Domaine Zind Humbrecht, Thann Clos Saint Urbain Riesling Selection de Grains Nobles Grand Cru, Rangen

Wow! Wow! Wow! This is just amazing! Breathtaking from the moment the bottle was opened-- Roses and other flowers, mango, pineapple, baked apples, pastry, cherries, dates, baked pears, vanilla, candied orange peel, and caramel, all followed by an incredibly long and intense, almost endless, aftertaste. Initially there were faint notes of sulfur and smoke, but those vanished quickly, and even when present were not a major problem. In the past I've scored this at a "mere" 98 points, but for …

1994 vintage

Dinner with Mike G and Dave B (Châteauneuf-du-Salil, Albany) : [Pop and pour.] Mind-blowing perfume of honey and tropical fruit. Viscous, but not like a Sauternes. It has an elegance and lightness that blows me away. Super long finish of orange, pineapple, honey, and papaya. This is heaven. This wine has 540 grams of residual sugar per liter and 12 grams of acid with only 4% alcohol, but the harmony is amazing.

1994 vintage

Mike on Tour, Albany edition (Chateauneuf-du-Salil) : Terrific wine, though not quite on the level of the bottle I opened ~6 years ago. But it remains a remarkable, freakish wine with unreal amounts of sugar and acidity on a body that's only 4% alcohol. The flavours are all luscious tropical fruit and botrytis (caramel, orange marmalade, honey, etc.) with a texture that's incredibly plush and silky. Delicious, and works very well with the canelés.

1994 vintage

Wow! Tasting this again, I love it every bit as much as I did on 1/20/23--see that note for all the details!

1994 vintage

My palate has certainly shifted quite a bit over the last half-decade or so (and Covid-19 probably played a part of that). This is definitely a sweet, intense, and unctuous wine, and while there are some interesting dried fruit nuances here, this is pretty in-your-face kind of stuff. I would like a smidgen more acidity, but truth be told, despite the sweetness this doesn't really get cloying. That said, this is still very, very sweet, and a little does go …

1994 vintage

Wow. Immediately after opening, a blast of smoke, followed fairly quickly by baked pears, caramelized brown sugar, cloves, mace and other spices, prunes, a whisper of lemon, and a touch of bitterness that balances the extreme sweetness. Fabulous intensity, and an amazingly long and powerful aftertaste, with dried apricots near the end. After a few minutes, a hint of camphor briefly emerges and then quickly vanishes. This is already medium brown, so I'm not sure how much longer it will …

1994 vintage

Very interesting wine. Out of 375. Deep golden, borderline orange color. 4% abv. Very syrupy but had a crazy wide array of flavors on the nose and palate. Objectively it should probably have a higher score but just not my style.

1994 vintage

Robe tuilé d'intensité profonde Le nez est concentré et principalement sur l'abricot avec en arrière plan du miel, caramel, orange, vanille. Je n'ai par contre jamais rencontré une bouche avec une telle concentration et matière. On aurait dit du sirop d'abricot dans sa forme la plus pure. Il y a évidemment un acidité incroyable, mais la densité est telle que celle-ci passe en arrière plan et c'est le sucre qui domine finalement (cela pourrait paraître comme un petit peu déséquilibrer …

1994 vintage

What a fabulous wine. Nose of figs, raisins with a hint of honey. Same on the palate, but with marmalade. Unctuous, sweet but not overly so. Great with a cheese platter.

1994 vintage

A fun gathering at L'Auberge Chez Francois (L'Auberge Chez Francois, Great Falls, VA) : One of the most opulent, intense and concentrated wines yet also displaying exceptional balance and harmony. So much going on but somehow manages not to get overwhelming. Even AFWEs will find this irresistible.

1994 vintage

Birthday drinks (Indianapolis, IN) : This is incredible. As Brad Kane said, it doesn't make a sound when you pour it. The colour and sheer viscosity here are remarkable - it has the appearance of syrup, and it's just a mass of intense botrytis flavours - honey, vanilla, caramel, orange marmalade, and ripe tropical fruits. Somehow it's perfectly balanced with a lightness and precision that seem impossible for such a dense, sweet wine, and flavours that linger long after each …

1994 vintage

1989 Vouvray Madness (Good Luck Gourmet, Doraville, GA) : Almost excruciatingly sweet but kept in balance by equally intense acidity. It really blows out the taste buds, as after a few sips of it not even a 1989 Foreau Moelleux Reserve really registers on the palate. Reportedly 540 g/l RS, 12 grams acidity, 4% alcohol.

1994 vintage

Wines with Salil et al.; 12/1/2017-12/3/2017 (Chicago, IL) : 4% abv! Can you believe it? It's barely wine, perhaps partially fermented grape must? The nose here is all brown sugar and botrytis, caramel, citrus peel, and all the other good stuff you'd expect. I think unctuous is probably the right word to describe this wine, which is so sweet it's almost bitter. The relative innocuousness of pinot gris is a great canvas to show off the SGN technique.

1994 vintage

A special wine. Fabulous nose of orange, orange peel. Searing acidity than balances out the sweetness. Simply amazing.

1994 vintage

Equilibre sucre / acidité incroyable !

1994 vintage

Perfect wine at the end of 8 course tasting menu. Honeyed nectered, sweetness with ample acidity to balance out mouth feel.

1994 vintage

Extended Anniversary weekend. Dinner at Il Palio. What more can I say about this wine other than I wouldn't mind drinking it every night for the rest of my life? Orange in the glass. While this looks like it has the viscosity of maple syrup upon pouring, there is nothing heavy or cloying about this tremendous wine. Apricots. Quince. Peach. About 100 other things I'm not mentioning. Laser acidity on a seemingly endless finish. A very serious, intense and perfect …

1994 vintage

New Year's Eve at Buku with Steve & Barb. Could there be a better wine to end the year with? From 375ml. Reddish-amber in color. Oranges and tangerines mix with some of the Jebsal inner mouthfeel. The wine hits the palate with a thickness that lasts a millisecond and then explodes into a endless dissolving of pure and rich fruit that would last all evening if you weren't so compelled to take another sip. This is truly the master at …

1994 vintage

A birthday dinner for Suzanne at Christine's. (Christine's.) : Always a treat to have this wine, though it certainly isn't for everyone. It hasn't really changed much since the last time I had it, but remains like an essencia with it's ripe apricot, honey, tropical fruit and white raisin profile with just enough acidfity to prevent it from being cloying, though that's certainly a different bar for different folks. Low alcoho, 4% and syrupy, it really doesn't make a sound …

1994 vintage

This was so amazing, but unique. Not exactly like the Tokaji from Hungary or the Sauternes from Bordeaux. Dark Amber and thick liquid. Aromas of honeysuckle and white raisin pours from the glass with a slight hint of spice. This sticky doesn't show off its apple-like malice acid, but it is present like the Alsacian minerals we all love. The liquid never feels cloying and floats freely to all parts of you mouth in a very pleasing way. So many …

1994 vintage

G6 (Rick) : Burnt orange color. Nose of tangerines and honey. Flavors of pear, melon, lemon, cherry and orange. Well balanced with nice freshness. Some at the table said it needed more acidity, however I respectfully disagree. Super full-bodied with an almost syrupy character. Amazing complexity and depth on the mid palate with a finish that lingers in your mouth for several minutes. Simply outstanding and an incredible treat to try against the regular SGN bottling of the same year. …

1994 vintage

Dinner at Central, DC. Amber in the glass, this was a truly stunning bottle of wine. Full bodied and loaded with aromas and flavors of prunes and apricots. Has richness off the charts. Hyper sweet but with high acidity to balance. Rides the tightrope of being glyceral and thick but never heavy or cloying. With all this the Jebsal mouthfeel still comes through. Finish lasts until the next sip. Amazing! 50+14+15+10+10 = 99

1994 vintage

Excellent. Lots of life, apricot, cinnamon, yummy -- but for the $$$, I'll buy more Hungarian Tokaj.

1994 vintage

Dinner at Bonne Soiree with Steve & Barb. Orange in color and full bodied, this wine is a real experience for the senses. Hyper sweet but with bracing acidity to balance. Incredible viscosity on the palate but without any sense of heaviness or cloying. Really fruity and surprisingly open today. Super long finish lasts until you take the next sip and start the entire sensory explosion all over again. Will continue to be tough to give these the proper aging …

1994 vintage

Dinner with Fred and Ronnie at Acme ( Heirloom Tomato menu ). I brought out a 375ml of this gem to enjoy as/with dessert. Amber in the glass, this wine was full bodied and sported a very long finish. Hyper sweet ( > 500 g/l ) but the sweetness is carried off the palate on the finish by tons of acidity. Not showing any complexity today, which is still probably 10+ years away, but none the less a thrilling wine …

1994 vintage

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Domaine Zind Humbrecht, Thann Clos Saint Urbain Riesling Selection de Grains Nobles Grand Cru, Rangen

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