2015 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain

Community Tasting Notes (5) Median Score: 95 points

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  10/8/2019 - forceberry wrote: 93 Points

  Made from grapes harvested in early October. Average vineyard age here is 36 years. 13,5% alcohol, 44,2 g/l residual sugar, 4,05 g/l acidity and pH 3,74. Bottled in 08/2016.
  
  Medium-deep yellow-green color. Fresh, youthful and surprisingly mineral nose with aromas of golden apples, some peach, a little bit of honey, light sweet notes of exotic spices, a volcanic hint of smoke and a touch of perfumed floral tones. Surprisingly restrained on the heady Gewurztraminer aromatics. The wine is medium-bodied, oily and very ripe on the palate with rather sweet flavors of peach, exotic spices, some rosewater, a little bit of golden apples, light steely mineral tones, a hint of spicy bitterness and a touch of pineapple. The wine feels quite big, concentrated and weighty with medium acidity that lends some balance to the wine, but doesn't really grant much freshness or sense of structure to it. The finish is broad, oily and quite intense with rich, medium-sweet flavors of pineapple, some peach jam, a little bit of honeydew melon, light smoky tones and a hint of steely minerality.
  
  A very big, impressive and complex Grand Cru Gewurztraminer from the sweeter end, walking the fine line between a sweet white wine and a dessert wine. Very concentrated and voluminous, this wine really could benefit from aging in the hopes it would drop some of its baby fat. Delicious, although somewhat wanting for higher acidity that would grant the wine with some vital freshness and sense of structure. Feels heavily overpriced for the style at 100€.

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  5/27/2018 - mtarrant003 Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Pure, powerful and with great length, a beautiful wine. Incredibly aromatic on the nose and weighty on the palate. Consumed over two days, accompanying Thai curry on the first day and by itself on the second day. While this wine will of course develop over time, there is a lot of enjoyment to be had right now from its freshness, purity and zing.

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  8/8/2017 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 95 Points

  For me this is the pick of the Zind Gewurtz's in 2015 - although I do not think this is a great vintage for Windsbuhl (usually my favourite). Great balance of acidity, sweetness, concentration and complexity. More balance than Windsbuhl and more stuffing and complexity than Hengst (but without the noticeable pepper of the Hengst). This will drink well from 2020 but hold easily to 2030. 94-95pts

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  3/14/2017 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 96 Points

  2015 Zind Humbrecht? Current gold indeed (Domaine Zind Humbrecht): Well, well, well. My initial reaction to this was a wine that was even more impressive than the two great Rieslings of Rangen de Thann and Brand. Well, OK, a different cepage of course and a different style, but this is the one of the very best Gewurztraminers I have ever had, period. Why? One has opulence, sure, but also substance, depth and beguiling spice aromatics that are at once subtle and cascading in impression. And all that with well over 40 grams of residual sugar. But these are so well incorporated, and there is such fine energy to this wine, that people (like me) sensitive to sweetness in wine, don't notice that aspect. Oh, and it is very long. I would even go so far as to say that this wine is supremely gastronomic and would accompany lobster with butter very well, for example. A tour de force indeed.

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  2/3/2017 - PacoHigon Likes this wine:

  Más que por lo que muestra se disfruta por lo que promete, hay una mineralidad seductora por debajo de la fruta tropical y las golosas notas florales acompañadas de sensaciones especiadas. En boca entra bien, pasa cremoso, con notable dulzor, bien de acidez, de nuevo sensaciones minerales y retronasal floral. Largo y estructurado.

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