The history of the Zind-Humbrecht Estate
The origin of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
THEZind-Humbrecht Estate, created in1959, comes from the merger of the families' wine estatesZind and Humbrecht, both originating from Alsatian winegrowers inGueberschwihr and ZindThe history of these two families is actually older, since the familyHumbrechtcultivates the vines of Alsace since1620.
Since the beginning of the years2000, these areOlivier and Margaret Humbrechtwho co-manage the family estate, and have worked together since1989Following much deliberation, a new cellar was built in 1992 in the vineyard ofHerrenbergWith the aim of modernizing the estate, this family's ambition led them to look further ahead, conducting trials on the gradual development of their own compost and progressively converting to organic and biodynamic farming, convinced of the benefits of this approach to their produce. The conversion began in 1997 and culminated in obtaining the...Ecocert organic certification in 1998, then that of thebiodynamicsin 2002. However, it wasn't until 2007 that the designation began to appear on the estate's bottles. Aware of the importance of vineyard work,Olivier Humbrechtis today president ofBiodyvin label.
The terroir of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
An exceptional terroir
Located in the commune of Turckheim, theZind-Humbrecht Estateexploits approximately40 hectares of vineyards,distributed fromHunawihr to ThannIn total, out of thenine plotsOf the estate, four are classified as Alsace Grand Cru. The vineyards are planted between30% Gewurztraminer, 30% Pinot Gris, 30% Riesling, 7% Pinot Blanc and 3% MuscatThere is also an additional hectare that cultivatesPinot Noir.Converted intobiodynamic farming since 2002THEZind-Humbrecht Estatecontinues to produce wines that are gaining in complexity and minerality.
Winemaking and aging
Mineral and complex wines
The wines are made by a team of22 winegrowers in totalThe cultivation of vines and respect for the terroir therefore favor work that is essentially done manually.Zind-Humbrecht Estatealso carries out all the necessary work of plowing, hoeing, and traditional vineyard management. In fact, the estate favors animal traction and the production of its own compost. Regarding winemaking and aging, fermentations are slow, and aging lasts approximately six months on the lees. Bottling takes place between 12 and 24 months after the harvest. Annually, theZind-Humbrecht Estateproduct between12,000 and 16,000 crates.
