Clos Ste. Hune Riesling

Clos Ste. Hune Riesling

  • Alsace AOC, 
  • Alsace, 
  • france

Latest Awards

  • 97+ points Wine Advocate , March 2023
  • 94 points Wine Spectator , February 2023
Background

Since 1626, the Trimbach family have been a reference point for fine Alsace wine. They are also one of the largest owners of Grand Cru vineyards in the region which account for an impressive third of their total production. At every level, their wines embody the celebrated Trimbach style: structured, long-lived, fruit-driven, dry, elegant, and above all balanced. Family is also central to everyday life at Trimbach. Winemaking is expertly managed by 12th-generation Pierre, alongside his nephew Julien.  Pierre’s brother, Jean, and Pierre’s daughter Anne, the eldest of the 13th generation, are global brand ambassadors. In 2023, Trimbach was certified HVE-3 Organic reflecting their dedication to creating the highest-caliber expressions of their terroir.

TERROIR & VINTAGE NOTES

In 1919, after centuries of making Rieslings, the Trimbach family created one of the world’s greatest dry white wines: Clos Ste. Hune. Clos Ste. Huneis a Monopole (wholly-owned parcel) of just over 4 acres in the historic vineyard in the RosackerGrand Cru. This vineyard has belonged to the Trimbach family for over two centuries. The vines average 50 years old and are planted on pure limestone -the famed “Muschelkalk” (degraded seashells). It has east-south-east exposure with vines averaging 60+ years, with documented vines planted in 1953. Organic viticulture has been practiced for over 15 years and certified since 2023. Only one man has been pruning the vines for over 20 vintages, which underlines a better approach to the terroir and its vines –a display of consistency: low in yield and in quality (never higher than 35-40 HL/Hectare).

Winemaking & Aging

The grapes are crushed and delicately pressed in a pneumatic press, then vinified to dryness in stainless steel vats. No MLF. Bottling is done early to preserve freshness (without oak ageing), and the wine rests in bottle in the cellar for approximately five years before release.

Tasting Notes

This Clos Ste. Hune is rich, yet pure and crystalline. The wine has very refined fruitiness with yellow plum, quince, green pear, lemon verbena, apricot, and tropical fruit. It is bone dry, with a mineral backbone, full body, and a long, silky texture.

97+
Points

Trimbach's iconic 2017 Clos Ste Hune Riesling is from an exceptional 1.67-hectare plot on the grand cru Rosacker in Hunawihr that has belonged to the family for more than two hundred years. The vines cultivated on this south/southeast-facing cru on Muschelkalk limestone and yellow limestone average over 50 years of age. The 2017 opens with a clear, intense and elegant nose of fully ripe and even dried white fruits intermingled with fine terroir aromas of weathered limestones and even hints of iodine and grapefruit. Elegant and fresh on the palate, this is a highly complex, saline and juicy but alkaline, structured Saint Hune with aromatic lemon and grapefruit aromas intermingled with ripe and fine tannins and a characteristic salinity that lingers and lingers. The concentration and complexity of this superb dry Riesling is uplifted on the finish that is spectacularly long, indicating a still youthful wine that will benefit from further bottle aging and can be aged for decades. 13.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in January 2023. -S.R.

Wine Advocate - March 2023

97
Points
Cellar Selection

Juicy, fresh white peach on the nose of this wine is framed by lemon. Zesty headiness presses pleasure buttons in the brain with ethereal lift. The palate echoes that zesty, juicy lemon theme, teetering between tart freshness and aromatic abundance. Bone dry, incisive and concentrated, the wine is gorgeous. Wait for it to unfold. Drink 2025–2045. —A.K.

Wine Enthusiast - May 2020

96
Points

Vivid straw-green with gold highlights. Highly aromatic on the nose, revealing hints of pear, lime, white pepper, candied ginger, quince and even raspberry. Enters sweet, then turns more austere and piercing. The penetrating, long, very suave finish offers complex, concentrated flavors similar to the aromas. That rare note of raspberry repeats in the mouth. A readier-to-drink CSH than usual, but it will age well. The Clos has been organically farmed since eight years ago, and I while I am very careful about making blanket statements on this subject, I think that the wines are now even better than they were before. Whether it’s the organic farming or not, I don’t know, but the possible connection is intriguing, to say the least. - I.D.

Vinous - September 2018

94
Points

A sleek, chiseled white, fragrant with pine and Meyer lemon aromatics, this offers a mouthwatering array of crunchy white peach, pink grapefruit pith, graphite and white blossom notes. The underpinning of petrol-laced minerality drives the lasting finish. Drink now through 2032. —A.N

Wine Spectator - February 2023

Appellation

Alsace AOC

grape varieties

100% Riesling

Sizes

750ml

technical details
  • ABV: 13%
  • TA: 8.16 g/l
  • RS: 5.9 g/l
  • Ph: 3.05
  • Closure: Cork
winemaker

Pierre Trimbach

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