Ruthless Mineral, Impeccable Stature
2002 Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune
Special Pricing for OWC Three-Packs
"...minerality as deep, saline, and mysterious as the ocean."
David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate
Notice: To all collectors and fanatics, we'll cut to the chase... 2002 produced one of the most dazzling Clos Ste. Hunes in the famous vineyard's illustrious history.
The 2002 is simply ruthless in its resinous delivery of extract and mineral, even in the uncompromising world of Clos Ste. Hune. This 1.67 hectare sub-parcel of the Grand Cru Rosacker vineyard is famous for fantastically low yields.
Cruel fate, the outstanding 2002 is also the vineyard’s smallest offering ever.
Today, we offer a single parcel at the lowest price in the nation by over 15% when you buy the three-pack, which comes in its original wooden case.
How does one describe the essence of Clos Ste. Hune to those who have never had it? To begin, it's worth stating that Trimbach’s Clos Ste. Hune belongs among the greatest wines in the world. This much is undeniable. This is the easy part. As with Montrachet or Clos du Mesnil (or pick your poison), Clos Ste. Hune sits in one of those self-referential worlds: Clos Ste. Hune tastes like Clos Ste. Hune in the way Montrachet tastes like Montrachet. In the way salt tastes like salt.
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Yet what does Clos Ste. Hune taste like? The short answer: Minerals.
David Schildknecht's phrase (above) seems better than most at getting to the complicated constitution of this singular dry Riesling whose mineral expression is likely one of the most profound in the entire world of wine. For the rock-hound, the mineral freak, the devotee of purity and transparency, few wines are more thrilling than Clos Ste. Hune.
In fact, prompted in a blind tasting for a "gut reaction" guess as to its origin, the experienced Riesling drinker will likely guess the Mosel. This is how prominent, how delineated, how absolutely brilliant and cut the acidity is. Great Clos Ste. Hunes can even present a Saar and Ruwer-esque pine needle/forest floor quality, an Urwald freshness that speaks of glaciers and mountains.
Yet we are not in the Mosel. We are in Alsace, a lush, fertile, green region much farther south. The air, pregnant with moisture off the Vosges mountains to the west, has a texture unto itself. From this ripe landscape the Clos Ste. Hune gains a density, an amplitude, a weight that is simply inconceivable in the more northern haunts of Germany. Yet, for all this size, the Clos Ste. Hune always remains detailed, delineated, etched. It is never, ever, raucous or uncouth.
Elegant is not the right word for Clos Ste. Hune; it is too masculine, too determined, too unflinching. While the Trimbachs say that Clos Ste. Hune needs seven years to come into its own, we've experienced older vintages at 20 to 30 years young and still found them precocious and ravishingly fresh. A recently tasted 1973 was still profound, showing no signs of slowing down. Few wines have a similar breed, the same unquestionable, impeccable stature as Clos Ste. Hune.
And this is the unique allure, the irreproducible balance of Clos Ste. Hune. This is what has made the wine one of the most collectible in the world.
This is also why our collection - priced so sharply - is sure to disappear quickly. To order, please email us offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Robert Schagrin
Managing Partner
Crush Wine & Spirits
OWC Three-Pack Price: $494.85 ($164.95/btl)
Special Bottle Price: $174.95
Compare at $199
David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate: “The 2002 Riesling Clos Ste-Hune – at under 8,000 bottles the smallest lot ever (even 2003 approached 9,000) – displays chicken stock, quarry dust, musk, wood smoke, and lime on the nose, then deposits minerality as deep, saline, and mysterious as the ocean. It is still very firm in finish for all of its length and one will have to have patience here as well. Plan on enjoying this anytime during the second decade of this new century, but plan on cuisine that will suit its extreme minerality.”
2002 Trimbach is available next week!
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