Zind-Humbrecht | Alsace | Riesling Brand Grand Cru, Sélection de Grains Nobles | 2006 | 375ml

Description

Product description for Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand Grand Cru, Sélection de Grains Nobles 2006

Christina Hilker: The 2006 Riesling Sélection de Grains Nobles Brand beguiles the nose with dried apricots, dates, orange zest, and candied ginger. The aroma of sweet blossoms, pale French nougat, and freshly baked brioche hovers over everything. Despite the sweet impression on the nose, this Beerenauslese is fresh and stimulating. On the palate, the 2006 Riesling Sélection de Grains Nobles Brand presents itself with an incredibly concentrated sweetness and density. The very stimulating, fresh, and multifaceted acidity and structure come to the fore again here. A first-class elixir that is only just beginning to mature, so ideally it should be allowed a few more years in the cellar. This is only the third Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese that the Zind Humbrecht winery has produced. The first was the 1989 Riesling Clos Windsbuhl, the second the 1998 Riesling Rangen, and now the 2006 Brand continues the series. Producing a Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese is not Olivier Humbrecht’s primary goal, as he always strives to achieve the fullest ripeness of his dry wines. If the best grapes affected by noble rot are used only for the Trockenbeerenauslese, the classic dry wines could suffer. In 2006, however, this was not an issue, as the noble rot infestation was so high that the question never even arose. The noble rot development on the old vines was spectacular, and only a small Auslese was needed to achieve enough richness to produce this wine. With 165° Oechsle and 23° alcoholic potential, it is the fullest of these three Trockenbeerenausleses and also the one with the highest acidity.

Colour

Sparkling golden yellow with intense amber reflections.

Nose

The nose of the 2006 Riesling Sélection de Grains Nobles Brand enchants with dried apricots, dates, orange zest, and candied ginger. A scent of sweet blossoms, light French nougat, and freshly baked brioche hovers over everything. Despite the sweet impression on the nose, this Beerenauslese is fresh and stimulating.

Palate

On the palate, the 2006 Riesling Sélection de Grains Nobles Brand presents itself with an incredibly concentrated sweetness and density. The very stimulating, fresh, and multifaceted acidity and structure come to the fore again. A first-class elixir that is only just beginning to mature, so ideally it should be allowed a few more years in the cellar.

Brand Grand Cru

According to legend, the sun fought a dragon in the Brand vineyard, defeated it, and then banished it to a dark cave beneath the vineyard, which in turn is said to explain the characteristic warmth of the soil in this area. In fact, the vineyard owes its name to a fire that destroyed the upper part. Brand is one of the most famous vineyards of the Middle Ages. Its soil consists of black granite sand and silty, coarser sand, which allows for very deep rooting. Erosion and rainwater wash in small amounts of clay, which are deposited beneath the sandy layer. Here, the old, deep-rooted vines find the moisture they need to avoid suffering from Alsace’s driest microclimate. The vineyard is steep and faces south-southeast. It is protected from northerly winds and receives an exceptionally high number of hours of sunshine per year. Riesling is the only grape grown in the Brand. The wine develops floral and fruity aromas without ever becoming heavy and continually surprises with its early ripeness and its aging potential.

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Keywords: Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand Grand Cru, Sélection de Grains Nobles 2006 Alsace France

Wine Advocate

Score: 93

Zind-Humbrecht’s 2006 Riesling Brand Selection de Grains Nobles represents what became of this vintage’s crop from their old vines in the Schneckenburg and is the estate’s first ever Brand S.G.N. (indeed, only their third from Riesling in any site). A noble hint of fungus, faded lily, chamomile, and confiture of peach and yellow plum mark the nose as well as a silken, palpably dense, silken palate which adds salted caramel to the wine’s alluring roster. This has terrific breadth without weight, and confitured persistence without being cloying. I find the corresponding V.T. more striking as well as more fun to drink today, but I am confident that this S.G.N. is another of those rare wines of its vintage that you could confidently cellar for two or more decades. _x000D_
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”After the experience of 2003,” remarks Olivier Humbrecht with an eye to his 2007s, “I’m never going to complain about having and extra gram or two of acidity.” In fact, Humbrecht considers 2007 ideal in nearly every respect, having permitted the grower the luxury of picking under optimum conditions for each grape variety and style. The fruit was completely healthy, insists Humbrecht, “you could walk through the vineyards for half an hour and fine one spoiled berry,” … except, of course, where the rot was noble! This year’s generally dry-tasting, relatively low-alcohol, high acid, high-extract Rieslings are not always the most youthfully approachable or winsome in style, but the best are profound; whereas Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer ran to extremities of potential alcohol, even though the harvest was finished before mid-October. Far fewer wines went through malo-lactic transformation here from 2007 than usual – the pHs were often so low they proved inhospitable to the necessary bacteria. As for 2006, it’s clear that this is a year to test the meddle of any grower, and it is therefore not surprising that Zind-Humbrecht was among the estates to demonstrate that excellence and even excitement were not ruled out by the weather. Furthermore, he arrived at an average 2006 yield virtually identical to that of 2005. “Of course,” asserts Humbrecht, “quality in 2006 depended on how you handle your vineyards and your vines the whole year through. It was a vintage where, if you made a mistake in the vineyards, you got slapped pretty hard at harvest time, unlike 2007 where if you made a mistake, nature was forgiving.” The completion of fermentations in 2007 was spread over even more months than usual, often with late bottling; frequently with no racking; and my notes are based both on tastings from bottle early this year (sometimes referencing the wine’s performance from cask) and in a few instances solely on tastings from cask. Two 2007 Pinot Gris “Trie Speciale” – from Clos Windsbuhl and Clos Jebsal – were not even wine yet last I visited, and will in any case not be released for at least another year._x000D_
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Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (415) 491-4724
David Schildknecht

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