Gewürztraminer Clos Windsbuhl 2021

The Gewürztraminer Clos Windsbuhl 2021 shows the variety in a restrained form. In the glass, a bright, intense golden yellow; on the nose, citrus, orange and orange zest, along with tart grapefruit zest and herbal notes of rosemary, thyme and galangal. The whole is carried by great freshness and layered minerality.

Clos Windsbuhl lies above the village of Hunawihr at 300 to 350 metres, overlooking the Alsace valley floor and the church of Saint-Jacques le Majeur. The slope drops steeply from east to south, but ripens late owing to the proximity of the Vosges forest. Beneath a thin topsoil lies magnesium-rich Triassic shell limestone; the vines accordingly grow with modest vigour.

100% Gewürztraminer from old vines. In 1987 the estate doubted whether the variety could ripen at all in this cool site, but left the old vines standing regardless. Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to become a Master of Wine, farms 42 hectares biodynamically, with yields of 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare. The wines get at least six months of lees contact and one to two years of cellar ageing. In spring 2021 the variety suffered severe losses, resulting in a tiny harvest.

Dry, with a saline streak, delicate, restrained sweetness and fine tannin. The interplay of salinity and tannin gives the wine structure, while its 14.0% ABV stays unobtrusive. Already approachable now, but built to age for many years.

With chicory and grapefruit salad with honey-glazed fresh goat's cheese, with oven-baked sea bass fillet on lemongrass with basil olive oil and with stuffed lamb breast with almonds, saffron and couscous.

Clos Windsbuhl is a monopole of the estate; the Humbrecht family has been growing wine since 1620, and since 2019 Pierre Émile Humbrecht has joined in the eleventh generation. Anyone opening this bottle now should decant it a day ahead and pour it, not too cold, into large Burgundy glasses.