Famille Hugel
Riesling VENDANGE TARDIVE 1989
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 : 13.8° % vol.
Residual Sugar : 25.7 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
An historic vintage that coincided with our 350th anniversary. After a warm and dry summer, the harvest began early, on 27th September. It was a comfortable vintage for the classic range of Alsace wines, from the principal grape varieties.
However, for wines made from over-ripe, botrytised grapes, it was an exceptional vintage. By the time the harvest ended on 9th November, record natural sugar levels had
been achieved, such as we had not seen since 1945, while the SELECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES wines outshone even those of the famous 1976 vintage.
However, for wines made from over-ripe, botrytised grapes, it was an exceptional vintage. By the time the harvest ended on 9th November, record natural sugar levels had
been achieved, such as we had not seen since 1945, while the SELECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES wines outshone even those of the famous 1976 vintage.
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 Schoenenbourg. This fantastic historical terroir has been almost exclusively devoted to Riesling for centuries.
Keuper, marl, dolomite and gypsum, rich in fertilising agents, overlaid with fine layers of quaternary siliceous gravel, Vosges sandstone and Muschelkalk, with at its eastern extremity outcrops of Lias marl limestones.
Harvest date : 26 Oct. 1989 Potential alcohol : 15°3
Keuper, marl, dolomite and gypsum, rich in fertilising agents, overlaid with fine layers of quaternary siliceous gravel, Vosges sandstone and Muschelkalk, with at its eastern extremity outcrops of Lias marl limestones.
Harvest date : 26 Oct. 1989 Potential alcohol : 15°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
Photos of bottles and labels, 3 definitions, max 300dpi
Varietal
Riesling : 100%
Specifications
Alcohol content : : 13.8° % vol.
Residual Sugar : : 25.7 g/l
Advice
Tasting notes by Serge Dubs, World's Best Sommelier 1989
An exceptionally deep, intense colour, very bright yellow-gold, with good legs.
Full, rich, powerful bouquet, with very ripe or even over-ripe fruit aromas of pear and quince, with a slight mineral character that underlines its complexity. A very distinct but still youthful bouquet.
Full, rich, rounded, ample, well-structured on the palate, with nice discreet acidity that balances the slightly soft, suave aftertaste. A spontaneous and exceptional wine from over-ripe grapes, whose complexity and personality are beginning to emerge, but which will evolve positively over the next 3 to 10 years. A wine to cellar for many years and enjoy with foie gras, lobster, langouste, crayfish au gratin and poultry in cream sauces.
September 3, 1996
Full, rich, powerful bouquet, with very ripe or even over-ripe fruit aromas of pear and quince, with a slight mineral character that underlines its complexity. A very distinct but still youthful bouquet.
Full, rich, rounded, ample, well-structured on the palate, with nice discreet acidity that balances the slightly soft, suave aftertaste. A spontaneous and exceptional wine from over-ripe grapes, whose complexity and personality are beginning to emerge, but which will evolve positively over the next 3 to 10 years. A wine to cellar for many years and enjoy with foie gras, lobster, langouste, crayfish au gratin and poultry in cream sauces.
September 3, 1996
