Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos-Saint-Urbain Grand Cru 2017 1500ml Magnum
The Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos-Saint-Urbain Grand Cru 2017 from Domaine Zind-Humbrecht grows on volcanic tuff and greywacke in Alsace's steepest vineyard site, and is presented here as a magnum.
CHF 228.50
Prices in CHF, including customs duty and all import charges, plus shipping CHF 15 (free from 12 bottles or CHF 300) — no further charges on delivery.
Available for Switzerland
Magnum — counts as 2 bottles in the case.
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About this wine
Character
Intense golden yellow. The nose opens with gunpowder, smoke and wet stone, yet remains restrained; the wine is only just leaving its reductive stage and, according to the estate, should not be opened before 2022. With air, cool ripe fruit, spicy, almost medicinal notes and a touch of iodine emerge.
Terroir and origin
The Grand Cru Rangen de Thann is Alsace's steepest vineyard site: volcanic tuff and greywacke, at 350 to 475 metres elevation, with an average slope of 90%. Draughts from the Thur valley keep the site cold early in the year, delaying budbreak. The oldest vines are 55 years old and root deep into the clay-poor soil. In 2017 the Rangen came through with almost no crop loss, while frost and hail pushed the estate's overall yield below 20 hl/ha.
Grape variety and vinification
Riesling; the 2017 harvest ended on 26 September with the Rangen, yielding 19 hl/ha. Fermentation took place over a few months, leaving 4.2 g/l residual sugar with 3.8 g acidity and a pH of 3.15, at 13.0% ABV. No wine leaves the estate before one to two years of ageing, at least six months of which on the lees.
On the palate
First the floral notes, like freshly picked blossoms, which over time come to resemble an infusion. Alongside these, spice, salty stone, bright fruit concentration and a clearly noticeable tannic structure. The acidity is present from the start and drives the wine forward; depth and power still lie behind a haze.
Food recommendations
Crispy stuffed pork belly, cooked with ginger and lemongrass, with Thai salad. Shellfish terrine with crab and lobster bisque. Veal sweetbread ragout with mushrooms and Riesling beurre blanc.
Special features
Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title of Master of Wine, farms 42 hectares biodynamically; he converted the first five hectares in 1996, and horses once again work the steepest slopes. For him, 2017 ranks among the estate's three finest vintages since its founding in 1959. Bottled as a magnum.
