2007 Riesling Brand
Buying options
Tasting notes
The Zind-Humbrecht 2007 Riesling Brand – from the densely granitic Steinglitz portion of this cru – smells gorgeously of iris, lily-of-the-valley, linden, white peach, and grapefruit. Plush and tenderly palate-saturating, dry-tasting at 10 grams residual sugar, its hints of tart and bitter red currant, grapefruit rind, peach pit, hazelnut, and sage offer dynamic counterpoint with its generosity of fruit and texture, persisting with uncanny tenacity, clarity, lift, and energy as well as mysteriously marine minerality and scallop-like sweet-saline savor. This will be exciting to follow over the next 12-15 years if not longer. ”After the experience of 2003,” remarks Olivier Humbrecht with an eye to his 2007s, “I’m never going to complain about having and extra gram or two of acidity.” In fact, Humbrecht considers 2007 ideal in nearly every respect, having permitted the grower the luxury of picking under optimum conditions for each grape variety and style. The fruit was completely healthy, insists Humbrecht, “you could walk through the vineyards for half an hour and fine one spoiled berry,” … except, of course, where the rot was noble! This year’s generally dry-tasting, relatively low-alcohol, high acid, high-extract Rieslings are not always the most youthfully approachable or winsome in style, but the best are profound; whereas Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer ran to extremities of potential alcohol, even though the harvest was finished before mid-October. Far fewer wines went through malo-lactic transformation here from 2007 than usual – the pHs were often so low they proved inhospitable to the necessary bacteria. As for 2006, it’s clear that this is a year to test the meddle of any grower, and it is therefore not surprising that Zind-Humbrecht was among the estates to demonstrate that excellence and even excitement were not ruled out by the weather. Furthermore, he arrived at an average 2006 yield virtually identical to that of 2005. “Of course,” asserts Humbrecht, “quality in 2006 depended on how you handle your vineyards and your vines the whole year through. It was a vintage where, if you made a mistake in the vineyards, you got slapped pretty hard at harvest time, unlike 2007 where if you made a mistake, nature was forgiving.” The completion of fermentations in 2007 was spread over even more months than usual, often with late bottling; frequently with no racking; and my notes are based both on tastings from bottle early this year (sometimes referencing the wine’s performance from cask) and in a few instances solely on tastings from cask. Two 2007 Pinot Gris “Trie Speciale” – from Clos Windsbuhl and Clos Jebsal – were not even wine yet last I visited, and will in any case not be released for at least another year. Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (415) 491-4724
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Tank sample. 8 g/l RS Lots of bits floating in this one! Quite a deep gold. Much more opulent on the nose than the other Grands Crus from granitic soils. Quite a bit of residual sugar, which slightly occludes the potential distinctiveness of this grapefruit flavoured wine. It finishes as one would expect from sucking chalk in fact. Marked acidity – rather exotic with its super-ripe grapefruit flavours. Reminds me a little of a Scheurebe! Long. (JR)
RS 9.9 g/l, TA 5.2, yields 35 hl/ha. Flattering rich almond cream on the nose. Very intense and tight and smoky, almost oily. Although this is coded 2 in terms of richness it is not that much sweeter than the bone dry Rieslings – though might be easier to match to foods than some of the more austere 2007 Rieslings. Lovely balance – full of life and extremely difficult to spit. Coded 2. (JR)
Knockout nose of dried pineapple, ripe peach, wet stone and nuts. The palate offers enticing sweetness buffered by brisk flavors of crystallized citrus peel and stone. Densely packed, fruit-driven and long and aromatic on the back end. Olivier rates this one a 2 on his "index of perceptible sweetness," which runs from 1 to bone dry to 5 for very sweet (he does not use these indications on the front labels of his VTs and SGNs). In comparison, the Rangen is very much a 1.
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.