Pinot Gris Rotenberg 2022

Wine Description for Pinot Gris Rotenberg 2022 from Domaine Zind-Humbrecht

Colour & Appearance

Radiant, deep golden yellow with exceptional luminosity – a wine that announces substance and character even in the glass.

Nose

The aromatics are of striking elegance and precision: bergamot and lemon balm open the bouquet, accompanied by fresh citrus fruits and a fine herbal spice. Beneath these unfold juicy notes of quince and yellow apple, carried by a vibrant, almost electrifying minerality. Not a gram of fat, not a gram of heaviness – only precision and depth.

Palate

On the palate, the Rotenberg 2022 reveals what great Alsatian Pinot Gris can be: taut, juicy and possessed of lively tension. The acidity carries the wine with ease, fruity and saline-mineral components interweave into a dense, multifaceted fabric. Everything feels effortless – no excess weight, no bombast, only energy and flow.

Finish

Long, incisive and characterised by saline minerality. The aftertaste lingers without tiring – a hallmark of true class. Those opening it now should decant generously; the next five to eight years will allow this wine to unfold further.

Terroir & Origin

The Rotenberg is a west-facing single vineyard site on steep red limestone soil, nestled in the hills of Alsace below the medieval Hohlandsbourg castle. The delayed sunlight exposure ensures natural acidity retention and structural tension – even in warm vintages like 2022, the wine remains lively and fresh.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Pinot Gris in its noblest, driest interpretation. Zind-Humbrecht deliberately harvests earlier than in previous decades to preserve freshness and character rather than emphasise opulence and sweetness. The result is a dry, racy Pinot Gris with just 13.5% alcohol – a stylistic shift that serves both the wine and the terroir equally well.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Ideal with goat’s cheese on beetroot carpaccio with wild herbs and radishes, with mussels in curry-ginger broth with crispy baguette or with the elegant quail crépinette with rosehip, poppy seed cake, lemon and tarragon. The wine’s acidity and minerality harmonise beautifully with spicy, aromatically complex dishes.

Special Characteristics

The Rotenberg 2022 marks a turning point in Domaine Zind-Humbrecht’s self-understanding: away from the opulent late harvest tradition, towards a dry, terroir-driven style that reveals the vineyard site in its mineral purity. A wine for connoisseurs seeking substance without compromise.