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Hugel

Hugel was established in 1639 by Hans Ulrich Hugelin, although the family have been present in Alsace for perhaps two centuries before that. Hans Ulrich became a prominent figure in Riquewihr, where he settled, and was soon head of the influential Corporation des Vignerons. The business was quickly established; by 1672 Hans Ulrich's son built a fine house on the rue des Cordiers, which the family still used until Frédéric-Emile Hugel vacated it in 1902, moving the business to the heart of Riquewihr. Above the door was carved the family crest, which is the basis for the Hugel bottle logo; it features three hills (Hugel means 'hill' in a local dialect) and the letters HUH for Hans Ulrich.

Hugel Hans Ulrich and his son were the first and second generations, but today we should concern ourselves with the twelfth and thirteenth. The former is Jean Hugel, and although the Hugel family has contributed much to Alsace and its wines Jean surely deserves a specific mention. One of Jean Hugel's greatest contributions was fostering the vendange tardive style. Late harvest wines have been produced at Hugel for over a century, as evidenced by the presence of ancient vintages in the family cellars. But Jean pressed for legal requirements to be applied to this style of wine, to ensure quality was maintained, with the use of Chaptalisation a problem of particular concern, among others. After over a decade of work, Jean submitted The Hugel Law to the necessary authorities, of which there were many; the INAO, CRINAO, the French Ministry of Agriculture and the appropriate officials in Brussels. The law was passed without amendment to Jean's text, and the result was a massive upsurge in the numbers of vignerons producing these wines. And although some now excel, none seem to dominate in the way that Hugel does, producing superlative vendange tardive Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris, as well as superior selection de grains nobles. Notably, wines eligible for these designations must pass a blind taste test at least fifteen months after harvest; wines deemed unsuitable (and there are many) do not win the right to declare this classification on the label.

Hugel Today Jean has passed the mantle onto Etienne, Marc and other members of the thirteenth generation. They are difficult shoes to fill, but having met Etienne recently at a Hugel tasting dinner, I think he is doing just fine. Marc Hugel is now winemaker, and here it seems quality at the upper end has been maintained, and if anything improved at the lower end. The new generation are forward-looking, and Etienne told me they have even moved to bottle a few experimental wines under screw-cap, although they have no firm plans to ditch cork at present. They will maintain the well delineated range at Hugel; there has always been a clear and obvious step up in quality as you move up the ranks. The entry level wines are generally the generic 'Hugel' bottlings; these are négoce wines, made using fruit from more than 300 contracted growers who tend over 100 ha of vineyard. If there was a weakness in the Hugel portfolio it was here, but on recent tasting it was clear there has been a great improvement; these were classic examples of the varieties in question. Then comes the Tradition range, which is often a blend of purchased fruit and some estate-grown fruit. The pinnacle of the dry wines is the Jubilee range, always made from the Hugel's own vineyards. These include Hugel's two Grand Cru sites; Sporen (a decent 8 hectares) and Schoenenbourg (3.8 hectares). You will not find the Grand Cru designation on the labels, however, as Jean Hugel found too much fault with the system. He, like some other Alsace vignerons, felt that the classified vineyards had boundaries too extensive, and included a variety of soil types, which significantly devalued the designation.

Between the dry wines and the sweet are the 'Hommage a Jean Hugel' range; wines with VT levels of ripeness but vinified dry, produced only in great years. But, as discussed above, it is with the Vendange Tardive and Selection de Grains Nobles. that we see true greatness at Hugel. Here they lead - jointly, perhaps - the field. (13/10/04)

Contact details:
Address: 3 rue de la Première Armée, 68640 Riquewihr
Telephone: +33 (0) 3 89 47 92 15
Fax: +33 (0) 3 89 49 00 10
Internet: www.hugel.com

Hugel - Tasting Notes

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2003

Hugel Les Fleurs d'Alsace 2003: Tasted the day after the bottle below. The blend varies with the vintage but this is 20% Pinot Gris, 20% Riesling and 15% Gewurztraminer, the remainder being Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner. Floral, uncomplicated nose. Full, fresh and fruity on the palate, with a little spice. I like Edelzwicker blends, and this is fairly good. For current drinking. 15/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Les Fleurs d'Alsace 2003: An Edelzwicker blend. Tropical fruit notes from the Pinot Gris. Good, fresh acidity on the palate. Exotic fruit notes. A good foil for the canapés. From a Hugel tasting dinner. 15/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Pinot Blanc 2003: A blend of 50% Auxerrois and 50% Pinot Blanc. A pear fruit nose. Full, dry palate. Slightly stony and peppery palate. Good freshness. 15/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Riesling 'Hugel' 2003: A classic Riesling nose. Plenty of good, fresh fruit on the palate. Dry and very classic. Impressive for a négoce wine. 15.5/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Gewurztraminer 'Hugel' 2003: Grapes for this négoce wine sourced from clay-limestone soils south of Colmar. Classic, sweet perhaps over-perfumed nose. Low acidity with similar aromatics on the palate. A little richness, lovely mouthfeel with this. Spice and perfume finish. I would prefer more acidity - a problem with Gewurztraminer. 14/20 (September 2004)

2001

Hugel Riesling 'Hugel' 2001: Very classic Riesling; steely lime aromas on the nose. Very dry palate with a similar fruit profile. Medium body. Fine in itself but paled in the shadow of the lime and chilli marmalade; there are few wines that wouldn't. From a Hugel tasting dinner. 15.5/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Gewurztraminer Tradition 2001: A blend of equal parts purchased and estate-grown fruit. This has a more reserved nose, although still quite classic. Rich texture. Still has the full, oily feel we may expect, with good concentration of flavour, but has better acidity. Spice, lychee and rose petal note. Very good. 16+/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Gewurztraminer Jubilee 2001: Grand Cru Sporen, 100%. Perfumed lychee nose, although rather tight. Elegant palate. Super lychee and mineral character. Rich and balanced. This has fine acidity. Very good indeed. 16.6+/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Riesling Jubilee 2001: This is 100% Schoenenberg. Tight nose. Full, youthful, concentrated, firm, balanced palate. Very good acidity. Elegance too. This is very impressive indeed. Etienne rates this vintage the best since 1990. 16.5+/20 (September 2004)

2000

Hugel Pinot Gris Tradition 2000: This is the entry level Pinot Gris - no generic bottling. A bit reticent on the nose; just a little tropical fruit. Plenty of spice alongside the tropical fruit salad on the palate. Excellent acidity. Exotic, minerally. Very good. 16/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Pinot Gris Jubilee 2000: Full, minerally, complex, ripe nose. A concentrated, expressive palate that caresses the mouth. Full, rich, creamy even, with spicy tropical fruit. This is lovely; real quality here. 17.5+/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Pinot Noir Jubilee 2000: Etienne's personal project. Good colour. Peppery black cherry and a note of wood on the nose. Notes of chocolate on the palate. Overall lean but fresh and flavoury. Nice peppery acidity. Good. From a Hugel tasting dinner. 15.5/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 2000: Tasted the day after the bottle below. A massive, floral, rose petal nose. Full and creamy, floral and peppery. Oily on the endpalate. Lovely length. Sufficient acidity although still lower than you might expect. Very good. More impressive today. 18+/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 2000: A very heady, perfumed, rose-petal and lychee nose, very reminiscent of the sweetness of Turkish Delight. Very typical Gewurztraminer. Fat palate, low in acidity, a feature of this variety. Very good. From a Hugel tasting dinner. 17/20 (September 2004)

1999

Hugel Riesling Tradition 1999: Full, expressive, powerful nose. Minerally. Steely and concentrated. Good depth. Very impressive. Usually a négoce wine, this year the Riesling Tradition was declassified Grand Cru Schoenenbeg. The quality shows. 16+/20 (September 2004)

1998

Hugel Gewurztraminer 1998: Pleasantly aromatic on the nose, the palate was also floral, but unfortunately far too floral for me, with a sweet, soapy, perfumed character. It also lacked body on the palate, which would have helped balance it out. Tasted at The Left Bank. 13/20 (May 2000)

Hugel Pinot Gris Jubilee 1998: Very typical Pinot Gris on the nose. Fresh, exotic, sweetly ripe fruit. Full, concentrated dry palate. Good acidity showing. Excellent match with spiced ballotine of foie gras. From a Hugel tasting dinner. 16.5/20 (September 2004)

1997

Hugel Riesling Vendange Tardive 1997: A captivating nose of limes and toffee. The palate is full, rich, creamy and concentrated, with lime acidity with toffee just as found on the nose. Little in the way of botrytis. Wonderful. 18.5+/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive 1997: Tropical fruit nose, but in a pure, restrained mode. Yet it has full, explosive flavour on the palate, with a toffee and cream edge to it. This wine caresses the palate. A fabulous, hedonistic, textured effort. 19+/20 (September 2004)

Hugel Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 1997: This example is a fairly pale lemon-gold wine, it has a seductive nose laden with the aromas of maturing Gewurztraminer. It is redolent of ripe banana, with less prominent hints of lychees and unsmoked bacon. There is just a little spice. The wine has elegance and simply glides across the palate, with a fine balance provided by near perfect acidity and a restrained but creamy texture married with sweet banana and cinnamon flavours. Lovely weight, with plenty of grip towards the endpalate, with a touch of astringency that will probably settle will time. A delightful length. 18/20 (September 2001) Label

1996

Hugel Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive 1996: Fabulous nose here; expressive, full of sweet tropical fruit and notes of bacon. Fat, sweet and balanced palate. Complex nuances of vanilla and white pepper alongside the fruit. Lovely. From a Hugel tasting dinner. 18/20 (September 2004)

1995

Hugel Jubilee Tokay Pinot Gris 1995: The pale yellow colour of this wine gives no clue to the richness that is to follow. There are fairly intense aromas of soft tropical and stone fruit on the nose, with a honeyed edge. The palate likewise is soft and rounded, with a generous layer of canned pineapple, pear and other, more tropical, fruits. Quite a mouth filling richness with a luscious texture developing through the midpalate as the wine warms, all provided by a good level of residual sugar which doesn't dominate the overall feel of the wine. There is underlying soft acidity providing the necessary structure. 17/20 (October 2001) Label

1991

Hugel Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 1991: It still has a pale, mid-golden hue, and there are a few tartrate crystals swimming about in it. It has a gorgeous nose - I had forgotten just how delicious these little bottles were - being lively, evocative and inviting, showing a seductive array of aromas including baked pears, crisp pastry and little notes of bacon. The palate is bright, direct and very well defined. It has a delicious flesh, rich but well framed with structure, with pepper and bacon in abundance through the midpalate, and gentle caramel and toffee notes at the finish. Throughout the palate there is a cleansing note of grapefruit acidity and a tinge of quinine. I find depth, purity and wonderful expression here. Lovely and complex, this is a delightful wine and it continues to drink very well despite the passing years. I am fortunate that I have another three half bottles remaining in the cellar yet, which on today's evidence should serve me very well in future years. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 18.5/20 (March 2008)

Hugel Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 1991: Crystal clear hue. Delightful nose, very expressive, mineral-laced lychee and pear fruit, with tropical pineapple nuances. There's even a little bacon fat note at first as well. Lovely finesse on the palate, which shows a slightly bitter, almond-skin character which appeals greatly, alongside a warm marrowy texture and good, slightly grippy structure. Nice acidity and certainly nicely balanced. Excellent. 18/20 (May 2006)

Hugel Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 1991: From two half bottles. The first has an oily, pale gold appearance. Exotic, rose-petal nose, with sweet and spicy fruits. Rich, oily palate, but with a fresh, acidic, crisp, balanced feel. Fresh apple and grapefruit notes alongside more exotic flavours, with a bitter quinine note in the finish. Lovely. The second shows a sweet and an even purer expression of Gewurztraminer, cut through with complex bacon and mushroom notes. A pure, beautifully balanced palate; the finest Gewurztraminer I have had the pleasure of tasting in a number of years. Scored on the strength of the second bottle. A Christmas Wine. 17.5/20 (December 2004)

1986

Hugel Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive 1986: A wine with a very rich and very deep golden hue in the glass, with just a few very tiny tartrate crystals. The nose still shows the same depth and complexity as on any of my previous tastings of this wine, which I have been drinking for a few years now. There are aromas of sweet pastry, drizzled with honey, although the aroma does not suggest great sweetness per se. This characteristic is accompanied by the scents of dried tropical fruits and crisply fried bacon, a combination which has to suggest mature Pinot Gris above all other varieties I think, together notes of highly polished wood, nuts and spice. There is also a little caramel and toffee richness. Beautifully held together on the palate, showing a lot of fleshy texture from the fading sweetness, with a little grip apparent through the midpalate, and plenty of pepper and spice on the finish. Really quite broad and flavoursome, sitting right across the palate with an elegant poise, and this continues to show through a very long finish. I seem to enjoy these little bottles more and more, every time I broach one. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 17.5/20 (April 2008)

Hugel Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive 1986: I won't add a detailed tasting note for this, just one among many half bottles of this wine which I bought at auction a few years ago. But it's worth adding that this rich, flavoursome, once hedonistically sweet and yet now fairly dry wine made a delicious if somewhat perfumed accompaniment to a large roast chicken. Very good indeed. 17/20 (March 2006)

Hugel Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive 1986: From two half bottles. An attractive, honey-gold hue. Gorgeous character on the nose, which suggests sweetness, with drying tropical fruit and notes of spice, honey, lemon, mushroom, fennel and a pungent, meaty, smoky mineral character. Such complexity! As with previous bottles, drier on the palate than you might expect. but certainly rich and full bodied, with an appealing presence in the mouth and some intense flavour peppered with notes of hawthorn and fennel. Needs some contact with air to show its full potential, exhibiting more and more complexity in the glass. Very good indeed. I don't think these (purchased at auction at a very good price) will get any better, but they should hold for a good while yet. Gradually to be drunk up. 17/20 (November 2005)

Hugel Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive 1986: From two half bottles. The first has a pale, honey-gold colour. Mature, ripe, organic, honey-roast meat notes at first, with pungent, stony-cheesy aromas. Great complexity here. Later shows more typical PG tropical fruit. Intense palate, but a little drier than expected. Good body and moderate weight, just a little fatness. Drink now. The second shows a much more typical PG nose, with spice and bacon-edged tropical fruit, although with some coffee, toffee and fennel notes – quite different. Showing a little more sweetness on the palate, with melon and green apple notes alongside a lovely oily character. Great acidity here. Less advanced, with preferable weight and depth. I still suggest drinking now though. A Christmas Wine. 16.5/20 (December 2004)