Riesling Hengst Grand Cru 2022

A dry Riesling of dense structure and juiciness. The nose stays pure and lively: fragrant blossoms alongside lemon, peach, green apple and fresh ginger.

The Hengst Grand Cru lies in the south-eastern part of the Rotenberg in Wintzenheim. Its red marl-limestone needs a great deal of solar energy to warm up, which means sugar ripeness takes time here despite a warm, early microclimate. The iron-rich bedrock also favours good tannin ripeness.

Pure varietal Riesling. On the cooler eastern part of the site, Olivier Humbrecht replaced Gewürztraminer with Riesling, a choice that climate change has made the obvious one on the Hengst. In 2022 the harvest stayed small following June hail, and ripening proceeded slowly. The estate farms biodynamically, with yields of 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare, at least six months of lees contact and one to two years of ageing before a wine leaves the cellar.

Juicy, exotic fruit with invigorating acidity, plus a fine tannic structure that gives the wine its backbone. Power without heaviness, and very good ageing potential: in a few years it will show even more than it does today. Be sure to decant it, serve not too cold and in a larger glass; it gains over several days once opened.

With grilled lobster with Maltese sauce and basmati rice, with pan-fried red mullet on an orange-artichoke ragout, or with peas, carrots, chicory chutney, herb cream and basil oil in a carrot-kimchi broth with hazelnut-quinoa crunch.

The Hengst has recently also been granted Grand Cru status for red wines. The domaine is run by Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title Master of Wine, across 42 hectares; the family has been in winegrowing since 1620, and since 2019 Pierre Émile Humbrecht has been working alongside as the eleventh generation.