Grande année connue pour sa belle arrière-saison, et pour le développement de pourriture noble de très grande qualité.
First vintage totally vinified by the young Olivier Humbrecht, and a cuvée among the most outstanding of the range. The nose is smoky, roasted with hints of soot when aerated. The palate is generous, almost soft when it hits the mouth, fine and tangy with purity and beautiful elegance. Not very evolved with a long finish. (13 g/l of RS) (Last tasted in April, 2007)
A wine in excellent condition for being 25 years old, with delicate hints of praline, honey, roasted hazelnuts and a touch of mild spices. The palate is smooth, medium-bodied with a sweet attack, then very pure, almost creamy and hint of vanilla in the long finish. A very typical 1989 wine with a wonderful rot quality to be consumed alone at the end of an evening. Today it has reached perfect maturity but it can be kept longer if really necessary. (Last tasted in December, 2013)
Great year known for its wonderful late autumn and especially for the development of high-quality noble rot allowing to produce enough delicious Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles to store some away in the cellar to age. We won’t forget that this vintage year also gave some oftentimes generous yields explaining the fatigue of some cuvées after around ten years.
Thierry Meyer
Wine Instructor, Founder of L’Oenothèque Alsace (independent wine resource centre
There are never two harvests which are alike! Each year, the different climatic conditions impose a natural framework which wine-makers learn to manage. The vintage year transmits these variations into the wine quality perception. It furthermore provides indications for how long it should age once bottled.
Review the last 20 vintage years and those which have entered into the legend of great wines: