Zind Humbrecht Riesling Brand Grand Cru – 2019

Here are Olivier Humbrecht’s tasting details for this wine:-

Bottling date: 2/2021; Alcohol: 13.6° alc; Residual sweetness: 1 g/l; Total Acidity 4.3 g/l H2SO4 (6.6 g/l Tartaric), pH :3.1; Yields: 45 hl/ha; Optimum drinking period: 2024-2044+; Average age of vines: 69 years; Terroir: Biotite granite, facing South. Steep slope. Indice 1.

The Grand Cru Brand is located just above the village of Turckheim on a succession of small biotite granite hills. It is visible from the large Munster valley which means that despite its south, south-east facing, the Brand also enjoys the wind running down the valley. The vines grow here in a very precocious climate, accentuated by the granite that warms up quickly and transfer sun heat deep in the soil. It is however a geology that enable the roots to grow deep in the soil, at levels where they can feed from the clay and minerals resulting from the granite decomposition. These old vines were planted at a time when massal selection was the norm, so cluster are small and yields are naturally small, particularly in 2019 when most Riesling showed millerandage. Due to the ripeness of the grapes in 2019, the fermentation was particularly slow for this wine. We couldn’t believe that eventually the wine fermented bone dry after 12 months of activity.

Tasting note:  intense gold colour. The nose shows discreet wet stone aromas and begs for time. It feels rested, refined and confident, like reassuringly nice! After some time, it does open up and eventually displays beautiful fruity (citrus, lime) aromas mixed with a definitely ‘granitic’ influence of wet minerals. The wine overtakes the palate, powerful but yet so well balanced. It combines the July heat and sunshine and the cooler harvest conditions. The finish is precise and harmonious, and almost endless. The saline acidity does coat the palate with a layer of minerals that just stay so long. This is a fantastic Brand !