Riesling Sommerberg Grand Cru 2022
The Riesling Sommerberg Grand Cru 2022 from Domaine Zind-Humbrecht comes from a very steep south-facing slope on biotite granite above Niedermorschwihr and turned out very dry and lean after a hail-hit vintage.
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
A very dry Riesling, dense golden yellow in the glass, with a juicy, exotically toned bouquet: mango, orange, papaya and sweet pineapple, joined with air by salty notes, sweet shortcrust pastry and light tobacco. The wine is at the very start of its development and still holds a great deal back.
Terroir and origin
The Grand Cru Sommerberg above Niedermorschwihr consists of a series of crescent-shaped, very steep slopes on biotite granite, facing south. The estate's small parcel lies within the Dudenstein sub-section. The name means "hill of the sun", and sun this site has in abundance. Because the village slips early into the shadow of the Vosges, ripening is nonetheless delayed by a few days, by the same margin in every vintage.
Grape variety and vinification
Pure Riesling. In mid-August 2022 a severe hailstorm swept across the vineyard, hitting the west-facing grapes hardest. Damaged berries began to rot early, which called for a strict selection; what remained was a small but beautiful crop. Long fermentation and ageing on full lees produced a very dry wine at 13.0% vol.
On the palate
Plenty of juicy fruit and fruit sweetness, carried by a razor-sharp, finely structured acidity that gives the wine remarkable vitality. Those drinking it now should decant for several hours and choose a sufficiently large glass. Opened over several days, it gains further in expression.
Food pairings
With Asian and Far Eastern dishes of fresh structure and light spice: carrot-ginger soup, shrimp with lemongrass and coriander rice balls or sole with watercress, goat's cheese ravioli and yuzu asparagus.
Special features
Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title of Master of Wine, farms 42 hectares biodynamically, returning to horses on the steepest parcels. No wine leaves the cellar before one to two years of ageing, and yields lie between 30 and 40 hectolitres per hectare. The Humbrecht family has been growing wine since 1620.
