Domaine Zind-Humbrecht

Despite the expected early harvest, the dry summer led to a delay in sugar storage, which pushed back the harvest times. A special feature of the 2023 vintage was that physiological ripeness was reached before sugar ripeness - a rare phenomenon. The harvest lasted throughout September, with some rot problems in vineyards harvested later, particularly in Pinot Gris after mid-September. The last Riesling was harvested on 5 October in Clos Windsbuhl.

The resulting 2023 wines show surprising harmony with lower alcohol levels than in previous years, strong fermentations and ripe acidity. Most of the wines were vinified dry, with only a few Gewürztraminers retaining residual sweetness. No Spätlese wines were produced. The vintage is characterised by expressive aromas, ripe fullness in the mouth without excessive weight and good ageing potential.

The high temperatures and lack of water during flowering caused severe trickling, especially in Riesling and in the valleys. The extreme summer with temperatures of up to 38°C led to water stress, with granite soils benefiting from August rains, albeit with some hail damage. The valley sites remained without rain, resulting in small, juiceless berries.
The early harvest began on 22 August and ended on 20 September. Granite and limestone soils produced good yields, while the valley sites suffered the most. The vintage yielded an average of 37.9 hectolitres per hectare. Despite complicated fermentations, the wines show a surprising elegance with a harmonious combination of minerality, good acidity and ripe tannins. The top sites in particular produced excellent, storable wines, some of which can also be enjoyed young.

Flowering began on 11 June with brief high temperatures. Powdery mildew exploded at the end of June, first on the leaves and then on the grapes in mid-July. Only August brought dry, warm weather.

The climatic conditions (125mm of rain in June alone) led to harvest losses of around 50%, partly due to frost and partly due to mildew. The harvest took place from 15 September to 2 October. Yields were very low at 25 hl/ha for Alsace AOC and 19 hl/ha for the Grands Crus. The wines show high acidity, are all vinified dry and exhibit impressive power despite their moderate alcohol content. The vintage combines characteristics of 2019, 2017 and 2010 and has great ageing potential, but is unfortunately only available in small quantities.

July was hot and dry, with the first colour changes around 14 July. A decisive moment was 2 August, when 60mm of rain fell in Turckheim and Wintzenheim - perfectly timed to avoid drought stress.

The harvest began on 25 August and ended on 15 September, characterised by rapid ripening (up to 2.5% potential alcohol increase per week) and logistical challenges due to Covid restrictions. Yields were 47 hl/ha for AOC Alsace and 32 hl/ha for Grand Cru wines.

The 2020 wines show good ripeness, are predominantly dry (except for some Gewürztraminer single vineyards), have an interesting acid structure and excellent tannins. The optimal growing conditions led to a very promising vintage, comparable to 2015.

The cool conditions during flowering led to trickling and small berries, especially in Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Abundant rainfall in mid-June and warmer temperatures significantly improved development. July was very warm and dry, followed by extreme heat at the beginning of August. August then became the defining month of the vintage with ideal conditions and significant rainfall, which allowed for stress-free ripening.

The short harvest took place from 11 to 30 September. The yields were 31 hl/ha for the Grands Crus and 40 hl/ha for the Alsace category. Fermentations were very slow, especially for Riesling, due to higher acidity and lower pH values. 2019 proved to be an outstanding vintage with concentrated, structured and refined wines that have excellent ageing potential.