Riesling Wineck-Schlossberg Grand Cru 2023

A dry-styled Alsatian Riesling with rich fruit and a phenolic backbone. The nose is intense and lush: mirabelle plum, apricot, persimmon, green mango, grilled pineapple and a touch of passion fruit, followed by stony, austere, linear undertones, white pepper, fennel seed and aniseed, vegetal notes of pea shoot and artichoke, dried marjoram and tarragon, and finally saffron and turmeric. The fruit stays fresh throughout, laced with fine acidity.

The Wineck-Schlossberg grand cru lies in the enclosed valley of Katzenthal, barely visible from the wine route. The site is formed by two hills whose steep slopes turn from southeast to southwest. The granite retains warmth, and the site is well protected from wind; both qualities show through in the wine's power.

Pure Riesling from vines averaging 41 years old, yielding 29 hectoliters per hectare. The 2023 vintage fermented slowly and finished with 2.6 g/l residual sugar, classified as indice 1 and thus dry. 4 g/l acidity provides counterbalance, with alcohol at 13.0% by volume.

Dense, compact, with a demanding structure. The tropical exuberance of the nose recedes, leaving yellow fruit framed by fine phenolics and a delicate tannic structure that gives grip and evokes mild tobacco on the palate. On the finish, spices and herbs come through more strongly. The acidity is moderate yet delivers a consistently fresh edge.

Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title Master of Wine, farms 42 hectares biodynamically; he converted the first five hectares in 1996, and horses once again work the steepest vineyards. No wine leaves the cellar before one to two years of aging, at least six months of it on the lees. The Humbrecht family has been making wine since 1620, and since 2019 Pierre Émile Humbrecht has joined as the eleventh generation.