A day at Zind Humbrecht
Turckheim, Alsace, France
Tasted May 12, 2006 by JeffGMorris with 2,802 views
Introduction
This day was highly anticipated as the highlight of our trip to Alsace, along with our decadent cheese tasting at Bernard Antony that was to be the following day. Spending time with Olivier Humbrecht is always a treat and despite his clearly busy schedule ( noted by his staff in the office who would have rathered Olivier was working and helping them with several issues that arose during the day ), Olivier had set aside the entire day to spend with the 4 of us. We were treated to his nearly undivided attention for 7 wonderful hours.
If there's a more intelligent, well spoken, articulate, knowledgeable and friendly winemaker, I've yet to meet him or her. We had the pleasure of discussing winemaking, wine distribution, biodynamics, green harvesting and other techniques Olivier does or does not employ in the vineyards, single malt scotch ( very much a passion for Olivier ), family, history and life in general. And of course we tasted and drank a lot of great wine! Thanks Olivier for yet another day I'll not soon forget!
The 2004 vintage
Yields were higher than normal in 2004. Olivier attributes this to the drought conditions in 2003 and the vines natural tendency to produce a larger crop the following year as a means of survival. Acidity levels were very strong and there was good ripeness. The grapes were set for producing legendary VTs and SGNs before mid October weather predictions caused the waiting game to end and picking to procede with no SGN quality grapes and only a few (3) VTs. 2004 represents the first time since 1992 that the warm and botrytis-forming Clos Jebsal failed to produce a SGN. Many of the wines fermented to near dryness and the hallmark seems to be wines of good richness and high but balanced acidity. A very good to excellent vintage, but not on par across the board with the best ( such as 2002, a vintage both Olivier and I consider to be the best across the board in some time. This may soon change - see below ). Of course, this is a relative statement and must be taken in context. When one tastes through 25-30 wines at this quality level it is choosing between very good, excellent, great and profound. There are no clunkers here and all would make worthy additions to anyone's cellar. Rieslings seem to be
uniformly wonderful and I was pleasantly surprised that the dry Gewurztraminers were showing nice richness and none of the bitterness that can sometimes plague dry versions of this varietal.
All in all I think I found Clos Windsbuhl to be the most consistent vineyard across the varietals including one big surprise for me ( Zind ).
An early look at 2005
Inevitably the discussion turned to the vintage currently in cask, 2005. Like in most regions across France, Olivier feels his 2005s hold the
potential to become a profound set of wines. Time will tell but his opinion is that these wines will be fabulous at all levels - dry, VT and
what looks to be an amazing collection of 5 SGNs, one at the Trie Speciale level ( and it's not Clos Jebsal! ). Sounds like another fantastic
tasting when we visit next year followed by an expensive buying campaign!
The state of wine reviews in Alsace
The Wine Advocate last printed reviews of the 2001 vintage and International Wine Cellar last published reviews of wines from 2002. I was glad to hear that Pierre Rovani, always a friend to the wines of Alsace, has tasted through the ZH lineups from 2002, 2003 and 2004, but when, if ever, we'll see said reviews is a mystery. Those of us who love the wines of this beautiful region need to make our voices heard to the powers that be that we want to see this great region represented in the pages of the most prestigious US-based wine publications.
Now on to the wines
Flight 1 - The Zind & Pinot d'Alsace (2 notes)
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Zind
France, Alsace
This wine blew me away. Not usually a big fan of this bottling I was prepared to move through this quickly to get to the main event, but I was quite surprised by what I found in my glass. This green tinged glass of wine presented terrific minerality and smoke along with peach and melon notes in a creamy and acidic medium bodied package. The acidity was obvious but ripe and should integrate beautifully in the next year or two. Medium to long on the finish, this wine was a revelation. So what's different this year? All Windsbuhl fruit! Chardonnay and Pinot Auxerrois. The vineyard placed such a clear imprint on this wine that I couldn't help but be seduced. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90+
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot d'Alsace
France, Alsace
So where did the rest of the grapes usually put in the Zind bottling go? Here. Pale gold in the glass, this combination of Herrenweg and Rotenberg fruit was more what I expected from the Zind. Much rounder, softer and simpler, all I could do when this was presented was still marvel at the Zind. 50+11+11+7+7 = 86
Flight 2 - The Rieslings (6 notes)
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Gueberschwihr
France, Alsace
Green tinged to pale yellow in the glass, this medium bodied wine is very dry and stony but with nice acidity and a good richness to round things out. Medium length finish. Better than a “simple” village wine deserves to be. 50+12+11+7.5+7.5 = 88
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Turckheim
France, Alsace
Light yellow in color, this showed more fruitiness than the Gueberschwihr but still had some minerality as well. Dena, Steve and Barb seemed more pleased with this wine than I was, but I found a little heat on the finish that I found distracting and thought it simpler than the previous wine. Yes, I try to be a tough critic even with the wines of my friend who I consider the world's finest winemaker! 50+11+11+7+7 = 86
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Herrenweg de Turckheim
France, Alsace
Light to medium yellow in the glass with a Herrenweg-typical open nose. Medium bodied and clearly from ripe grapes, this was an unctuous wine with a very nice edge of acidity that kept things fresh. Long and spicy on the finish. This and the Gueberschwihr bottling give me the best indication of the success Olivier had with Riesling in 2004 as both bottlings exceeded expectations. 50+13+12+8+8 = 91
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Häuserer
France, Alsace
The wine from ZH that I clearly have the least experience with and maybe this shows in my note/rating. Light to medium yellow, I find this tough to judge young. As with other Hauserers I've had in the past I find this quite austere, stony and lemony. Interesting that I described the acidity as lemony only on this wine. Clearly needs time to show better but will it always be austere and not in a style I really enjoy? 50+11+11+7+7 = 86+
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
This wine very much announces it's origins as soon as the glass is raised to the nose. Wines like this come from no other piece of earth! Light gold and medium bodied, this wine shows the stone, peat, flint and minerality so typical of the vineyard. The finish is medium in length and maybe a little short for this bottling, but more length and complexity will clearly come with bottle age. A classic dry Riesling, Rangen-style! 50+13+12+8+8.5 = 91.5+
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Heimbourg
France, Alsace
Medium yellow, this medium+ bodied wine is the only of the non-VT Rieslings to show any overt sweetness, though there is a very nice balancing acidity that keeps this from being too sweet. Ripe peachy fruit and a long finish. This is a really nice bottle of wine. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5 =
93(+?)
Flight 3 - The Muscats (2 notes)
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Muscat Goldert
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Green tinged in color, this Muscat was deeper and richer than the previous wine and had more florality. This didn't seem to me to be one of the Goldert Muscats that can age for a long period of time. 50+12+11+7.5+7.5 = 88
Flight 4 - The Pinot Gris (4 notes)
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Herrenweg de Turckheim
France, Alsace
This medium yellow colored glass of wine was dry and showed the Herrenweg power. Full of mushroomy underwood forest scents. Steve correctly noted that this would be a nice match with our truffled lobster salad that Dena and I make. 50+12+11+7.5+7.5 = 88
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Medium yellow in color, this wine fit the mold of the 2004 Rangen wines - dry, powerful and very terroir driven. Medium to full bodied, this is a wine with plenty of richness to balance out the dryness. A long and huge Rangen finish. I found this a fascinating style of wine but seemed to be the most enamored with this in the room ( other than Olivier ). It is certainly a style that is quite different from many Rangen Pinot Gris, where residual sugar usually plays a significant role.
50+12+12+9+8 = 91+
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rotenberg
France, Alsace
Medium yellow and medium bodied, this was a very good wine with a long spicy finish but much less interesting than the Rangen that it had the unfortunate luck to follow. 50+12+11+7.5+7.5 = 88
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl
France, Alsace
The clear winner amongst the Pinot Gris. Green tinged to light yellow, this wine showed apparent residual sugar but had a wonderful edge of acidity to balance the sugar and a great structure to age. 50+13+13+9+9 = 94
Flight 5 - The Gewurztraminers (7 notes)
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Herrenweg de Turckheim
France, Alsace
Light gold in color, this is a very dry Gewurztraminer but without the bitter notes I remember in the dry 2001 version of this wine. Lots of the vineyard-typical power and a really spicy, long finish that I found slightly marred by a little bit of burn. 50+11+11+7+7 = 86
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Hengst
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Light yellow in the glass, Hengst is another wine difficult to judge young due to all the power and structure typical of this bottling. Full bodied with a long finish, this seemed to have the structure to be a great wine given the necessary cellar time. 16% alcohol but not the slightest hint of any burn. My score may be too low, hence the double +. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90++
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Always a very singular wine, this year's version continues to earn that title. Light to medium yellow in the glass, this year's medium bodied version of this bottling is very dry. This is unusual for this wine where the close proximity of the Thur river tends to promote botrytis. Typical of this bottling, regardless of residual sugar level, is the fact that it is 100% Rangen with no apparent Gewurztraminer traits, but loads of power with notes of earth, peat and coffee and a very long finish.
50+13+13+8+8 = 92
White
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Goldert
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Maybe it was because it immediately followed the very unique Rangen bottling, but I found this wine lacking the complexity I usually find here. Dark yellow, it showed the floral side of Gewurztraminer as it usually does but not too much else. 12+11+7.5+7.5 = 88(+?)
Flight 6 - VTs (3 notes)
White - Off-dry
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Windsbuhl Vendange Tardive
France, Alsace
Light yellow, this was quite a treat. Clearly very young but a really beautiful wine. 9% alcohol and about 90 g/l of residual sugar. Very sweet but at the same time a great acidity and perfect balance. While very enjoyable today, those with the patience to wait 10-20 years will be rewarded with an indescribable experience. Stunning! 50+14+14+9+9 = 96+
White - Off-dry
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand Vendange Tardive
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Light to medium yellow in the glass, this wine possesses 11.5% alcohol and 75 g/l of residual sugar. Is it possible for a wine to have better balance than the Clos Windsbuhl we had before this? This Brand just may pull that off! But it is splitting hairs as both have an impeccable balance. Beautiful combination of minerality and fruitiness that the best wines from Brand achieve. Really long on the finish. A wow wine now but will be stunning in 10+ years. This seems to be the heir apparent to
the 1995 version of this bottling. Which of the 2 VT Rieslings is better? Too close to call. 50+14+14+9+9 = 96+
White - Off-dry
2004 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Vendange Tardive
France, Alsace
2004 was the first year since 1992 where Clos Jebsal failed to produce a SGN. I didn't see this as a big issue going into this day as some of my favorite Clos Jebsal wines have been VTs, not SGNs ( 1989 and 1998VT, the SGNs from 1991, 1994, 1998, 2001 and now 2002 also rank amongst my favorite wines from this vineyard ). However, it may be related to the fact that this vintage failed to produce a SGN that this wine failed to excite me. Green tinged to light yellow in the glass, this wine was very good but not inspiring as the above mentioned vintages have been. Maybe it just couldn't compete after the 2 incredible Riesling VTs.
But, not to worry - Clos Jebsal made it's presence known in a big way at lunch! 50+12+11+7.5+7.5 = 88
Flight 7 - 2005 SGN sneek peak! (1 note)
After about 3 1/2 hours tasting in the cellar overlooking the barrel room, we were given an extra special treat when Olivier led us down to the barrel room to taste one of the 2005 SGNs out of cask!
White - Sweet/Dessert
2005 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Heimbourg Sélection de Grains Nobles
France, Alsace
In what is probably it's first written tasting note, this wine currently shows a cloudy yellow color but seems to be clearing fairly well. Very sweet but with terrific acidity and tremendous richness. A beautiful wine that was picked around 180 Oeschle. Has an extremely fragrant nose at this early stage of evolution. WOW! Thanks Olivier! 50+14+13+9+9 = 95
Flight 8 - Lunch (2 notes)
From here we rushed off to lunch, hoping to make it to the restaurant before the chef left at 2:00. We arrived around 1:50 and once the chef and staff saw who was dining here today ( Olivier, not us! ) we were treated to a wonderful 2 hour meal. A meal with Olivier is always a special treat as he likes to pull out older or unusual bottles. Today was no different!
White
1971 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Grande Réserve
France, Alsace
Olivier believes this wine came from the Herrenweg vineyard, maybe with a little Goldert mixed in, as at the time the winery only owned Gewurztraminer in Herrenweg, Goldert and Hengst and the latter 2 were generally bottled with the vineyard name. Whatever the source for the grapes, we knew we were in for a once in a lifetime opportunity to taste this wine. Medium gold in color, this unique opportunity provided a wine full of spice, particularly cloves, and a very long and complex finish. Dena found it to be past prime and in decline, and while I can maybe agree to an extent, I found the complexity to be fascinating. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90
White - Sweet/Dessert
2002 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Sélection de Grains Nobles Trié Spéciale
France, Alsace
With dessert, out came an unmarked 375ml bottle. I figured it was a SGN, but was blown away when Olivier announced that the liquid gold about to be poured into our glasses was the recently bottled 2002 Clos Jebsal Pinot Gris SGN Trie Speciale! This is a wine I have discussed with Olivier for a few years now and one I knew would be special. The wine finished with just under 400 g/l of residual sugar, about 6% alcohol and extremely high acidity. As this amber/orange nectar was poured into our glasses, you could sense it's extreme weight by the way it poured and clung to the side of the glass. Upon raising the glass to our noses I think we all had the same reaction of amazement and all recoiled back in our chairs while at the same time pushing our noses further into the glass! My notebook just says “no words to describe, beyond belief”. In retrospect I can now say a little more. The nose was complex way beyond it's age. Scary to think what could happen in time. On the palate, the acidity seemed to be a carrier for the tremendous sweetness and at no time was the word cloying even contemplated. I also found some of the beautiful inner mouth perfume of a great Jebsal present. Of course, this characteristic will only build in time. I gave the palate a perfect 15/15, not sure if I've ever done that before. The finish lasted forever. A wine for the ages and one I plan to give a prominent position in my cellar. Could this someday be the wine I award my first perfect score? Quite a strong possibility. 50+14.5+15+9.5+9.5 = 98.5++
Closing
WOW!!!!! Thanks Olivier for another great day.
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