Riesling Brand "Sélection des Grain Noble", Domaine Zind-Humbrecht 2008

19.5p / Guide Gault-Millau, 96p / Parker, 97p / Falstaff, 96p / DoctorWine etc.
Probably the most unique and rare sweet Grand Cru from the Domain (and often the most expensive as it is the hardest to make). Parker has rightly chosen Zind-Humbrecht as the finest white wine domain in the world. "Grain Noble" is usually made from gewurz or pinot gris, but the domain has 100% Riesling on Brand, and it gives a wine that is extremely sweet (172 g / l), but at the same time has high acidity, which is ensured by old vines at Schneckelsbourg, a special part of the Brand Grand Cru, which unites Brand's granite with mussel lime.
The wine is immeasurably rich with layers upon layers of aroma with notes of apricot, nougat and citrus, the taste is an explosion in the mouth, the aftertaste immeasurably long. The wine is beautiful now after 13 years, but will develop for many more years and live for 15-20 years.
"The best domain for white wine in the world", says Parker and "more than ever the King of Alsace" (Guide Revue du Vin). While Bettane adds that "Zind-Humbrecht has revolutionized Alsace". The wines of the domain have a depth in aroma, a concentration and length without equal. The wines can often live for decades, but are at the same time wonderful young.
The domain was founded in 1620, but with the marriage between Geneviève Zind and Léonard Humbrecht in 1959, it went strong. The domain was expanded, and in 1970 the filters were thrown out. Chaptalization stopped in the late 1970s, while insecticides and fertilizers were thrown out in the 1980s. The domain currently covers 41 hectares spread over 6 wine towns, where the domain owns some of the best plots in the best Crus. In the 1990s, Léonard Humbrecht (11th generation) handed over the leadership to Margaret and Olivier Humbrecht. The method is biodynamic without insecticides and fertilizers. The vine becomes healthier and the grapes ripen better. Nevertheless, the yield is deliberately extremely low - on average only 33 hl / ha (although Alsace allows as much as 100 hl / ha, however 70 for Grand Cru). The basement is on 3 floors and combines tradition with modernism. No pumps - wine is moved by gravity. The must ferments in oak barrels with control of temperature in each barrel. The duration of the fermentation is determined by the must - often the must ferments for more than a year. The wine is stored “sur lie” until bottling without clarification or filtration. Erik Sørensen Vin was one of the Domain's first foreign customers in 1977 and has seen the wines year after year approach the ultimate. The wines are made according to extremely expensive methods, so the prices are high. However, when comparing the prices of the Domain with the best domains in other areas, Zind-Humbrecht’s wines are actually extremely affordable in price.
About the wine: 9.5 ° alk, residual sweetness 172 g / l, pH 3.2, acid 6.8 g / l, yield 19 hl / ha, vine age 58 years, soil granite biotite, facing south, steep slope. Biodynamic operation. 1200 bottles bottled at the end of 2009 without clarification or filtration. Drinking mode: nu-2038 +.
Olivier Humbrecht: This is our 4th SGN in total and No. 2 on Brand. (the first was 2006). The warm climate at Brand often allows for noble rot. But we believe that only the oldest vines can give the wine enough structure to balance the extra amount of sweetness. Precisely Schneckelsbourg - located on Brand just above Clos Jebsal - is the perfect place for SGN.
Under the poor granitic top soil, there are some layers of marl and limestone that give more regular water supply to the vines and therefore allow more consistent botrytis. The selection was quite easy and the aim was not to harvest the richest style possible, but to keep a balance between the potential alcohol and acidity of the grapes. The fermentation was finished during winter and the wine naturally kept a high residual sweetness and lower alcohol, balanced with a firm acidity.
Tasting notes, February 2010:
this wine is still an infant today, but already it shows beautiful, delicate fruity Riesling character enhanced by the Brand personality. Today it has a more austere development than the dry Brand, but further aging should allow this wine to fully open. The palate is an extraordinary balance between the acidity and sweetness. Very long and delicate; it will be released only in 2011. "
The other ratings are all from 2011 and 2012 - and you can see the rating increase in the later editions, i.a. DoctorWine (smagt i 2016) med 97p: "Boldness in a pure state. The color is a bright, almost amber, golden yellow while the density of the texture is amazing. The aroma is a jubilee of dried fruit, banana and apricot, candied fruit and nougat and the mouthfeel is opulent, sticky and explosive ". (Daniele Cernelli).