|
The vintage Hugel et Fils 360th vintage in Alsace will remain in memory as one of the most significant in volume with very variable results according to yields. All year the weather played with our nerves after normal bud break, a very hot May, an extended flowering, a large hailstorm hit the Schoenenbourg slope on August 6. Mixed weather followed until the harvest but luckily September was hot and dry. If for the purchased grapes the results will depend on the yield, in our own estate, the wines are exceptional. Acidity levels are excellent predicting well balanced wines. In the vineyard Produced from over ripened grapes, picked one by one in a selection of the oldest plots of the Hugel estate in the heart of the grand cru Sporen made up of Lias clay marl, decalcified on the surface, exceptionally rich in phosphoric acid. 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 24degC. 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. Limited stock.
|
