2008 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Zind ( 66% chardonnay, 33% Auxerrois )

Wine Advocate From the Windsbuhl, and consisting of two-thirds Chardonnay, one-third Auxerrois, the 2008 Zind finished with 12.6% alcohol, leaving behind seven grams of sugar that largely supports its flavors of ripe yellow plum, pineapple, and orange along with underlying richness of veal stock. As with a number of Zind-Humbrecht 2008s, there is a decidedly fungal overtone, though taking the form of sauteed champignons that also marry rather well with the wine-s overall character. Interestingly, Humbrecht was at pains to point out that the volumes involved this year led him to put most of this cuvee into a new fuder whose relatively un-toasted interior was bound to convey a certain amount of sheer woodiness, but I personally found this much less noticeable - and certainly less potentially controversial - than the mushroom notes. The balance of sumptuous creaminess with citric refreshment is quite deft and the saliva-inducing savor to me at least quite irresistible. This should be fascinating to pair with a wide range of cuisine, but I would tentatively plan on doing so within the next couple of years. (From 2009, Humbrecht elected after following the evolution in barrique of his Windsbuhl Chardonnay to belatedly blend it into what would otherwise have constituted the Zind cuvee, so we shall end up with a quite distinctive Zind from that vintage, and not one which was amenable to tasting yet when I visited last November.) Score: 90. —David Schildknecht, May 2011.