1994 Gewurztraminer Herrenweg de Turckheim

Made from a vineyard planted in 1946, the light golden-colored, dry 1994 Gewurztraminer Herrenweg Turckheim achieved 15.1% alcohol naturally. More backward than some of the other Gewurztraminers, this is a wine with a peppery, spicy, floral, lychee nut-scented nose, great ripeness and fruit, full body, amazing length, and superb purity without any of the funky Gewurztraminer characteristics that can develop when this degree of ripeness is achieved. It should age magnificently for 10-15+ years. No where else in the world does Gewurztraminer reach such splendid heights of complexity, intensity, and ageability. It is a difficult grape to handle and vinify as it is one of the few white wine varietals that has tannin in its skin. If yields are too high, the results are floppy, flabby, unstructured, ponderous, low acid wines. At Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Gewurztraminer is treated with respect, resulting in wines of immense richness and harmony that age impeccably well. For example, the 1983 and 1985 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminers remaining in my cellar are still amazingly youthful. The importer for the Zind-Humbrecht wines for most of the United States is Wine Markets International, Woodbury, NY; tel. (516) 364-1850, and for the state of California, Kermit Lynch Selections, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524.