Pale green in colour with silvery hints, very youthfully lively & crystal-clear. Excellent, promising bouquet, lively, brisk, young & vivacious, completely open, with citrus aromas, lemongrass, verbena, gooseberry, fern, but with a discreet mineral touch that shows the fine, elegant character of the Riesling varietal. On the palate, it is distinguished, harmonious & well-balanced, nicely structured, with a true dry wine finish that not only refreshes the taste buds & quenches the thirst, but fills the mouth. Drink it young with shellfish, seafood, smoked fish, eel, herring, or wait 3 to 4 years to enjoy it with fish, either grilled or in sauce: turbot, monkfish, lobster, scampi. ...

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 & 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 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, & the bottles are then aged extensively in our cellars until released for sale. Limited stock. ...

Intensely young colour, pale yellow, nicely bright, with thick, creamy legs. Restrained bouquet, pleasantly discreet, subtly fruity & floral: very ripe apricot, golden delicious apple, acacia, almond blossom, soft & harmonious. In the mouth, what a nice surprise, luscious, juicy, soft & velvety, not heavy, with nicely balanced aromas & perfume, then a dry, flattering aftertaste. Enjoy this wine with meat & game terrines, spicy lobster, oven-roasted white meats, poultry, veal, red mullet, & dishes that are lightly spicy or sweet & sour. Drink within 2 to 4 years. A wine for those who prefer Gewurztraminer to be not too exuberant or fragrant. ...

Drink it well chilled at 6- 8 Degrees C as soon as it hits the glass, so as not to miss the aromatic sparkle of the Muscat grape on the tongue, & the unfailing sensation of unquenchable thirst that assails me when tasting a fine Alsace Muscat. Limited stock. ...

Fresh, young & alert, with a joyful aromatic expression & a nice Muscat perfume. It is also very floral, with the liveliness & bite that are the first requirements of such a wine: to be dry, refreshing & easy to enjoy, light, crisp & aromatic, a true Alsace Muscat in fact. Drink it without hesitation as an aperitif, or with goat's cheese, or with dishes that can even be strong-flavoured or spicy. Limited stock. ...

Attractively youthful pale green colour, lively & crystal clear, with lemon yellow hints. The bouquet is precise & harmonious, clear & fruit-driven, refreshingly scented with white peach & greengage, complemented by floral notes of almond blossom, & a delicate hint of cardamom & liquorice stick. A soft, dry wine, just vinous enough to reveal its underlying succulent richness, it fills the mouth with a subtle touch of freshness that quenches the thirst & calls for more. It has a very long, ripe fruit finish. A wine to drink now, & over the next five years, as a nicely gastronomic partner for river or sea fish in crayfish, lobster or spicy sauce, with lamb curry, red mullet fillet with curcuma, monkfish with saffron, but it will also go well with poultry, pheasant, white meat, veal chop with mushrooms, game terrine & duck foie gras. ...

Youth, freshness & brightness of the reflexion with an attractive & already promising wine. Fresh & lively, pleasantly aromatic of spring flowers, linden flowers, hawthorn, lime, lemon balm, boxwood & almost of young muscat. Bright, dry, a hint of crispness, for wine lovers of dry Riesling, elegant & sleek. Refreshing & light. Ideal already with seafood, shellfish, raw or marinated fish, & within a few months with fish in sauce or grilled meats & fish terrines. Tasting notes by Serge Dubs, World's Best Sommelier 1989: ...

Youth, freshness & brightness of the reflexion with an attractive & already promising wine. Fresh & lively, pleasantly aromatic of spring flowers, linden flowers, hawthorn, lime, lemon balm, boxwood & almost of young muscat. Bright, dry, a hint of crispness, for wine lovers of dry Riesling, elegant & sleek. Refreshing & light. Ideal already with seafood, shellfish, raw or marinated fish, & within a few months with fish in sauce or grilled meats & fish terrines. Tasting notes by Serge Dubs, World's Best Sommelier 1989 ...

Dense, with a silky sheen & unctuous in appearance, bright yellow gold in colour, the wine trickles slowly down the glass, bright & beautiful. The intense bouquet, still rather closed, recalls very ripe, lightly botrytised grapes, allied to an agreeably vinous palette of very ripe fruit: yellow peach, greengage, mirabelle, apricot, pear, candied quince, honey & a touch of warm brioche dusted with vanilla. The bouquet is less spicy & perfumed than in a vintage without a heatwave. The wine comes into its own on the palate, being sensationally fleshy, juicy, unctuous, voluptuous, richly full-bodied & full of charm. It is harmoniously well balanced & generously opulent, an almost liqueur-like sweet wine. Drink with blue cheeses like stilton & roquefort, or with munster, or foie gras, or with desserts like fruit tarts: apple, pear, dates or? just on its own. ...

A perfect, attractive colour, deep golden straw yellow, with youthful pale green hints, an excellent viscosity, rich & luscious on the glass, nicely bright & quite elegant in appearance. Wide open bouquet, attractively frank & very perfumed, with restrained fruit & floral nuances, concentrated but very elegant & refined: rose, mayflower, jasmine, orange blossom, lavender honey, lychee & mango. On the palate, this is a sweet wine, magnificently well balanced, that softly & delicately coats the whole mouth with an explosion of flavours & perfumes. Suave, silky & utterly charming, it is an open invitation to frequent tasting. Iit is already very enjoyable, but will continue to develop for a further 10 to 15 years. A remarkable liqueur-like wine to savour just on its own, or to accompany foie-gras, blue cheeses, non-chocolate desserts, fruit tarts. Tasting notes by Serge Dubs, World's Best Sommelier 1989 ...