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Hugel & Fils Alsace Gewurztraminer 2008
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Quite a deep straw yellow colour with youthful, pale green highlights, it is starbright with fine, unctuous "tears" that trickle down the glass. One is immediately overwhelmed by its graceful, charming perfume and aromas, from fresh-cut roses to the most mystic of oriental spices. Silky, supple, soft and seductive, yet still dry and refreshing, it has body and structure, with an aromatic finish of juicy, flavourful grapes.
Classic "Hugel" wines are made exclusively from grapes purchased from winegrowers under long-term contract, in a dozen of the most favoured
localities in and around Riquewihr. 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.
Climatic conditions were a carbon-copy of the excellent 2007 vintage. Budburst at the end of April was quite late, but May was warm and sunny so
flowering began on 15th June and took more than a fortnight to complete. July and August were particularly cool with hardly any rise in temperature, but
in mid-September the “Indian Summer” arrived without a drop of rain. The sky stayed bright but temperatures were relatively cool. As a result, the grapes ripened slowly but fully, perfectly healthy and with
excellent acidity. In late October we harvested VT and SGN wines with historically high levels of sugar and acidity.
The 2008 Alsace vintage was already born great but may prove to be exceptional.
Seen as the cultural crossover point between France and Germany, the wines of Alsace are a unique expression of this cultural mix. The main varieties - Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Tokay Pinot Gris - create distinctive individual full flavoured styles. The late harvest and botrytis affected wines (Vendange Tardive and Selection des Grains Nobles) are some of the world's greatest sweet whites.
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| Don't Pay: $35
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WBW Rating: 92/100
Closure: DIAM Cork
Region: Alsace France |
Winemaker:
Drink now until: 2013
Alc/Vol: %
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