Zind-Humbrecht | Alsace | Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal, Sélection de Grains Nobles | 2017 | 750ml | bio

Description

Product description for Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal, Sélection de Grains Nobles 2017 (bio)

Wine Information

Vintage The 2017 vintage will go down in the history of this winery. For Olivier Humbrecht, it is one of the three best vintages since the winery was founded in 1959. However, frost and hail limited the harvest to an average of less than 20 hl/ha. After an early bud break, two cold spells with sub-zero temperatures on April 21 and 22 exposed even those more sheltered areas to frost. An unusually icy east wind froze vines in vineyards like the Herrenweg de Turckheim, which had never froze in the 60 years that Olivier’s father witnessed. A hailstorm in the Brand vineyard fortunately had no major consequences. Midsummer was hot, August milder, and the harvest began on August 29 with Pinot Gris Roche Roulée, followed by terroirs such as Rotenberg, Heimbourg, Goldert… A light rain on September 2 accelerated ripening. The Rieslings were harvested from September 11, and the harvest was completed with Rangen, Hengst, and Clos Jebsal on September 26. Only Clos Jebsal showed minor signs of botrytis. Vineyard The Clos Jebsal vineyard is located in the immediate vicinity of the Brand and Heimbourg vineyards in Turckheim. However, the Clos has different soil; it is the only site in Turckheim where both Keuper, blue clay, and gypsum are present. This is also where the name Jebsal comes from, meaning “where the gypsum is.” The marl soils are deep, cool, and have exceptional water retention capacities. This Clos regularly produces overripe wines (including botrytis), which is directly related to soil moisture. The Clos is south-facing and located on a steep slope, which promotes soil warming and ensures good drainage. In 2017, a Beerenauslese was produced for the first time in years. Fermentation The wine has 188 g/l of residual sugar with 5.4 g of acidity and a pH of 3.45. The yield was 14 hl/ha.

Colour

Intense golden yellow

Nose

The Sélection de Grains Nobles from Clos Jebsal displays an intense nose of preserved citrus fruits, as if one were making bitter orange marmalade and refining it with lemon pieces, with stone fruit and vanilla. The high proportion of botrytis is evident in the scent of honey, beeswax, and varnish. Nevertheless, the wine doesn’t really feel sweet on the nose, but rather creamy.

Palate

The palate reveals a great richness of rich stone fruit, permeated by bright, fresh citrus fruits, cool stone, a hint of hazelnut, and candied orange peel. Naturally, this is a sumptuous wine with great sweetness. But this is very skillfully balanced, never seeming heavy, rather floating and harmonious with magnificent length and density. In the finish, the sweetness meets bitter, piquant, and spicy notes. This is not a wine for now; it should be set aside for a few more years before being enjoyed for decades to come.

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Keywords: Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal, Sélection de Grains Nobles 2017 bio Alsace France

Producer website: http://www.zindhumbrecht.fr/