Riesling Brand Grand Cru 2020

Reflections on wine
Olivier Humbrecht
The Grand Cru Brand lies on a subsoil of biotite granite and proudly crowns the hills around the village of Turckheim, directly opposite the Vosges Mountains. This historic terroir in Alsace is known and loved for its impressively vibrant and intense wines. Based at the end of the deep Munster Valley, the steep slopes face south and enjoy both a hot, dry climate and cooling winds that blow through the valley at night. The so-called Turckheim granite, rich in black mica, is transformed during its decomposition into clay with a high exchange surface, which is indispensable for the minerality of the wines.

For maturation
In the brandy, the grapes develop quickly, especially if they are favoured by the favourable summer rainfall, as in 2020, where a whopping 80 mm of rain fell within a few days on a weekend in August. Brandy requires a conscientious choice of harvest date, especially for Riesling. It is often the first Grand Cru plot to be harvested, but also one of the plots that requires the longest fermentation time.

Color
A rich, radiant golden yellow.

Aroma
The 2020 Riesling Brand can be a little reserved at first, but after a strong swing into the carafe, it unfolds a bouquet reminiscent of grapefruit, lime, wet stone and thyme. This is accompanied by the intense minerality of the granite soil on which it thrives.

Taste
It presents itself as powerful and slightly austere on the palate, with a taut fruit that moves across the palate together with an intense acidity and saltiness. This wine challenges the connoisseur with its pronounced youth and vitality. It is a wine that is still on a long journey before it shows its full beauty. Such a Riesling is made for eternity and will always give pleasure. If you want to try it out already, you should definitely decant it over several hours and serve it in a large glass. Left open, it gains in expression.

Alternatives to food recommendations:
Avocado salad with grapefruit segments and roasted sesame seeds
Prawn tacos with lemon thyme mayonnaise and lime rice
Chateaubriand with honey tarragon butter, blood oranges and caramelised beetroot