Famille Hugel, Gentil, AOC Alsace, Blanc, 2025

The perfect introduction to Alsace wines as it combines the qualities of all our white varietals. This wine revives an ancient Alsace tradition that wines assembled from noble grape varieties were called "Gentil". Gentil "Hugel" allies the suave, spicy flavour of Gewurztraminer, the body of Pinot Gris, the finesse of Riesling, the grapiness of Muscat and the refreshing character of Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner.

The 2025 vintage surprised everyone with its remarkable earliness. After a mild winter and a warm spring marked by two periods of drought around flowering, the year already suggested a modest crop.

Cool rains in early August revived vine growth, followed by a settled spell of fine weather in mid-August that dramatically accelerated the vegetative cycle. Harvest therefore began on September 8th, among the earliest of the century, nearly two weeks ahead of initial expectations.

The crop proved to be very small, with yields reduced by half. The grapes were beautiful and concentrated, but too few in number, making 2025 one of the smallest vintages of the past fifty years in Alsace.

Rain during the first days of harvest, followed by warm and dry conditions, encouraged the development of remarkable noble rot. These conditions allowed the production of a superb Riesling Vendange Tardive, one of the rarest wines produced by Famille Hugel.

A kaleidoscope of grapiness, produced exclusively from hand harvested grapes in predominantly clay and limestone vineyards, from a dozen of the most favored localities in and around Riquewihr. A cool and long growing season gives this unique dry wine great finesse and unequalled drinkability.

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 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 in our cellars until released for sale. The whole production of this wine is closed with DIAM the cork without the risk of cork taint.