Zind-Humbrecht Muscat 2016
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Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Enjoy as an Aperitif or with shellfish or asparagus.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a richer part of the valley floor (with more loess) and a younger and a very old vineyard planted in the 1950s, the 2016 Muscat Turckheim is a 100% Muscat d'Alsace (or à petits grains) and opens with a clear, fresh and beautifully aromatic Muscat grape bouquet. On the palate, this is a dry, full-bodied, well-structured, perfectly balanced Muscat with good grip and mineral tension and even a slightly salty finish where some stimulating citrus flavors show up. It's a great pleasure to drink right now. Tasted June 2018.
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Wine Enthusiast
An earthy and very ripe notion of yellow plum and pear on the nose carry a hint of reduction. The palate follows this with zesty lemon notes on a dry but concentrated body. Honeysuckle carries on the clean, long finish
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Wine Spectator
Fresh basil, mint and orange peel aromas leap from the glass of this zesty, light-bodied white, accenting notes of blood orange granita, mineral and grated ginger on the well-knit palate. A bright lip-smacker.
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Certified Organic and Biodynamic.
While Muscat comes in a wide range of styles from dry to sweet, still to sparkling and even fortified, it's safe to say it is always alluringly aromatic and delightful. The two most important versions are the noble, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, making wines of considerable quality and Muscat of Alexandria, thought to be a progeny of the former. Somm Secret—Pliny the Elder wrote in the 13th century of a sweet, perfumed grape variety so attractive to bees that he referred to it as uva apiana, or “grape of the bees.” Most likely, he was describing Muscat.
With its fairytale aesthetic, Germanic influence and strong emphasis on white wines, Alsace is one of France’s most unique viticultural regions. This hotly contested stretch of land running north to south on France’s northeastern border has spent much of its existence as German territory. Nestled in the rain shadow of the Vosges mountains, it is one of the driest regions of France but enjoys a long and cool growing season. Autumn humidity facilitates the development of “noble rot” for the production of late-picked sweet wines, Vendange Tardive and Sélection de Grains Nobles.
The best wines of Alsace can be described as aromatic and honeyed, even when completely dry. The region’s “noble” varieties, the only ones permitted within Alsace’s 51 Grands Crus vineyards, are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, and Pinot Gris.
Riesling is Alsace’s main specialty. In its youth, Alsace Riesling is dry, fresh and floral, but develops complex mineral and flint character with age. Gewurztraminer is known for its signature spice and lychee aromatics, and is often utilized for late harvest wines. Pinot Gris is prized for its combination of crisp acidity and savory spice as well as ripe stone fruit flavors. Muscat, vinified dry, tastes of ripe green grapes and fresh rose petal.
Other varieties grown here include Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Chasselas, Sylvaner and Pinot Noir—the only red grape permitted in Alsace and mainly used for sparkling rosé known as Crémant d’Alsace. Most Alsace wines are single-varietal bottlings and unlike other French regions, are also labeled with the variety name.