2009 Riesling Brand Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes

The "Old Vines" selection comes from the eastern part of the Brand, where the granite overlies a very interesting marl/lime parent rock. This rare combination is very interesting as it produces wines with great structure and minerality, but also very aromatic Rieslings. The granite allows better drainage/warmth and brings out the minerals; the underlying clay/limestone provides water stability and structure. This combination also favors the development of noble rot and, in old vines, can result in a wine with incredible concentration. This wine was harvested under the late harvest limit, but unfortunately too early for the local authorities (perhaps we work too hard in our vineyards to achieve good ripeness!), so since we didn't want to harvest this vineyard later, we lost VT approval. Of course, it was tempting to allow more concentration and produce an SGN, but we didn't think that would be a better option in a vintage like 2009 in this vineyard. As expected, fermentation was stopped early, so the wine contained a large amount of sweetness.

Grape variety: Riesling

Taste: sweet
Alcohol content: 12.5% vol.
Allergen information: Contains sulfites

Bottler, Importer: Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, 2 Route de Colmar, 68230 Turckheim, France