HAGEL 2018

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Basement of granit and gneiss from the Vosges - dry and straight forward.

Appellation:

Alsace

Locality:

Grapes coming exclusively from local soils of the Hagel located bellow the ruins of the 3 castles of Ribeauvillé.

Type of soil:

The Hagel vineyards are in the geological fracture zone of Ribeauvillé. The steep slopes are situated at the beginning of the valley behind Ribeauvillé on the oldest type of soils we can find on earth: gneiss from Precambrian era. Three major points are to be noticed concerning these terroirs: They are chilled by the fresh winds (Tahlwind) coming out of the valley down from the Vosges mountains during summer nights. This maintains the acidity level of the grapes giving nice structures to the resulting wines. The second point is related to the composition of the soils which gives the wines lot of finesse and rightness. Finally, these poor soils allow only very low yields giving concentrated wines.

Certified organic grapes for an enhanced terroir expression:

Started in 2005, our conversion to organic production took a concrete form three years later in 2008 with the ECOCERT certification. Since 2012, all the cellar operations are also covered by the European specification so that we can now speak about organic wines.

Wine character:

Very fine nose with notes of citrus and hints of minerality. On the palate, the wine is straight and vertical. The delicate acidity gives the wine a good length and an interesting ageing potential. Typical dry wine for the gastronomes.

The 2018 vintage: exceptional vintage rich in contrasts:

Contrasty: The weather conditions of the vintage were diverse and even extreme. Between January and July, Ribeauvillé got close to 500 mm rainfall, the equivalent quantity of a whole year. The vines started to grow relatively late, but the flowering took place rapidly. The summer was warm and dry. The few rainfalls came at the right moments with the perfect quantities.
The harvests started early under good conditions and allowed us to pick grapes with very nice maturity levels and in perfect shape. It was therefore possible to wait for the formation of Noble Rot and to elaborate nice Late Harvests (Vendanges Tardives) and Noble Rot Selections (Sélections de Grains Nobles).
An exceptional vintage where we went through worries during the drought to deep satisfaction during the harvests.
The 2018 wines are powerful and pleasant.

Tips for consuming:

May be served with all dishes which require a dry white wine: crustaceans, shellfish, fish (grilled or served in sauce), white meat, and of course sauerkraut.
Wine to be appreciated immediately. A longer ageing period will lead to the formation of the typical mineral flavours of the Riesling.