2007 Gewurztraminer Heimbourg

The Zind-Humbrecht 2007 Gewurztraminer Heimbourg features rose water, cinnamon candy, and caramel, though at the same time suggestions of mint and celery root. The sense of richness and density here is at once creamy, leesy, and chalky offering suitable buffering for the high residual sugar. While more conventional in terms of its alcoholic weight than the corresponding Wintzenheim bottling and less marked by botrytis, this is another virtual vendange tardive. Here – given the track record of the site – there is more reason to anticipate further complexity emerging after a decade or more in bottle. ”After the experience of 2003,” remarks Olivier Humbrecht with an eye to his 2007s, “I’m never going to complain about having and extra gram or two of acidity.” In fact, Humbrecht considers 2007 ideal in nearly every respect, having permitted the grower the luxury of picking under optimum conditions for each grape variety and style. The fruit was completely healthy, insists Humbrecht, “you could walk through the vineyards for half an hour and fine one spoiled berry,” … except, of course, where the rot was noble! This year’s generally dry-tasting, relatively low-alcohol, high acid, high-extract Rieslings are not always the most youthfully approachable or winsome in style, but the best are profound; whereas Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer ran to extremities of potential alcohol, even though the harvest was finished before mid-October. Far fewer wines went through malo-lactic transformation here from 2007 than usual – the pHs were often so low they proved inhospitable to the necessary bacteria. As for 2006, it’s clear that this is a year to test the meddle of any grower, and it is therefore not surprising that Zind-Humbrecht was among the estates to demonstrate that excellence and even excitement were not ruled out by the weather. Furthermore, he arrived at an average 2006 yield virtually identical to that of 2005. “Of course,” asserts Humbrecht, “quality in 2006 depended on how you handle your vineyards and your vines the whole year through. It was a vintage where, if you made a mistake in the vineyards, you got slapped pretty hard at harvest time, unlike 2007 where if you made a mistake, nature was forgiving.” The completion of fermentations in 2007 was spread over even more months than usual, often with late bottling; frequently with no racking; and my notes are based both on tastings from bottle early this year (sometimes referencing the wine’s performance from cask) and in a few instances solely on tastings from cask. Two 2007 Pinot Gris “Trie Speciale” – from Clos Windsbuhl and Clos Jebsal – were not even wine yet last I visited, and will in any case not be released for at least another year. Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (415) 491-4724

(13.9% alcohol, 54 g/l r.s. and 2.5 acidity) Full yellow. Yellow fruits and spices on the very ripe nose. Smooth, fat and supersweet, with suggestions of exotic honeyed fruits. Not complex but boasts lovely fruit and really carries on the back end. This, too, has good lift from limestone. This fruit was picked late with superripe skins and virtually no malic acidity, according to Humbrecht.