Famille Hugel
Gewurztraminer VENDANGE TARDIVE 1998
great specialty for several generations of the Hugel family, who drafted the law on late harvest.
Wine with great power and longevity to taste religiously by itself during a special occasion.
Wine with great power and longevity to taste religiously by itself during a special occasion.
Specifications
Alcohol content : 12.1° % vol.
Residual Sugar : 68 g/l
Age of vines : 35 years old
Yield : 28 hl/ha hL/ha
Presentation
Quick View
These wines made from overripe grapes are picked well after the classic vintage and in the greatest years only. The action of noble rot (botrytis cinerea) gives them an almost unlimited ability to age. They are part of the elite of the greatest wines in France.
The vintage
Fourth great vintage in a row, for the first time this century in Alsace ! The weather was uneven all year, but flowering passed without incident, followed by a heatwave from early August until 15th September.
The harvest began early, on 24th September, giving very good results for our bought-in grapes. Grapes from our own Estate were picked under ideal conditions, and gave an appreciable quantity of late-picked over-ripe wines. An excellent crop of Gewurztraminer made up for the very small harvest in 1997.
The harvest began early, on 24th September, giving very good results for our bought-in grapes. Grapes from our own Estate were picked under ideal conditions, and gave an appreciable quantity of late-picked over-ripe wines. An excellent crop of Gewurztraminer made up for the very small harvest in 1997.
In the vineyard
Produced from over-ripened grapes in a selection of the oldest plots of the Hugel estate in the heart of the grand cru Sporen made up of Lias clay-marl, decalcified on the surface, exceptionally rich in phosphoric acid
Date of harvest : 20 & 23. Oct.1998
Potential alcohol : 16°1
Date of harvest : 20 & 23. Oct.1998
Potential alcohol : 16°1
Winemaking
The grapes are taken in small tubs to the presses, which are filled by gravity, without any pumping or other mechanical intervention.
After pressing, the must is decanted for a few hours, then fermented in temperature-controlled barrels or vats (at 18 to 24°C). The wine is racked just once, before natural clarification during the course of the winter. The following spring, the wine is lightly filtered just before bottling, and the bottles are then aged extensively in our cellars until released for sale.
After pressing, the must is decanted for a few hours, then fermented in temperature-controlled barrels or vats (at 18 to 24°C). The wine is racked just once, before natural clarification during the course of the winter. The following spring, the wine is lightly filtered just before bottling, and the bottles are then aged extensively in our cellars until released for sale.
Presentation
Photos of bottles and labels, 3 definitions, max 300dpi
Varietal
Gewürztraminer : 100%
Specifications
Alcohol content : : 12.1° % vol.
Residual Sugar : : 68 g/l
Age of vines : : 35 years old
Yield : : 28 hl/ha hL/ha
Advice
Tasting notes by Serge Dubs, World's Best Sommelier 1989
Impressively youthful colour, with clear green reflections and splendid, deep concentration.
Its youthful exuberance is displayed by a scented, aromatic bouquet, as florally expressive as the multitude of perfumes in a rose garden.
It is relatively rare to achieve such 100% authentic varietal expression, especially in a late-harvest Vendange Tardive wine. The wine reveals itself with considerable elegance.
Another contrast, while being suave, round and soft, it displays a delicate, elegant body, almost light and airy, that covers the palate with multiple sensations and savoury tastes, all in perfect harmony. Who said that a late-harvest wine could not be sublimely elegant ?
To drink as of now by itself, it can be kept 10 to 15 years.
October 10, 2000
Its youthful exuberance is displayed by a scented, aromatic bouquet, as florally expressive as the multitude of perfumes in a rose garden.
It is relatively rare to achieve such 100% authentic varietal expression, especially in a late-harvest Vendange Tardive wine. The wine reveals itself with considerable elegance.
Another contrast, while being suave, round and soft, it displays a delicate, elegant body, almost light and airy, that covers the palate with multiple sensations and savoury tastes, all in perfect harmony. Who said that a late-harvest wine could not be sublimely elegant ?
To drink as of now by itself, it can be kept 10 to 15 years.
October 10, 2000
