Gewurtzraminer SGN "S"
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 15 to 50+ years from the vintage release, with the potential to age gracefully for a century.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Foie gras, Roquefort or other intense blue cheeses, apricot tart
✨ Technical Specifications
Famille Hugel's Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles 'S' represents the absolute zenith of Alsatian sweet winemaking. The 'S' designation, produced only in legendary vintages, denotes a selection of unparalleled concentration, harvested berry-by-berry from noble-rot affected grapes in the historic clay-limestone soils of Riquewihr. Hugel famously drafted the initial guidelines for the SGN classification in Alsace, making this bottling a monument to their historical legacy. The wine is fermented slowly in ancient oak casks, resulting in a nectar of extraordinary complexity, balancing intense exotic fruit, spice, and honeyed botrytis with a vibrant spine of acidity.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1639 by Hans Ulrich Hugel in the fortified medieval village of Riquewihr, Famille Hugel represents one of the world's most enduring wine dynasties, spanning thirteen consecutive generations. The domaine oversees approximately 30 hectares of estate vineyards—largely concentrated in premier climats including the famed Grand Cru Schoenenbourg and Sporen—supplemented by contractual partnerships across Alsace. Sheltered by the Vosges Mountains in one of France’s driest meso-climates, the steep, south-facing parcels benefit from complex geological mosaics of Triassic limestone, marl, and sandstone. Viticulture follows sustainable lutte raisonnée principles with manual harvesting. Winemaking favors classical restraint: pneumatic pressing, spontaneous fermentation via indigenous yeasts, and élevage in century-old neutral oak foudres, devoid of cosmetic wood influence or chaptalization. Famille Hugel famously pioneered the modern codification of Alsace late-harvest wines; its benchmark portfolio is headlined by the dry, structured Grossi Laüe single-terroir bottlings alongside historically revered Vendange Tardive and botrytized Sélection de Grains Nobles cuvées.
🍇 Grapes
Gewurztraminer
🍷 ABV
7-10%