Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos-Saint-Urbain Grand Cru 2015
A volcanically influenced Alsatian Riesling from France’s steepest vineyard site – a wine of mineral intensity and great inner tension that demands patience and air.
Bottler: Domaine Zind Humbrecht, 4 Route de Colmar, 68230 Turckheim / France
In the glass
Colour
Golden yellow with luminous reflections.
Nose
Fully ripe peaches, mango and candied orange peel, accompanied by tart notes of kumquats and Seville oranges; above them hover spicy hints of myrrh and incense, underpinned by wet pebbles and a fine salinity.
Palate
Fine-grained, mature tannins with minimalist fruit yet enormous inner tension; broad-sweeping acidity on a rich mineral base, surprisingly slender despite the warm vintage, at a modest 13%.
Character
Multi-layered, dense and complex – a disciplined giant with tremendous vibrancy that, given sufficient aeration, quietly speaks of the future.
Pairing
Smoked tofu with sesame, wakame seaweed and yuzu ponzu; pike-perch fillet on creamy leek with mandarin oil; or glazed sweetbreads with swede and vanilla purée.
Notes
Sourced from the Grand Cru Rangen de Thann, which at a 68 per cent gradient is Alsace’s steepest vineyard site on volcanic rock – here arises a mineral intensity that is truly unrivalled. Domaine Zind-Humbrecht has been Demeter-certified biodynamic since 2002; Olivier Humbrecht, the first French Master of Wine, allows no wine to leave the cellar before one to two years of maturation. This 2015 vintage should be decanted for at least two hours – or better still, laid down in the cellar.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Golden yellow with luminous reflections — the colour of a wine already showing initial signs of evolution, yet without losing any freshness.
Nose
A sumptuous, almost baroque bouquet: fully ripe peaches, mango and candied orange peel, complemented by the tart, citrusy sharpness of kumquats and bitter oranges. Above this hover spicy notes of myrrh and incense, underpinned by wet pebbles and a delicate saltiness. Multi-layered, dense, complex — and still far from its peak.
Palate
The attack coats the mouth with fine-grained, ripe tannins — unusually structured for a Riesling. The fruit remains minimalist, almost austere, yet beneath lies a high inner tension with tremendous vibrancy. The acidity is broad and supported by rich minerality; despite the warm vintage, the wine has turned out remarkably slender, with a modest 13 per cent alcohol. Generous on the palate, disciplined in expression.
Finish
Long, saline and of quiet intensity — a lingering finish that speaks more of the future than the present. Those drinking it now should decant for at least two hours; those with patience would do well to cellar it.
Terroir & origin
The Grand Cru Rangen de Thann, with a gradient of 68 per cent, is the steepest vineyard site in Alsace, towering above the town of Thann. On 5.5 hectares of volcanic rock grow wines of mineral intensity that are truly second to none. The Clos-Saint-Urbain is regarded as the heart of this cru — a geological universe unto itself, where volcanic stone unites spice and elegance.
Grape variety & vinification
Riesling from the house of Zind-Humbrecht, where Olivier Humbrecht — the first Frenchman to hold the Master of Wine title — farms 42 hectares biodynamically (Demeter-certified since 2002). No wine leaves the cellar before one to two years of maturation; at least six months of lees contact lend that texture which makes Zind-Humbrecht wines so distinctive. Yields are kept to just 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare.
Food recommendations
A wine for fine dining: smoked tofu with sesame, wakame seaweed and yuzu ponzu mirrors its spicy-saline side; pike-perch fillet on creamy leek with mandarin oil and sesame matches its citrussy minerality; glazed sweetbreads on swede and vanilla purée challenge its structural depth.
Special characteristics
A Riesling that thinks like a red Burgundy: tannin, texture, incense — and the rare combination of volcanic power and slender coolness. Olivier Humbrecht describes biodynamics as “a therapy for the vines to forget stress”; in this glass, it becomes a lesson in patience.
