Indice 1
Grand Cru Brand. This place name (lieu-dit) lies entirely on a substratum known as the Turckheim granite. The soil is made up of granite and black mica regolith, the best provider of trace elements in the soil. A granitic soil of this type, when it is quite old, produces a soil of some depth: a silty coarse sand (arenite) which allows the roots to travel down through fissures in the bedrock. On the part of the Brand composed of granite and two types of mica (Brand and Steinglitz), erosion and rainwater infiltration of this acidic soil favours the formation of tiny quantities of clay very rich in trace elements which accumulate in the deep fissures of this vineyard locality. As the vines get older, they push down their roots deep enough to reach these trace elements. These vines no longer suffer from the driest microclimate in Alsace and are often linked to wines of complexity and minerality. Towards the lieu-dit Schnekelsbourg, within the Brand, one finds the soil type muschelkalk (limestone) at depth providing better hydration and minerals in an area which suffers greatly from its poor soil. The average to steep slope is oriented south and south-east. The Brand vineyard enjoys an exceptional amount of sunshine and is sheltered from the north winds, making it a warm and precocious terroir. Wines Only Riesling is planted in our Brand vineyards, which represents a surface of approximately 2.4ha. In the Brand, this variety acquires finesse and elegance (floral and fruit aromas) without ever becoming coarse or too heavy. The Brand always surprises by the precocity of its wines, but whilst expressive young they also have a great ability to age. The nature of this terroir makes it easy to obtain an optimal ripeness whilst retaining a fine acidity (malic acid degrades more in poor soils and warm localities). (OH)
- Producer
- Domaine Zind Humbrecht
- Origin
- Turckheim,,,, Alsace, FRANCE
- Colour
- white
- Wine Style
- dry
- Dominant Grape
- Riesling
- Farming Style
- biodynamic
- Closure Style
- cork
- Maturity
- ready
- Bottle Size
- 75cl
- Case Quantity
- 6
- Alcohol
- 13.5%
- Wine Score
- 94 points, Stephan Reinhardt, robertparker.com, Feb 2017 94+ pts, Ian D`Agata, decanter.com, Mar 2017
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Media Reviews
Stephan Reinhardt
Bottled in August 2016 with the highest alcohol volume of the 2014 Rieslings (moderate 12.65% alcohol), Humbrecht`s 2014 Riesling Brand opens with a deep, very pure and stony/flinty bouquet of ripe and well-concentrated Riesling flavors. Full-bodied and round with very delicate, fine-grained acidity and lingering salinity, this is a very elegant and finessed Brand. Silky textured, piquant and highly elegant, this is a gorgeous and powerful but refined Brand with great expression. This is Riesling from granite soils and it was bottled with 8.9 of residual sugar and a total acidity of 7.5 grams per liter, with a pretty amazing pH of 3.0 for granite soils (after the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation). 94 points
Ian D`Agata
Medium bright yellow. Soil-driven aromas of lime, pineapple, tangerine, balsamic nuances and crushed stone. Dense, rich and sappy, featuring focused flavors of lemon zest, peach and lime cordial. A step up in intensity from all the other 2014 Rieslings made by Zind-Humbr echt (save for the Rangen Clos Saint-Urbain). Finishes very long and saline, leaving a strong impression of extract and creamy sweetness. Tastes more opulent and sweeter than the Rangen, and the numbers seem to bear this out (9 g/L residual sugar and 7.5 g/L total acidity, compared to the Rangen’s 5.5 g/L residual sugar and 7 g/L total acidity; both have the same pH 3). Made from roughly 60-year-old vines. 94+ points
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