Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Turckheim – 2024

Olivier Humbrecht MW’s notes

Bottling date: 8/2025; Alcohol: 12.47° alc; Residual sweetness: 0.3 g/l; Total Acidity 2.5 g/l H2SO4 (3.9 g/l Tartaric acid), pH: 3.75; Yields: 49 hl/ha; Optimum drinking period: 2025-2032; Average age of the vines: 55 years; Terroir: gravely soil and silt on valley floor; Indice 1/EU Dry wine.

Gewurztraminer was the predominant grape variety on this alluvial valley floor near the village of Turckheim. It requires warmer temperatures from flowering to harvest and in the past would struggle to ripen in many areas in Alsace. Today, the region enjoys warmer vintages, and Gewurztraminer can be planted almost everywhere. If it is easier to reach a good technical ripeness (sugar) it unfortunately will be in many places too ripe when physiologically ready and would end up with a very high alcohol if vinified dry. In this vineyard, the climate change allows us to make a much drier style without risking high alcohol in the wine. The precocity of the vineyard boosts the physiological ripeness (more sunshine hours) so we can pick earlier and keep the wine at a reasonable alcohol level, even if the wine is bone dry like this one! If Gewurztraminer isn’t ripe, it develops these unwanted varietal floral notes, which again are absent from this wine.

Olivier Humbrecht MW tasting note

Bright yellow colour. The nose is expressive and open with spicy flavours (pepper) and dry fruits. There is no ‘in your face’ floral varietal aromas in this wine. The palate shows a velvety texture with good tension, but because it is a very dry wine, there is no unnecessary weight or roundness. Just like the nose announced it, the finish shows complex flavours. This is a wine that will easily go with many food types from fish to white meat.