Domaine Zind Humbrecht, Thann Clos Saint Urbain Riesling Grand Cru, Rangen 2012

One year of maturation estranged the golden-yellow color of the 2012 Riesling Grand Cru Rangen de Thann Clos St Urbain from the citrus-colored label, which opens as deep and rich as it is concentrated and mineral. The first contact with the flinty, lemon-fruity nose makes immediately clear that this is a great and expressive Riesling and, no doubt about this as well, one of the greatest white wines on planet wine. How intense and ripe it is, how deep and concentrated, how floral and matured, and how perfumed with the essence of volcanic rocks. Powerful, intense, compact and stony on the palate, this is a highly elegant, dense, stony, and expressive wine with an endless and highly complex finish. The essence of the Rangen? Close to perfection? At least one of the greatest European Rieslings I had from 2013. Who would have thought that in the autumn of 2012? The vineyard was hit by an intense hail storm in early August when 20 to 50% of the crop was destroyed. Fortunately, being very early in the season, the storm removed parts of clusters, and in some sectors the entire cluster, but did not affect the grapes left on the vine. This vineyard had a hard time in 2012 and it was capable to fight back superbly, producing an emotional wine. It is assumed that the crop reduction also explains the richness of this wine, which, amazingly, was able to ferment dry.