Gewürztraminer Hengst Grand Cru 2020

A Gewürztraminer of real weight: 15.0% vol., a distinct residual sweetness, and a saline, mineral structure that keeps the wine dynamic despite all its ripeness.

The Hengst was classified as Grand Cru in November 1982. The site stretches across a steep, southeast-facing slope above the village of Wintzenheim near Colmar, on red limestone soil from the Oligocene: calcareous sandstone with calcareous pebbles, rich in iron. The topsoil is thin, but the clay content (marl) makes the vineyard resistant to drought. An early ripening climate, limestone and iron drive the phenolic ripeness that is so decisive for this variety.

Gewürztraminer remains to this day the most widely planted variety in the Hengst. The grapes come from two very old vineyards in the middle of the Grand Cru; in 2020 they arrived at the winery very ripe and healthy. Fermentation was fast and vigorous, underpinning the powerful style of this site.

On the nose, compact minerality, rose oil, bergamot, cedarwood, light tobacco, cinnamon, wood smoke and salty nougat, plus orange zest, fig and date. On the palate, the saline-mineral structure carries the subtle sweetness, while fine tannin and vibrant acidity provide drive and length.

Aubergine and spinach with figs, walnuts and feta, leg of lamb marinated in pomegranate syrup with cauliflower and saffron-mint rice, and to finish, a Tarte Tatin wreath with pears, caramel and Gewürztraminer ice cream.

Be sure to decant now and drink from large Burgundy glasses; a few days after opening, the wine gains even more depth. A few bottles laid down in the cellar will pay off in a few years. Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to become a Master of Wine, farms the domaine's 42 hectares biodynamically, with yields of 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare.