Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris Turckheim – 2023

Bottling date: 8/2024; Alcohol: 12.0° alc; Residual sweetness: 1.2 g/l; Total Acidity 3.45 g/l H2SO4 (5.3 g/l Tartaric acid), pH: 3.45; Yields: 57 hl/ha; Optimum drinking period: 2025-2033; Average age of the vines: 32 years; Terroir: gravely soil on valley floor. Indice 1/EU Dry wine.

The Pinot Gris grape variety, and in fact the entire Pinot family, took advantage of the 2023 vintage growing conditions. Namely: good fertility at bud break, good adaptation of the vines to the dry climate, even on the Turckheim gravel. The grapes were healthy because they were harvested early, the grapes having reached sufficient sugar maturity before the appearance of rot problems in mid-September. This was the case for our Pinot-Gris vineyards across the entire estate. As with many wines in 2023, physiological maturity was easy to achieve with a low alcohol content, as it can be seen for this wine. This was the first vineyard harvested on the estate and the first to have finished its fermentation to quickly reach a dry balance.

Olivier Humbrecht MW tasting note January 2024:-

Bright pale-yellow colour. The nose is still discreet, typical for this non-aromatic grape variety, and opens in the glass with smoky, slightly toasted aromas (influence of aging on total lees). This wine may seem austere at first, but it reveals a beautiful aromatic presence on the palate (dried herbs, stones, etc.) with a sappy texture and articulated on a surprising acidity for this vintage. The wine finishes on mineral, almost salty notes, also unsuspected on this terroir. It is likely that the arid profile of 2023 will have forced the roots to dig deeper to find water and mineral resources in this gravelly soil.

“This Alsace pinot gris is remarkably ripe for a wine with under 12% alcohol. Stacks of melon, peach and orange aromas on the barely medium-bodied palate. Animating acidity helps give this a zesty finish that pulls you back for more. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink now.” 92/100 James Suckling