world, Olivier Humbrecht's family have been winegrowers 'father to son' since 1620. Olivier himself became the first French Master of Wine in 1989. Like most MWs he has the ability to communicate very complex concepts very simply and with great clarity. This shows in his wines too, where the various terroirs are brilliantly delineated. Tasting the Rieslings, Pinots Gris and Gewurztraminers from the various lieus dits and Grands Crus, it is hard to believe the range of styles comes purely from aspect and
soil.
Biodynamic since 1997, the winemaking is extremely low intervention, with the work done mainly in the vineyard. A dedicated team of 22 vineyard workers tend the vines full-time. The spring frosts in 2017 reduced yields, with the effect of concentrating the fruit which survived to maturity. These are ripe, powerful wines which manage to retain their elegance, with gunflint minerality balancing ripe fruit flavours. The wines ferment very slowly, sometimes taking 6 months to complete, with many more months spent on lees, all of which adds depth and complexity. Enjoyable to drink within a year or two of
landing, these are food wines par-excellence and are built to last for decades in your cellar.
Offered En Primeur, wines due to land in the UK in April 2019
|
|
2017 Muscat Goldert Grand Cru |
|
From the Goldert Grand Cru site which has an affinity with Muscat, planted mainly with Muscat a Petits Grains (Muscat d'Alsace), which is late ripening and has higher acidity. Weighty, savoury notes on the nose, textured on the palate, suggesting skin contact. Bears no relation to the highly fruited, perfumed Muscat style from lesser growers, this has minerality and a great tensile structure provided by the acidity. RKL.
"From heavy Jurassic limestone soils, the sample of the 2017 Alsace Grand Cru Goldert Muscat is pure and deep on the nose, very mineral but certainly with those highly aromatic Muscat expressions. Lush and sexy on the palate, very intense and textured, with lots of charm and very fine tannins, this is a persistently salty Goldert with enormous length and vitality as well as the generosity of a grand cru. Very promising! Tasted October 2018. 92-94 points." Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 239 (SR)
£125 per case of 6 bottles in bond
|
|
2017 Riesling Clos Hauserer |
|
From 25-30 year-old vines. Scents of orange blossom, pear and soft stone fruits on the nose. Fine powdery character on the palate, with citrus lime and spice, excellent length and development. RKL.
From underneath the Grand Cru Hengst and oligocene limestone with active calcium carbonate, the sample off the 2017 Alsace Riesling Clos Häuserer de Wintzenheim was not yet fully fermented to dry but offers a clear and tart grapefruit flavor. Fascinatingly pure and chalky-mineral on the palate, with a powdery texture and lovely grapefruit and lemon flavors, this is a concentrated, substantial and very long Riesling with very fine tannins. A gorgeous, impressive Clos on its way to dry. Tasted October 2018. No Turckheim Riesling was produced in 2017. 91-93 points." Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 239 (SR)
£160 per case of 6 bottles in bond
|
|
2017 Riesling Clos Windsbuhl |
|
The sample of the 2017 Alsace Riesling Clos Windsbuhl opens super pure and powdery on the bright, fresh and mineral nose. Highly elegant and lush on the palate, this is a generous but pure, refined and chalky Riesling with very fine tannins and lingering salinity. Tasted October 2018. 93-94 points." Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 239 (SR)
£210 per case of 6 bottles in bond
|
|
2017 Riesling Brand Grand Cru |
|
The name 'Brand' refers to the dark brown soils here on red granite, a wam terroir. Old vines. Nose a little reductive at first (probably from the long time on lees, around 18 months) but then the palate leaps out, with great linear acidity, weighty fruit and hints of minerality. Tremendous potential. RKL.
From pink, decomposed granite soils, the 2017 Alsace Grand Cru Brand Riesling opens beautifully aromatic, with almost tropical fruit aromas (pineapples). Very pure and flinty (gunflint), this is a full-bodied, generously lush and piquant but structured and very persistent Brand. The tannins are soft and fine, and the acidity is lively and salty. Very long and intense. A great Brand! Tasted from the cask in October 2018. 94-96 points." Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 239 (SR)
£240 per case of 6 bottles in bond
|
|
2017 Riesling Rangen de Thann, Clos Saint Urbain Grand Cru |
|
From very steep slopes, the 5.5 hectare Clos Saint Urbain, which has its own dedicated team of 5 full time vineyard workers. Savoury (cheesy, meaty aromas) with gunflint minerality on nose and palate, and some saline notes, with a dry and intensely long finish. RKL
The 2017 Alsace Grand Cru Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Riesling fermented very quickly and offers a pure and flinty note on the intense but (certainly) still reductive nose. Lush and juicy on the palate, this is a finely bitter Rangen with concentrated fruit, fine tannins and salty/mineral acidity. Very long and fresh, with rich and concentrated fruit but never without the purity of the Clos. A great wine that will need plenty of time. 95 points." Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 239 (SR)
£285 per case of 6 bottles in bond
|
|
2017 Pinot Gris Rotenberg |
|
Delicate lime and honey aromas and some minerality on the nose. Very little in common with the overripe and overly 'fat' style of Pinot Gris, the quality here is about a lean intensity of fruit and a very silky texture on the palate. RKL
From 35-year-old vines cultivated in a west/northwest-facing vineyard on iron-rich limestone soils of the oligocene period, the 2017 Alsace Pinot Gris Rotenberg de Wintzenheim shows notes of wet stones on the very pure and precise nose. Tasted as a sample from the vat, this is a generous, round and very elegant Rotenberg with charming texture, fine tannins and lingering salinity. Very Intense. Tasted October 2018. 92-93 points." Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 239 (SR)
£140 per case of 6 bottles in bond
|
|
2017 Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl |
|
Entrancing delicate peach skin aromas on the nose, like a very fine and intense peach fragrance, light and elegant. Balanced on the palate (just 12.5% abv) with some mineral intensity, quite stunning. RKL
Tasted as a sample straight fro the oak vat, the 2017 Alsace Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl is pure, fresh and chalky on the very deep, intense, flinty/smoky nose. Not sulfured yet and not fermented to full dry, this is a textured, lush and finely structured Pinot with delicate tannins and charming fruit. At this stage, this can only be a very provisional comment and score. Tasted October 2018. 90-93 points." Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 239 (SR)
£210 per case of 6 bottles in bond
|
|
2017 Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann, Clos Saint Urbain Grand Cru |
|
Weightier and broader in style than the Windsbuhl,but with intense flinty minerality. Ripe and powerfully concentrated fruit on the mid-palate with some spice, completely balanced and still elegant despite the weight of fruit. RKL
Tasted from the sulfured vat in late October 2018, the pure and flinty 2017 Alsace Grand Cru Rangen de Thann Pinot Gris Clos Saint Urbain is rich, intense and dense in its texture. It is a powerful but balanced Pinot with fine tannins. Not really smooth but harmonious and elegant. 92-93 points." Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate 239 (SR)
£285 per case of 6 bottles in bond
|
|
2017 Gewurztraminer Clos Windsbuhl |
|
Zind Humbrecht are well-known for allowing their residual sugar levels to vary vintage. This has a mighty 45 grams per litre, but it's hidden under layers of intense fruit flavours, minerality and fine acidity. There are also white grape tannins from the skins, giving a red wine-like texture. RKL
£210 per case of 6 bottles in bond
|
2017 Gewurztraminer Hengst Grand Cru |
|
Another masterclass in how tannins in Gewurztraminer skins have a huge role to play, with texture on the palate like a red wine. The residual sugar here is an impressive 65 grams per litre, higher than required to be labelled 'Vendange Tardive', but again this is more about savoury character, spice and mineral intensity. RKL
£210 per case of 6 bottles in bond
|
2017 Gewurztraminer Rangen de Thann Grand Cru 2017 |
|
26 grams of residual sugar compared with 2 grams in 2016! Immense weight of fruit on the palate, but both sugar and fruit are balanced by brilliant minerality and acidity. RKL
£285 per case of 6 bottles in bond
|
|
Minimum order: one case as listed
Payment: on receipt of invoice
Shipment: Approximately April 2019
Delivery: delivery, duty & VAT charged at prevailing rates at time of clearance from bond
|
|
