Riesling Brand Grand Cru 2014 1500ml Magnum

Wine description for Riesling Brand Grand Cru 2014 1500ml Magnum by Domaine Zind-Humbrecht

Colour & appearance

Brilliant golden yellow with delicate green reflections – a promise of both concentration and youth.

Nose

Initially closed, almost shy. Yet patience is rewarded: after generous aeration, a fascinating interplay of apricot, candied lemon zest and sugared grapefruit unfolds. Dried flowers and hay join in, accompanied by ethereal notes of ginger and lemon balm. A taut mineral backbone frames the fruit.

Palate

The interplay of sweet-salty-sour defines this wine. The citrus fruit from the nose carries through on the palate – stimulating, powerful, with a freshness that elegantly balances its off-dry character. A wine of substance and tension.

Finish

Long-lasting, with lingering minerality and a saline aftertaste that makes the granite soils of the terroir palpable.

Terroir & origin

The Grand Cru Brand near Turckheim delivers granitic minerality in its purest form. Domaine Zind-Humbrecht cultivates this vineyard site as part of its portfolio of six Grand Cru sites across 11.5 hectares – each a geological universe in its own right. Olivier Humbrecht, the first French Master of Wine, has been Demeter-certified since 2002 and has reintroduced horse-drawn ploughing on the steepest plots.

Grape variety & vinification

Riesling in its Alsatian interpretation: powerful, structured, with the texture imparted by at least six months of lees contact. No wine leaves the cellar before one to two years of maturation – a luxury that reveals itself in every glass. Yields of 30–40 hectolitres per hectare speak for themselves.

Food recommendations

The saline minerality and fine residual sweetness make this wine an ideal partner for turbot with beurre blanc and baby potatoes. It also shows its best side alongside Hokkaido quiche Lorraine or the unusual carrot and chia dumplings with baked banana.

Special features

The magnum format promises a slower, more refined evolution. The 2014 vintage is still in its youth – those opening it now should decant it for several hours or, better still, allow it a few days after opening. The reward is a wine that reflects Alsace in all its geological diversity.