Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Vieilles Vignes Pinot Gris, Alsace, France

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Humbrecht nowadays only occasionally bottles a separate wine from the two parcels of Pinot Gris that his mother’s parents planted in the Herrenweg in the early 1950s, but he thought a 2005 Pinot Gris Vieilles Vignes justified on its merits, and furthermore, despite high ripeness and botrytis that inhibited complete fermentation, this lot from old vines finished with 29 grams, which turned out to be little more than half what was to remain behind in the balance of his Pinot Gris from the Herrenweg! Honey, peach, orange and grapefruit zest, and smoky toasted nut aromas set the stage for a concentrated, rich, full, honeyed, malted, brown spiced, and virtually bitterness- and heat-free palate display, with the sweetness supporting the wine’s personality and being in no way obtrusive. What’s more, a juicy streak of citrus – the legacy of surprisingly high acidity – keeps this refreshing and not tiring. I expect this to be well worth following from at least 12-15 years, during which time the sweetness will gradually back off and further complexity emerge.Olivier Humbrecht compares his 2004s with 1992. These were the two most copious vintages of recent times, delivering truly dry wines with quite high acidity. Although he characterized 2004 as more precocious than 2005, Humbrecht kept harvesting through early November, insisting that this was only possible due to his stringent, biodynamic viticultural practices and consequent generally healthy fruit. Humbrecht insists too that he did not seek botrytis, as rain was rendering noble rot nearly impossible. But it certainly seems sometimes as if botrytis sought out him! One price for his protracted harvest was elevated alcohol, which some wines struck me as hard-pressed to gracefully support; and acid levels too occasionally reached extremes. Overall, in fact, I have never tasted such a wide rage of quality nor so many unusually distinctive and at times downright inscrutable wines at this address as those of 2004. Two thousand five, relates Humbrecht, brought ample botrytis, especially with Pinot Gris, but later ripeness, again with formidable acid and extract levels thanks to the cool, well-watered August. Nearly all of the Riesling musts fermented dry. Humbrecht considers it a classic vintage for (in most instances dry-tasting) Gewurztraminer. And despite the blanket of rot that descended on the Pinot Gris vineyards, a cold, virtually cloudless five day period permitted patient and rigorous selection of fruit. A tribute to the ripeness and high tartaric acidity of these 2005s is that although well more than half of his lots of Riesling and Pinot Gris underwent malolactic transformation, an experienced taster would be hard-pressed to identify which! “Had we had the challenging October of 2004 in 2005 as well,” he says, “most ‘04s would be better than the ‘05s.” But as things turned out – October 2005 having been the second warmest after 2001 in the last decade – Humbrecht believes that in the long run these two collections will prove well matched in overall quality.Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (415) 491-4724