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More wines available from Zind-Humbrecht
750ml
Bottle:
$28.40
Though expressive and perfumed, this has good balance, with ripe star anise, lychee and baking spices upheld by racy...
Pre-Arrival
Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Rangen De Thann Clos St. Urbain Vendange Tardive 2006
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$113.16
375ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$145.45
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$81.13
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$86.95
Rich yellow colour, quite luminous. The nose is profound, intense, showing strong volcanic presence (flint, peat,...
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Winery
Zind-Humbrecht
Vintage: 2012
2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in.
The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
Varietal: Gewurztraminer
The pink-purple grapes of the Gewurztraminer vines are renowned for being particularly difficult to grow, struggling in soils containing chalk and being extremely sensitive to fluctuating climatic conditions. Not only can they cannot survive frost, they also lose all of their interesting and unique flavors in too much heat. Despite this, wineries in their native central Europe, as well as elsewhere in the world continue to persevere with this varietal, and for very good reason. Few other grape varietals produce wines as aromatic or interestingly flavored as the Gewurztraminer, being packed full of beautiful perfumed notes reminiscent of lychees and rose water. Their natural sweetness comes through beautifully in the glass, and their bouquet is considered to be amongst the most pleasing and complex of any grape varietal.
Region: Alsace
Alsace has to be one of the most fascinating regions of France, with a history which stretches back millennia, and demonstrates perfectly the kind of blended culture that can arise from being located on the border between two enormously important, yet very different countries. Indeed, being on the border between France and Germany has resulted in Alsatian wines being something of a mix between the wines of these two countries. Riesling varietal grapes are grown in enormous quantities here, and display all of their crisp, dry complexity perfectly in the famous wines of Alsace. Alongside this typically Germanic wine, Alsatian vintners also produce plenty of Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, Muscat and Sauvignon Vert wines, all of which are superb when it comes to expressing the finer features of the wonderful Alsatian terroir.
Country: France
French winemakers are subjected to several laws and regulations regarding the wines they produce, and how they can be labeled and sold. Such procedures are designed to increase the overall quality of the country's produce, and also to ensure that wines made in each particular region or appellation are of a character and type which is representative of the area. Thankfully for consumers of wine world-wide, the French have a particularly high reputation to uphold, and seem to do so flawlessly. Every year, wineries from all over France produce millions upon millions of bottles of fine wine, making the most of their native grape varieties and the excellent terrain which covers most of the country. From the expensive and exquisite red wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy, to the white wines and cremants of central France, the French are dedicated to providing the world with wines of the highest quality and most distinctive character.