Bottler: Domaine Zind Humbrecht, 4 Route de Colmar, 68230 Turckheim / France
In the glass
Colour
Dense, radiant, intense golden yellow.
Nose
Pineapple, orange, mango, quince, dried fig and baked apple, accompanied by cardamom, saffron and cinnamon, as well as the smoky scent of volcanic rock.
Palate
Lush, opulent fruit meets smoky, earthy notes and an immensely invigorating, pronounced acidity; the noble sweet richness remains lively and youthful throughout.
Character
Powerful, expressive yet precise – a great sweet wine with tension between sweetness, acidity and volcanic spice.
Pairing
Unfoie gras duck liver, washed-rind soft cheese or poultry with pome fruits and nuts.
Notes
Sourced from the Clos-Saint-Urbain within the Grand Cru Rangen de Thann, the steepest vineyard site in Alsace (68-degree gradient) on volcanic rock; noble rot and a six-month fermentation shape its dense sweet-acid structure. Biodynamically produced (Demeter-certified).
Tasting note
Colour & Appearance
Dense, radiant, intense golden yellow – a wine that announces in the glass that noble rot and ripeness have been at work here.
Nose
A veritable fireworks display of opulent aromas: pineapple, orange, dried fig, baked apple, mango and quince. Over this lies the smoky scent of volcanic rock, accompanied by a splendid array of spices including cardamom, saffron and cinnamon. Generous and expressive, yet never heavy-handed.
Palate
Here the 2008 vintage reveals its true character: opulent fruit meets a vibrant, invigorating acidity, owed to the volcanic rock and the botrytised grapes. Smoky and earthy notes underpin the richness. Lusciously sweet, yes – but the acidity keeps everything in lively tension. A wine of youthful energy that still pulses with life after more than fifteen years of bottle ageing.
Finish
Long, spicy, carried by smoky minerality, with a lingering echo of exotic fruit and a fine interplay of sweetness and acidity.
Terroir & Origin
With a 68-degree gradient, Rangen de Thann is the steepest vineyard site in Alsace – horses are once again used here, as machines simply cannot cope. On some 5.5 hectares of volcanic rock high above Thann, wines of almost elemental mineral intensity are produced. The Clos-Saint-Urbain, in the lower section, benefits from its proximity to the river: the humidity favoured the development of noble rot in 2008, bestowing upon this wine its lusciously sweet dimension.
Grape Variety & Vinification
Pinot Gris – a master of transformation in the Rangen, showing itself quite differently here from the Riesling of the same site. Fermentation, typically swift for Rangen wines, extended over six months in 2008 due to the pronounced noble rot. Olivier Humbrecht – the first Frenchman to hold the Master of Wine title – has farmed the estate according to Demeter-certified biodynamic principles since 2002; his wines invariably mature in the cellar for one to two years before leaving the domaine.
Food Pairings
The combination of sweetness, acidity and power makes it an ideal match for bold cuisine: unseared duck foie gras (foie gras au naturel), cured eel, roast poultry with pome fruits and nuts, or pungent washed-rind soft cheese such as Munster from Alsace.
Special Features
A volcanic steep slope, noble rot from the river, six months of fermentation – and a vintage untouched by water stress. The result is a Pinot Gris of rare tension: sweet yet cool and taut, rich yet precise. Humbrecht describes biodynamics as “therapy for the vines” – in this glass, it feels like Alsace distilled into its purest essence.
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