Bottled in February 2010 after roughly 18 months on the full lees, the dark yellow-golden colored 2008 Riesling Clos Saint-Urbain Rangen de Thann opens with a deep, intense and flinty bouquet of smoke and crushed dark stones intertwined with ripe fruit aromas. Very complex and tight on the palate, this is an enormously pure and saline but elegant Rangen with lots of tension and the purity and terroir expression of more recent releases. It is very long and intense on the finish. "In 2008, the grapes managed to ripen to perfection and stayed very healthy, despite the late harvest," commented Olivier Humbrecht. The Rangen fermented very slowly but right to the end. 13% alcohol with just four grams per liter of residual sugar. Natural cork. Tasted in Wachenheim, Pfalz, in November 2023. - Stephan Reinhardt

This is a beautiful maturing Alsace dry riesling with a crisp and lively personality that is married to attractive toasty and smoky notes on the medium-bodied palate. Crisp, lemony acidity and just a hint of of tannic dryness. Still quite youthful, but I don’t think it’s going to gain any more. From biodynamically grown grapes with Biodyvin certification. Drink or hold. Tasted at the Zind-Humbrecht Grand Cru Rangen vertical in November 2023. - Stuart Pigott