2011 Zind Humbrecht Gewurz Herrenweg VV VT

The Zind-Humbrecht 2011 Gewurztraminer Herrenweg de Turckheim Vieilles Vignes Vendange Tardive certainly boasts a mouthful of a name, but even though the estate now plans to bottle only the fruit of their oldest Gewurztraminer vines in Herrenweg under that site name, they did not want to relinquish the by now familiar reference to old vines. At 13% alcohol and nearly a hundred grams of residual sugar, this is in effect a little S.G.N., but its intense spice and confectionary alliance of caramel, nut pastes and lychee are strikingly laced with downright invigorating, juicy and piquant citrus (lemon, mandarin) allied with oceanic brine. Hints of mushroom remain happily in the background, and the long finish of salted caramel, lychee and candied lemon rind soothes as well as stimulates. Look for impressive repeat performances – and quite possibly additional complexity – through 2030. 92 points