Riesling Sommerberg Grand Cru 2020
The Riesling Sommerberg Grand Cru 2020 from Domaine Zind-Humbrecht comes from a small 0.32-hectare biotite granite parcel above Niedermorschwihr and is the estate's first Riesling to ferment completely dry.
CHF 79.50
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
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About this wine
Character
The Riesling Sommerberg Grand Cru 2020 is a dry Grand Cru from Alsace, its exotic aromatic register framed by taut minerality. Power and light-footed elegance sit side by side here, and the wine is only at the beginning of its development.
Terroir and origin
The Grand Cru Sommerberg stretches across very steep, south-facing slopes above the village of Niedermorschwihr. Within this site, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht farms the small 0.32-hectare Dudenstein parcel. The biotite granite decomposes through the soil's microbiological activity, yielding a clay-rich terroir with considerable depth. A rebuilt stone wall midway up the slope slows erosion; work is done with a winch, the only way to farm this slope.
Grape variety and vinification
Pure Riesling, replanted in 2013 with the estate's own mass selection of old Brand vines and at a high density of 9,500 vines per hectare. Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title of Master of Wine, farms 42 hectares biodynamically, with yields of 30 to 40 hectolitres per hectare. In the cellar, patience is a principle: at least six months on lees, one to two years of ageing before a wine leaves the estate. 12.5% vol.
On the palate
Open and exotic: vine peach meets orange, alongside mango cream, acacia, honey, candied ginger, salted lime and elderflower. Plenty of juicy fruit and fruit sweetness, countered by a razor-sharp, finely structured acidity that gives the wine its vibrancy.
Food pairing suggestions
The exotic fruit and sharp acidity carry robustly spiced dishes: yellow vegetable curry with mango and coriander, chicken soup with spicy coconut milk and Thai basil, or crayfish grilled in its shell with glazed vanilla tomatoes and basmati rice.
Special features
The 2020 was the estate's first Riesling to complete its fermentation fully dry. Drunk young, it needs air: decant for several hours, use a large glass. Left open over several days, it gains in expression. The Humbrecht family has been growing wine since 1620, and since 2019 Pierre Émile Humbrecht has joined as the eleventh generation.
