Tokay Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 10 to 30 years from the vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Pan-seared foie gras, Roquefort or other intense blue cheeses, rich pear or apricot tarts
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Historically known as Tokay Pinot Gris before international naming agreements, this legendary late-harvest sweet wine is a monument to Alsatian winemaking. The Hugel family famously pioneered the strict legal guidelines for the Vendanges Tardives designation in 1984. Sourced from the steep, clay-limestone slopes surrounding the medieval village of Riquewihr, the grapes are harvested only in exceptional years when overripeness and noble rot (Botrytis cinerea) develop. According to local folklore, the grape was originally brought to Alsace by General Lazare de Schwendi after his campaigns in Hungary, though it was later identified as Pinot Gris. The wine is fermented slowly and aged in historic, century-old oak foudres, resulting in a rich, complex masterpiece of honeyed stone fruits, smoke, and vibrant acidity.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Established in 1639 in the picturesque medieval town of Riquewihr, Famille Hugel is one of Alsace's most historic and influential wine dynasties, passed down through more than twelve generations. The estate is globally renowned for championing the region's noble grape varieties, particularly Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris, grown on the prestigious clay-limestone slopes of Riquewihr. Famille Hugel famously pioneered the strict guidelines for Alsace's late-harvest wines, Vendanges Tardives and S lection de Grains Nobles, which they craft alongside dry, mineral-driven masterpieces like their Schoelhammer and Grossi La e cuv es. Their winemaking philosophy emphasizes minimal intervention, utilizing historic, century-old oak casks in their ancient cellars to produce wines of exceptional longevity, purity, and terroir expression.