Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016 - 60


TOP 100 WINERIES 2016

F RANCE A LSACE

Olivier Humbrecht

Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
Olivier Humbrecht, the first French vigneron to earn an MW, in 1989,
together with two dozen farmers on his permanent vineyard staff, flexed
the terroir muscles of their vines in the 2013 vintage, with small yields of
beautiful, distinctly expressive wines.
A Marriage of Two Domaines: Humbrecht's parents, Léonard Humbrecht
and Geneviève Zind, started out with 12.3 acres of vines when they
married in 1959. The price of vineyard land was still depressed when
they bought the Clos Saint Urbain in Rangen de Thann (1977) and
prime parcels of Hengst and Brand (1978). Olivier and his wife, Margaret, took over the domaine in 1989, continuing to build the estate to its
current 100 acres and converting the vineyards to organic farming (certified in 1998) and biodynamic viticulture (certified in 2002).
Compelling Wines in a Challenging Vintage: Humbrecht has gained a perspective through the practice of biodynamics that helps him and his
team support the health of their vines across a wide range of soils, varieties and expositions. They plow and enrich the soil with manure after
harvest, then prune to restrict yields in what has been a series of dry
seasons. In 2013, their thirsty vines got refreshed by a storm in early
September. The weather was good for the next few weeks, allowing
the domaine to pick all of its low-lying parcels before significant rains
began on October 5; Humbrecht's team brought in the rest of the harvest on the dry sunny days between storms. He notes that the year was
marked by low yields, what he describes as aromatic musts, racy acidity
and a lack of botrytis (there was little opportunity for an extended late
harvest). Most of his 2013s took more than a year to ferment, but tasting through them, you'd never know the vintage was challenging: We
recommended ten bottlings highly, from muscat to pinot gris.
Different Shades of Riesling: Riesling particularly stands out in ZindHumbrecht's 2013 range, including the Calcaire, a bright, sunny blend
from vines in limestone soils. Its fine, abrasive texture makes an intriguing contrast to the Terroirs d'Alsace, from young riesling vines on gra60

WINE & SPIRITS

BUYING GUIDE 2017

Founded: 1620
Winemaker/viticulturist:
Olivier Humbrecht
Owners:
Olivier and Margaret Humbrecht
Acres owned: 100
Annual production: 16,667 cases
Estate grown: 100%
Importer: Kobrand, Purchase, NY
Website: zindhumbrecht.fr

nitic soils in the Brand vineyard. This one is bold with
lemon curd richness cut by lemon pith notes and the smokiness of the lees. Humbrecht describes the soil at Brand
as biotite granite, black mica that leaves mineral deposits
in the clay that collects in the soil crevasses. He makes
his Brand Grand Cru Riesling from 63-year-old vines on
a steep hillside facing south. Those old vines create a
wine in stereo sound, with its concentrated peach fuzz
and pear skin flavor volume turned up high. It's completely different from the riesling from the volcanic
soils of Clos Saint Urbain, in the Grand Cru Rangen
de Thann-a block of 51-year-old vines, on a steep,
south-facing slope, where proximity to the Vosges
Mountains slows ripening. It's a broad and luscious
2013, not at all fruity-more herbal, flinty, salty, spicy
and markedly long.
Grand Cru Gewurz: Gewurztraminer provides a different
interpretation of Clos Saint Urbain: In 2013, the wine comes from
a small block of 34-year-old vines in that vineyard's volcanic soils,
where they produced a bone-dry wine without any of the primary floral aromas gewurz can give. One of our 100 Best Wines of the Year, its
tension makes the wine feel like it was chiseled out of rock, allowing
only glimpses of quince and grapefruit flavors and a scent of beeswax, tightly held and buzzing with energy. This is gewurztraminer as
a vehicle for the site and the soil, a great wine not to be missed. -J.G.

TOP-SCORING WINES
96 '13 Alsace Clos St-Urbain Rangen de Thann Gewurz. $120 (12/15)
95 '13 Alsace Clos St-Urbain Rangen de Thann Riesling $120 (12/15)
94 '13 Alsace Calcaire Riesling $55 (12/15)


http://www.zindhumbrecht.fr

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016

Contents
Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016 - Cover1
Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016 - Cover2
Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016 - 1
Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016 - 2
Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016 - Contents
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Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016 - Cover3
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