2016 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos St-Urbain

The Clos Saint Urbain vineyard encompasses the chapel of Saint Urbain and is divided in two by the “Montaigne” pathway. The vineyard covers 5.5ha with the grape varieties present in the following proportions: Pinot Gris 2.7ha, Riesling 2.3ha and Gewurztraminer 0.5ha. The river Thur is found running at the foot of the Clos and then changes direction at the end of this fault line. The different parts of this vineyard tend to give different expressions to the grapes grown there. Parcels of both the Riesling and Pinot Gris can be found spread across the different sectors of the Clos Saint Urbain vineyard. The top sector, higher in altitude, is later ripening and cooler. The soils have a greater percentage of rocks, less topsoil and tend to be more acidic (the natural drainage of the steep slope results in a soil pH between 5.5 at the top of the slope and 7 at the bottom). The lower slope produces richer, robust and more powerful wines. The differences in micro-climate between the top and bottom part of this single vineyard each bring their unique expression to the blend that becomes the wine from the Clos Saint Urbain. The reason why Gewurztraminer only represents 0.5ha of the Saint Urbain vineyard surface is due to the sensitivity of this grape variety to altitude. The two small parcels of Gewurztraminer planted are located at the bottom of the slope close to the Thur River. It is here where we find high proportions of clay in the soil and warming effect of the reflection of the sunrays off the river. (OH)