2007 Riesling, Clos Häuserer, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Alsace

For some Riesling lovers tastes, though, it will be overly austere and aggressive. With virtually the same balance as Humbrechts dry (5 gram residual sugar) generic bottling, the 2007 Riesling Clos Hauserer leads with lemon, pineapple, and hints of smoked meat. Bitter notes of lemon pip, iodine, and juniper berry offer invigorating contrast on a palate of bright refreshment, underlain with a decisive sense of chalk. Lean yet full of sap and palpably dense, this persuasive, penetrating, vibrant young Riesling should be worth following for at least a dozen years. This was extremely backward in its evolution in cask as befits a backward terroir, points out Humbrecht and no report based on a 2008 tasting would have been able to do it justice.David Schildknecht - 27/04/2010