Fine Wine

The soils of Goldert Grand Cru and Jurassic limestone marl, the same as in southern Jura. This is a stunning wine. Floral, pretty, aromas at first, then a hint of peach yoghurt, and a final menthol, eucalyptus whiff. On the palate alongside these explosive flavours there is some charming toastiness and salinity. This salinity goes hand in hand with the acidity to create a wine of precision and balance. The Goldert Muscat has remarkable ageing potential. We were lucky enough to taste the 1964 at the winery. An intriguing, dry, salty wine, but charming all the same. The nose was complex with petrol-like characters, wormwood, orange pith, polish, camphor, and sweet spice. The palate was bone dry, and though the fruit had faded, the wine still had great persistence with a gentle acidity swathe of acidity running all the way through. Tasted at the Domaine March 2020, AA

Tasted at the Domaine March 2020 "Slight rosiness to the colour. A very different wine. Meaty, savoury aromas. A broad, fleshy palate, yet precise with no oiliness. It’s almost beyond any Pinot Gris I’ve ever tasted. A touch of florality on the finish brings the wine back in to line. Refreshing and foody." AA

Rangen de Thann is one of the most Southerly vineyards of Alsace. Volcanic soils, and vertiginous slopes. This site is so difficult to work it requires that estate to employ four full time staff for just 5.5ha! This wine fermented to full dryness in just 3 weeks. No MLF. Elegant, floral, charming. Savoury, smoky, bright. Hot, and dormant.

Rangen de Thann is one of the most Southerly vineyards of Alsace. Volcanic soils, and vertiginous slopes. This site is so difficult to work it requires that estate to employ four full time staff for just 5.5ha! "Very closed. Smoky, lees-y, saline. The fruit is very reserved right now and lacks some density. There’s texture, tannin, and heat. These vines produce very small, tiny berries giving a greater ratio skin to pulp, hence the sensation of tannin on the palate. This wine is all structure at the moment." Tasted at the Domaine, March 2020 (AA)

Planted 1972-4. 1.2ha just below Hengst Grand Cru. Touch of bottle shock. Broader, more concentrated aromatics. Slightly savoury spice and musky flowers. Rather like a Gruner Veltliner. Saline and savoury on the palate, but with some plump fruit too (8.2g/l RS). The fruit concentration seems to be in a crescendo. Brooding. Tasted at the Domaine, March 2020 (AA)

Rangen de Thann is one of the most Southerly vineyards of Alsace. Volcanic soils, and vertiginous slopes. This site is so difficult to work it requires that estate to employ four full time staff for just 5.5ha! A golden pinky colour. Very savoury on the nose. Washed rind cheese. Floral, honied, advanced. Very tertiary. Burnt acacia honey, membrillo, yellow apple skins, peaty medicine. Suddenly there is freshness, length, and depth. Hugely layered. Less rich then 2012, but more than 2017. Pure, crystalline, developed. Plateauing. Tasted at the Domaine, March 2020 (AA)

Deep golden colour. Well developed and well aged whilst also seeming clean and fresh. Unctuous botrytis balanced by bright acidity. Fragrant and smoky. Not cloying at all. Tasted at the Domaine, March 2020 (AA)

Phenomenal aromatics. Honied, polished, savoury, smoky. So layered. Like the freshly spat out stones of super ripe lychees. Not the fruit, but the stone. Then there’s a note similar to high acidity coffee or cacao. Musk, almond kernels, and something animal. Intensely long. Moreish. Stunning. Tasted at the Domaine, March 2020 (AA)

Grand Cru Brand overlooks the village of Turckheim where Dom. Zind-Humbrecht are based. These are special steep granite soils. 2014 was an absolutely phenomenal vintage for Brand. A wine of opulent aromas - white fruit, acacia, and a whiff of smoke. The wine coats the palate, revealing great depth, complexity, and length. Racy and dry on the finish. For keeping.

Tasted at the Domaine March 2020: "Amazing what two years age can do. A pretty wine with aromas of crystalline fruit and white flowers. There’s a tropical, pineapple note too. The hint of RS (10g/l) provides some snap to the palate. It seems honied at first but then becomes Chablis-esque with a rocky, saline, precise acidity, and a long, bright finish. It still seems slightly reduced, but really is starting to come in to its own." AA

Outstanding value cuvée made from grapes from Clos Jebsal, Clos Windsbuhl, and Heimbourg. Pinot Gris grows particularly well on limestone soils. The palate it rich and creamy with a velvety texture, yet the wine is fully dry.

Heavy soils of Oligocen and limestone marl with a high lime and iron content. Steep south and west facing vineyard. This vineyard was planted just before the estate’s conversion to biodynamics which has caused headaches since with planting style. Clean, herbal, citrus, lime, grapefruit, and bitter orange aromas. Powdery, chalky texture on the palate. Super high acidity. Citrus dominant palate; lime and grapefruit. Long. Persistent. Tasted at the Domaine March 2020, AA

Fruit from Goldert Grand Cru. Not the typical overt Gewurztraminer style on the nose but the fruit absolutely explodes on the front palate. It’s forward and tropical but then there is some pleasing smokiness and reserve on finish. Totally different. Vibrant, varied, and flamboyant.