Due to the weather uncertainty, we decide on this Monday of our 4th week of harvest to pick some of our Riesling plots in the GC Schoenenbourg.

Amongst those plots is our first vineyard cultivated organically. As with other vineyards the grapes are impeccably sound. It has now been over 8 weeks with practically no rain at all so we would not mind receiving in the next few days a little bit of moisture... There is hope according to the 10 day weather forecast

With the potential of this year's estate Pinot Noirs, we need now to focus our efforts on the all important vinification phase. A few new barrels were bought for the occasion, from Damy in Meursault, one of the best cooper in Burgundy. In 2009 the wines have such concentration and depth that the wines will easily "digest" a fair percentage of new oak... Before that, there is still quite some physical work required to do the plungeings, twice a day.

We have the pleasure of introducing to you Nick and Conrad, our two interns from the Southern hemisphere, both coming all the way from New Zealand. They arrived in Riquewihr just on time to see (at last) a victory of the All Blacks in the tri nations and now tell us that the Kiwis are the new reference for Pinot Noirs ;-)

At this start of our harvest it is primarily the reception of purchased grapes that keep us busy. Of course all of our harvest is done by hand and always will be, even for our simplest wines because nothing replaces the skin of the grape to protect the juice from oxidation especially in the case of this very ripe vintage with corresponding moderate levels of aciditiy.

It is nearly 1000 daily measurements of the muturity which we carry out using a refractometer in order to precisely evaluate the quality of each batch. Then all is processed by gravity in order to respect the quality of the grapes, no pumping and no de-stemming thanks to our ability to work on 3 levels using our two elevators generating a significant amount of sweat ; -) Then 12 hours a static settling in stainless steel tanks follows before the fermentation itself.

We currently harvest in our estate, with a still reduced team, small plots of Pinot Gris located in the periphery of our best terroirs of Riquewihr.

For the Muscat, no skin contact this year, acidities being considered to be too low as this technique tends to cause a drop in acidity levels. The grapes however show intense aromas giving us good hope for a beautiful Muscat 2009 of which certain fruits come from now on from our own vineyards, some of them in the Schoenenbourg.

Marc André and his cousin Jean Frédéric Hugel, our two youngsters of the
13th generation, both born in 1989, the year of our 350th anniversary tell us
about their expectation for their first vintage in their family company

Just a few days away from the start of our 2009 harvest, Marc Hugel tells us
about his hopes for what looks to be a truly memorable vintage.

The production or not of Vendange Tardive or Selection de Grains Nobles is always for us an excellent indicator of the overall quality of a vintage. 2008 in Alsace looks to be truly outstanding. 

In the Grand Cru Sporen, we were able to harvest at the necessary level for Vendange Tardive (Late Harvest) denominations some Gewurztraminer at over 17° potential alcohol. It is worth noting that the previous week we had already done a selective picking of berries affected by noble rot in the same plots with our full team of close to 50 pickers. The result: potentially close to 2000 bottles of Gewurztraminer SGN at an amazing concentration controlled by the INAO at 26,5° potential alcohol.

Already on October 15 we were able to select some SGN Pinot Gris measured by the INAO inspector at 22° potential alcohol. The corresponding certificate was issued by the inspector of the INAO.

Photograph of a picker in the Sporen on October 14, 2008

If in August one could easily wear warm cloth in Alsace, nothing like this in this period of harvest where the weather could not be more favorable, remaining dry and sunny.

At this beginning of our third week of harvest, we boosted our reduced team of the beginning and we are now close to 50 people in the vineyards. The results are excellent, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris exceeds 14° of potential alcohol. We have therefore good hopes to be able to carry out a late harvest in the coming days…

Moreover the noble rot seems to want to develop as shown on this photograph of Pinot Gris which mutated in white to ressemble the Sauternes sémillon variety 

 Panoramic view of Riquewihr on 8 October 2008

The vineyards are right right now changing their dress colour taking on superb mustard and copper notes, sign that the vegetative cycle is coming to an end.

Having now received the first Riesling grapes for 3 days we are more and more convinced that it will be the most successful varietal of 2008. As in 2007 the cool temperatures of these last weeks explains this success, Riesling continuing its maturation under temperatures lower than other varietals. Average ripening measured for Riesling after 3 days shows over 11,5° potential alcohol for purchased fruits, this is even higher at this point of the harvest than the results of 2007.

On the weather front, the 10 day weather forecast also gives us reason of optimism. What else could we ask for ?

Good news from the beginning of our harvest, the first grapes coming in are both healthy and of a good level of maturity.

On the agenda of this first day of Monday 29: the 3 varieties of the pinot family: Pinot Noirs, gris and blanc. We were somewhat worried to be receiving in the beginning some grapes of plots whose sanitary state could have been degraded. It is not the case at all, grapes are healthy with good degrees and also good levels of acidity.

The weather plays a little with our nerves in the middle of this first week but it will only be light scattered showers without consequences. We have just updated the daily records of the temperatures and rainfalls of our own weather station until end of September. All looks well on this front.

Tuesday 30 is the first day when our wine growers under contract are invited to pick the Muscat varietals. As far as we are concerned, only about 5 acres are planted with this grape whose production was uneven this year. You may want to view the short video of last year's destemming of this varietal just prior to a 12 hours skin contact. We take advantage of this day to harvest as well our own young plot of Muscat (a mix of white and red Muscat d'Alsace à petits grains) located in the Schoenenbourg.

Pinot Blancs, auxerrois come in at an average close to 12° and the first Pinot Gris around 13. We even receive from a Riquewihr supplier some auxerrois lots at over 15° potential without a single rotten berry.

The weather forecast for the coming days remaining cool and overcast with chances of light rain we decide to bring in our very best plots of Pinot Noirs under still optimal conditions. The grapes were perfectly sound with average ripening degrees of 13,1°. A beautiful Jubilee in prospect...

From Thursday on and for the rest of the week we start to bring in the first gewurztraminers purchased from vineyards located mainly in the region south of Colmar in clay and limestone soils. The degrees are excellent here again with an average close to 13° and the grapes are mostly healthy. In our estate, a limited team of 15 pickers harvest some lesser Pinot Gris vineyards located in the lighter terroirs of Riquewihr.

Uncle Johnny remains a most valuable source of advice with his 60 vintages' long experience

This 2007 vintage in Alsace will bring many surprises, and good ones !

After a harvest which already started over 5 weeks ago, we finally reach a very happy end with the picking early this week of our best plots in the Schoenenbourg and the Sporen slopes.

In the Schoenenbourg we harvest our very best vineyards planted with Riesling with an average ripening of 13.8° potential. 

In the Sporen, we are bringing in all remaining plots at the level necessary for Vendange Tardive (Late Harvest) denominations with 17.8° potential. It is worth noting that last week we had already done a selective picking of berries affected by noble rot in the same plots. The corresponding certificate was isued by the inspector of the INAO.

The production or not of VT or SGN is always for us an excellent indicator of the quality of the year.

We invite you to consult the daily figures from our own weather station. The tables show the daily temperature and humidity levels during the whole 5 weeks of picking. Long, cool and dry growing conditions is what makes Alsace unique. With those exceptionnal figures you should have a clearer explanation of our belief that we have just witnessed the birth of a great vintage.

Feel free to consult the final measurements table of the plots we have now finished harvesting. The natural sugar contents have increased rapidly in the last few days due to the development of noble rot.

This is now the final straight of our 2007 harvest with a weather that remains just ideal, fog in the morning and sun in the afternoon. Just what Doctor botrytis ordered

Feel free to consult the measurements table of the plots we have just harvested. This table is being progressively updated as our harvest proceeds, with the final figures and the dates of harvest for each individual plot.

Excellent weather in the last few days, bright and dry. We have at last decided to start bringing in the first Riesling from our domaine. Yet, the 10 day weather forecast is mixed for the later part of the week with some possible light rain. 

We let you discover the above short video clip about our 350th anniversary vineyard.

We start harvesting some Riesling vineyards surrounding the best part of the Schoenenbourg. Certain bunches in the oldest vines of the Schoenenbourg are showing some interesting signs of development of noble rot.

We leave you to discover the measurements table of the plots where we had carried out tests earlier on. This table is being progressively updated as our harvest proceeds, with the final figures and the dates of harvest for each individual plot.

With days when the attention of many is turned towards the rugby world cup, we take the opportunity to introduce to you Krys Smith and Luke McRae.  They are both staying with us for the duration of the harvest, an old tradition wich also give us a chance to keep in touch with the "New World" and to practice the language.

Another proof of the quality and the early nature of the 2007 vintage in Alsace ? 
We have just picked a small amount of Vendange Tardive and Sélection de Grains Nobles in Pinot Gris.

We wanted to keep the news confidential for a few days before releasing the information. On September 20 we picked these nectars that were controlled by the INAO as per the legal procedure in place since 1983. The certificate was issued by the inspector the following day.

A very unusual rythm this year where we still hesitate to attack our best plots of  Gewurztraminer and Riesling of our domaine. The forecast for the weather was supposed to be overcast and rainy on Monday and Tuesday, but we did not get a drop of rain and the skies have remained clear and blue.

We are harvesting our Gewurztraminer vineyards surrounding the best part of the Sporen. Certain bunches in the oldest vines of the Sporen are showing some interesting signs of the development of noble rot. Nothing new on the Riesling front, this variety continues its slow ripening. More to follow...

We leave you to discover the measurements table of the plots where we had carried out tests earlier on. This table is being progressively updated as our harvest proceeds, with the final figures and the dates of harvest for each individual plot.

One always says that drinking a good glass of Muscat gives the impression of biting into a Muscat grape. This is exactly what a group of top Moscow clients group has been able to witness today in the company of our Russian importer MBG. They were able to taste in just a few hours the Muscat fruit as it was being picked in the Schoenenbourg and then taste the same variety in bottle during the tasting.

Just like a week ago, the grapes were perfectly healthy enabling us to destem he grapes for a 12 hours skin contact. You can view once more the video of the desteming.

With the return of a beautiful dry weather, sunny but fresh on Wednesday September 19, our suppliers under contract go back and harvest at a fast pace. By the end of the week most of the purchased grapes will be in.

In our domaine, only a little more than 6 hectares (15 acres) were harvested to date, mainly Pinot Noirs and Gris. We leave you to discover the measurements table of the plots where we had carried out tests earlier on. This table will be progressively updated as our harvest advances with the final figures and the dates of harvest for each individual plot.

Our main task now is to manage with equal success the harvest of Gewurztraminers and Rieslings fron the remaining 20 hectares (50 acres) of our domaine. No reason to panic the 10 day weather forecast remains favorable, the grapes remarkably sound and we are only on September 20...

First days devoted to the Riesling grape variety as far as purchased grapes are concerned. From Monday on we decide to bring in without any further delay all of our Pinot Noirs from our domaine. We have increased the size of our picking team to about 30 allowing us to harvest all of our best Pinot Noir plots at once.

The weather forecast did announce from Tuesday on a wet front for a couple of days. This won't be too much of a problem for the white grapes but the reds need to be picked absolutely sound as they are. The 10 day weather forecast remains favourable after that brief episode.

It is more than one full hectare of our very best Pinot Noirs that have been secured in optimal conditions, perfectly healthy grapes with average ripeness of 13,4°. A great Jubilee Pinot Noir can therefore be expected in 2007.

Video sequence of the desteming of muscat grapes for a 12 hours skin contact

From Thursday on until the end of the week the aromatic grape varieties will have our full attention. We start receiving the first lots of gewurztraminers both from our contract growers located mainly for this grape south of Colmar in clay and limestone soils. The ripening levels are excellent with an average close to 13° and perfectly sound grapes. In our domaine too we bring in with a reduced team small plots the periphery of our best terroirs of Riquewihr.

Friday is the day when our growers under contract are invited to harvest the Muscat verietal. As far as we are concerned, only about 2 hectares are planted with this grape whose production can be capricious. Because of the limited quantities and particular winemaking for muscat we must receive all of the production over 2 days at the beginning of the harvest.

We also harvest for the first time since 1978 a plot of muscat from our own domaine. Because of its youth, this vineyard will not be vinified separately. Certainly in a few years, with the production of another plot of muscat (variety of muscat d'Alsace a petits grains, both white and red) located in the Schoenenbourg we will be making a special cuvee of this grape.

We proceed, this year again, thanks to perfectly healthy grapes to a 12 hours of skin contact for muscat. The purpose of this process is to exacerbate the primary flavours of this varietal. After 12 hours of maceration the juice is released by a gentle pressing. Our mechanist Marc Kauffmann is proud to have taken part in the design of an elevator which lifts and tips in only one operation the grape containers weighing from 120 to 150 kg. This operation must be renewed 1200 times per day at the peak of the harvest.

Just like every year we wonder how we can get all those grapes into the heart of one of Frances' most touristic village. The logistic side of our harvest requires some constant attention by all family members. Just a few yards away from the effervescence of our courtyard there is a constant flow of tourists walking up and down the main street of Riquewihr. The harvest does not have the same flavour for all...

 
There has not been much time this year to train the temporary staff who come to help us out at harvest time. For the grape picking alone, our comany's workforce triples in size for a period of 3 to 4 weeks.

Trucks of grapes purchased from our contract growers continue to arrive at a steady rate, creating some traffic jams in the centre of Riquewihr. The last truck of the first day was not unloaded until about 2:00am and the final press was filled around 3:30 this morning..

The day's picking concerned the 3 Pinot varietals : Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. Although we have received some grapes from a handful of vineyards that had to be picked early to prevent deterioration, in general the sanitary state of the crop is exemplary with good ripeness levels.

On this first day we have brought in just over half of our purchased Pinot Noirs at potential alcohol levels mainly between 11.5 and 12.5. We have seen better results in the past... but also far worse !

On our family estate, a small team is harvesting a few isolated parcels that were on the fringe of the terrible hail storm of 20 June.

We again invite you to consult the daily figures from our own weather station. The comparison between the daily temperature and humidity levels during the months of May and August are quite interesting. These figures show that we have witnessed a very unusual growing season in 2007. Both temperature and humidity levels were more favourable in May than in August. In August 2003 we had several days above 40° C, while there was not a single day above 30 in 2007 !

Uncle Johnny remains a most valuable source of advice with his 59 vintages' long experience

You can consult the figures of our own maturity controls with the last measurements carried out in certain plots of our estate vineyards on September 5. The evolution is very positive and shows the potential of some excellent results for the harvest itself which will in certain plots only take place in about 4 weeks.

The last few bunches of grapes were picked today. Happy ending !

You can read our full vintage report here

Just two days away from the end of our 2006 harvest and the weather remains on our side.

We are picking today our last two plots of Pinot Gris that have remained remarkably sound to this day. One is located up the road from the main street of Riquewihr and the other in the continuation of grand cru  Schoenenbourg (in a "climat" called Kronenbourg).

The results are once again excellent with respectively 16,4° and 17,3° potential alcohol, right on target as a candidate for Vendange Tardive.

We picked on Monday the few last Riesling plots we had saved in the grand cru Schoenenbourg. The results were beyond our expectations. All 3 plots reached SGN levels with a lot of 19 HL (the equivalent of over 2500 bottles) controlled by the INAO inspector at over 20° potential alcohol.

Part of the controll procedure is that once the inspector has measured the potential alcohol on the grapes as pictured here, he returns next morning to issue the certificate. 

A Riesling SGN at over 20° potential is after all a very good achievement in any vintage !

Johnny Hugel tells us about his 58th vintage. 2006 turns out to be one where patience has been rewarded.
"Nothing ever happens as well as one wishes but neither as bad as one fears"

Just a week ago nobody would have believed (including ourselves) what we are witnessing today !

There is certainly one grape variety that we didn't expect to shine in such atypical weather conditions: riesling.  This varietal suffered more than any other of the climatic conditions since mid-September.

The grapes that we have brought in in the last few days is the proof of the perfect match between the riesling grape and the great terroir of the Schoenenbourg.

Photo of October 9 in the Schoenenbourg