Winemaker Notes
Following Alsatian tradition, Pinot Blanc is blended with Auxerrois to form this wine. Grapes come from a combination of Zind-Humbrecht's top vineyards, including Herrenweg and Rotenberg Vineyards. Zind-Humbrecht's dedication to terroir expression guides all winemaking practices, which include extended pressing cycles, abbreviated clarification cycles (to retain natural yeasts and proteins in the must), natural malolactic fermentation and extended aging on the lees. The wine is aged 8 months in 40-year-old French barrels.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A generous dry pinot blanc with aromas of fully ripe pear and pineapple. Rich and creamy palate, with elegant acidity and melted-butter character at the long, soft finish. From the alluvial Herrenweg site of Turckheim and from vineyards with limestone soils in Wintzenheim. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Based on two-thirds Auxerrois and one-third Pinot Blanc, the 2020 Pinot Blanc offers an intense and ripe bouquet of fruit and crushed stones. Round and lush on the palate, this is an intense and textured, pretty full-bodied but salty Pinot with good tannin grip and a round finish. This is a mouthfilling and fruity wine with quite a lot of power. It was bottled with 13% stated alcohol plus six grams per liter of residual sugar and a natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in April 2022.
Approachable, aromatic and pleasantly plush on the palate, Pinot Blanc is a white grape variety most associated with the Alsace region of France. Although its heritage is Burgundian, today it is rarely found there and instead thrives throughout central Europe, namely Germany and Austria, where it is known as Weissburgunder and Alto Adige where it is called Pinot Bianco. Interestingly, Pinot Blanc was born out of a mutation of the pink-skinned Pinot Gris. Somm Secret—Chardonnay fans looking to try something new would benefit from giving Pinot Blanc a try.
Small but mighty, this picturesque region in northeastern France is renowned for its white wines produced by passionate families whose winemaking roots span generations and even centuries. Nestled between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine River, Alsace benefits from a sunny, dry climate and a long growing season. It is one of the most geologically diverse regions in the world — one of the many reasons why Alsace rocks!
Alsace wines include dry, mineral-driven Riesling, earthy Pinot Gris, refreshing Pinot Blanc, exuberant Gewurztraminer, elegant Pinot Noir, and more. From traditional-method sparkling wines to easy-drinking AOC Alsace, to complex Grand Cru bottlings from 51 distinct sites, and rich, late harvest wines, Alsace produces a wine for every occasion. Most Alsace wines are single-varietal bottlings and are labeled with the grape name. The region is also one of the greenest wine-producing areas in France, with 36% of its vineyard area certified organic.
Riesling, the region’s calling card, is dry, fresh and floral in its youth, developing complex mineral and flint character with age. Gewurztraminer is known for its signature spice and lychee aromatics. Pinot Gris is prized for its combination of crisp acidity and savory spice as well as ripe stone fruit flavors. Pinot Blanc is an affable food partner or porch sipper. Pinot Noir, the only red grape in AOC Alsace, is now authorized in three Grand Cru areas and is also used for Crémant d’Alsace sparkling rosé. Any bottle you choose will offer deliciousness, pleasure and value that is unprecedented in other wine regions.