Auxerrois Clos Windsbuhl 2023

Wine description for Auxerrois Clos Windsbuhl 2023 from Domaine Zind-Humbrecht

Colour & Appearance

Luminous, vibrant straw yellow with brilliant clarity – a wine that immediately commands presence in the glass.

Nose

Still youthfully reserved, yet promising: ripe cantaloupe melon, Nashi pear and waxy yellow apples dominate. These are joined by delicate linden blossom, green stone fruit and a hint of blossom honey. A wine that deserves patience and a generous glass.

Palate

Here the true class of this Auxerrois reveals itself: where the variety normally presents itself soft and obliging, the Clos Windsbuhl delivers a vertically fresh zing with impressive tension. The pronounced acidity and low pH give the wine an almost crisp freshness rarely found in Auxerrois. The gentle fruit rests on a bed of fine salt and subtle mineral bass, whilst bitter phenolics draw clear contours on the finish. An Auxerrois with racing stripes – the Porsche of its kind.

Finish

Long, precise and marked by distinctive bitterness that lends the fruit structure and depth.

Terroir & Origin

The Clos Windsbuhl in Hunawihr is a high-altitude vineyard site at the forest edge with south-east and south-facing exposure. The cool, late-ripening microclimate preserves freshness and acidity, whilst the shell limestone soil provides the mineral tension and definition – precisely what this variety often lacks.

Grape Variety & Vinification

The Auxerrois vines planted in 1989 (34 years old) stand directly beside Chardonnay parcels. Normally the harvest flows into the Zind Cuvée, but in 2023 a separately vinified batch proved so impressive that it was bottled as a standalone wine. Brisk, complete fermentation, followed by 16 months ageing on full lees.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Scallops with lemon butter, veal schnitzel with morels, baked pike-perch, Comté or Beaufort – dishes that mirror the wine’s freshness and minerality.

Special Features

A rarity: Auxerrois as a standalone Grand Cru vineyard site wine from Zind-Humbrecht. Drinks beautifully now, but will be even better in five years‘ time.