Famille Hugel
Pinot Gris VENDANGE TARDIVE 2008
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 : 11° % vol.
Residual Sugar : 111 g/l
Tartaric acidity : 6,41 g/l
pH : 3.59
Age of vines : 30 years old
Yield : 22 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
Climatic conditions were a carbon-copy of the excellent 2007 vintage. Budburst at the end of April was quite late, but May was warm and sunny so flowering began on 15th June and took more than a fortnight to complete.
July and August were particularly cool with hardly any rise in temperature, but in mid-September the Indian Summer arrived without a drop of rain. The sky stayed bright but temperatures were relatively cool.
As a result, the grapes ripened slowly but fully, perfectly healthy and with excellent acidity.
The 2008 Alsace vintage was already born great but may prove to be exceptional.
July and August were particularly cool with hardly any rise in temperature, but in mid-September the Indian Summer arrived without a drop of rain. The sky stayed bright but temperatures were relatively cool.
As a result, the grapes ripened slowly but fully, perfectly healthy and with excellent acidity.
The 2008 Alsace vintage was already born great but may prove to be exceptional.
In the vineyard
Produced in a selection of the finest plots of the Hugel estate in lower and heavier parts of the grand cru Sporen, rich in clay and in our best plots in the chalky Pflostig.
Harvest date : 27 October 2008 Potential alcohol : 18,3°
Harvest date : 27 October 2008 Potential alcohol : 18,3°
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
Pinot gris : 100%
Specifications
Alcohol content : : 11° % vol.
Residual Sugar : : 111 g/l
Tartaric acidity : : 6,41 g/l
pH : : 3.59
Age of vines : : 30 years old
Yield : : 22 hl/ha hL/ha
Advice
Video
Tasting notes by Serge Dubs, World's Best Sommelier 1989
It is always a pleasure to taste a late-harvest wine, especially one that has only been released after several years of ageing in the estate’s cellars.
The colour is very deep and intense, yellow gold with a touch of amber, impressively unctuous as it clings to the glass.
The bouquet is rich, deep and expressively grapey, beautifully over-ripe : currants, dates, dried figs, honey, liquorice stick, warm brioche, all harmoniously combined.
The palate is soft, unctuous, velvety, rich and juicy, very long and flavourful, with a touch of liveliness that gives it a pleasant, agreeably perfumed and elegant finish.
The wine is just right to enjoy now or to keep for 3 to 5 years. Serve it at 8°C, just on its own for those who love sweet wines, or with foie gras (terrine or pan-fried with apple or quince), with blue cheeses or with fruit tarts.
The colour is very deep and intense, yellow gold with a touch of amber, impressively unctuous as it clings to the glass.
The bouquet is rich, deep and expressively grapey, beautifully over-ripe : currants, dates, dried figs, honey, liquorice stick, warm brioche, all harmoniously combined.
The palate is soft, unctuous, velvety, rich and juicy, very long and flavourful, with a touch of liveliness that gives it a pleasant, agreeably perfumed and elegant finish.
The wine is just right to enjoy now or to keep for 3 to 5 years. Serve it at 8°C, just on its own for those who love sweet wines, or with foie gras (terrine or pan-fried with apple or quince), with blue cheeses or with fruit tarts.
