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 Alsace
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Since 1620, the Humbrecht vineyards in Alsace have been passed down through successive generations of the family. Originally they worked their plots by horse, made wine, then sold it in cask, but in 1947 new technology and a decrease in bulk wine prices inspired Emile Humbrecht to begin bottling his own production. In 1959, when Leonard Humbrecht married Genevieve Zind, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht was born. Because many growers had abandoned Alsace's hillside vineyards for flatter sites during the 1960's and '70's, land prices dropped. Wisely, Leonard Humbrecht began to buy these hillside sites, and by 1983 the domaine had grown to 60 acres. Today Domaine Zind-Humbrecht consists of 100 acres, overseen by Leonard's son Oliver. The modern and spacious winery located on the main road between Colmar and Turckheim, sits amid the Herrenweg vineyard. The success of Zind-Humbrecht wines lies in the attention they pay to the vineyards. Leonard and Oliver never let winemaking override the character of the vineyard, which is attributed to its soil type, slope, exposition and drainage potential. They are also fanatics about restricting yields. In the cellar, after whole-cluster pressing and settling of solids, the juice ferments in oak casks ranging in capacity from 3,400 gallons to 22,800 gallons. By using indigenous yeasts and a cooling system submerged in the casks to control temperatures, fermentation sometimes last into the June or July following the harvest but, as in 1997, most are completed by March. Olivier never interferes with the fermentations. He told the Wine Spectator, "With ripe grapes (a consequence of low yields) and small proportions of malic acid, malolactic fermentation can increase stability without losing any flavor. We haven't chaptalized since 1993 and we don't add anything at all." In the same article, which appeared in the September 15, 1998 issue, Oliver described the Zind-Humbrecht wines as, "Rich, very aromatic, with a powerful intensity and concentration."
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| Gewürztraminer, Clos Windsbuhl |
In 1998, the Clos Windsbuhl grapes reached a ripeness and complexity level that can be seen only in the best vintages. Little botrytis and perfect health explain the strong aromatic potential of this wine. The palate is rich and unctuous, long lasting flavors that are between spicy and fruity. It has an ultra classic balance, and despite a finished high alcohol level, the mouth is harmonious. |
| Gewürztraminer, Heimbourg |
The Heimbourg Gewürztraminer was harvested at two different times, resulting in a dry wine and a VT. This wine has very little botrytis and shows very strong floral aromatic aromas. It is well balanced with a fresh acidity, which hides the huge ripeness of the wine. The alcohol and sweetness of this wine are hidden behind a harmonious structure. |
| Gewürztraminer, Hengst |
Only the Hengst can produce a wine like this. It is completely dominated by spicy and wood flavors. The palate is powerful, massive, but with little warmth due to the high alcohol. The long fermentation gave this wine significant glycerol and structure. |
| Gewürztraminer, Herrenweg de Turckheim |
This wine was harvested at the same time as the Turckheim for the same reasons. The well-drained gravelly soil was able to ripen the grapes quickly before the early October rains. This is important for such a vineyard, because it doesn't have the capacity to go through bad weather as well as a top hillside could. The slow and intense fermentation allowed the wine to finish dry and powerful, with a strong body and good length. The nose has a very complex, strong spicy character. |
| Gewürztraminer, Wintzenheim |
This wine comes from vines over 50 years old, very similar to the Herrenweg, but in a cooler location closer to Wintzenheim. The grapes reached a classic ripeness, allowing the wine to finish dry. The nose is already very expressive with strong litchee-rose petal aromas, and the mouth is rich and well balanced. Classic Gewürztraminer. |
| Gewürztraminer, Turckheim |
The younger vineyards from the Herrenweg produced this wine (average age is 25 years old). The grapes were perfectly ripe and were harvested early thanks to the precocity of this vineyard. It is a very powerful wine and it tastes totally dry even though there is technically some sweetness. Less open than the Wintzenheim, this wine shows more spiciness. |
| Muscat, Herrenweg de Turckheim |
The association of the precocious gravelly soil and the old vines (50 years) dominated by Muscat Ottonel helped to produce a fruity and aromatic wine, entirely dry with an elegant and delicate structure. Less alcoholic than the other 1998's, the Muscat Herrenweg will be a pleasurable wine to drink in its youth. |
| Muscat, Goldert |
This wine was harvested with a high ripeness and some noble rot from the two oldest vineyards in the Herrenweg. After a slow fermentation, it remains slightly sweet, and shows powerful roasted, nutty, almond flavors on the nose and the palate. |
| Pinot Gris, Vieilles Vignes |
This wine was harvested with a high ripeness and some noble rot from the two oldest vineyards in the Herrenweg. After a slow fermentation, it remains slightly sweet, and shows powerful roasted, nutty, almond flavors on the nose and the palate. |
| Pinot Gris, Clos Windsbuhl |
This wine resembles a lot the 1996 from this vineyard, and has benefited from the same weather conditions. The palate is fine and elegant, supported by a racy acidity. The calcareous rock gives the wine a strong minerality associated with an aromatic nose. The residual sweetness is almost comparable to a VT, but the evolution of this wine (low botrytis and high acidity) should be closer to a non-VT. Should keep extremely well. |
| Pinot Gris, Heimbourg |
Like the Rotenberg, the Heimbourg is located on an oligocene calcareous hillside, facing west. This facing helped the botrytis to spread evenly on the grapes in 1998. The small crop and the concentration of the botrytis helped to produce a rich, elegant and aromatic wine; the palate is already today, very developed, with classic peach, fruit aromas. |
| Pinot Gris, Herrenweg de Turckheim |
All the character of the Herrenweg is present in this wine: intense fruit, imposing body, and length with freshness and youth. Its fermentation was the longest of all the 1998s, not finishing until January 2000. Its initial ripeness did not allow the wine to finish completely dry, but the residual sweetness is well hidden in this wine. |
| Pinot Gris, Rotenberg |
This red calcareous soil produced a very small crop of dry wine in 1998. The grapes were very healthy, and the wine shows all the classic apricot and quince flavors of the Rotenberg. The mouth is ample and rich, with strong toasty flavors (there is no oak). Although the fermentation was lengthy, the wine retained some sweetness, which is well hidden behind the massive body and the fine acidity. |
| Pinot D'Alsace |
This is the classic blend of Auxerrois, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc harvested from the Herrenweg, Clos Windsbuhl, and Rotenberg vineyards. In 1998, this wine is particularly intense and aromatic, and its richness is almost superior to the 1997 although the acidity is also greater. Even though it is a perfectly dry wine, it has a silky smooth palate and long finish. |
| Riesling, Brand |
The granite of the Brand vineyard enjoyed a warm, forward climate. The excellent drainage of the soil explains why there was little botrytis on the clusters. It is rare to harvest Riesling at such ripeness without noble rot, and it is even rarer to see such a ripeness ferment almost dry, with its natural yeasts. The long fermentation (to the end of September 1999) gave a rich, long, and powerful body to the wine. The nose remains brand: fresh fruits and very developed. |
| Riesling, Clos Hauserer |
This vineyard becomes more and more stunning as the years pass. The marl-limestone soil, located just under the Hengst, produced a wine of great complexity and richness. Completely dry, having finished fermentation in the summer of 1999, this wine has developed a structure and an aromatic intensity unusual for this vineyard. The strong, mineral flavors are supported by a ripe acidity and a powerful body, giving a sensation of roundness to this wine. It is a generous wine with tremendous aging potential. |
| Riesling, Gueberschwihr |
1998 could well be a terrific Riesling vintage, and tasting this wine will certainly confirm it. The grapes were harvested completely healthy and ripe. After a very long fermentation, this wine became incredibly aromatic, entirely dry but balanced with a long unctuous palate and a ripe acidity. Already showing well, it will benefit from cellaring. |
| Riesling, Heimbourg |
This wine is made from grapes harvested from the small southern part of the Heimbourg vineyard, on a steep southwest slope, directly next to Clos Jebsal. This Riesling benefits from a warm and healthy microclimate with exposure to valley wines. The young age of the vines is compensated by small grapes and low yields per vine. The calcareous-marl soil produced an elegant wine with ripe acidity. The slow fermentation and residual sweetness of the wine give a touch of roundness to the finish. |
| Riesling, Herrenweg de Turckheim |
The age of this vineyard (50 years) and the precocious gravelly soil of the Herrenweg helped to produce a very aromatic and seductive wine. The 1998 is totally dry, again after a long fermentation, but has an elegant and open structure. The wine is already showing a lot of flavors and represents very well the Riesling grape. |
| Riesling, Rangen Clos Saint Urbain |
1998 was not the same for Rangen as it was for the rest of the Domaine. This volcanic hill enjoyed extremely favorable conditions for the development of noble rot in middle October. Although this wine is not labeled VT, there is an extremely strong botrytis influence. The intense spicy, flinty, stony flavors are combined with the overripe character. This vineyard also has a much sharper acidity than most '98s. This explains why there is some residual sweetness in the wine, even after a year-long fermentation. The palate remains very well balanced and built for aging. |
| Riesling, Turckheim |
Still coming from our younger wines from the Brand (17 years old average), this wine has all the characteristics of a granite soil. The good ripeness is balanced with a nervous acidity and impressive length. This wine became dry after a long fermentation, which is responsible for the powerful palate. |
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