- 98 points -

A lot of roasted citrus fruits, but the mineral character is stronger. The mineral component keeps the reins in its hand, driving the wine on to a very straight path and keeping it there in spite of higher alcohol (just over 13%) than the other rieslings of this vintage from Zind Humbrecht. Already delicious now, but this has enormous aging potential. Made from biodynamically grown grapes.

- 98 points -

The aromas of stone, lime and flowers are amazing. Full body, great depth of fruit and tightness. Muscular yet agile. It is a subtle wine showing great complexity. Intense mineral. Tightly wound. Made from biodynamically grown grapes.

- 98 points -

Be prepared to be amazed! Staggering nose of ripe pineapple, Amalfi lemon, honeysuckle and mystery. Enormously powerful and concentrated with breathtaking drive, this heads off into space like a star ship. Such razor-sharp mineral acidity, yet also staggering, textural complexity at the incredibly long finish with its cornucopia of citrusy aromas. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

- 98 points -

A giant of minerality with enormous structure, this also delights you with the stunningly ripe apricot and pineapple fruit that’s wrapped around its dense core. This will surely only get better for many years to come, as it slowly reveals its deep riches. From biodynamically grown grapes.

- 97 points -

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.

- 97 points -

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.

- 96 points -

A touch of flint hovers above the fragrance of freshly cut citrus-peel notes that are reminiscent of clementine and tangerine. On the palate the tangy, zesty notes play first fiddle but they are supported by a whole orchestra of juicy clementine and tangerine flesh. This is ripe freshness or fresh ripeness of fruit that comes with a disarming playfulness and well-honed generosity. The dry lip-smacking tangerine finish makes you crave more.

- 96 points -

The aromatics here are incredible. Such purity of lemons and grapefruit with a striking, stony and flinty edge. This is so pure and so complex. The palate has a wildly concentrated and detailed array of stones, pithy lime and grapefruit notes and a long, sleek build of fresh acidity that holds the finish long. From biodynamically grown grapes.

- 96 points -

Cellar Selection

Very faint notes of mandarine and earth emanate from this delicate, closed wine. All the flavors are subdued and delicate with flinty smoke making an appearance here and there. All of this suggests that this is far too young to be approached: the structure, however, suggests delicacy and balance, tender flavors of linearity and precision. Smoke and salt characterize the long finish. 

- 96 points -

Straw-yellow with a golden tinge. Anise and green apple with a hint of pear on the enticing, powerful nose. Fresh yet very dense, tactile and rich, with lemony acidity lifting the potent chamomile, orange marmalade, spice and stone flavors. The expansive, very pure finish shows uncanny refinement and outstanding length. A much less obvious Brand than usual, classically dry and built for a long life in bottle.

- 96 points -

A touch of flinty reduction still hangs over the nose, subduing the varietal aromas. But this is only a sign of youth, as is the residual carbon dioxide on the palate. While very young, this holds all it needs for a promising future: A bright core of juicy fruit—think tangerine, tart red apple and ripe yellow pear—as well as the vividly clean and racy freshness of bright lemon. This is concentrated and rather powerful, rapier-like in its cleansing, dry finish but also generous on its fruity midpalate. This is confident and self-assured and stands tall with its powerful structure and body. Leave this to calm down and become itself. 

- 96 points -

This is a very ripe and concentrated wine with caramelized pineapple, smoke and spice. A fireworks display of minerals on the palate that doesn't want to stop, but the texture is also stunning and that follows through into the super-long sea-salt finish. Great now, but has 20-30 years of aging potential. Made from biodynamic grapes. Ecocert certified.

- 95 points -

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.

- 94 points -

A bold white that shows a sense of finesse, with a lovely interplay between the spicy minerality and racy acidity. Shows rich flavors of honeyed almond and candied orange zest, accented by bright hints of floral, green melon and pink grapefruit pulp. Exhibits power in a sleek, exciting package.

- 92 points -

This vertiginous vineyard is often sun-drenched but rarely hot, and the racy wines show spice and smoke character from the volcanic soils. 

17+ Points

Tight, tense, grapefruit peel. Will be very rewarding but not yet.

96+

Luminous straw-yellow. The broad nose hints at herbs, spices and ripe orchard fruit and is really very typical of a wine born from granite soils. Then large and broad on entry too; spice and herb notes complicate peach and pear fruit flavors. Finishes long and pure, like a morning stroll in a forest full of small yellow flowers and spring water, but also nicely saline and tactile. Though it’s easy to recognize this wine as coming from the Brand when tasting blind, I also think the 2015 is a little more youthfully reticent than usual. Humbrecht told me the Brand Riesling is on a roll, and he wouldn’t know which to pick as his favorite in the last three vintages (the 2013, ’14 and ’15). Forget about this in your cellar for 10 years; at 13.7% alcohol and 6 g/L residual sugar, it’s a powerful wine that tastes off-dry, and cellaring it will help it blossom into something even more special than it already is.

96+ POINTS

Bright straw-yellow. Very pure, clean, fresh aromas and flavors of yellow peach, lime, botanical herbs, sweet spices and a touch of orange jam. Then rich and dense, showing real concentration and depth to the lingering, repeating citrus and spice nuances. Finishes with an enticing multilayered quality, not to mention outstanding length. A fantastic wine. In 2016 Humbrecht did not use any grapes from his younger vines to make this wine, because he felt they had suffered some water stress that led to difficult fermentations and ultimately a different-tasting wine.