1989 Riesling Clos St Hune Vendage Tardive

Full bottle 1,269 g. Deep greenish gold. Super-intense mature Riesling with light syrupiness on palate entry and then real riches underneath. Long and throbbing on the palate. Pure super-ripe Riesling. Long and subtle. (JR)

‘A unique vintage! Very pretty off-season, high-quality noble rot development. This is the only vintage where only a Clos Ste Hune Vendanges Tardives and Vendanges Tardives Hors-Choix [a selection of botrytised grapes] exist.’ Harvested in October. ‘A beautiful Alsace vintage’, according to Jean Trimbach who reported ‘a very good yield and then botrytis attacked so it was a fantastic vintage for sweet wines.’ This was the only vintage in which there was no dry Clos Ste Hune. Because the crop was so big, the vintage didn’t start out with a great reputation. The vendanges tardives regulations were first drawn up (though they have since been amended) in 1984. We were all amazed at the low RS and thought he might have said 80 g/l, but no. This is Trimbach after all, with their worship of dry wines! RS 17.5–18 g/l, TA 6.4 g/l. Glowing orange-amber. Rich and racy and complete – and very long with an undertow for sore throats. Beautifully poised. Just some richness but not sweet enough to serve with a dessert – more with something rich and savoury. Just a little sweet at the beginning. Really rather gorgeous. With fresh lime, even lemongrass, notes. (JR)

Rich, creamy and concentrated, but barely off-dry, this great riesling doesn’t fit neatly it into either the dry or dessert categories. Stacks of dried apricot, candied orange slices and a freshness that has nothing to do with acidity. Terrific botrytis spice at the very long finish. Just 17 grams per liter of unfermented grape sweetness. Drink or hold.