Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A dense and soft riesling with sliced lemon, pear and spice character. Full and intense with wonderful lime, mineral and flint. Rich and flavorful. Open and delicious now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Clear, fully ripe, bright fruit aromas along with some minty/herbal and mineral/earthy flavors on the nose open the intensely and deeply straw-yellow colored 2009 Riesling Hugel Jubilee. Ripe but very mineral on the palate, with a lower acidity than 2010 yet still vital and elegant, this generously full-bodied, well structured and balanced undercover Schoenenbourg, with its long and aromatic finish, is already lovely to drink but should hold its form over the next decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
Part of the impressive series of Jubilée wines that are aged before release, this Hugel Riesling is just getting to maturity with its soft aromatic character, touch of toastiness, and refreshing herbal flavors. It's now ready to drink, although it will be even better from 2016. Cellar Selection.
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Wine Spectator
An elegant Riesling, with a streak of stony minerality and finely honed acidity framing the flavors of macerated peach, lemon meringue, slivered almond and pine forest. Offers a mouthwatering, saline-tinged finish. Drink now through 2024.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Small but mighty, this picturesque region in northeastern France is renowned for its white wines produced by passionate families whose winemaking roots span generations and even centuries. Nestled between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine River, Alsace benefits from a sunny, dry climate and a long growing season. It is one of the most geologically diverse regions in the world — one of the many reasons why Alsace rocks!
Alsace wines include dry, mineral-driven Riesling, earthy Pinot Gris, refreshing Pinot Blanc, exuberant Gewurztraminer, elegant Pinot Noir, and more. From traditional-method sparkling wines to easy-drinking AOC Alsace, to complex Grand Cru bottlings from 51 distinct sites, and rich, late harvest wines, Alsace produces a wine for every occasion. Most Alsace wines are single-varietal bottlings and are labeled with the grape name. The region is also one of the greenest wine-producing areas in France, with 36% of its vineyard area certified organic.
Riesling, the region’s calling card, is dry, fresh and floral in its youth, developing complex mineral and flint character with age. Gewurztraminer is known for its signature spice and lychee aromatics. Pinot Gris is prized for its combination of crisp acidity and savory spice as well as ripe stone fruit flavors. Pinot Blanc is an affable food partner or porch sipper. Pinot Noir, the only red grape in AOC Alsace, is now authorized in three Grand Cru areas and is also used for Crémant d’Alsace sparkling rosé. Any bottle you choose will offer deliciousness, pleasure and value that is unprecedented in other wine regions.