Famille Hugel
Gewurztraminer VENDANGE TARDIVE 2005
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 : 11.7° % vol.
Residual Sugar : 85 g/l
Tartaric acidity : 4.59 g/l
pH : 3.83
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
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 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: 20 Oct. 2005 Potential alcohol: 16°7
Harvest date: 20 Oct. 2005 Potential alcohol: 16°7
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.
This wine may with time show a natural sediment of tartrate crystals
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.
This wine may with time show a natural sediment of tartrate crystals
Presentation
Photos of bottles and labels, 3 definitions, max 300dpi
Varietal
Gewürztraminer : 100%
Specifications
Alcohol content : : 11.7° % vol.
Residual Sugar : : 85 g/l
Tartaric acidity : : 4.59 g/l
pH : : 3.83
Age of vines : : 35 years old
Yield : : 28 hl/ha hL/ha
Advice
Video
Tasting notes by Serge Dubs, World's Best Sommelier 1989
A perfect, attractive colour, deep golden straw yellow, with youthful pale green hints, an excellent viscosity, rich and luscious on the glass, nicely bright and quite elegant in appearance.
Wide open bouquet, attractively frank and very perfumed, with restrained fruit and floral nuances, concentrated but very elegant and refined: rose, mayflower, jasmine, orange blossom, lavender honey, lychee and mango.
On the palate, this is a sweet wine, magnificently well balanced, that softly and delicately coats the whole mouth with an explosion of flavours and perfumes. Suave, silky and utterly charming, it is an open invitation to frequent tasting.
Served at 6°C, it is already very enjoyable, but will continue to develop for a further 10 to 15 years. A remarkable liqueur-like wine to savour just on its own, or to accompany foie-gras, blue cheeses, non-chocolate desserts, fruit tarts.
7 October 2008
Wide open bouquet, attractively frank and very perfumed, with restrained fruit and floral nuances, concentrated but very elegant and refined: rose, mayflower, jasmine, orange blossom, lavender honey, lychee and mango.
On the palate, this is a sweet wine, magnificently well balanced, that softly and delicately coats the whole mouth with an explosion of flavours and perfumes. Suave, silky and utterly charming, it is an open invitation to frequent tasting.
Served at 6°C, it is already very enjoyable, but will continue to develop for a further 10 to 15 years. A remarkable liqueur-like wine to savour just on its own, or to accompany foie-gras, blue cheeses, non-chocolate desserts, fruit tarts.
7 October 2008
Reviews
"Apart from Japan, gewürztraminer is the best-selling Alsatian wine in Asia. It is flamboyant with perfumed, lychee fruit on the nose.
Vendange tardive (VT) means that the grapes have been harvested late. VT wines are only produced during great vintages. The botrytis (noble rot) adds to the richness of the wine by giving it honey and marmalade notes.
Honey, lychee and kumquat. Full bodied, velvety, with great fruit intensity. Well balanced sweetness and acidity. A seductive wine and finishing very long. Still very youthful. Sugar levels are well integrated and this wine will pair well with rich, savoury dishes. Try with braised pork and Beijing duck. " [+]
South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, Sarah Wong - 2014
Vendange tardive (VT) means that the grapes have been harvested late. VT wines are only produced during great vintages. The botrytis (noble rot) adds to the richness of the wine by giving it honey and marmalade notes.
Honey, lychee and kumquat. Full bodied, velvety, with great fruit intensity. Well balanced sweetness and acidity. A seductive wine and finishing very long. Still very youthful. Sugar levels are well integrated and this wine will pair well with rich, savoury dishes. Try with braised pork and Beijing duck. " [+]
South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, Sarah Wong - 2014
