Zind-Humbrecht Hengst Gewurztraminer 2016
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Bright gold color. The nose shows big flavors, not shy at all and it announces a nice ripeness and concentration on the palate. There is a mix of ripe exotic fruits and delicate flowers on the palate, but also big unmistakable limestone characteristic in terms of spices and minerals. This is a rich wine that shows a firm structure where tannins and sweetness play together. Very long finish, velvety, not too sweet at all, built to age!
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A staggering nose of exotic fruits, such as jackfruit. There is enveloping richness. In spite of its huge structure, the wine is very silky at the super long finish.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From red marl limestone soils, the 2016 Alsace Grand Cru Hengst Gewurztraminer opens with a very clear, intense and spicy-mineral bouquet that is very well-defined and fresh. On the palate, this is a rich, oily, concentrated, tannic and powerful Gewurtz with a long and aromatic finish. The wine is stunningly fresh and very tight. A long-distance runner for sure.
-
Wine Spectator
Fine and creamy, this medium-bodied white is fleshed out by flavors of white peach puree, spun honey and lavender, enlivened as much by the juicy acidity as the zesty hints of pink grapefruit peel and grated ginger. Offers a long, lingering finish of mineral and spice.
Other Vintages
2021-
James
Suckling
Certified Organic and Biodynamic.
Gewürztraminer, an expressive and aromatically distinctive white grape variety, is considered a noble variety in the Alsace region of France, and produces wonderful wines in the mountainous Alto Adige region of NE Italy. Generally this grape grows well in cooler regions and its natural intensity makes it a great ally for flavorful cuisine such as Indian, Middle Eastern or Moroccan. Somm Secret—Because of a charming perfume and tendency towards slight sweetness, Gewürztraminer makes for an excellent gateway wine for those who love sweet wines but want to venture into the realm of drier whites.
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.