Zind-Humbrecht Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain Grand Cru Riesling 2017
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The nose is unmistakable Rangen, showing intense flinty, aromatic herbal aromas. The palate is rich and
powerful with good balance.
Savor this Riesling as an aperitif or with simple dishes that showcase the wine.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Alsace Grand Cru Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Riesling fermented very quickly and offers a pure and flinty note on the intense but (certainly) still reductive nose. Lush and juicy on the palate, this is a finely bitter Rangen with concentrated fruit, fine tannins and salty/mineral acidity. Very long and fresh, with rich and concentrated fruit but never without the purity of the Clos. A great wine that will need plenty of time.
Range: 95-97
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Wine Enthusiast
Notes of flinty reduction combine with fresh green apple and lemon, giving an impression of smokiness. The palate is stony but offers depth and ripeness, with smooth fruit suggesting Amalfi lemon, Mandarin and grapefruit. Here and there a glimpse of Mirabelle plum appears, while the finish speaks of zestiness and barely unleashed power. Let this sleep for a while in the bottle. It will wake up and dazzle you.
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James Suckling
A very spice and sappy white with pine-nut and dried-apricot character to it all. Full body. Dry and spicy. Big and lively with loads of flavor in this style. From biodynamically grown grapes.
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Wine & Spirits
The altitude at Rangen de Thann, rising to 1,575 feet, delays budbreak, while the steep volcanic slope provides air drainage, both of which protected this vineyard from the frosts of 2017. The 55-year-old vines at this southernmost vineyard in Alsace provide one of the most distinctive wines in Olivier Humbrecht’s portfolio, a wine of mineral power and structural grace, a riesling that captures the cold winds of spring and delivers them back in fruit that’s brisk and dry. In fact, it’s barely fruity at all, hinting at lemon rind and grapefruit pith, youthfully submerged in a mineral bath, needing bottle age to mellow the crackling acidity and allow the fruit to come forward.
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Certified Organic and Biodynamic.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
With its fairytale aesthetic, Germanic influence and strong emphasis on white wines, Alsace is one of France’s most unique viticultural regions. This hotly contested stretch of land running north to south on France’s northeastern border has spent much of its existence as German territory. Nestled in the rain shadow of the Vosges mountains, it is one of the driest regions of France but enjoys a long and cool growing season. Autumn humidity facilitates the development of “noble rot” for the production of late-picked sweet wines, Vendange Tardive and Sélection de Grains Nobles.
The best wines of Alsace can be described as aromatic and honeyed, even when completely dry. The region’s “noble” varieties, the only ones permitted within Alsace’s 51 Grands Crus vineyards, are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, and Pinot Gris.
Riesling is Alsace’s main specialty. In its youth, Alsace Riesling is dry, fresh and floral, but develops complex mineral and flint character with age. Gewurztraminer is known for its signature spice and lychee aromatics, and is often utilized for late harvest wines. Pinot Gris is prized for its combination of crisp acidity and savory spice as well as ripe stone fruit flavors. Muscat, vinified dry, tastes of ripe green grapes and fresh rose petal.
Other varieties grown here include Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Chasselas, Sylvaner and Pinot Noir—the only red grape permitted in Alsace and mainly used for sparkling rosé known as Crémant d’Alsace. Most Alsace wines are single-varietal bottlings and unlike other French regions, are also labeled with the variety name.