Riesling Heimbourg 2019

This Riesling has fermented fully dry and needs aeration before revealing its powerful, distinctive character. In the glass a radiant golden yellow, then on the nose orange, candied citron peel, fresh figs, anise, angelica and elderflower, underscored by flint and wood smoke. With age, earthy tones and hints of truffle emerge.

The vines stand in the lower, and at the same time steepest, section of the small single vineyard Heimbourg. On the surface lies stony limestone marl, but the roots quickly reach the Oligocene bedrock, rich in limestone. This proximity considerably reduces the vines' vigour and explains the vineyard's low yields. Heimbourg is among the earliest-ripening sites in Alsace; cool winds in the valley and the cooler soil nonetheless give the wine tremendous freshness.

Pure varietal Riesling. Fermentation proceeded smoothly, with the wild yeasts leaving no residual sugar in the 2019 vintage. Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title Master of Wine, farms 42 hectares biodynamically, with yields of 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare and at least six months of lees contact. No wine leaves the cellar before one to two years of ageing.

Delicate fruit sweetness meets a powerful, tangy structure. The acidity is particularly pronounced in 2019, keeping the wine lively, while the fine tannins give it stature. The finish is salty and very long.

Porcini carpaccio with hazelnut oil, lime juice and chervil, lobster grilled in its shell with tomato concassé and shellfish sauce, or roasted spring chicken with cinnamon, apple and fresh almonds.

Anyone opening the bottle now should decant it at least a day in advance and pour it, not too cold, into large Burgundy glasses. The Humbrecht family has been growing vines since 1620, and horses are once again working the steepest parcels.