Gewürztraminer Hengst Grand Cru 2017

A luscious Gewürztraminer of great density that balances fruit and spice with freshness and minerality. Pure, precise and full of finesse, built for decades to come.

The Grand Cru Hengst lies in Wintzenheim and delivers a limestone-driven finesse. The vines stand on very old parcels: the first was acquired by Émile Zind in 1948, the second, possibly planted as early as 1920, was added in 1978. More decisive than age is the selection of the plants. Parcels later replanted with young clones have since been repurposed.

Pure varietal Gewürztraminer. Two cold spells on 21 and 22 April, together with hail, pushed the yield down to 21 hl/ha; harvest ended on 26 September with Rangen, Hengst and Clos Jebsal. The wine has 62 g/l residual sugar with 2.5 g acidity and a pH of 3.8, alcohol sits at 12.5% vol. Olivier Humbrecht farms the estate biodynamically; no wine leaves the cellar before one to two years of ageing, at least six months of which on the lees.

On the nose, first quince, pumpkin and fennel, then yellow stone fruit, orange marmalade, cinnamon, gingerbread, beeswax, saffron, aniseed and pepper, with a barely perceptible hint of botrytis as the wine warms. On the palate, dense, deep and long, with ginger, cardamom, curry, liquorice and bitter orange. Silky texture, an almost oily consistency, spicy finish.

Partridge breasts wrapped in lardo with apple-pepper sauce and sauerkraut, game terrine with pear brunoise, and for dessert, lemon tart with mint.

For Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title of Master of Wine, 2017 ranks among the three best vintages since the estate's founding in 1959.