Famille Hugel – Vendange Tardive Riesling – 2011

Hugel & Fils, founded in 1639 in picturesque Riquewihr, Alsace, France, is still 100% family owned and managed by the 12th consecutive generation of the family. The family owns a 30 hectares estate of prime sites in Riquewihr, mostly classed Grand Cru, and buys grapes from a further 110 hectares farmed under contract. The Hugel estates are planted with only the noble Alsace grape varieties, with vines averaging 35 years of age. Hugel production averages 110,000 cases per year, of which around 90% is exported to more than 100 countries worldwide, where “Alsace” is often synonymous with “Hugel”. Vines have been cultivated in Alsace for more than 2,000 years and have brought great prosperity to the region. The second driest wine region in France, Alsace has a unique climate that enables the grapes to ripen slowly, giving dry, aromatic wines with great finesse and unequalled intensity: a perfect match for most Western and Asian cuisine. Hugel wines, with their distinctive yellow labels, express the pure varietal character of Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat and Pinot Blanc, all of which have no “make-up” from oaking or sweetening. The Hugel family pioneered late-harvest Alsace wines, Vendange Tardive and Sélection de Grains Nobles and drafted the law that governs their production. Born out of respect for these special wines and a determination to guarantee quality and authenticity, the law is the strictest in force in any of the French AOC wine regions. The Hugel cellars, under fine XVIth century buildings in the heart of medieval Riquewihr, contain large oak barrels which are more than one century old, including the famous “S. Caterine” cask, dated 1715, named the world’s oldest working cask by the Guinness Book of Records. The Hugel family are members of the The Hugel family are members of the Primum Familiae Vini – an exclusive association of some of the world’s most prestigious wine dynasties – which promotes the values of family wine producers.