And a beautiful set of 2020s
Oliver Humbrecht was a happy man when he visited us last month. He came to show us his 2020s, and they are a lovely set of wines, ripe but full of energy, expressive, with marked terroir definition. He compared these to his 2015s, another superb vintage where he made ripe but balanced wines - and his 2015s are aging very nicely.
In truth, I've yet to taste a Zind-Humbrecht vintage that hasn't entirely seduced me. There have been Humbrechts making wine in Alsace since the 17th century, but since Olivier took the helm here thirty years ago, Zind-Humbrecht has acquired a reputation as one of the world's leading white wine estates. Olivier began from a winning place, inheriting a portfolio that included sites in some of the region's greatest vineyards. These have flourished under his care. He is a passionate advocate for biodynamic viticulture, and it is hard to argue when you compare his vineyards to those of certain of his neighbours.
His 2020s are mostly dry - it's worth noting that the Gewurztraminers are the only wines with any off-dry sweetness this vintage. He told us that 'a dry Pinot Gris is very difficult to make well', before showing us three superb examples of exactly that: Rotenberg marries generous fruit with a sapid, mineral finish, Windsbuhl is chiselled and classical, and Clos St-Urbain is flinty with a finish Olivier calls 'peaty'. Goldert proves once again it is one of the world's great Muscat sites. I know no wine anywhere like the Clos St-Urbain Gewurztraminer; the combination of exotic Gewurztraminer spice and lychee with the very volcanic imprint of the vineyard makes a very special wine. Olivier himself is in no doubt that the Clos St-Urbain (a Zind-Humbrecht monopole within the Rangen vineyard) is his finest site; it forcefully imprints its own personality onto every grape variety cultivated there, for some fascinating combinations. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold; available Spring 2023
