2022 Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St Urbain
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Tasting notes
12 months in old foudres. TA 4.4 g/l, pH 3.1, RS 1.4 g/l. Certified organic and biodynamic (Biodyvin). Tasted blind. Yeasty, nutty, and so much acidity – this just keeps juicing up with more and more flavour, from tart white cherry to peach to hints of red cherry. It’s very Riesling but with the sunny warmth of Alsace and the ruddy cast of warm volcanic soil; it has the variety’s translucence but with intense concentration, too. It’s succulent and huge, built for the ages. (TQT)
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Average Score
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The late-budding and rather late-ripening Clos Saint-Urbain, in the very south of Alsace, meets the very warm and solar 2022 vintage in this wine. What a thrilling setting this is, the more so since August and September brought rather cooler conditions to this cooler but, due to its dark soils and stony terraces in summer, nevertheless warm terroir of the Rangen. Indeed, the pH level was rather low in 2022 (at 3.1) and caused a dry and tense Riesling that doesn't at all show the characteristics of the Rieslings around Turckheim or elsewhere in Alsace. The 2022 Clos Saint-Urbain Rangen de Thann Riesling opens very clear, pure, saline/iodine-inflected and stony on the flinty or smoky nose that represents the volcanic terroir of the clos perfectly or, as Olivier Humbrecht puts it, "Like a volcano fart." Powerful, rich and saline on the palate, this is a dense, highly complex and energetic Saint-Urbain that somehow combines the purity of Dönnhoff's Hermannshöhle with the concentration, power and mineral complexity of the magnesium-rich Rangen. The finish is very intense, dense and aromatic as well as salivating, with a great mix of tannins, saline acidity and perfectly ripe (apricot) fruit. Pressed slowly over 14 hours, this is one of the, if not THE, finest Rangen I have tasted from Zind-Humbrecht. (Loyal readers know that I had them all a year ago.) The 2022 comes in with 12.8% alcohol and is a wine to keep for many years.
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.