Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos-Saint-Urbain Grand Cru 2014 1500ml Magnum
The Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos-Saint-Urbain Grand Cru 2014 from Domaine Zind-Humbrecht grows on the volcanic rock of Alsace's steepest vineyard site and arrives in the cellar as a magnum.
CHF 228.50
Prices in CHF, including customs duty and all import charges, plus shipping CHF 15 (free from 12 bottles or CHF 300) — no further charges on delivery.
Available for Switzerland
Magnum — counts as 2 bottles in the case.
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About this wine
Character
A powerful, compact Riesling that doesn't give itself away immediately. Only with a decanter and plenty of air does the nose open up: apricot, orange and orange marmalade, fragrant blossoms and honey, framed by austere, spicy notes of tree bark, yarrow and damp dark earth. Above it all sits a cool, smoky minerality.
Terroir and origin
The Grand Cru Rangen de Thann drops away at a 68-degree gradient above the small town of Thann and is Alsace's steepest vineyard site. Within this volcanic rock, on 5.5 hectares, lies the Clos-Saint-Urbain. On the steepest parcels, horses are once again at work.
Grape variety and vinification
Pure Riesling. Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title of Master of Wine, converted the estate's first five hectares to biodynamic farming in 1996; today the Domaine cultivates 42 hectares, of which 11.5 hectares lie across six Grand Cru sites. Yields stand at 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare, the wines rest on the lees for at least six months and leave the cellar no earlier than one to two years of ageing.
On the palate
Plenty of yellow fruit, underpinned by an exuberant saline minerality and a precise acidity that grips the tongue. Dry, at 12.5% Vol., long and gripping, but not yet built for immediate enjoyment.
Food pairings
Salmon under a salsify crust with creamed spinach on wild rice, quail wrapped in pasta with foie gras, white truffle sauce and Jerusalem artichoke vegetables, or a puff pastry with smoked sweetbreads and wild mushrooms.
Special features
The 1500ml magnum is the format for long ageing. If opened now, it needs several hours in the decanter and a sufficiently large glass; over the days following opening, the wine gains in expression. The Humbrecht family has been making wine since 1620, and since 2019 Pierre Émile Humbrecht has been working alongside them as the eleventh generation.
