Hugel & Fils in Riquewihr, France, has never supported the current concept of Grand Cru’s in the Alsace. They have however fairly recently added a new ‘flagship’ wine to their portfolio that is not Grand Cru in name, but certainly in nature; Schoelhammer. This Riesling is made from just 30 rows of organically farmed vines in the heart of Grand Cru Schoenenburg, overlooking Riquewihr. The first vintage (2007) was released in 2015 and I snapped up a bottle to try. I was not disappointed.

It has the classic nose of a maturing Riesling; petrol, and some honey too. Citrus and some floral notes are also present on the nose. Light to medium body, bone-dry, complex, focused, a bit oily, with tremendous concentration. Flavours of grapefruit, stonefruit, with some minerality and honey.  The finish appears to be almost eternal. This is a superb Riesling that will keep developing over the next 10 years no problem. I just wish I bought more bottles!