Zind Humbrecht Riesling Clos Hauserer – 2021

Bottling date: 1/2023; Alcohol: 12.1° alc; Residual sweetness: 2.6 g/l; Total Acidity 5.1 g/l H2SO4 (7.8 g/l Tartaric acid), pH: 3.0, Yields: 30 hl/ha; Optimum drinking period: 2026-2041+; Vineyard planted in 1973; Terroir: Calcareous Marl (Oligocene period). Very east gentle slope. Indice 1/EU Dry wine.

“The Clos Häuserer takes its name from the small road on the bottom of the Clos. It stands for the road to the houses, in reference to an old 6^th century Romain settlement just above in the Hengst vineyard. The actual name of the lieu-dit is Unterersoedlen (under the South) which is one of the most important lieu-dit part of the Hengst Grand Cru. When my father planted this 1.16ha Clos in 1973, he named it Häuserer in order to avoid confusion. The Clos enjoys a protected warm climate and a gentle east facing on a deep rich marl limestone soil. The Oligocen mother rock is a good meter deep but these old vines have now reached it for some time. It is an extremely consistent vineyard, but prone to spring frosts because it is too protected by the surrounding hills. The 2021 grapes were beautiful and produces a very dry mineral driven wine.

1/2023: Pale yellow colour. Inviting wet rock, mineral driven nose. Despite being still tight and almost austere, the aromatics are complex and precise: citrus fruits, sharp zesty lime, herbs… The palate is pure, precise, tight, very dry. The acidity is typical of the limestone geology: incisive but also salivating and juicy. The 2021 appears today extremely young and will require some years of cellaring to fully express all its potential. Long tight finish. Usually the high clay content in the soil brings a comforting velvety mouthfeel on the Clos Häuserer wines. In 2021, it is a much stricter intense sharp style but so enjoyable!” Olivier Humbrecht

“Enormous concentration and structure, but also stunning mango fruit make this one of the stand out wines of this vintage in Alsace. Hard to believe that this has barely more than 12% alcohol because of all the power. There’s also a flinty edge which adds an extra dimension of tension to this astonishing dry riesling. From biodynamically grown grapes.” 97pts Stuart Pigott for James Suckling