Pinot Gris Heimbourg 2017

Vintage

The 2017 vintage will go down in the history of this wine estate. For Olivier Humbrecht, it is one of the three best vintages since the foundation of the wine estate in 1959. However, this time frost and hail limited the yield to less than 20 hl/ha on average. After an early budbreak, two cold spells with sub-zero temperatures on April 21 and 22 exposed even those areas that were more sheltered to frost. An unusually freezing easterly wind froze vines in vineyards like the Herrenweg de Turckheim, which never froze to death in the 60 years Olivier's father has been involved. A hailstorm in the Brand vineyard fortunately remained without major consequences. Midsummer was hot, August milder, and the harvest started on August 29 with Pinot Gris Roche Roulée, followed by terroirs like Rotenberg, Heimbourg, Goldert ... A little rain on September 2 accelerated the ripening. The Rieslings were harvested from 11 September and the harvest finished with Rangen, Hengst and Clos Jebsal on 26 September. Only in Clos Jebsal were there minor signs of botrytis.

Vineyard

The small village of Heimbourg is situated on a hill to the east of Turckheim. Its steep slopes run from south to west. The upper part, facing west, is more exposed to the winds and is well adapted to Pinot gris with a slimmer soil. The soil consists mainly of Oligocene limestone marl, which is as dense as if it had been mixed with cement. There is hardly any topsoil, but plenty of iron oxide. The vines were planted between 1986 and 1991. The Pinot gris in Heimbourg ripens slowly, shows noble rot only late and thus keeps a nice acidity in the grapes.

Fermentation

The wine has 5.3 g/l residual sugar with 5.2 g acidity.

bright golden yellow

The Heimbourg Pinot gris is from the first moment a serious, pure Pinot Gris, which shows its stony side. The high iron content of the soil is quite understandable here. The wine seems exceedingly lively, its fruit reminds of apples and apple peels, some broom, laurel and flint, the latter in connection with a reductive development.

Wonderful juiciness and creaminess on the palate. The Heimbourg delivers an intense pome fruit and also a ripe citrus fruit, plus cuddly tannin and above all a vibrant fresh acidity along with salty minerality. The palate again shows the combination of apple and apple peel, quince, some hops and wax. The Pinot gris has a hell of a long finale and stays fresh and charming until the very last second.