Zind-Humbrecht | Alsace | Riesling Clos Häuserer | 2017 | 1500ml | bio

Description

Product description for Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Häuserer 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, and others. A light rain on September 2 accelerated ripening. The Rieslings were harvested from September 11, and the harvest concluded with Rangen, Hengst, and Clos Jebsal on September 26. Only Clos Jebsal showed minor signs of botrytis. Vineyard: Clos Häuserer lies in a small basin at the foot of the Grand Cru Hengst, whose geological data it shares. The marl and limestone soils here are deep, with the Oligocene bedrock at a depth of more than one meter. This Clos enjoys a very hot climate in summer, protected from the winds, but colder in winter than the neighboring Grand Cru. Due to a lack of cold air circulation, this plot is usually the most affected by frost. However, that wasn’t the case in 2017. Due to the very late pruning in this plot and, above all, the failure to tie up before the risk of frost had passed, a large proportion of the buds were not close to the ground, and this small circumstance may have been enough to at least partially avoid frost. The young vines at ground level did freeze, but the buds a meter or more above the ground were spared. Fermentation From perfect, small, healthy grapes, a wine was produced that fermented slowly but sufficiently to be described as dry. The wine has 7.8 g/l of residual sugar, 4.5 g of acidity, and 3.05 pH. Due to the frost, the harvest was just 38 hl/ha.

Colour

Light straw yellow

Nose

The aroma of the 2017 Riesling Clos Häuserer de Wintzenheim is classic for the terroir. The limestone-influenced wine smells smoky, stony, and mineral with light citrus notes of grapefruit, hops, and a slightly sweet yeast, wax, and honey flavour—almost as if it hadn’t seen any sulphur and contained a hint of Chenin Blanc. But that’s not the case; Zind-Humbrecht always uses moderate sulfur. Ultimately, the impression remains that this is a powerful and forceful wine.

Palate

This impression is immediately confirmed on the palate. Pressure builds here, too. At the moment, the power is still wrapped as if in a silk scarf—perceptible, but hidden. This results in the Riesling being quite relaxed and initially impressing with a range of fresh fruit. Grapefruits are also present here, as are limes – aromas very typical of this terroir. The Riesling Clos Häuserer presents all of this with exceptional clarity and precision. This transparency and precision particularly distinguishes the vintage and is fascinating. The impression remains that this is a bright, concentrated, yet smoky, mineral, lively, and exciting Riesling, with great length and aging potential of at least 15 years or more.

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Keywords: Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Häuserer 2017 bio Alsace France

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