This is a predominantly Bright & Crisp wine, but it shares structural nuances of Balance & Finesse as described in the tasting note below.
Tasting Notes
This wine with its plus body and crisp acidity straddles Bright and Crisp and Balance and Finesse, showing complex flavors of white peach and lime, along with crushed rocks, petrol, and more subtle white flower and spice notes.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
ACIDITY
Low
Moderate
Balanced
Crisp
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Noble Grape? Check. Top Producer? Check. Tasty Stuff? You bet.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Riesling
100%REES-ling
Riesling is one of the greatest, long-lived white wines in the world, highly expressive of the nuances of its respective terroir. The wines are generally relatively low to moderate in alcohol with crisp acidity and full of flavor and extract. Stylistically, it can vary from bone dry to quite sweet, and with age can develop intense aromatics. Because Riesling is so expressive of the terroir from where it is grown, it can show a potential mix of floral, fruity, intensely mineral, smoky and/or spicy aromas and flavors depending on the soil, climate, and exposure.
Zind-Humbrecht was established by the marriage of two winemaking families with a history that goes back to the 17th century. The marriage of Léonard Humbrecht and Geneviève Zind brought the two small family domaines together in 1959 and started what is known today as Domaine Zind-Humbrecht.
Zind-Humbrecht consists of 40 hectares of some of Alsace’s best terroir. It is managed by a staff of 22 people, which gives some insight into the rigorous nature of their work in the vineyard, including organic and biodynamic farming, animal traction, and hand-harvesting.
The wines are aged a minimum of six months on the lees and represent some of the most compelling wines in Alsace defined by their energetic texture and complex aromatics and flavors.