Famille Hugel
Riesling HUGEL 2013
Totally dry with high natural acids. This famous grape celebrated in all the Rhine valley combines great elegance, finesse and minerality. Our most gastronomic wine for most fish and seafood dishes and many Alsace specialties.
Specifications
Alcohol content : 12.42° % vol.
Residual Sugar : 3.8 g/l
Tartaric acidity : 7.45 g/l
pH : 3.16
Age of vines : 30 years old
Yield : 65 hl/ha hL/ha
Presentation
Quick View
Riesling is the Pinot Noir of white wines! It is our most demanding variety as it is also the latest ripening. Dry and elegant, it expresses itself best on our steepest slopes with the most complex minerality.
The vintage
Rarely have we seen a vintage subject to so many variations in the weather.
The season started late with a damp spring and coulure, causing a smaller than usual crop.
High temperatures and exceptional summer weather brought the grapes to perfect levels of maturity.
Right from the start of our harvest on 1 October the grapes were very healthy and ripe, and so 2013 was a classic Alsace vintage of intense, pure, well balanced wines. Uneven weather at the very end of the harvest prevented any significant production of Late Harvest wines.
The season started late with a damp spring and coulure, causing a smaller than usual crop.
High temperatures and exceptional summer weather brought the grapes to perfect levels of maturity.
Right from the start of our harvest on 1 October the grapes were very healthy and ripe, and so 2013 was a classic Alsace vintage of intense, pure, well balanced wines. Uneven weather at the very end of the harvest prevented any significant production of Late Harvest wines.
In the vineyard
Made exclusively from hand harvested grapes from predominantly clay and limestone vineyards, in a dozen of the most favored localities in and around Riquewihr. A cool and long growing season give this unique dry wine great finesse and unequalled intensity.
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 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.
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 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.
Presentation
Photos of bottles and labels, 3 definitions, max 300dpi
Varietal
Riesling : 100%
Specifications
Alcohol content : : 12.42° % vol.
Residual Sugar : : 3.8 g/l
Tartaric acidity : : 7.45 g/l
pH : : 3.16
Age of vines : : 30 years old
Yield : : 65 hl/ha hL/ha
Advice
Video
Tasting notes by Serge Dubs, World's Best Sommelier 1989
Very lively, youthful colour with mainly pale green hints, superbly bright and shimmeringly crystal-clear.
Crisp, fresh, fruit-driven bouquet of green apple, vineyard peach and lime, with spring blossom, almond, moss, basil and mint.
The fine mineral character of this elegant Riesling is already present.
An agreeably dry wine, fresh and easy to enjoy, nicely structured and elegantly well bred. The aftertaste displays the same freshness and fruit as the bouquet.
Drink now or keep for 3 years.
A fine choice as an aperitif or to start a meal.
Serve chilled at 8°C, on its own, or with all seafood, shellfish and crustaceans, with sushi, with raw or marinated saltwater or freshwater fish, also grilled, poached or smoked. And even with fish in cream or lobster sauce, because the wine has depth as the grapes were obviously fully mature.
Crisp, fresh, fruit-driven bouquet of green apple, vineyard peach and lime, with spring blossom, almond, moss, basil and mint.
The fine mineral character of this elegant Riesling is already present.
An agreeably dry wine, fresh and easy to enjoy, nicely structured and elegantly well bred. The aftertaste displays the same freshness and fruit as the bouquet.
Drink now or keep for 3 years.
A fine choice as an aperitif or to start a meal.
Serve chilled at 8°C, on its own, or with all seafood, shellfish and crustaceans, with sushi, with raw or marinated saltwater or freshwater fish, also grilled, poached or smoked. And even with fish in cream or lobster sauce, because the wine has depth as the grapes were obviously fully mature.
Reviews
"2012: Bright and mineral-driven, this snappy Riesling is well-knit, with a subtle mesh of crunchy pear, star fruit, beeswax and lemon zest flavors. Offers a clean, lingering finish." [+]
Wine Spectator, Alison Napjus - 2014
"2012: Bright lime nose, racy and crisp with lovely citrus and floral notes; elegant and precise, vivid finish that goes on and on" [+]
SommJournal, Anthony Dias Blue - 2014
"2013 - RS 3.8 g/l. Aniseed, fennel, lime juice – excellent concentration and varietal accuracy with a delicious floral character on the finish. Steely, pithy, rich and delicious – a great candidate for ageing. (RH)" [+]
www.jancisrobinson.com, Richard Hemming - 2015