While the Humbrecht family can trace their winemaking back 10 generations, the story of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht properly begins in 1959 with the union of the Zind and Humbrecht family vineyards. Under first Léonard and then Olivier Humbrecht the domaine has grown to include parcels in some of Alsace's very best grand cru and lieu dit sites. Many of you will already be familiar with Olivier through his erudite annual tasting at Uncorked, and his wines never cease to sway us.

While 'passion' is a banned word in the Uncorked style guide, there's no denying the quiet intensity of Olivier's biodynamic convictions, or the painstaking labour this leads to in the vineyards. In the cellar, his philosophy is very non-interventionist, and he allows his wines to ferment to the level of sweetness they are comfortable with - hence the 1-5 scale he marks on his bottles, 1=bone dry, 5=late harvest sweetness.

A mild winter and dry spring set the stage for an early 2015 growing season. Temperatures soared in July, and the vines came under serious hydric stress. Rains at the end of the month brought back life. Olivier knew he would have to be ready to harvest early for a crop with good levels of acid, and moved quickly when heavy rains threatened in mid-September. With such a warm growing season, the crop was homogeneous and healthy, and harvest was fast, if exhausting. Olivier describes his pleasure at the 'unmistakeable aromatic intensity and length' of his 2015s, and the critics concur. /NT

Offered subject to remaining unsold; available spring 2018