Domaine Zind-HumbrechtRiesling Herrenweg Turckheim 2015

This really stands out in the 2015 context because it isnt about fresh fruit and bright acidity like most of the wines. A lot of candied citrus and herbal notes give this a unique personality on the nose. Stature and minerality of a Grand Cru wine with an imposing finish. Best from 2018 through 2030. Made from organically grown grapes.

From pretty old vines (50 years on average) on gravelly loess and sand soils, the citrus-colored 2015 Riesling Herrenweg de Turckheim is a beautifully flavored wine with ripe yellow fruit and grapefruit aromas along with stunningly pure and flinty flavors. Pure, fresh and citrus-like on the palate, this is a bone dry, lean and citrus-fresh Riesling that lacks a bit of flesh and sensuality. Oliver is very happy having picked this vineyard early (on September 10th), because when you wait too long the wine is dead. This is Riesling for lovers: lean, fresh, pure, piquant and bone dry. A refreshing midnight drink or whenever you are thirsty. Very well structured, with a nice but not too dominant finish. Tasted as a sample just a few days before the bottling in early February 2017.

Bright straw. The initially reticent nose opens slowly with aeration to showcase crushed stones, fresh citrus and herb notes. Then very pure and long in the mouth, offering flavors similar to the aromas. The long finish features strong notes of lime. I tried one other bottle that had been opened three days before and it was still in perfect shape. Very pretty wine, but less marked by the cultivar, with an iodine and stone quality on the finish that speaks more of the site than it does of Riesling. From three parcels of vines, the oldest of which was planted in 1947 by Olivier Humbrecht’s maternal grandfather, on heavier loess soils. According to Olivier Humbrecht, in good vintages the wine made from those grapes has a remarkable vibrancy and tension uncharacteristic of gravel soils.

-- Ian DAgata

This linear white leads with a mouthful of bright, lip-smacking ruby red grapefruit and blood orange flavors, while smoke and stone, spice and fresh herb notes hold sway on the lingering, structured finish. Not imported into the U.S. Drink now through 2030. 900 cases made. — AN