2016 Zind Humbrecht Riesling Clos St-Urbain

Indice 1
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)
Origin
Rangen,, Thann,,,, Alsace, FRANCE
Colour
white
Wine Style
dry
Dominant Grape
Riesling
Farming Style
biodynamic
Closure Style
cork
Maturity
drink or keep
Bottle Size
75cl
Case Quantity
6
Alcohol
14%
Wine Score
95+ points, Ian D`Agata, vinous.com, January 2019

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2016 Zind Humbrecht Riesling Clos St-Urbain

Media Reviews

Ian D`Agata

Luminous golden-tinged straw-yellow. Complex aromas of lemon curd, apricot, white pepper, lemongrass and crystallized ginger, complicated by Rangen-typical flintiness. Laser-like freshness lifts and extends the very pure fresh pomaceous and citrus fruit flavors on the long, penetrating, smoky-saline finish. As is almost always the case, this wine was made with grapes from plots situated both up high and down low on the Rangen hill (what changes each vintage is the percentage of grapes used from each section of the slope); in 2015, Olivier included 40% fewer grapes from the Rangen’s younger vines because he believed, not surprisingly, that they had not adapted as well to the year’s hot, droughty conditions. 95+ points

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