Wine Hugel, Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 2003
Tasting Notes
Wine bright yellow, golden color.
Wine with juicy flavor, voluptuous, richly saturated and full of charm. It is perfectly balanced, almost liqueur sweet wine.
Intense aroma of this wine is full of notes of candied fruits, honey, vanilla and ripe fruit scones: yellow peach, greengage, mirabelle, apricot, pear, quince.
The wine is excellent as a standalone drink, as well as combined with blue cheeses such as Stilton, Roquefort or Munster, with foie gras and desserts: sweet pies and fruit.
Interesting Facts
This privileged geographical location in Alsace are born great wines. Its climate is due to the distance that separates it from maritime influences, and allows the grapes to ripen slowly to full maturity, giving the wine a delicate fragrance and unmatched intensity.
The first traces of the Hugel family in Alsace can be traced back to the XV century. Two centuries later, Hans Ulrich Hugel settled in Riquewihr, which was devastated by the terrible Thirty Years' War. In 1639 he was made an honorary citizen of the city and soon headed a very powerful corporation winegrowers. In the XVIII and XIX centuries Hugel family gained an enviable reputation for its wine-making skills and the cultivation of vineyards.
Prior to the beginning of the XVII century Alsace was the largest and most famous wine region in the Holy Roman Empire. The Thirty Years War, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic and the Franco-Prussian War led wine region of Alsace in decline. By the early twentieth century, the devastation caused by pests and diseases spore, brought the situation to a critical point.
After 1918 a few far-sighted and courageous winegrowers, including Frédéric Emile Hugel, took steps to save the vineyards of Alsace. Frédéric Emile Hugel devoted his life to the promotion of quality wines from noble grape varieties. His son Jean its persistence and hard work, proved that Alsace wines deserve a place among the best wines in the world. The next generation faithfully perform basic tasks inherited from their ancestors - to make great wines of Alsace white wines of the XXI century.
Vendange tardive in French means "late harvest", as the grapes for this wine are harvested only when it is already starting to dehydrate. This allows the grapes to concentrate the sugar and change its flavor. First name Vendange tardive Jean Hugel was applied in 1976 to the wines of Alsace, and later became more widespread. To make the wine even more quality Hugel even developed several laws, following which, before proceeding to the manufacture of wine, grape juice should be tested for sugar content, as the fermentation of the must not add sugar and acidifiers. In addition, the certificate of conformity guilt may be issued only after a blind tasting, held under the strict control not earlier than 18 months after its production.
All these measures are observed to this day. This allows you to confidently assert that Vendange Tardive wines are some of the best white wines of France, showing exquisite taste and unlimited potential exposure.
As a result, early spring burning and unusually dry summer of 2003, the vineyards were given a very small harvest. The total volume was 25% below average. But in general, oenologists Hugel recognized this year for the best grapes, planted on clay-limestone soils. Wines were rich and full, with low acidity. Professionals even compare them with wines in 1947.
Producer's description
The first traces of the Hugel family in Alsace can be traced back to the 15th century. Two centuries later, Hans-Ulrich Hügel settled in Riquewihr, which was devastated by the terrible Thirty Years' War. In 1639 he became an honorary citizen of the city and soon headed a very powerful corporation of winegrowers. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Hugel family had an enviable reputation for their winemaking skills and vineyard cultivation.
Until the early 17th century, Alsace was the largest and most famous wine region in the Holy Roman Empire. The Thirty Years' War, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic and Franco-Prussian Wars brought winemaking in the Alsace region into decline. By the beginning of the twentieth century, destruction caused by insect pests and spore diseases brought the situation to a critical point.
After 1918, several visionary and courageous winemakers, including Frédéric Emile Hugel , took action to preserve the vineyards of Alsace. Frederic Emil Hugel devoted his entire life to promoting high-quality wines from noble grape varieties. His son Jean, with his persistence and hard work, proved that Alsace wines deserve a place among the best wines in the world. The following generations conscientiously carry out the main task inherited from their ancestors - to make the wines of Alsace the great white wines of the 21st century.
