Awards and Accolades

2013 Vintage: 91 Points - Natalie MacLean
"A classic, refreshing Alsatian white wine with lovely notes of lime, Asian pear, white peach and grapefruit. Perfect as an aperitif or an accompaniment to many dishes. This AC-designated wine is a field blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc grapes. Pair with fresh seafood."

From the Producer

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.

A patchwork of the best terroirs around our family home, 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 give 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 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.

2014 vintage offered an exceptionally mild winter, with practically no frost. Very early budburst around 21 March led to 2 months of anxiety but finally no spring frost. Flowering began very early, around 30 May, which usually means an extremely precocious harvest like 2003, but was uneven and spread over 2 weeks, giving a little coulure especially on Gewurztraminer. In July and early August, record rainfall (147mm) and cool temperatures finally delayed maturity. A very dry September (27mm) without excessive heat ensured slow maturation under ideal conditions. Harvest began on 16 September and ended on 16 October. Yields were very low, lower even than 2013 or 2010. Perfectly healthy grapes, high acidity and superb maturity mean 2014 will be a hallmark vintage, especially for Riesling. Very small yield of late harvest Gewurztraminer VT.