I tasted seven 1995 Rieslings from ZH, five of them dry, and two entitled to the Vendange Tardive (late harvest) designation. The two Vendange Tardive Rieslings were both medium sweet, and thus more open knit and approachable. The 1995 Riesling Herrenweg Turckheim V.T. is an exotic, honeyed, stunningly rich wine with medium sweetness, great purity, and a hefty amount of alcohol and extract. It is clearly a wine that must be matched with intensely-flavored foods. It should last for 15-20 years. The Zind-Humbrecht 1995s possess approximately 10% higher acidity than the crisp, high acid 1994s, largely because September was a very cool month. There was no need to chaptalize any of the ZH wines, and extremely long fermentations resulted in high alcohol.The reviews in this segment are from a memorable tasting held in April, 1997.Importers: Wine Markets International, Woodbury, NY; tel. (516) 364-1850, and Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 524-1524

The 1990 Riesling Herrenweg Turckheim V.T. offers a spectacular nose of steely, apple, and floral-scented fruit, and super-rich, authoritative, dry flavors that are remarkably elegant for their size and depth. This crisp, fresh, penetratingly rich Riesling should drink well for 10-15 years. Although quantities are limited, this wine is a must purchase if you are a Riesling lover. Importer: Wine Markets International, Woodbury, NY.