Trimbach Clos Ste Hune Riesling 2012 | Magnum

Now entering a fascinating stage of maturity, the 2012 Clos Ste Hune combines formidable concentration with the almost austere precision for which this legendary Riesling is renowned. Citrus peel, quince and ripe yellow apple are layered with white flowers, beeswax and subtle smoky notes, gradually giving way to more evolved nuances of lanolin, dried herbs and warm stone. The palate is intense and remarkably controlled: completely dry, tightly structured and driven by a seam of incisive acidity and profound mineral character. There is breadth and texture, but never heaviness, with preserved lemon, orchard fruit and a distinctly saline quality extending into an extraordinarily persistent finish. In magnum, its evolution should be especially measured, retaining freshness while allowing the wine's more complex tertiary character to emerge slowly.

Clos Ste Hune is one of Alsace's great wines and one of the world's benchmark dry Rieslings. The Trimbach family produces it from a tiny parcel within the Rosacker Grand Cru at Hunawihr, where old Riesling vines grow on limestone-rich soils. Despite its Grand Cru location, Trimbach famously bottles the wine simply as Clos Ste Hune, a name whose reputation needs little assistance from the appellation hierarchy. Produced in tiny quantities and released only after extended cellar ageing, it is renowned for longevity measured in decades rather than years. The rare magnum format makes the 2012 an especially compelling proposition for further cellaring or a suitably serious occasion.

"Greenish straw. Great balance! Higher residual sugar than usual and super-easy to love. A very flattering vintage of Clos Ste Hune. Just perfection of Riesling balance. No shortage of fruit but extremely tense too. Wonderful breadth and length on a modest, non-flashy frame. Very long." - 18.5 Pts, Jancis Robinson