HUGEL GENTIL

If you are looking for a wine that encapsulates Alsace, it is Gentil. It is Hugel's most accessible wine by price and quality; Etienne Hugel refers to it as "the perfect introduction to Alsace". And the Hugel family should know a thing or two about Alsace wines as they’ve been growing vines and producing superb wines there since the 17th Century! Traditionally a “Gentil” wine was made of a blend of grapes coming from a single, shared parcel of vines, planted with different varietals, harvested and vinified together. Today, the name Gentil is reserved for AOC Alsace wines conforming to a blend that must be composed of a minimum of 50% Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and/or Gewurztraminer, with the rest made up of Sylvaner, Chasselas and/or Pinot Blanc. This Gentil is a blend that allies the suave, spicy flavour of Gewurztraminer, the body of Pinot Gris, the finesse of Riesling, the grapiness of Muscat and the refreshing character of Sylvaner. The grapes are fermented separately in temperature-controlled vats over the cold winter months, and then rested on its lees until sometime in the spring. The nose is quite dense, and full of jasmine and peach with nutty hints, on the palate it’s wonderfully fruity with plenty more peach as well as pear and apricot and subtle spices; rounded off with a crisp acidity.