"This is almost fleshy, which is unusual for a Pinot Blanc, with anise and smoke notes and hints of orange peel and lemon sorbet, all held in check by firm acidity. Drink now. 4,000 cases imported."
87 Points
Wine Spectator
"The Hugel 2007 Pinot Blanc Les Amours is scented by apple and orange blossoms, with their fruits following on a subtly creamy yet bright palate, cyanic and chalky inflections adding some counterpoint in the finish. This will be delicious at least through 2011.
Jean “Johnny” Hugel – a man without whom the reputation and evolution of Alsace wine since the end of the Second World War is unimaginable – died last summer. His wit will be irreplaceable, but his spirit and insights will continue to guide and inspire not only his family’s 371 year old firm, but – with luck, at least – the future development of Alsace wine as a whole. Not surprisingly, the Hugels were thrilled with their results in 2007, but as Marc Hugel points out “twenty years or more ago, a rot- and mildew-prone summer like 2007’s would have spelled disaster.” As for what would have become of 2006 “in the old days” even with the best will in the world, the Hugels preferred not to dwell on that. “I have to be honest,” relates Etienne Hugel, “in 2006, when I saw the grapes that came in toward the end from the estate – not to mention the purchased grapes – I said, ‘Mark, we aren’t going to be able to sell that!’. We scarified the fruit from less well-drained soils and picked those last. And we ended up selling off one third of our grapes.” That said, from a widely-distributed, combined estate-negociant like Hugel, a vintage such as 2006 with its extensive declassification offers a wide range of consumers the potential to drink wine from top estate sites at a lower price. And as it is, Hugel – like their best-known friendly competitor in the U.S. market, Trimbach – has hardly been resting on their laurels or neglecting the quality of their basic (or, as they prefer “classic”) bottlings: on the contrary, these are becoming steadily better and more consistent.
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87 Points
The Wine Advocate
"Pure aromas of stone and citrus fruits and flowers. Then ripe and dense in the mouth, with very good lift to the apple and pear flavors. Strong, pure pinot blanc with a solid kernel of fruit nicely framed by lively acidity (half of the wine went through malolactic fermentation)."
87 Points
International Wine Cellar
