Bottler: Domaine Zind Humbrecht, 4 Route de Colmar, 68230 Turckheim / France
In the glass
Colour
Pale yellow with green highlights and a silvery rim.
Nose
A distinguished interplay of orange blossom, lychee and rose water, subtly underpinned by a fine woody note.
Palate
Lean flow and a demure attack with a creamy texture, floral style and impressive length.
Character
Noblesse and polished understatement – a masterfully balanced, subtle Gewürztraminer with excellent ageing potential.
Pairing
Warm Munster cheese with pear chutney, carp in a light soy nage or red duck curry with lychee.
Notes
Grown on Alsace's steepest vineyard site (68 per cent slope) on volcanic rock, hailing from the producer family's Demeter-certified biodynamic viticulture.
Tasting note
Colour & Appearance
Pale yellow with shimmering green highlights and a rim running out to silver.
Nose
A Gewürztraminer of fascinating understatement: instead of clumsy, exuberant fruit, the wine reveals itself as utterly aristocratic in the glass. Elegant notes of orange blossom, delicate lychee and nuances of rose water merge with the scent of freshly polished wood. A pristine, lightly powdered aroma – fascinatingly complex and understatedly stylish.
Palate
Demure on the attack, with a slender flow and distinguished poise. The floral aromatics translate onto the palate in gentle nuances. The sweetness is embedded in a creamy texture that softly coats the palate without ever seeming loud or obtrusive.
Finish
A persistent finish full of aristocratic nobility. The wine maintains its structure right through to a long, elegant finale. Offers immense drinking pleasure today, whilst possessing the potential to age gracefully over the next decade.
Terroir & Origin
With its 68 per cent incline, the Grand Cru Rangen de Thann is the steepest vineyard site in Alsace. Spanning 5.5 hectares of pure volcanic rock in southern Alsace, this site yields extraordinary mineral depth and spice, which finds its ultimate expression in Clos-Saint-Urbain.
Grape Variety & Vinification
Single-varietal Gewürztraminer from Demeter-certified biodynamic farming under the direction of Master of Wine Olivier Humbrecht. The wine enjoys at least six months of lees contact in the cellar, harvested at low yields of 30-40 hectolitres per hectare, and is released only after one to two years of bottle ageing. Alcohol content: 13.5% ABV.
Food Pairings
Excellent with warm Munster cheese served with pear chutney and green cardamom. The wine is equally suited to carp with water chestnuts and peach in a light soy nage, or a spicy red duck curry with yellow cherry tomatoes, Thai basil and lychee.
Key Facts
The estate traces its history back to 1620. Olivier Humbrecht converted the vineyards in 1996; the domaine has been Demeter-certified since 2002. The extreme steepness of the Rangen combines fiery volcanic terroir with the patience of extended ageing.
