Domaine Zind-Humbrecht : Pinot Gris "Heimbourg" 2020

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for the Pinot Gris "Heimbourg" 2020 from Domaine Zind-Humbrecht

Tasting

Appearance

This Pinot Gris shows a luminous golden-yellow colour, a sign of beautifully ripe grapes and of ageing on the lees, which lends it density while preserving perfect clarity.

Nose

The nose surprises by stepping away from the grape variety's usual registers: it opens with notes of green tea, herbal infusion and damp undergrowth, before giving way, with aeration, to fresher touches of lime, green apple and grapefruit. A dense minerality, reminiscent of limestone, underpins the entire bouquet.

Palate

The attack is driven by a tonic acidity that envelops fruity flesh reminiscent of juicy apple, lifted by a hint of salinity. Ample and structured, the palate displays a lovely grain that carries the tension through to the finish, enriched by a subtle malty note. The wine is dry, fresh and endowed with fine persistence.

Food and Wine Pairing

This dry, structured Pinot Gris will pair beautifully with pan-fried freshwater fish served on a bed of sauerkraut, vegetarian dishes with mushrooms and autumn vegetables, as well as charcuterie such as black pudding, whose richness it will balance with its freshness and minerality.

Serving and Cellaring

To fully enjoy its aromatic palette, it is advisable to decant the Pinot Gris "Heimbourg" 2020 a few hours before tasting if served young, and to present it in large glasses rather than a classic flute. A serving temperature slightly higher than that usually reserved for white wines will reveal its full complexity.

A dry, mineral Pinot Gris reflecting the limestone terroir of the Heimbourg in Turckheim

The Estate

Founded in 1959 following the marriage of Léonard Humbrecht and Geneviève Zind, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht grew in Turckheim, in Alsace, where it now extends over approximately forty hectares spread across several renowned grands crus and lieux-dits. Run since 1989 by Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to earn the title of Master of Wine, the estate is farmed biodynamically and now involves his son Pierre-Émile in its management, continuing a meticulous, terroir-by-terroir approach.

The Vineyard

The Pinot Gris "Heimbourg" comes from the Heimbourg lieu-dit, located in Turckheim in Alsace, a steeply sloped hillside resting on a clay-limestone subsoil rich in Oligocene limestone fragments. The grape variety occupies the upper part of the west-facing slope, on the hillside's poorest and stoniest soils, exposed to the winds of the Munster valley. The vineyard is farmed according to biodynamic principles, encouraging deep rooting and gradual ripening of the grapes.

Winemaking and Ageing

The Pinot Gris "Heimbourg" 2020 is made from whole-cluster pressed grapes, then naturally fermented with the indigenous yeasts present on the fruit and in the cellar. The wine is then aged on its lees for at least six months, which gives it its texture and part of its aromatic complexity, in the minimal-intervention spirit characteristic of the house.

Grape Variety

100% Pinot Gris.