2002 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Riesling, Rangen De Thann “Clos Saint Urbain” Grand Cru d’Alsace, France.
The lovely deep golden/amber hued 2002 Grand Cru Rangen de Thann Riesling “Clos Saint Urbain” Riesling has added full mature and honeyed, waxy, complexity, secondary tertiary elements and wilted flowers to the still vibrant palate of lemon curd, dried pineapple, golden fig, baked apple, apricot and quince fruit, along with clove spice, leafy notes, wet stone, crystalized ginger, verbena and smoky mineral. The acidity is holding up well, but there’s a beautiful mouth feel and seriousness of textural development here in this gorgeously drinking Alsace classic. There’s a feeling of off dry sweetness, but at this point in the maturing it is perfectly integrated and will allow this Riesling to go on being excellent for another half a decade at least, and this wine still offers up flexibility in cuisine choices from roast poultry, ham and other pork dishes to semi-hot Asian dishes and or cracked crab. As noted in previously, the hugely talented Olivier Humbrecht MW, who was the first Frenchman to qualify as Master of Wine, and who led Zind-Humbrecht to its modern elite status with a well documented push toward dry but ripe concentrated wines that can very rich, have some residual sugar, age worthy and flamboyant in style, as this wine shows clearly. It’s widely noted that, as a domaine, Zind-Humbrecht only produces wines from its own vineyards, with total vineyard holdings of accounting for around 100 acres, these include some incredible Grand Cru parcels, with the mineral rich Rangen, where this wine is from, Hengst, and the legendary Brand, which normally is my favorite of all. While I highlight the Rieslings here, the Pinot Gris especially shines in the collection and there’s quality throughout the lineup here, and it’s a good time to explore this region.
The famed Domaine Zind-Humbrecht is located in Turckheim, Alsace and was founded originally in 1959, following the marriage of Léonard Humbrecht to Geneviève Zind, with the flowing generation helping to make it one of the most desirable labels in Europe. The Humbrecht family though, has a much longer history of winegrowing, that goes back to about 1620 and while following traditions for centuries this winery is known for innovation and the wines have become luxurious stars in the region, with a focus on Riesling. As mentioned in my prior reviews, The “Clos Saint Urbain” that is a unique parcel in the famous Rangen Grand Cru Vineyard with a volcanic soil underpinning, is sourced from small yielding biodynamic vines that are hand tended and carefully sorted grapes, the best of which are used here to make a dense and remarkably well balanced wine, as seen here. Interestingly most of the top cuvées here at Zind-Humbrecht could have been labeled as Vendange Tardive, but Olivier Humbrecht has elected not to do so, because of the house style, which promotes boldly fruit driven, impactful/rewarding and textural wines throughout his lineup. The cellar regiment here at Zind-Humbrecht leans heavily toward native yeasts and long fermentations, with the wines being rested on the lees in oak barrels, which is what this powerful Riesling saw. The winery says, the Rangen De Thann “Clos Saint Urbain” Grand Cru Riesling is aged 18 months in well used and seasoned 40-year-old French barrels to allow purity and transparent terroir character. These Zind wines really are thrilling and opulent wines, joining my favorites in Alsace, alongside the Grand Cru offerings from Marcel Deiss, Trimbach and Weinbach, and I highly recommend them fresh and well aged!
($125 Est.) 96 Points, grapelive