"Pale yellow bright colour. The nose is precise and fresh, showing white fruits (pears, apples...) and hints of honey. The palate is elegant, medium power with a surprising juicy acidity not to be expected in such a warm year. The mouthfeel shows a welcoming lightness but is supported by good density and a very dry finish. It almost feels like a dry Riesling! Open, easy to drink today, it should offer some nice evolution in the years to come."
Although the Humbrecht family can trace their winemaking heritage back over 10 generations, the Domaine Zind Humbrecht story really began in 1959 through the amalgamation of the Zind and Humbrecht family vineyards. Under the stewardship of first Léonard and then Olivier Humbrecht, the domain has grown to around 40 hectares, including of some of the very best parcels in Alsace’s top Grand Cru and Lieu Dit sites. Crafting a range of elegant and expressive wines from these diverse terroirs, Olivier has a non-interventionist approach in the cellar, with extremely gentle pressing, lengthy fermentations, and long lees contact. At the end of the 20th century the domain moved towards organic and biodynamic viticulture in the vineyard, and since 2002 it has been certified fully biodynamic.
This wine originates from the gravelly and sandy loam soils left by the glaciers and the river Fecht running down the Munster Valley. The hot and dry 2022 vintage was tough on these vineyards, turning what should have been a generous harvest into a small crop for most grapes, except Pinot-Gris! We recently could see that Pinot-Gris was more resistant to both winter and spring frost, but it appears that it is a little more resistant to drought. The vines do turn yellow as fast as Riesling or Gewurztraminer, but the vines are able to ripen the grapes better, with less crop loss in proportion as well. Pinot-Gris is the grape that will eventually rot the fastest and earlier, so it is crucial to harvest it at the right moment. This is always the first vineyard harvested on the domaine: 22nd August in 2022. We stopped the harvest a few days after, such was the advance compared to all other vineyards.
