Zind Humbrecht wines have always ranked high in the favourites list of JN staff, so a day with Olivier Humbrecht has been an eagerly anticipated event. The winery is based in the outskirts of Turckheim. It’s a modern building with lots of glass and class – it’s soon clear that we are in the presence of a scrupulous winemaker – all the fixtures and fittings are bright, shining and spotless and everything is tidy and well ordered.

Olivier and his Glaswegian wife Margaret are charming and attentive. Olivier gives us a brief introduction to the terroirs of Alsace with their myriad soil profiles. The Zind Humbrecht estate comprises 40 hectares in 5 villages in the Haut-Rhin region of Alsace, including vines in 4 Grand Crus. Riesling accounts for 40% of plantings with Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris next in prominence. Conversion to organic/biodynamic began in 1998 and the winery gained Ecocert certification in 2000 and Biodyvin in 2002. Olivier explains that biodynamic culture creates more life activity in the soil allowing it to develop a much better structure through a better humus/mineral mix. This increases erosion resistance, helps to retain the minerals in the soil and improve drainage. The higher metabolism of the soil guarantees better and more regular nutrition of the vines. Biodynamic practices also provide all the energy and influences the vines need to stay “in tune” with its environment, making it more resistant to the major parasites. Olivier believes that his wines must reflect Nature with minimal interference from man. It’s a deeply philosophical and ethical approach to winemaking whose practical expression – as we are soon to discover - is wines with startling complexity and a vivid procession of flavours that seem to exude life and energy.

In the Zind-Humbrecht vineyards

After a tour of the winery, we arrive in the tasting room and it’s as if all our Christmases have arrived at once. Between 25 and 30 wines await our attention – mostly 2009s with some older vintages for comparative purposes. Olivier explains that 2009 was a bumper vintage, in contrast to 2010 which was severely reduced by adverse weather conditions, some growers losing 70% of their grapes. Consequently, in 2009 a proportion of his superfluous fruit from Grand Cru and single-vineyard sites have been diverted into so-called lesser wines (although to apply that term to any Z-H wine is sacrilegious). We make our way through wines bearing familiar, revered names – Clos Hauserer, Clos Windsbuhl, Brand, Rangen, Clos St Urbain, Winzenheim, Clos Jebsal, Rotenberg. Smiles bedeck the faces of the tasters as we realise we are in the presence of a masterful winemaker – the wines are, without exception, superb. After the tasting, Margaret Zind Humbrecht provides a toothsome lunch accompanied by a 1975 Pinot d’Alsace (still drinkable) and a heaven-sent 1983 Brand Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive.

After lunch, we head out to the vineyards beginning with Brand Grand Cru on the outskirts of Turckheim. We immediately see an example of biodynamics in action when we spot a stoical horse drawing a plough between the rows of Z-H Riesling vines. Olivier explains that ploughing in the traditional manner avoids soil compaction. Aesthetically, it is so much more appealing than the mechanical plough in use by a neighbouring grower – and the horse is much less temperamental.

Biodynamics in action

After another brush with roadworks – potholes don’t survive long in Alsace – we arrive at Olivier’s favourite vineyard and Zind Humbrecht’s latest acquisition, Clos Windsbuhl, a 5.5-hectare vineyard with a cool microclimate, located at 250-300m above sea level with a south/south-easterly exposure. The soil is composed of ancient seashells with thin topsoil and a deep clayey subsoil. Vines are mainly Pinot Gris, followed by Gewurztraminer and Riesling, with a small parcel of Chardonnay which goes into Z-H’s Pinot d’Alsace. It’s easy to see why Olivier loves the vineyard – it is serenely peaceful and enjoys a sheltered position surrounded by trees, shrubs and other greenery. Sheep and goats graze nearby (they will later help clear any weeds between the vines). The Clos Windsbuhl is located at the top of the village of Hunawihr, on the scenic bicycle track that links the villages of Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé. Olivier explains that the higher altitude, poor rocky calcareous soil and proximity of the forest make it a very slow ripening area, despite the steep slope and its south to east facing orientation. Windsbuhl is always one of the last vineyards to be harvested, and in 2007, its Riesling was the last to be picked on the estate, in early October. Thoughts momentarily return to the Crossgar home of JN, if only because those of us who have been lucky enough to taste it connect the bucolic scene in front of us with the delightful Zind Humbrecht Riesling Clos Windsbuhl 2007 on the shop shelves and promise ourselves a little treat on our return home.

Goodbyes uttered and thanks rendered, we prepare for return to Zurich airport and, later, maybe a drop of Clos Windsbuhl Riesling 2007.

View a complete list of wines from Domaine Zind Humbrecht available at JN Wine

View The JN Taste Team's trip to Alsace Facebook photos

Carneros Vineyard in the Spring

In 1991, Fred Cline and his wife Nancy relocated their winery from Oakley in Contra Costa County to the Carneros region of Sonoma County on a historic 350-acre estate with new vineyards and facilities. While much of the cool Carneros region is planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot, Fred pioneered the planting of Rhône varietals including Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. At JN we were particularly impressed with Cline’s lovely, fruity Zinfandels

Fred's innovation and experimentation led to the production of intense, flavourful Zinfandels for which he has garnered enormous acclaim with many domestic and international awards. Since 2000, Cline Cellars has been farming according to the precepts of the Green String way - naturally and sustainably, avoiding chemical pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers. Techniques include the use of organic cover crops, compost teas, crushed volcanic rock and oyster shell, natural mined sulfur and sheep grazing.

Carneros Vineyards California

Once every year, Cline reduce vineyard cultivation and degradation by providing the soil with organic matter to help retain soil structure, water infiltration, and microbial activity. Throughout the vineyards, compost derived from natural products such as grape pumice, vine prunings and other mature organic material is applied helping to improve the texture and depth of the soil and providing sustenance to the vine. "Compost Tea" is added to the vines via drip irrigation and also applied directly to the leaves. This tea contains molasses, fish emulsion to increase nitrogen content, rock dust, microbes and other nutrients. Other environmentally-sensitive activities include using grazing sheep to keep harmful weeds at bay. Needless to say, the use of chemicals for weed and pest control is eschewed.

Zinfandel, thought to be identical to a Croatian grape called Plavac Mali and the Italian grape Primitivo, arrived in California in the 1840s and is the third most widely planted red grape in the state. It can produce a blockbuster of a wine with fruity strawberry, black cherry and raspberry flavours.

Cline’s Zinfandel is produced primarily from 80- to 120-year-old vines from the Oakley ancient vine holdings. JN’s hottest seller is the entry-level Cline Californian Zinfandel with the top-notch Big Break Zin being a special wine for a special occasion.

Cline's star white wine is a delightful Viognier which offers rich and distinctive aromas of peaches, apricots, orange blossom and honeysuckle. Its rich flavour and full-bodied mouthfeel make it an ideal match for spicy stir fries, curried Thai dishes and grilled fish. Cline wine, fine wine.

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Founded in Riems in 1776, the same year that saw the birth of the United States of America, Louis Roederer is still an independent family-owned business.

Although best known for the iconic Cristal, synonymous with indulgence and hype, courtesy of the likes of Jay Z, P Diddy and Posh and Becks, the big seller with James Nicholson Wine Merchant, Roederer’s NI supplier, is Roederer Brut Non Vintage (NV). This is a fabulous Champagne. In the words of Jancis Robinson: “I have yet to experience a bottle of Louis Roederer Brut Premier that did not taste deliciously superior and ready to drink.” Don’t just take her word for it – here’s Jane Macquitty of the Times:“ Brut Premier is a distinctive black grapes-dominated champagne with around one-third chardonnay and a noticeable proportion of oak-aged reserve wines in the blend. The end result is a rich, fruity, honeyed champagne with a fine waxy, biscuity finish”.

Louis Roederer policy is driven by a commitment to quality and the production of a consistent style that always takes precedence over quantity. Production volumes depend on expert vineyard management, a rigid set of qualitative criteria and nature’s willingness to play ball.

The Court Interior at Louis Roederer

Control of the quality of the grapes remains the key factor for Louis Roederer. Two thirds of the total always comes from the estate-owned vineyards and meticulous care is taken to conserve the character of the individual wines whose infinite distinctions will enrich the composition of the cuvée.

Yields from each individual parcel, village or cru are always vinified separately, partly in small tanks & partly in wooden vats. The period of maturation on lees is twice as long as traditionally applied in champagne.

Then there are the finishing touches: the addition of the superb reserve wines that only the House of Louis Roederer ages in oak vats; the meticulous selection of a remarkable range of dosage liqueurs and the ever-long ageing of the wines in the cellar after disgorgement.

Brut Premier is the embodiment of Louis Roederer style, combining all the fruitiness and freshness of youth with the vinosity of a fully mature wine. This is a structured and elegantly mature wine with as lively attack and a smooth palate.

Louis Roederer Champagne

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A couple of years ago I was flush enough to buy a case of Coudoulet de Beaucastel en primeur (an arrangement where you buy wine before it is bottled and postpone Vat and Duty payment until you receive the wine). The 2007 vintage in the Rhône had been widely flagged as exceptional, being described by US wine guru Robert Parker as the “vintage of a lifetime”. Although the Coudoulet is a humble Côtes du Rhône, its pedigree is unassailable, coming from the renowned Chateau de Beaucastel of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

When my case arrived in late 2009, I couldn’t wait to try the wine and opened a bottle that evening. It was something of a disappointment – pretty tannic with a few rough edges and not really hanging together very well – a wine scribe with a liking for hyperbole would have deemed it “an exuberant youngster for whom age will bring maturity”. More experienced colleagues were aghast that I had been so precipitant - leave it for another 2 years, I was advised.

Chateau de Beaucastel

Well, when the 2 years were up, I tucked in again and sure enough the precocious teen had come of age. Rich and opulent, the Coudoulet showed lovely blackberry fruit, herbs and savoury, meaty flavours. This is a wine to sit back and enjoy on a cold winter evening in front of a log fire. It’s what you could describe as a complex wine in that it has layers of flavours with little hints of fruits, herbs, flowers and vegetal matter that are often very difficult to pin down to anything specific.

The 2009 Rhône vintage looks like being as good as 2007 so why not join me in swooping in for a couple of cases of Coudoulet en primeur – give the Fine Wine staff at James Nicholson’s a call and treat yourself to a stunning wine – not until 2012 or so though.

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The beauty and tranquility of Germany's Mosel Valley has been disrupted by the plan to build a huge bridge spanning the river at Ürzig, one of the area's picturesque villages. If the proponents get their way, the 160 metre high structure will dominate the landscape.

The massive bridge is viewed as a threat to several of the unique Mosel vineyards, whose precipitous topography and slate-rich soils produce grapes that could not be grown anywhere else in the world to the same standard.

The €280 million project, which has been on the planners' agenda for 40 years, has recently been making international headlines with horror struck wine-lovers heading the protests along with environmentalists from around the world. Prominent among the protesters is top Mosel winemaker Ernst Loosen, whose family has been growing grapes in the region for 200 years. Joining him in the anti-bridge struggle are artist/musician Sarah Washington, an English-born Mosel resident, along with celebrated British wine commentators like Hugh Johnson, Stuart Pigott and Jancis Robinson and former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.

In the distance the proposed site for the new bridge.

On a recent tour of the vineyards I had a chance encounter with Sarah Washington who explained that the fight was far from lost despite work having started on an approach road. She explained that the recent visits by Jancis Robinson, Hugh Johnson and Stuart Piggot had generated a lot of interest in the British and international media, with BBC Radio 4 about to broadcast a feature on the controversy: The more we're in the press, the harder it is for the politicians to justify it – if you look into all the reports – the traffic reports, the tourism reports, everything that puts the arguments for the road – there's holes in all of it – there's really no justification for having a motorway here.

The anti-bridge group points out that the project has its roots in the Cold War era, with the bridge intended to provide American troops with a quick getaway route to the northern coast if needed.

Local opposition is less solid with many residents seeing the bridge as a fillip for local tourism, but winemakers like Loosen fear that the drilling will have a deleterious effect on the water table quite apart from the ugliness that would be visited upon an area of such outstanding beauty.

The words of Hugh Johnson sum up the view of most wine afficiaonados: There is a great folly and desecration about to be committed. I never expected to see the German government make such an assault on such a precious and prestigious wine region.

Ernst Loosen calls for common sense: My common sense tells me that I’m not going to stay in a hotel where I have to look out of the window at a huge, ugly bridge. Why would I want to look at that?

View the wines of Ernst Loosen
Stop The Bridge.