Famille Hugel
Famille Hugel, Sélection de Grains Nobles, AOC Alsace, Blanc, 2005
An absolute nectar ! 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.
Specifications
Alcohol content : 11.25° % vol.
Residual Sugar : 159 g/l
Tartaric acidity : 5.3 g/l
pH : 4.05
Age of vines : 40 years old
Yield : 8 hl/ha hL/ha
Presentation
Quick View
These wines made from single berry selection of overripe and shrivelled grapes picked one by one and produced 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
The sheer quality of this vintage emerged progressively as the harvest unfolded. Throughout the season the vines were in superb condition, and a true "Indian Summer" at the end of the harvest enabled us to pick our best vineyards late and under optimum conditions.
Everything indicates that 2005 will be a great vintage. Grapes were healthy and ripe, balanced by excellent acidity. The wines confirm our early optimism, showing great aromatic purity and class on a par with the finest vintages. The cherry on the cake was our success in producing Vendange Tardive wines from all 3 main grape varieties and even a small quantity of Selection de Grains Nobles from Gewurztraminer, certified by the INAO at 23° of potential alcohol.
Everything indicates that 2005 will be a great vintage. Grapes were healthy and ripe, balanced by excellent acidity. The wines confirm our early optimism, showing great aromatic purity and class on a par with the finest vintages. The cherry on the cake was our success in producing Vendange Tardive wines from all 3 main grape varieties and even a small quantity of Selection de Grains Nobles from Gewurztraminer, certified by the INAO at 23° of potential alcohol.
In the vineyard
Produced from over-ripened grapes, picked one by one 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
Harvest date : 17 Oct. 2005
Potential alcohol : 23°
Harvest date : 17 Oct. 2005
Potential alcohol : 23°
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
Varietal
Gewürztraminer : 100%
Specifications
Alcohol content : : 11.25° % vol.
Residual Sugar : : 159 g/l
Tartaric acidity : : 5.3 g/l
pH : : 4.05
Age of vines : : 40 years old
Yield : : 8 hl/ha hL/ha
Advice
Video
Tasting notes by Serge Dubs, World's Best Sommelier 1989
From the 2005 vintage, and in the hands of the specialists in late-harvest VT and SGN wines, nothing less than an exceptional SGN could be expected. The result is the wine of one's dreams !
It has a deep, intense yellow-gold colour with excellent viscosity, a rich, unctuous appearance with an attractive, bright satin finish.
The bouquet is rich, deep and complex, revealing over-ripe Gewurztraminer grapes affected by botrytis under ideal conditions, while retaining the aromatic personality of this varietal : honeyed aromas of currants, papaya, mango, kumquat, apricot and baked apple, finishing with a touch of gentle spice.
This is a liqueur wine, with a soft sweetness that coats the palate, full, rich and very flavourful.
Drink it now, or keep it for 10 to 20 years, at 6°C.
Enjoy it just for the pleasure of savouring a remarkable dessert wine, or with foie gras, blue cheese, fruit tart desserts or with pan-fried foie gras and russet apple.
9 October 2008
It has a deep, intense yellow-gold colour with excellent viscosity, a rich, unctuous appearance with an attractive, bright satin finish.
The bouquet is rich, deep and complex, revealing over-ripe Gewurztraminer grapes affected by botrytis under ideal conditions, while retaining the aromatic personality of this varietal : honeyed aromas of currants, papaya, mango, kumquat, apricot and baked apple, finishing with a touch of gentle spice.
This is a liqueur wine, with a soft sweetness that coats the palate, full, rich and very flavourful.
Drink it now, or keep it for 10 to 20 years, at 6°C.
Enjoy it just for the pleasure of savouring a remarkable dessert wine, or with foie gras, blue cheese, fruit tart desserts or with pan-fried foie gras and russet apple.
9 October 2008
