Gewurztraminer Hommage
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2033
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Foie gras, blue cheese, apricot tart
✨ Technical Specifications
Crafted only in exceptional vintages as a profound tribute to the legendary Jean 'Johnny' Hugel—the man who tirelessly championed the revitalization of Alsace's noble sweet wines—this rare cuvée represents the absolute pinnacle of Gewurztraminer. Sourced from the family's most prized, ancient parcels in the clay-marl soils of the historic Sporen vineyard surrounding Riquewihr, the grapes are harvested at extreme over-ripeness, heavily kissed by botrytis. The wine is vinified with minimal intervention and aged in historic, century-old oak foudres. It stands as a monument to the strict Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles guidelines that Jean Hugel himself helped codify into French law, offering an incredibly opulent, complex, and nectar-like expression of Alsace's most aromatic grape.
🍾 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
11.5% - 12.5%