1994 Gewurztraminer Wintzenheim

The 1994 Gewurztraminer Wintzenheim is primarily made from vines planted in 1946 by Olivier Humbrecht's grandfather. The light gold color is followed by a powerful nose of roses and honeyed grapefruit. Amazingly rich and thick, with high acidity and an off-dry finish, this massive, incredibly-concentrated, well-balanced Gewurztraminer may be too exotic (an in-your-face style of wine) for many readers. It will keep for 10+ years. This is a wine to drink with smoked foods, Asian cuisine, or a ripe, intense Muenster cheese. No where else in the world does Gewurztraminer reach such splendid heights of complexity, intensity, and ageability. It is a difficult grape to handle and vinify as it is one of the few white wine varietals that has tannin in its skin. If yields are too high, the results are floppy, flabby, unstructured, ponderous, low acid wines. At Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Gewurztraminer is treated with respect, resulting in wines of immense richness and harmony that age impeccably well. For example, the 1983 and 1985 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminers remaining in my cellar are still amazingly youthful. The importer for the Zind-Humbrecht wines for most of the United States is Wine Markets International, Woodbury, NY; tel. (516) 364-1850, and for the state of California, Kermit Lynch Selections, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524.