Wine Advisor
Zind Humbrecht, Riesling Clos Windsbuhl 2018
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Description
Zind Humbrecht, Riesling, Windsbuhl, Clos Windsbuhl, France, Alsace, Still, White, 2011
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephan Reinhardt
The pale lime-yellow 2018 Riesling Clos Windsbuhl opens with an intense and complex, yeasty, flinty and saline bouquet of perfectly ripe, super ripe and even stewed but healthy fruit aromas. From vines averaging 44 years of age on calcareous Muschelkalk soils in a south, southeast-facing cru in Hunawihr, this is a dense, very complex and sustainable dry Riesling that starts very fine and elegant on the palate and is concentrated and intense, with fine, saline acidity, and it develops a deep, pure yet still challenging, vigorous finish due to its youth and structure. The aftertaste is enormously long and salivating. Very promising, Bottled in January 2020 with 12.5% alcohol and a natural cork. Tasted in January 2023.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
One of the standouts in this range, the 2018 Riesling Clos Windsbuhl is incredibly vivid in the glass. Time in the glass brings out myriad layers of flavor and dimension. Orange confit, crushed rocks, mint and more exotic notes all meld together in an airy, weightless wine that has so much to offer. The 2018 is at once intense but also carries itself with a real sense of grace.
About the Producer
Founded in 1959, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht is one of the most prestigious wineries in Alsace. The Humbrecht family has been growing grapes in the region since 1620. Since the 1980s, the estate has been run by their son, Olivier Humbrecht. Olivier is a world-renowned winemaker and the first Frenchman to be awarded the title of "Master of Wine". In France, it is common that the vineyards owned by Château Humbrecht are not located in the same place. The vineyards of Château Humbrechts are located in 5 different villages and cover a total area of 40 hectares. A wide range of grape varieties are planted, mainly Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. The average age of the vines is 30 years, with some vines as old as 70 years. The winery produces 13,000 to 16,000 cases of wine per year, with yields of 3,000 to 4,000 liters per hectare. Old vines, the best vineyards, low yields, late harvesting, a biologically based growing system and vinification in old, temperature-controlled vats are the hallmarks of the winery's wines. The harvest at Château Humbrechts generally lasts more than 3 months, as the grapes are picked only when a parcel of vineyards has reached their approved full ripeness. The grapes are pressed in whole bunches and they tend to use heavy vats with large capacity. All materials are moved by gravity and aged with premium vats, with little to no use of sulfur dioxide. The fermentation process is completely natural - indigenous yeasts are used, no enzymes and such additives as oxygen, nitrogen, clarifiers, vitamins, etc. are added. The fermentation process at Château Humbrechts is very slow, ranging from 3 months to 1 year, even longer for very sweet wines, and 12 to 18 months for the drier ones. Generally speaking, Château Humbrechts produces mostly sweet wines (depending on the vintage), but in years when natural conditions allow, it also produces less sweet wines with an alcohol content of 15% to 16%. The wines of Château Humbrechts, however, are made with the utmost care and reflect the best local winemaking techniques.
