Zind Humbrecht Riesling Brand Grand Cru 2018 (750ML)

97 JS / 97 WE / 96 WA / 95 VM

Although only just beginning to open up, this is already a breathtakingly vibrant dry white that marries perfectly ripe, fresh-pineapple character with enormous minerality dominating the stunningly long and precise finish. In spite of all this intensity, the wine has an almost weightless feel to it. Did somebody say langoustines? From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. James Suckling

The flinty smoke of reduction precedes apple and lemon on the youthful nose of this wine. The palate hits home with a concentrated, heightened juiciness with innate energy and drive. On the midpalate, there's bundled lemon freshness, pithy texture, steely concentration and muscular tone. Quite a powerhouse, the wine is also well proportioned. The finish is bone dry and the concentration promises that this will evolve for decades. Drink by 2045. Anne Krebiehl MW – Wine Enthusiast

From vines averaging 68 years old on a steep and dry granite slope, the 2018 Riesling Brand is pure, very intense and elegant on the precise and very fine and layered nose with lime zest, herbal and ethereal aromas of crushed stones and concentrated citrus fruits. On the palate, this is a rich and elegant, seemingly lean, straight and mineral, pretty energetic dry Riesling with fine, vibrantly saline acidity, fine tannins and a pure, dry and cleansing finish. This is a great and very particular Riesling with a great personality and complexity. It's fabulously vital and tensioned for this hot vintage. Bottled in January 2020 with 13.2% alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in January 2023. - Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate

The 2018 Riesling Brand is such a gorgeous wine. In this range, it is distinguished by an interplay of textural richness and energy that is just compelling. All the elements are so alive in the Brand. Citrus, floral and mineral overtones form the strands of the wine’s fabric. It’s the kind of wine that gets better and better with time in the glass. Dry, bracing notes inform the beautifully chiseled finish. Antonio Galloni – Vinous Media