Gewurztraminer Hengst Grand Cru 2008 in half bottle Zind Humbrecht

Gewurztraminer Hengst Grand Cru 2008 in half bottle

Domain Zind-Humbecht

93/100

Maturity: 2011 - 2041

Comment by David Schildknecht on May 2, 2011: "The candied grapefruit peel, salted caramel and quince jam in the nose of the 2008 Sélection de Grains Nobles from Zind-Humbrecht's Gewurztraminer Hengst opens the way to a creamy palate loaded with salted caramel, marmalade and quince jelly. At 11.9% alcohol, this wine displays overwhelming elegance, with ethereal, invigorating suggestions of stone fruit essences and a mysterious flow of fresh citrus fruit that lingers on a long, honeyed, exhilarating finish. It transcends - or should I say "sublime"? - the varietal character of its vine. It should be fascinating to follow for 30 years or more".

At Domaine Zind Humbrecht, the Hengst is only made from the Gewurztraminer grape variety, for the moment! This terroir, in any case the south-facing central part of the Hengst, undeniably predisposes the Gewurztraminer to a long life span. Each vintage, whatever it is, requires many years before reaching maturity, and can therefore claim to age for several decades without losing its presence.

The race of the terroir is mainly expressed by the capacity of this Cru to produce very powerful wines, fairly high in alcohol, coming from high ripeness but where noble rot is rare (except in vintages with sufficient heat and humidity). The aromas are often discreet, even closed on the nose, the Hengst develops above all spicy and smoky notes which become more complex with age.

The Domain tells you about it:

"We had to wait until 2007 to be able to carry out our first SGN in Hengst, and the following year we again found enough noble rot to be able to obtain an SGN. Hengst has a particularly dry and warm mesoclimate. The central part of the Hengst, where these two plots of old vines are located, is relatively poor and the surface layers of marl are thin. The roots are very fast in the limestone rock and this does not create favourable conditions for botrytis. The Old Vines are also more resistant to botrytis because they are less vigorous. In 2008, botrytis was able to develop thanks to the climatic conditions of the back season: hot and dry weather during the day with cool nights causing the appearance of morning mists. We also appreciate the character of the Hengst in its non liquor version, the fact of sorting also allows us to make a classic Hengst at the same time".

Residual sugar: 166.0 grams per liter.

Total acidity:4.7 g/l H2SO4

pH :3.8

Yield :17 hl/ha

Optimum tasting :2014-2038+

Average age of the vines :57 years old

Terroir :Oligocene limestone marls, south-south-east facing, medium to steep slope.

Caution: Bottles of Alsace wine do not fit in the wooden boxes sold separately.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)