Trimbach: Riesling Clos Ste. Hune 1966-2010 

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | OCTOBER 4, 2016  

This remarkable vertical tasting of Trimbach’s flagship Riesling Clos Ste. Hune encompassed a number of reference-point, older vintages that are now virtually impossible to find along with the soon-to-be-released 2010. Clos Ste. Hune has a rare ability to transmit the essence of place and vintage while acquiring considerable complexity in bottle, all of which make make it one of the most distinctive wines in the world. I tasted these wines at a seminar hosted by Pierre Trimbach last year at the Villa d’Este Wine Symposium.

Clos Ste. Hune emerges from a 1.7-hectare parcel in the Rosacker Grand Cru in Hunawihr. Pierre Trimbach’s great grandfather and grandfather planted these vines many decades ago. The exact age of the oldest vines is not known, but the youngest plants here are about 35 years old. Over the last handful of years, the Trimbachs have transitioned Clos Ste. Hune to organic farming. The soils in this south to south-east facing site are rich in calcaire (limestone) that gives the Clos Ste. Hune its distinctive energy, drive and precision. Clos Ste. Hune is rendered entirely in steel, with no malolactic fermentation, and taken to dryness. Bottling is done early, but the wine spends several years in the cellar prior to being released.

One of the things I admire most about Clos Ste. Hune is how it develops in bottle. The wines don’t really age, rather they transform gracefully over time. It’s hard to pick a favorite in front of so many benchmark vintages, but the 1990 is, in my view, the most complete of the wines today. It is both remarkably young, but also full of the nuances that blossom only over extended time in bottle. The 2010 is likely to need many years to peak, but my impression is that it will soon join the ranks of the greatest Clos Ste. Hunes. A thread of mineral-drenched intensity runs through all of these wines, which makes for fascinating and endless comparisons.