Turckeim This is one domaine that certainly needs no introduction. Olivier Humbrecht is undoubtedly one of the most highly respected producers in the world and it is a great honour for us to represent his wines in the UK. Following on from his father Leonard, Olivier has continued to build on an already great reputation, introducing the practice of bio-dynamic viticulture and taking every measure possible to produce wine of the highest quality. The concentration, definition and above all, superb balance of Olivier's wines is breathtaking.
Per case ex VAT
Alsace
2000 Gewurztraminer Turckheim All the grapes producing this wine came from the Herrenweg vineyard in Turckheim, averaging 25 years of age. This vineyard was able to ripen the gewürztraminer grape variety to perfection: good ripeness, excellent acidity and fruit character, thanks to perfect skins. The nose is today very aromatic (rose scent, geranium) but not overpowering and is very delicate. The palate is powerful, showing good spiciness and length. The residual sweetness is subtle in this wine, in this case helping the wine to absorb its high alcohol. (12/2001) (ST)
184.00
2001 Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann With his parcel of Pinot Gris in the Rangen, Humbrecht again harvested twice. Those vines closest to the river Thur (indeed only a few yards away) were picked for a Selection de Grains Nobles and those higher on the steep slope were vinified and bottled as the 2001 Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St.-Urbain (indice 3). Less opulent than the Clos Windsbuhl, this effort reveals gun flint, smoked minerals, and ripe pear aromas. Highly elegant, it is a broad yet austere offering loaded with stones, smoke, pears, spices, and apples. This medium-bodied wine has superb balance and length. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020. (RP)
429.00
2002 Gewurztraminer Heimbourg Vendage Tardive (13.5% alcohol with 71 g/l r.s.; from a tiny crop harvested with only a small percentage of botrytized berries) Spectacularly perfumed nose of smoked meat, ginger and lichee. Silky, rich and extremely deep, with lovely inner-mouth aromatic character. Wonderfully smooth, graceful gewurztraminer, with no rough edges. (ST)
440.00
2002 Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl It shows strong mineral character on the nose and needs crucially to be decanted before serving at this young age. The absence of noble rot and good acidity give a powerful structure to this wine, the little residual sweetness and high alcohol makes the finish taste quite dry and mineral. 14g/l residual sugar. Indice 2. Optimum drinking: 2005-2017 (OH)
365.00
2003 Gewurztraminer Goldert 17° alc; Residual sweetness: 4.5 g/l; Yields: 34 hl/ha; Optimum drinking period : 2005-2015; Average age of the vines : 20 years; Surface : 0.6 ha; Terroir : Oolithic calcareous facing East. Gentle slope; Indice 1. : much more open on the nose now, but still dominated with earthy/spicy aromas. Very powerful mouth. The alcohol level is frightening, but is in fact needed by the wine. Feels harmonious, with great ripe tannins. (OH)
335.00
2003 Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl 16° alc; Residual sweetness: 5 g/l; the nose shows strong lees contact today, with smoky, nutty and toasty aromas. The palate is powerful and quite strict, showing good concentration. This wine is almost lean today, but I expect it to develop in the next few months, especially after summer. The bottling brought the righ amount of oxygen to allow this wine to open up from its strong lees character. Very mineral palate, dry, and powerful finish. (OH)
281.00
2003 Pinot Gris Hiembourg 16% alc; Residual sweetness: 5 g/l: this wine is completely clear now (but still on the total lees) but still show a light salmon colour. The nose is almost to be mistaken with a red wine: berries, fruit. The palate confirms this sensation: dry, good acidity but mostly marked by wonderful ripe tannins. Generous and long, it is a surprising Heimbourg, completely different from previous vintages. (10/2004) : The light pink colour mostly disappeared with the bottling, but if one pours a large amount in a big glass, it is clearly noticeable. Nutty flavours, quite intense now, with strong spices. (OH)
209.00
2003 Pinot Gris Jebsal SGN (per 6x75cl) Alcohol: 10.5° alc; Residual sweetness: 232 g/l; Yields: 5 hl/ha; Optimum drinking period : 2013-2023; Average age of the vines : 20 years; Surface : 1.3 ha; Terroir : Grey marls and gypsum. South facing, very steep slope This vineyard is so predictable. If the climatic conditions do not allow a strong development of noble rot, it doesn’t matter, because the Jebsal finds its way to let the grapes literally dry out like raisins. The rich marl/gypsum soil prevented the vines to suffer from any drought (the day the Jebsal will suffer from drought, the Rhine river will be dry). The full south facing and steep terraced exposition allowed the berries to shrivel only once fully ripe, concentrating sugar, acidity and aromatics very different from the usual noble rot. The potential alcohol was very high (188° Oechslés). This wine fermented until April 2004. Early tasting note (6/2004): this wine fermented until recently but still kept a huge sweetness. The colour is dark gold, giving no false indication on its richness. It has the classic balance of an SGN, but with different aromatics: much more fruity and exotic, strong waxy flavours. The acidity is really amazing, especially considering the vintage. The fact that there was intense ‘passerillage’ helped to concentrate the acidity and balance the sweetness. The minerality of the Clos Jebsal shows strongly in this wine. It really need more ageing before bottling. (10/2004) : Still extremely aromatic and intense. Clearly the highest acidity in this vintage (and higher than SGN from 2000 for example). Delicate sweetness, bee wax, quince and pear flavours. Crisp acidity. Intense finish. (OH)
526.00
2003 Riesling Clos Hauserer Clean, youthful aromas of mineral, floral, honeysuckle with rich honied white fruits and a touch of flint and smoke. Dry, very mineral, low acidity, a nice weight of white pear, apricot and citrus fruit. Slightly floral on the middle with a long length with smoky grapefruit on the finish. Multi-layered and very complex, finishing dry with petrol nuances. (CG)
269.00
2003 Riesling Clos Windsbuhl 13% alc; Residual sweetness: 12 g/l; in January, when the rieslings 02s were still in cask, I tasted all the 2003 with some customers. When we had this wine, they told me that I made a mistake and served them the 2002. I thought that myself, as both 2003 and 2002 were side by side in the cellar. I had to go back to the cask, taking the customers with me, in order to see that I wasn’t taking the 2002! The nose is fresh and fruity, with already good minerals. The palate shows great acidity and freshness, unbelievable for this vintage. (we did NOT use any tartaric acid on any wine). This is potentially the Riesling with the highest ageing potential in this vintage. Even more aromatic after the bottling. Nice structure, capable of balancing the residual sweetness, with the help of a better acidity and good tannins. (OH)
326.00
2003 Riesling Thann 12.3% alc; Residual sweetness: 3 g/l; there is little varietal characteristic in this wine, so the volcanic smoky/flinty aromas dominate this wine. The palate is lean, dry and very pure. People who say that we do not make wines that you can drink in large quantities should buy this wine by the case! Unfortunately, there is a clear difference with the Rangen Riesling. Very pleasurable wine, the palate is dry but not agressive. The hint of smoke and flint confirm the volcanic origin. (OH)
184.00
2004 Gewurztraminer Wintzenheim This is a lovely, elegant Gewurztraminer with real influence of the calcareous terroir (about 33% comes from the Hengst) making it much less floral/rose than other examples and elegantly spicy. The palate has a lovely intensity of ripeness and roundness of fruit but no obvious sweetness. Cleanly balanced with a fine acidity the wine has 10 g/l residual and an Indice of 2. (VR)
166.00
2004 Riesling Clos Hauserer Always a personal favourite! With a mere 6 g/l residual sugar this feels completely dry on the palate. Clean pure, ripe, mineral –pure, ripe full broad and complex. Incredibly long and delineated with fine acidity and hint of chalk of Hengst. Mineral, intense and complex. Needs time. (VR)
254.00
2004 Riesling Clos Windsbuhl VT (per 6x75cl) This is an incredible wine. Produced from grapes with 100% botrytis picked before the rains. The acidity was so high that the yeasts were not able to take the fermentation over 9% alcohol. The nose is incredibly pure and mineral due to the fabulous calcareous terroir, with none of the tell tale waxy botrytis. The palate is pure, ripe, intense and mineral with lovely, unctuous, sweet, ripe fruits balanced by a racy acidity. Olivier comments ‘I personally feel that this is a magic balance, but some years of proper cellaring will be required.’ (VR)
266.50
2004 Riesling Guberschwir Pale yellow-gold. Ripe stone fruits, wet stone and honey on the rather pungent, expressive nose. Slightly sweet and highly concentrated, with nectarine, peach and honey flavors and suggestions of exotic fruits. A big, rich wine with 14% alcohol and 8.6 g/l r.s. These vines got very ripe in 2004 but without rot, according to Humbrecht. (ST)
172.00
2005 Gewurztraminer Clos Windsbuhl VT With 74g/l residual sugar this is obviously feels much sweeter than the Goldert. Much more aromatic on the bouquet too, (Olivier says this is due to the calcerous soils of the Windsbuhl), clean, pure and ripe with aromas of honey and delicate spices. Incredible intensity - ripe, full luscious botrytised fruit but still has a hint of mineral behind. Fine balance of acidity. Smoky and spicy character developing. Complex and long. (VR)
539.00
2005 Gewurztraminer Goldert VT The residual here is around 50g/l. Intriguing bouquet of roses, ginger and smoked meat with hints of spice and mineral. A real vin de terroir, with an earthy minerality behind the spicy varietal character. The palate is riper and sweeter than the nose suggests and has a wonderful balance of acidity. Firm and powerful and distinct botrytis character. Less sweet than the other VTs. Needs time to reach its true potential. (VR)
449.00
2005 Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal VT
534.00
2005 Pinot Gris Heimbourg Olivier says the botrytis in the vineyard made it almost impossible not to make an SGN. The few grapes which were left unaffected took two months to ferment out the sugar to produce a wine of 24.9g/l. Pure, powerful and mineral bouquet with intense ripe fruit and distinct minerality on the palate. This is still a baby and it is amazing how the wine develops with aeration. A huge tick from me – love the minerality! (VR)
270.00
2005 Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Another huge, huge tick here. One of the finest examples I have tasted. Clean, pure, ripe, mineral nose with hints of botrytis and the classic flinty/smoky aromas of the Rangen. Olivier says he has no other vineyard capable of leaving such an imprint on the wine. Pure, ripe and complex, exotic and mineral, possessing a wonderful harmony and elegance. With 27.6g/l residual this has a perfect balance and long, powerful finish. (VR)
426.00
2005 Pinot Gris Rotenberg SGN (per 12x37.5cl) No exact tasting note but this is Olivier’s assessment prior to bottling. ‘I still do not know the final balance, but I suspect that the finished alcohol level is below 8% and the residual sugar must be well above 300g/l. The nose is still quite influenced by the recent fermentation, but already shows strong white fruit flavours (pears, ripe apples, peach) and apricots. The acidity, quite sharp, manages to control the huge sweetness. Waring, this is a rich wine, but it has a wonderful delicate feel.’
609.00
2005 Pinot Noir Hiembourg Yes you have read correctly – Pinot Noir! Rich, ripe, pure bouquet with fragrant red and black berry fruits. Serious structure and attractive minerality with lovely pure ‘Pinot’ fruits balanced by a fine acidity. Restrained and elegant but with good complexity. Impressive length. (VR)
228.00
2005 Riesling Clos Hauserer With 21.8 g/l residual this is quite a contrast from the bone dry style of the last few vintages. The wonderful richness and complexity of the bouquet is contrasted beautifully by a fabulous minerality. The palate echoes the complexity and ripeness but has a brilliant vibrancy and racy balance of acidity. Amazing potential! (VR)
265.00
2005 Riesling Clos WIndsbuhl With the 2005 Riesling Clos Windsbuhl we have not only very ripe flavors but also a hint of noble rot. Yet, neither the alcohol (13.75%) nor residual sugar (11 grams) is in itself noticeable. Old vines and 2005 vintage character – plus, Humbrecht insists, his biodynamic farming regimen – have resulted in uncanny balance. Lemon zest, honey, and musky, bittersweet narcissus and iris in the nose lead to a dense, overtly chalky and concentrated as well as pungently zest palate, wreathed in persistently bitter-sweet flowers. Crabapple, grapefruit, and brown spices inform a pungent, slightly tart, chalky, and quite severely penetrating finish. This is impressive but urgently in need of a few years in bottle before properly assessing its long-term potential, which is almost certainly to be considerable. (RP)
291.00
2005 Riesling Guberschwir Produced from 40 year old vines on limestone/marl and sandstone soils. The nose was quite closed at time of tasting but there is a wonderful purity and ripeness of fruit on the palate combined with an attractive, steely, mineral character. With 10 g/l residual sugar but a very classic balance of racy acidity. Phenomenal length! (VR)
200.00
2005 Riesling Heimbourg This 2005 offers a clean but generous bouquet - ripe and floral. With 11g/l residual sugar the palate displays attractive, concentrated, ripe peach and apricot fruits with a good balance of acidity and fresh, clean finish.
243.00
2005 Riesling Herrenweg Lot 144 Humbrecht didn’t set out to bottle two different lots of Herrenweg Riesling – indeed, an imaginative blend of the two would seem ideal – but by the time the Lot 148 was picked, his 2005 Riesling Herrenweg Lot 144 had gone into active fermentation. On the other hand, a late blending wasn’t possible either, because a mere month later, Lot 148 had blown through its sugar, while the fermentation of Lot 144 had slowed to a crawl, and would require nearly a year to finish (going through malo-lactic transformation in the process). Some fermentative esters still hover over the spiced orchard fruit aromas of this wine, which generously fills the mouth with refreshing fruit, its 15 grams of residual sugar all but unnoticeable and its finish brighter and far more winsome but only a little less chalky than that of the Lot 148. There is a certain textural allure here too – no doubt at least in part from lees and lactic acid – that adds to the wine’s charm. This is lovely now although it could certainly be held for a few years. (RP)
220.00
2005 Riesling Rangen de Thann All the 2005 Rangens are stunning! With just 4.3g/l residual the wine feels bone dry. Amazingly concentrated and powerful with the distinctive flinty and smoky Rangen character on the nose combined with apricot fruit. The impression is mirrored on the palate which is earthy, smoky and complex. Great balance and length. A real vin de terroir/vin de garde! (VR)
426.00
2005 Riesling Turkhiem From young vines in the Brand together with a tiny parcel under the Clos Jebsal, Zind-Humbrecht’s 2005 Riesling Turckheim offers a ripe, effusive nose of licorice, honeysuckle, and acacia that could almost be from Viognier. Lush and juicy as well as slightly sweet (although I would not have guessed it has 24 grams of residual sugar), this offers alkaline mineral finishing suggestions as well as lingering floral perfume. (RP)
200.00
2006 VdT Zind Complex bouquet with buttery, toasty chardonnay aromas combined with the fabulous minerality of the Winsbuhl. Great intensity yet extremely elegant on the palate – distinct minerality combined with lovely ripeness of fruit and perfect balance of acidity. Real finesse. (VR)
165.00
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1 case - £11.95
2-3 cases - £9.50
4 + cases - FREE
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Current duty rates per 12 x 75cl,
still wines £19.26
sparkling wines £24.67
fortified wines £25.68
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