The 2001 Gewurztraminer Rangen de Thann Clos St.-Urbain Vendange Tardive explodes from the glass with flint, smoke, and mineral aromas. It is intense, deep, and concentrated. This massive wine is crammed with white fruits, minerals, stones, earth, and honeyed gun flint whose flavors linger throughout its `persistent finish. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2018. In response to requests from consumers for more information as to the character of his non-Vendange Tardive or Selection de Grains Nobles wines. Olivier Humbrecht has devoloped an "indice" scale which appears on the label of each bottle. This indice ranks from 1 to 5 the perceptible sweetness of the wines, and Humbrecht describes it as follows: "1 is totally dry; 2 is not technically dry but the sweetness is not apparent on the palate; 3 is medium sweetness that may gradually disappear with aging; 4 is sweet wine; 5 is for high sweetness, a Vendange Tardive in richness but without botrytis." Humbrecht is to be commended for instituting this system as it will immensely aid consumers.Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524

The mind-boggling 2000 Gewurztraminer Rangen de Thann Clos St.-Urbain Vendanges Tardives has the potential to merit a perfect score when its youthfully unevolved personality blossoms. This concentrated monster displays an unreal depth of fruit, huge levels of extract, and prodigious balance. Cherries, raspberries, currants, papayas, mangoes, and jammy apricots are interspersed with spices in this massively complex wine's flavor profile. Full-bodied, oily-textured, and potent, it is Gewurztraminer essence. Other-worldy! Projected maturity: 2008-2030. Olivier Humbrecht describes 2000 as "a year of excellent ripeness where the key to success was sorting out the bad rot prior to harvesting." To accomplish this, Humbrecht sent out teams to go through every parcel, dropping whatever bunches had been infected with sour rot. Domaine Zind-Humbrecht's harvest lasted 6 weeks, with one-fourth being accomplished between September 19 and October 5th, and the remaining three-fourths picked by October 31st.Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524