1999 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen Clos St. Urbain Grand Cru

"The Rangen vineyard was really put to the test in 1999," reported Olivier Humbrecht. It was the first year of biodynamic cultivation, and the flowering was as difficult as there was mildew as well. The Rangen, however, "rose above all difficulties to produce a small crop of excellent-quality grapes with high levels of ripeness. The botrytis was particularly rare on the Riesling. This combined with a very slow fermentation produced a powerful, dry wine strongly influenced by the volcanic soil." The dark golden colored 1999 Riesling Clos Saint-Urbain Rangen de Thann is pure, precise and elegant in its intense stone fruit aromas that are spiced with crushed rock deposits and iodine. On the palate, this is a very intense, highly refined, impressively mineral and persistent Rangen whose sweetness of seven grams per liter is perfectly interwoven yet has not disappeared. This is a super mineral, saline and finely tannic Rangen from a challenging vintage that brought great late-harvest wines and also this exceptional Rangen Grand Cru that comes in with 13.99% alcohol. Tasted in November 2023 within the great vertical in the Pfalz, Germany.