Domaine Zind Humbrecht Alsace Grand Cru Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Gewurztraminer 2019 (14% ABV) – 91
SR | This 2019 is a picture-book Gewurztraminer, with a clear, intense, and aromatic as well as saline nose. Very intense, deep, and complex! Savory and fresh on the palate, this is a full-bodied, dense, tight, and salty-mineral Rangen Gewurz, with lots of power yet serious but fine tannins (also from oak barrels), salinity, and a long, intense finish. 94
AJ | Full, pale gold with gold glints. Actually savory at first sniff: meaty, protein aromas; then something more classically Gewurz-like: soft spices melted into rich fruits, almost dried fruits. Fascinating aromas ... with creamy crème anglaise richness, too. Wild mushrooms also. On the palate, this is dense, concentrated, extractive, fiery, chewy, and rich: almost a red wine in white-wine guise. There is a huge amount packed in here, and surely impressive extract, and (as on the nose) it unites the savory and the sweet in an unforgettable mix: meat stock but also pastries oozing with rosewater-infused syrup. (Though the wine is completely dry.) A totally unusual, characterful wine, though I feel that there are other wines in this tasting that are more aesthetically successful, despite the astonishment here. 90
AR | A deep mid-gold in color, this is rich in rose-petal scents, almost unctuous; the fruit quality is rich and opulent, quite strong, too. When you taste, this is distinctively Gewurz for sure, with the spice and floral notes you're looking for; rather big but not blousy, to be fair, because it has the acidity, but there is a slight alcoholic burn on the finish—the bane of Gewurz, when it's not quite balanced. 88