Riesling Brand VV, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht 2007

The Humbrecht's 2007 Riesling Brand Vieilles Vignes (tasted from cask) was picked already September 16 in the Schneckelsburg (or Schneckenburg), just above the Clos Jebsal, and allowed to stop fermenting at 13% alcohol and a supportive but barely noticeable 20 grams of residual sugar. A stunning, haunting nose of rowan, linden, iris, licorice, resin, white peach, and sea breeze foreshadows the elusive complexities of a palate combining sumptuous richness and subtle oiliness with lift and refreshment. This finishes almost torrentially, with salt, iodine, and peat staining its waves of fruit and nut oils, while floral perfume billows persistently overhead. Get lost in it as soon as you can lay hands on a bottle and for the next several years. Then lose some in your cellar for two decades or more.