Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos-Saint-Urbain Grand Cru 2021 1500ml Magnum

A dry Riesling that puts origin before fruit: first smoke, flint and crushed stone, then after air white peach, mango, rosemary and delicately bitter grapefruit zest. Power and elegance balance each other, and the golden yellow glows intensely in the glass.

The Grand Cru Rangen de Thann rises above the small town of Thann at the southern end of the Alsace Wine Route, at 350 to 480 metres altitude with a 68-degree gradient, making it Alsace's steepest vineyard. The narrow, cold valley near the highest Vosges peaks delays budbreak until late spring, while the south-facing slope makes up the ripeness by the end of the season. Decisive is the volcanic soil of compacted, mineral-rich ash, which across 5.5 hectares lends the wine its smoky intensity.

Pure Riesling. In 2021 the grapes ripened slowly, reaching full maturity while retaining vigorous acidity and intense volcanic aromas; fermentation extended over a long period, and the wine was aged dry. Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title of Master of Wine, farms 42 hectares biodynamically, using horses in the steepest plots. Yields of 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare, at least six months on lees and one to two years of ageing before release are part of the house's approach.

Powerful and fresh, carried by saline intensity, vibrant acidity and fine tannins, all wrapped in an abundant minerality. At 12.5% vol. it feels simultaneously weightless and almost silky.

Well suited to langoustine with gratinated Belon oysters, wild herb salad and rock samphire, poularde with foie gras, white truffle, celeriac purée and poultry jus, and smoked peach with burrata, thyme and pomegranate.

The magnum holds 1500 millilitres. This Riesling is not yet made for immediate enjoyment: if opened now, decant for several hours and serve in a large glass; left open over several days, it continues to gain depth. The Humbrecht family has been growing wine since 1620, and since 2019 Pierre Émile Humbrecht has joined as the eleventh generation.