Riesling Vendanges Tardives
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2040
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Blue cheese, roasted duck, lemon tart
✨ Technical Specifications
Famille Hugel's Riesling Vendanges Tardives is a monument to Alsace winemaking, born from a historic lineage that championed the very creation of the 'Vendanges Tardives' designation in 1984. Sourced primarily from the steep, clay-limestone slopes of the Schoenenbourg Grand Cru overlooking Riquewihr—a terroir celebrated since the Middle Ages—this wine is crafted only in exceptional vintages. The grapes are left on the vine to achieve overripeness, often touched by the magical hand of botrytis. Vinified in historic, century-old oak casks, the resulting wine is a masterclass in balance, where the natural residual sweetness is perfectly countered by the searing, crystalline acidity characteristic of noble Riesling, underpinned by a profound, stony minerality.
🍾 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
Riesling
🍷 ABV
11.5-13%