Letter #12

Press review
Newsletter n°12
Autumn 2014
Edito
It was in June, at the medals and trophies awards
ceremony of the 2014 Decanter World Wine Awards
(renowned international competition dedicated to
wines) that our Pinot Gris Portrait 2012, then gold
medallist, received the Regional Trophy and then the
International Trophy!!!
What is an International Trophy you may ask? A panel
of experts blind tastes the gold medallist wines to
award the Regional Trophy for the best wine of a wine
region. Then the Regional Trophy wines are tasted
again to award the International Trophy for the best
wine of a particular category.
This year, 15,007 wines from around the world were
presented at this competition with only 33 receiving
this prestigious prize, our Pinot Gris Portrait 2012
being one of them. What a surprise! What an honour!
What a joy!
2014 is definitely a very special year. It marks our estate’s 50 year history, made all the more special with
this great gift.... A very fine reward for all the hard
work over these years!
And the good news doesn’t stop there....»Le Guide
des meilleurs vins de France» (Best Wines of France
Guide) by «la Revue du Vin de France» is awarding us
our 1st star and the very exclusive Wine & Business
Club selects our estate in its wine guide!
Incredible news! News we want to share with you
while taking a look back over these last 50 years.
Happy reading and happy tasting...
50 flourishing years for the
Domaine Zinck
Press Release - July 2014 No less than 15,000 wines on the
list of the Decanter World Wine
Awards, a global benchmark
competition in London open to all
producers. One of the main trophies was awarded to an Alsatian
winemaker.
DNA - August 2014
For its 50th year, the Domaine
Zinck in Eguisheim is entitled to a
nice birthday gift by way of international recognition of one if its
wines in London.
Find all
the articles on
www.zinck.fr
The estate’s 50 years
1964- 1997
1964 : Founding of the estate by Paul Zinck with 2.5
hectares of vines inherited from his parents (first bottling in
1959: 10,000 bottles)
1968 : P
urchase of a vinegrower’s tracked tractor to work in the
vine rows, a real revolution for viticulture
onstruction of the first storage cellar under the dwelling
C
house
1970 : The area of the property increases to 6 hectares
1975 : Launch of tasting events in Belgium by Paul assisted by his
wife, Christiane
1980 : Production reaches 60,000 bottles
1981 : I nstallation of a tasting & sales bar at the property
1990 : The area of the property reaches 8 hectares
1995 : P
hilippe gradually becomes involved in the family business:
Creation of the Portrait and Terroir ranges.
hilippe uses a design agency to create the estate’s
P
graphics charter and labels.
Export (Belgium) represents 1% of sales
1997 : Production is 100,000 bottles
1997- 2014
1997 : Philippe’s official arrival on the estate. Vinification of his first vintage and his
gradual take over of the vineyard’s management: implementing cultivation methods
for supervised control.
onstruction of a new vinification and storage cellar and delivery of the first
C
stainless steel thermo regulated vats.
Start of export development - First trip by Philippe at 22 years of age (to Japan
and first order for 2000 bottles!)
1999 : Start of the Crémant Brut production
2000 : Reorganisation of the tasting bar in the wine tasting cellar
2001 : Extension of the estate from 8 to 30 hectares, strengthening
the team from 2 to 6 people, all the vines on the slopes of Eguisheim and
Gueberschwihr (5kms south of Eguisheim)
Second wave of acquisition of stainless steel thermo regulated vats
5% of production is sold for export, mainly to England, Scandinavia and to
4
the United States
2002 : Production launch of the Grands Crus
Acquisition of the first pneumatic press
2002 : C
reation and launch of the annual newsletter, the Zinck letter
2004 : The Portrait range uses the Stelvin Lux screw cap for closure, a first in
Alsace
Acquisition of the second pneumatic press
Launch of the website: www.zinck.fr
2005 : S
tart of the first trials in organic and biodynamic cultivation on a third of
the estate
2007 : Arrival of Pascale on the estate
New name and new logo: ‘Domaine Paul & Philippe Zinck’, and new
packaging for the Portrait, Terroir, Grands Crus and Crémants ranges
Production launch of the Crémant Brut Rosé
Acquisition of the third pneumatic press
roduction reaches 300,000 bottles and 70% of production is exported to over
P
twenty countries
2008 : Philippe and Pascale decide to refocus the estate’s production on
their own crop i.e. an area of 20 hectares and to further assert their
character in the wines
Stopping the use of herbicides, acquisition of a plough and return to
traditional ploughing
2010 : Complete redesign of the website and launch of the estate’s presence on
social networks (Facebook)
2011 : Switching to organic cultivation (not certified) across all the
vines of the estate, the aim being to give the wines more finesse, more
minerality, more authenticity, while respecting the environment and
workforce.
2012 : Investment in a bottling line in order to continue improving quality
Estate name changes to ‘Domaine Zinck’
2013 : Strengthening the estate’s presence on social networks via Twitter
2014...
Export represents 70% with a presence in over twenty countries, 8 of our importers working with
us since 1997
The Pinot Gris Portrait 2012 receives top award from Decanter World Wine
Awards, the International Trophy. Only 33 out of 15,007 wines from around the world
presented this year have received this prestigious award.
«Le Guide des meilleurs vins de France 2015» (Best Wines of France Guide) by «la Revue du Vin
de France» awards us our first star «rising stars or quality wineries at a good level of production, you won’t be
disappointed when tasting wines from these estates».
The very exclusive Wine & Business Club selects our estate in its 2015 Wine Guide.
The wines are recognised by professional panels and praised by the press over many years, in France and abroad.
The first presentation video of the estate is available and can be viewed continuously on ‘Youtube Domaine Zinck’ or
directly on www.zinck.fr
The 2013 vintage
Very small volumes but assured quality
S
ince 2010, vintages have been climatically difficult to
manage. We sometimes have very dry spells, sometimes rainy spells with wide temperature variations
from one week to another (+ or - 10 to 15°c) and inconsistency with the seasons ; for example, a drought in March
or a cool August (15°C) and a heat wave in Sep­tember (25
to 30°C).
The vines need a consistent climate, the seasons are essential, and this more so than ever. Without exaggerating, you
can certainly notice a warming but also climate disturbance, which provides excesses and a climate that functions erratically. This is probably temporary and we hope
for a return to stability in the years to come.
The consequences of climate change impact directly on
harvest quantity. And for those of you who garden at home,
you may also have noted that in recent years harvests were
much leaner, 2013 is a vivid example.
DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS 2014
Pinot Gris Portrait 2012 Gold Medal – Regional Trophy
International Trophy
Gewuztraminer Portrait 2012 Silver Medal
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Eichberg 2011
Bronze Medal
Riesling Grand Cru Pfersigberg 2011
Commended
WINE SPECTATOR 2014
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Eichberg 2011
Riesling Grand Cru Pfersigberg 2012
Crémant Brut
GAULT&MILLAU 2014
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Eichberg 2011 Riesling Grand Cru Pfersigberg 2011
Riesling Terroir 2012
Riesling Grand Cru Goldert 2011
91/100
90/100
86/100
GUIDE DES MEILLEURS VINS DE FRANCE 2015
Sylvaner Terroir 2012
Muscat Terroir 2012
Pinot Gris Terroir 2012
Riesling Terroir 2012
Riesling Grand Cru Goldert 2011
Riesling Grand Cru Pfersigberg 2011
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Eichberg 2011
Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Rangen 2009
15/20
16.5/20
15/20
14.5/20
14.5/20
15/20
15/20
16/20
15.5/20
14.5/20
16.5/20
GUIDE DES VINS BETTANE + DESSAUVE 2015
Pinot Gris Grand Cru Rangen 2012
GUIDE HACHETTE 2015
Muscat Terroir 2012
Gewurztraminer Terroir 2012 16/20
one star - remarkable wine
well made wine
15.5/20
GUIDE DES VINS WINE & BUSINESS CLUB 2015
Crémant Brut
Pinot Blanc Terroir 2011
Riesling Grand Cru Eichberg 2010
Gewuztraminer Grand Cru Goldert 2009
In fact, 2013 was a never-ending winter and it wasn’t until
June that the mercury felt like going above 20°C. You could
say that there was no spring, which generated a very weak
potential for harvest given the smallness of the clusters
before flowering. Then, after a beautiful June, we experienced many storms in July and the heat wave encouraged
the development of mildew and caused additional loss of
crop. Finally, a very beautiful September compensated for
August, and allowed us to harvest grapes with beautiful
ripeness and acidities.
The grapes harvested at the right time have produced perfectly balanced wines with which we are very satisfied. In
fact, our aim is for full maturity and not over ripeness, in
order to obtain wines full of sparkle, with the right balance
to express the terroir and to accompany your meals. 2013 in
terms of quality is a great vintage, close to 2010, the wines
all have great potential.
14/20
14.5/20
15/20
15/20
All the comments on
www.zinck.fr
Domaine Zinck • 18 rue des Trois Châteaux • 68420 Eguisheim • France
Tél. : +33 (0)3 89 41 19 11 • Fax : +33 (0)3 89 24 12 85 • [email protected] • www.zinck.fr
Wine-tasting cellar open from Monday to Saturday – 10 to 12a.m and 2 to 6p.m
Restaurant « Au Vieux Porche » open every day except Tuesday and Wednesday • www.auvieuxporche.fr