Gewürztraminer Clos Windsbuhl 2013

The Gewürztraminer Clos Windsbuhl 2013 is a sweet white wine from Alsace whose sweetness registers not as weight but as tension. Cool, taut and sharply defined, without the richness often attributed to this grape variety.

Clos Windsbuhl is a monopole vineyard of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, and its coolness shapes the wine right through to the finish. Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title of Master of Wine, farms 42 hectares. In 1996 he converted the first five hectares to biodynamic viticulture, and on the steepest plots, horses once again work the vines. The Humbrecht family has been growing wine since 1620.

Pure Gewürztraminer. Yields range from 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare, the wine spends at least six months on the lees, and leaves the cellar only after one to two years of ageing. 13.0% ABV.

Pale yellow with brilliant green highlights. The nose offers fresh pastry and doughnuts, with the Tahitian vanilla of a cream filling. With air, linden blossom, mango and lychee emerge, followed by the balsamic spice of mace and yellow cardamom. On the palate it is taut and focused, the sweetness clearly carried by a firm minerality that runs from the first sip through to the long finish.

Oven-caramelised sauerkraut with apples and mashed potatoes, pike-perch on braised cabbage in a light cream sauce, or Cantonese glazed ribs with pak choi.

A sweet Gewürztraminer with real drinkability: the cool monopole vineyard keeps the aromatics clear and the structure lean.