Zind Humbrecht Riesling Roche Granitique – 2022

Bottling date: 1/2024; Alcohol: 13.6° alc; Residual sweetness: 1.2 g/l; Total acidity 4.3 g/l H2SO4 (6.6 g/l Tartaric acid), pH: 3.16; Yields: 38 hl/ha; Optimum drinking period: 2025-2036; Average age of the vines: 40 years; Terroir: granite; Indice 1/EU Dry wine.

This wine is made from various granitic vineyards (younger vines from Brand, below Brand and Sommerberg if we need to do some selections of grapes). Granite soils warm up faster, so they are usually more precocious, especially near Turckheim. In warm vintages, the ripeness is not only earlier but also faster. Luckily these vineyards didn’t suffer too much from drought, so the grapes were able to keep good acidity and structure. Fermentation however was very slow not just because the grapes were very ripe but also because that was the general problem in 2022 due to the lack of soil metabolism that provoked deficiencies in nitrogen in the wines. Long lees contact are wonderful, but for some of the 2022s it was necessary to rack them earlier and refresh the lees with more active ones. Eventually the wine finished fully dry.

Olivier Humbrecht MW tasting note, January 2024

Yellow bright colour. The nose shows a crystalline purity, some citrus fruits, but mostly dominated by the granitic rock that gives a strong precise mineral feel and an almost light reductive profile. No doubt that this wine will benefit from decanting in its youth. The palate is elegant and suave. Immediately elegant and digest, the granite is able to hide the intensity and powerful texture. Medium acidity compensated by interesting minerals and ripe saline elements. The finish is dry but so expressive. Another 2022 that is showing well today and will also in the distant future.

“You can almost taste all the sunshine of this very warm vineyard site. The aromas tip over from stone fruit to fresh pineapple and white flowers. But what makes this so exciting is the vibrancy and mineral energy that so beautifully balances the juicy fruit on the palate. Very long, super-clean finish. Mostly from younger vines in the Grand Cru Brand. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.” 95/100pts Stuart Piggott for James Suckling.com