1994 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand Grand Cru

The 1994 Riesling Brand (100 cases for the United States) is usually the most flamboyant and ostentatiously-styled Z-H Riesling. Made from 35-48-year old hillside vines with a full southerly exposure, this wine tends to achieve the greatest ripeness and flavor intensity. It displays a deeper golden color than the Clos Windsbuhl, as well as a big, honeyed, fruit cocktail, mineral, and spice-scented nose, terrific acidity, full body, and a dry taste despite the presence of some residual sugar. It is a fabulously full-bodied, unctuously-textured wine for drinking over the next 15+ years. Most of the Zind-Humbrecht 1994 Rieslings have two strikes against them ... microscopic quantities and lofty price tags. Yet lovers of this varietal are not likely to see a more compelling cross section of Riesling than the offerings reviewed here. The importer for the Zind-Humbrecht wines for most of the United States is Wine Markets International, Woodbury, NY; tel. (516) 364-1850, and for the state of California, Kermit Lynch Selections, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524.