Muscat
⏳ Drinking Window
2010 - 2018
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
fresh green asparagus, goat cheese, light Asian dishes
✨ Technical Specifications
Famille Hugel's Muscat is a dry, wonderfully aromatic expression of one of Alsace's most ancient grape families. Unlike the sweet, fortified Muscats of southern France, this Alsatian classic is vinified completely dry, capturing the pure, vibrant sensation of biting into a fresh, ripe grape. Historically, Muscat has been cultivated in Alsace since the sixteenth century. Hugel carefully crafts this wine by combining Muscat Ottonel, which provides delicate floral notes, with Muscat à Petits Grains, which contributes structure and intense fruitiness. Sourced from clay-limestone vineyards around Riquewihr, the grapes are gently pressed and fermented under temperature control, then aged briefly in historic oak casks to preserve their exquisite primary fruit character and spring-like freshness.
🍾 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
Muscat Ottonel, Muscat à Petits Grains
🍷 ABV
11.5-12.5%