Gewürztraminer Rangen de Thann Clos-Saint-Urbain Grand Cru 2020

Brilliant, dense golden yellow. On the nose, flinty, smoky, almost bacon-like; with air, ginger, grapefruit compote, blood orange, mallow and a touch of dried rose petals emerge. A wine full of energy with fantastic ageing and cellaring potential.

The Grand Cru Rangen de Thann rises above the small town of Thann at a 68-degree gradient, the steepest vineyard site in Alsace. Of its 22 hectares, only one hectare is planted with Gewürztraminer; Domaine Zind-Humbrecht farms 0.5 hectares of it within the 5.5-hectare Clos-Saint-Urbain. The two small parcels lie directly above the Thur river in the lower part of the Rangen and benefit from the warmth radiating off the water. The volcanic rock shapes the variety's characteristic smoky, flinty undertone.

Gewürztraminer is sensitive to cold, especially during flowering, and at 350 to 480 metres is exposed to the cold air currents that flow down the Thann valley in spring. Picked late, the 2020 vintage fermented vigorously to full dryness. Rather than the usual earlier bottling, the wine was left on its lees for longer.

Power and a compact, multi-layered minerality define the attack. The fruit remains in the background for now, the floral notes intensify, and a fine tannic structure adds grip. Those who don't want to wait should decant it one to two days in advance and serve it in large Burgundy glasses.

Salt-crust beetroot with Gewürztraminer jelly, redcurrants and wild mint; braised short rib and striploin of Westholm Wagyu with brown butter purée and green curry foam; squab breast with charcoal-grilled chimichurri on pesto alla Genovese.

Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the Master of Wine title, converted the first five hectares to biodynamic farming in 1996; the Humbrecht family has been making wine since 1620. Yields run at 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare, and no wine leaves the cellar before one to two years of ageing. 15.0% ABV.