Score: 93/100
The Rangen de Thann vineyard is one of the very most southerly in the whole of the Alsace region, and also one of the most famous. The Grand Cru Rangen de Thann, is situated at the exit of the valley, overlooking the village of Thann with the river Thur passing at the foot of the slope.
The wines of Rangen are characterized by the late ripening character of their terroir; a distinct minerality is generally provided by the volcanic soils and the natural tendency of these soils to accumulate sunlight.
Despite a high planting density of the vineyard, the yields here are low, normally averaging 25 to 35 hl/ha (about 1.5 tons of fruit per acre) for the dry wines and even much lower for sweet and noble rot wines that are left late during the season to concentrate. The south facing exposition brings a strong presence of sunlight energy and warmth to the vines helping with the grape’s maturation.
How Good is Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann?
Tasting Notes
This super-famous Alsace Riesling by iconic wine producer Domaine Zind-Humbrecht comes in a lemon-yellow color of medium intensity. Delicate gold hues make it look shiny and intensify its appearance.
A delicate floral nose with elegant minerality. It is restrained to smell at, the wine is sitll very young. Remember that this is a wine built to age beautifully for many years if not decades. It will devevllop much further nutty and spicy bouquet. But at this early stage of its life (this is only a baby wine at the time of tasting), it doesn’t give away all that much in its aromatic profile. Only little white flowers aromas come through, with hints of tropical characters and nutty tones.
The palate is very fresh, with a crisp acidity typical of Grand Cru Rieslings from Alsace. Yet, the wine feels relatively weighty and concentrated. Restrained complexity is obvious.
Give it at least 5 years of cellaring in optimum conditions before tasting. From there, the wine should develop further depth. Drink between 2022 and 2032.
Enjoy 🙂
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