Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
Riesling Brand
Alsace
2019

The producer

Based in Turckheim and today run by Olivier Humbrecht. France’s first Master of Wine, and his wife Margaret, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht is arguably one of the finest estates in Alsace. The Humbrecht family’s roots can be traced back to 1620 and Domaine Zind Humbrecht was founded in 1959. With 40 hectares across five villages in a range of Grand Cru and single vineyard sites, the Domaine produces all four of the Alsatian noble grape varieties – Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer.

Olivier initiated biodynamic practices in 1997 and was fully certified in 2002. The same year he became president of Biodyvin (the biodynamic association). 1992 saw the building of new and ultramodern winery facilities and a cellar in the middle of the Herrenweg vineyard. All the wines mature in large oval foudres with at least eight months on the lees and are characterized by great concentration, complexity, and cleanness.

The wine

Domaine Zind-Humbrecht’s Riesling Grand Cru Brand comes from one of Alsace’s most historic and celebrated vineyard sites, located above the village of Turckheim. The south facing slopes of the Brand Grand Cru are composed primarily of granite soils, which warm quickly and promote even ripening. This terroir is known for producing Rieslings of precision, power, and distinctive mineral character. Careful vineyard management and low yields allow the fruit to fully express the vineyard’s unique personality.

Wines from Brand are typically marked by vibrant acidity and a refined mineral backbone. Aromatics of citrus, white peach, and stone fruit are layered with subtle floral notes and a characteristic stony freshness. The palate is concentrated yet elegant, with excellent balance, depth, and persistence, reflecting both the warmth of the site and the precision that defines Zind-Humbrecht’s winemaking approach.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.