Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris 2008
Available at www.varmax.com
Retail price: around $25

The Passion of France Meets the Precision of Germany

In the Alsatian aristocracy of wine, Domaine Zind Humbrecht is a uniquely influential member. The Humbrecht family has been producing wine since 1620, and today the domaine is one of the leading proponents of biodynamic vineyard management in France. Many feel that the biodynamic approach is the best way to ensure the purest, most organic expression of the specific vineyard or region. With this purist philosophy, Zind Humbrecht is poised to capture the spirit of Alsace in every bottle it produces. If you want to learn about Alsace, you ought to start here!

Discussions of pinot gris these days need to be clarified from the start: the massively popular Italian pinot grigio (same grape) is nearly always produced in a much lighter, fruitier style than an Alsatian pinot gris. Par bonheur, Domaine Zind Humbrecht pinot gris maintains residence at the opposite end of the taste and style spectrum from its Italian cousin.

The 2008 vintage is a racy, concentrated wine with impressive depth. Its color is a rich golden hue. The nose is honeyed with attractive peach and kumquat aromas. Its high acidity brightens the palate like rays of sunshine. Even the hefty 15.5 percent alcohol stands in balance with the overall wine experience. Here the winemaker’s craft and stylistic choice are apparent. The dedication to biodynamic farming extends into the cellar, where all subsequent winemaking decisions are in support of that essential goal of letting the vineyard speak for itself.

Note: Serve with charcuterie, smoked meat, Asian food and poultry.

The winery also produces a vendange tardive, or late harvest wine, which is one of the world’s truly great dessert wines.

Tags: Alsace, Asian food, biodynamic, charcuterie, D.D. Rice, dessert wine, Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris 2008, France, Paris, pinot grigio, pinot gris, smoked meat, vendange tardive, white wine

This entry was posted on Monday, January 24th, 2011 at 10:00 am and is filed under wine of the month. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Facebook link code = "Shortlink". You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.