2000 Riesling Brand
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Tasting notes
"If there can ever be a perfect vintage for a vineyard, 2000 was that way for Brand," said Olivier Humbrecht. He added that the 2000 Riesling Brand "is like the 1989 or 1998 yet not as sweet and with additional richness, acidity, and botrytis." Its exuberant nose displays poached pears, white peaches, liquid minerals, and apricots. On the palate, this medium to full-bodied wine is immensely rich, ample, and plump. Layers of tea-laced minerals vie with copious white fruits for the taster's attention. Intricately laced, its powerful character lasts throughout its exceedingly long finish. This prodigious wine will be at its best between 2007 and 2020. Olivier Humbrecht describes 2000 as "a year of excellent ripeness where the key to success was sorting out the bad rot prior to harvesting." To accomplish this, Humbrecht sent out teams to go through every parcel, dropping whatever bunches had been infected with sour rot. Domaine Zind-Humbrecht's harvest lasted 6 weeks, with one-fourth being accomplished between September 19 and October 5th, and the remaining three-fourths picked by October 31st. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Pierre Rovani
More reviews and scores
Perfumed nose melds spring flowers, lime and pungent mint. Quite powerful on the palate, with enough alcohol and acidity to buffer the wine sweetness. Conveys a tactile impression of extract. This tastes fairly dry today and will be dryer still by the time the fermentation stops. Olivier figured it would end up with about 15 grams per liter residual sugar.
About the producer
Widely acknowledged as one of the legendary wineries in Alsace, the wines of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht are nothing short of magical. Certified organic and biodynamic, the estate crafts an extensive range of wines, including many Grand Cru and single-vineyard bottlings.