Thursday October 22, 2015

BRITISH COLUMBIA

"He may very well be the ultimate intellectual of the wine world, a god from Alsace."

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

Today's Offer

Riesling Brand Grand Cru 2012

	Suggested Retail Price	$98.99/bottle + Tax
	Varietal	Riesling
	Region	Alsace
	Format	6 x 750ml
	Availability	Only 5 cases - Via BCLDB Cross Dock. Please respond via email to secure an allocation.
	Ageability	Now - 2030+
	CSPC	+99911

Indice 1

94-96 Points

"Pale, bright yellow. Sexy high-pitched yet delicate aromas of nectarine, lime, flint and white flowers on the captivating, almost Mosel-like nose. Then broad and inviting, offering soft, nuanced flavors of ripe peach, citrus jam, minerals and flint. Finishes long and slightly sweet (12 g/l residual sugar) but owing to its firm acidity this wine seems off-dry. The grapes were slightly affected by both noble rot and passerillage, and has an extra measure of sweetness and texture as a result. This couldn't be any more different from the Rangen but is just as great, and still very young: don't touch it for another ten years."

April 2015

Gewurztraminer Hengst Grand Cru 2012

	Suggested Retail Price	$92.99/bottle + Tax
	Varietal	Gewurztraminer
	Region	Alsace
	Format	6 x 750ml
	Availability	Only 5 cases - Via BCLDB Cross Dock. Please respond via email to secure an allocation.
	Ageability	Now - 2030+
	CSPC	+452060

Indice 4

94-96 Points

"Pale, gold-tinged straw. Intense, pure, utterly captivating aromas of pineapple, passion fruit, caramelized mango, cinnamon and nutmeg. In the mouth, sweet vanilla and toffee apple flavors are at once silky and powerful. Finishes extremely long and pure. A benchmark Gew�rztraminer, and a real step up in concentration and complexity from the other 2012 Gew�rztraminers at this address. The very old vines grow in two parcels, one planted in the 1920s and the other by Olivier's grandfather in 1957. Structure-wise, I find this to be very reminiscent of a Rangen Gew�rztraminer. In fact, it never ceases to amaze me how saline Zind-Humbrecht's Hengst Gew�rzes can be (and in this sense they are certainly Rangen-like)."

April 2015

Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Grand Cru 2012

	Suggested Retail Price	$116.99/bottle + Tax
	Varietal	Riesling
	Region	Alsace
	Format	6 x 750ml
	Availability	Only 5 cases
	Ageability	Now - 2030+
	CSPC	+674184

Indice 1

95-97 Points

"Fairly pale gold-tinged color. Captivating aromas of lemon custard, quince, brown spices, smoke and wet stone. Highly concentrated and on the dry side, with a powerful spice character contributing to an impression of power. Conveys a tactile sense of high dry extract and finishes with chewy tannins and lingering notes of bitter orange peel and lemon curd. This very deep, multilayered wine finishes with exceptional length. A serious step up in concentration from the 2012 Clos Windsbuhl, this is an especially powerful and ripe Rangen because the yields were even lower than usual as a result of hail in early July. An absolute knockout."

April 2015

Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Grand Cru 2012

	Suggested Retail Price	$116.99/bottle + Tax
	Varietal	Pinot Gris
	Region	Alsace
	Format	6 x 750ml
	Availability	Only 5 cases - Via BCLDB Cross Dock. Please respond via email to secure an allocation.
	Ageability	Now - 2030+
	CSPC	+486688

Indice 4

95-97 Points

"Medium straw-gold color. Pure, highly aromatic nose combines orange zest, smoke and white truffle, with complicating notes of lemony, marmaladey botrytis. The strong botrytis character is obvious on the palate too, which offers an uncanny combination of volume and vivacity, with suave flavors of strawberry, ripe peach and pear nectar. Piercing acidity provides outstanding clarity and cut on the very long finish. A wine of mesmerizing complexity and impeccable balance, though not the richest or most powerful Clos Saint-Urbain ever (for example, both the 2009 and 2010 are bigger wines). I have long believed this bottling to be Zind-Humbrecht's single best wine and this vintage makes my case."

April 2015

About Domaine Zind Humbrecht

Olivier Humbrecht is one of the world's most renowned winegrowers. He is a Master of Wine and has been described by Robert Parker as the greatest white winemaker on earth. Yet he is very soft spoken, humble, and self-deprecating, which makes him perfectly suited to his assumed role as a global ambassador of wine. He is a champion of terroir, biodynamic farming principles, and non-interventionist winemaking whose family have been winegrowers in Alsace for 12 generations (since 1620). He is immensely proud that although his family domaine is 'only 40 hectares', there are at least 28 people (and two horses!) working there at any time: eight times more than normal at twenty-five times the cost. Tractors are never used in the vineyards; harvesting is 100% manual. Yields are low. Herbicides and pesticides are never used. There are no pumps in the winery, the wine is never filtered and no cultured yeasts are used. The wine is aged in old oak barrels only ("we NEVER use new oak"), with wines kept on full lees for at least nine months to produce a "nicely reductive" character.

Zind-Humbrecht wines are concentrated, complex, vibrant, and balanced. Olivier would say that concentration and complexity are a natural product of the work that goes into farming the land in a way that is respectful of terroir; that the wines are vibrant because they come from healthy vineyards where the soil is alive; and that the wines are balanced because farming biodynamically ensures the vines grow in harmony with nature. And he would not be too shy to say that the wines better be great given all the hard work and dedication that is devoted to them.

Domaine Zind-Humbrecht includes a superb range of historic Grand Cru vineyards; the tiny quantities of wines produced from them are supreme expressions of the diversity of Alsatian terroir. These are profound wines that can be - or rather should be - cellared for decades. We are delighted to be able to offer the following selection:

2012 Riesling Brand Grand Cru - from a 2.4 ha S/SE facing plot near Turckheim which is 100% Riesling. The terroir is an utterly unique amalgam of very old decomposed granite and black mica infused with silty coarse sand which allows the vines to reach down through fissures to the bedrock; parts of the vineyard also contain the renowned Musselkalk limestone soil. This is Riesling of great finesse and elegance with very refined floral and fruity aromas and an excellent balance of ripeness and acidity.

2012 Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Grand Cru & 2012 Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Grand Cru - each hails from an ancient vineyard first referenced in the Chronicles of the Abbey of Murbach in 1272. It is an almost impossibly steep (the gradient is 60%!) slope facing due south with vines planted at an elevation of 340-467m. Above the vineyard is the Rangenkopf forest; below it the picturesque River Thur. Famously, the soil is a rare combination of volcanic rhyolitic tuff and Greywacke.Olivier Humbrecht says "Rangen de Thann is one of the rare terroirs capable of a defined expression of terroir through all grape varieties". Both the riesling (lithe,vibrant) and the pinot gris (rich,unctuous) present the pronounced salinity and mineral complexity that is the hallmark of the Clos Saint Urbain.

2012 Gewurztraminer Hengst Grand Cru - this vineyard in Wintzenheim was established in the 9th Century. It is a warm, dry SE facing slope that is perfect for Gew�rztraminer. The clayey, pebbly soil is dense yet very well-drained, with a high concentration of active limestone. The wine is full of energy (Hengst means 'stallion') and has massive ageing potential. "Hengst needs time" says Olivier, "and with time, develops complexity and aromas of smoke and spice".

We believe that these wines are amongst the very finest white wines being produced anywhere on the planet. Given their pedigree, they are excellent value.

How to order ?

Simply by replying to this e-offer or by contacting Neil Punshon at neil.punshon@trialto.com
Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or for further information !

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Neil Punshon
Liquid Art Sales Manager - Western Canada