2021 Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St Urbain
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Zind-Humbrecht’s 2021 Riesling Clos Saint-Urbain Rangen de Thann and I will probably never become a love story. I've had this wine four times in the past 12 months. The third time was during the Rangen vertical, and even then it didn't reach the usual level, which is why I reviewed it again for publication. As the very last wine of the vertical, the 2021 opened with an oxidized and just-ripe apple aroma on the hardly precise and not really stimulating bouquet. Dense, straight and rather rustic on the palate, this was a medium to full-bodied yet on the finish rather drying and rustic Riesling that failed to entertain but was better than the two samples earlier last year. The finish was as if this bottle was corked, but this would be the third out of three bottles… I scored it 86 with a question mark but gave it a last chance—and the Rangen took it! Tasted again in March this year (2024), the straw-yellow colored 2021 Rangen combines intense, yellow-fleshed fruit with coolish and spicy phenolic notes but also yellow paprika aromas, representing "a challenging year" with low yields (down 50%) but lots of rainfall in spring and the first half of summer and significant mildew problems. However, "the drier August/September months desiccated the grapes affected by mildew, so the remaining grapes were healthy and nice," reported Olivier Humbrecht. On the palate, the 2021 is lean but elegant, bone dry but with concentrated fruit and ripe acidity. The wine is dense yet less powerful and complex than in the years before but should gain further finesse and layers with bottle age. Olivier sees 2021 as "a combination of 2019, 2017 and 2010. Definitely a vintage worth cellaring but, unfortunately, in very small volume."
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Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous
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The 2021 Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Grand Cru is from the famously steep and dark volcanic rock of Rangen with some sandstone inclusions. The soil is rich in potassium which buffers the pH of the wine, making the acid less strident yet lending much power to the wines. The oldest plots of Riesling are up to 60 years old; the younger vines are 45 years old. The color is golden. Underneath the reduction is a spicy smokiness, with greengage and white pepper. There is something utterly fluid, intense, compact and concentrated that seems to have a total verticality, driving into the depth of the rock. The wine has luminous citric yet balanced freshness and is clear as a bell. Wait for this because it will be sensational. The finish is bone-dry and salty. (Bone-dry)
About the producer
Widely acknowledged as one of the legendary wineries in Alsace, the wines of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht are nothing short of magical. Certified organic and biodynamic, the estate crafts an extensive range of wines, including many Grand Cru and single-vineyard bottlings.