Wine Reviews

The 2022 Gewurztraminer Hengst Grand Cru was a bad boy in the cellar because it stopped and started fermenting. June hail had hacked half of the crop. The nose, however, is super clean, presenting Mirabelle jelly with overtones of peach and Damask rose, delicate and tender. The palate is even more nuanced, with immense freshness and beautifully delineated orange zest. It’s mouth-watering, tingling, vibrant and intense on the back palate but restrained on the entry. Bold citrus delivers gorgeous balance. The freshness and zesty, pithy character make it unbelievable that this should hold 24 g/L of sugar. (Off-Dry)

The 2022 Riesling Brand Grand Cru is from a granite site. The nose crackles with citrus zest. The palate is so clear, juicy and brilliant. This comes together with luminosity, lightness and ease. Grapefruit zest appears on the finish, revealing more of its aromatic layers. Concentration, tingling freshness, zesty phenolics and a distinct light-footedness make this supremely balanced and juicy.

The August hailstorm hit the 2022 Riesling Sommerberg Grand Cru, which meant 50% of the crop was lost and concentrated the rest. This is from a granite site with more topsoil. Gorgeous white and yellow peach are perfumed on the nose, just edged with peach skin and citrus. The palate is absolutely pristine, so clear-cut, bell-like in its purity. It just flows. Despite its relative Niedermorschwihr mildness, the 2022 is precise, balanced, bone-dry and supremely juicy, with more lovely peach skin on the finish. (Bone-Dry)

The 2022 Riesling Clos Windsbuhl is a “bucolic” site, Humbrecht says, surrounded by forest and fields at altitude. It is on rocky Triassic limestone. The wine is slightly flinty and nutty on the nose. The palate is stony, too, taut and bright but flowing like clear spring water, cooling, with ever more citrus coming to the fore. Lemon zestiness and lovely brightness make this mouth-puckeringly tangy and deliciously thrilling. (Bone-Dry)

The 2022 Riesling Clos Häuserer is harvested at the bottom of the Hengst Grand Cru, on deep marl soils with clay, all the finer elements deposited from the decomposition of the Hengst. Ripe, juicy pear shines on the nose, edged with fine lemon peel. The palate is succulent, dripping with Mirabelle and lemon. The longer this is in the mouth, the more intense it gets. Yet the finish is relatively mild and smooth but imbued with that gorgeous grapefruit notion.