Famille Hugel
Pinot Gris VENDANGE TARDIVE 1997
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 : 12.85° % vol.
Residual Sugar : 70 g/l
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
A very great vintage in Alsace with record levels of maturity. Ideal weather conditions in the Spring, with just the right amount of rain, were followed by a drought that lasted from August right through to early November. The crop was average in size, but the grapes were perfectly sound, with in some cases quite low acidity.
An excellent vintage for all grape varieties, but exceptional as far as Gewurztraminer is concerned, 1997 is a vintage of rich, full-bodied wines, with some truly extraordinary late-harvest VENDANGE TARDIVE and SELECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES wines.
An excellent vintage for all grape varieties, but exceptional as far as Gewurztraminer is concerned, 1997 is a vintage of rich, full-bodied wines, with some truly extraordinary late-harvest VENDANGE TARDIVE and SELECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES wines.
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 : 23. Oct. & 6. Nov. 1997
Potential alcohol : 17,0°
Harvest date : 23. Oct. & 6. Nov. 1997
Potential alcohol : 17,0°
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
Pinot gris : 100%
Specifications
Alcohol content : : 12.85° % vol.
Residual Sugar : : 70 g/l
Advice
Tasting notes by Serge Dubs, World's Best Sommelier 1989
Delightful yellow colour with gold reflections, concentrated and intense, beautifully radiant brightness, impressive legs and tears.
An exceptional bouquet with an authenticity and purity of expression that enables the aromas of Pinot Gris to burst out of the glass : baked apple, pear, quince with a hint of liquorice and wood smoke, enhanced by a touch of over-ripeness : honey, candied quince, which gives it perfect harmony.
Round, velvety and silky, with a well constructed, distinguished body, all remarkably well balanced and integrated thanks to the presence of freshness and the support of a subtle, ripe acidity that is the secret of the perfection of this exemplary VT.
With foie gras it makes a perfect marriage.
Drink or keep for 10 years.
5 July 2000
An exceptional bouquet with an authenticity and purity of expression that enables the aromas of Pinot Gris to burst out of the glass : baked apple, pear, quince with a hint of liquorice and wood smoke, enhanced by a touch of over-ripeness : honey, candied quince, which gives it perfect harmony.
Round, velvety and silky, with a well constructed, distinguished body, all remarkably well balanced and integrated thanks to the presence of freshness and the support of a subtle, ripe acidity that is the secret of the perfection of this exemplary VT.
With foie gras it makes a perfect marriage.
Drink or keep for 10 years.
5 July 2000
