The first traces of the Hugel family in Alsace can be traced back to the XVth century. Some two centuries later, Hans Ulrich Hugel settled in Riquewihr, which had been devastated by the terrible Thirty Years War. In 1639 he was made a freeman of the city and soon took charge of the very powerful Corporation of Winegrowers. In 1672 his son built a fine house in the Rue des Cordiers, and over the doorway was carved the family crest which was the origin of the company’s logo still used today.

Named after Daniel Bouland’s daughter, Cuvée Mélanie is drawn from a small, steep, half-hectare plot on the slopes of Mont Brouilly. The 70-year-old vines are rooted on the area’s famous terres bleu (blue-tinted volcanic soils) within the lieu-dit of Tête Noire vines, directly above Château Thivin. It’s this volcanic blue schist that lends the wines of this Cru their unique mineral profile. Bouland’s 0.8-hectare parcel is planted at 12,000 vines per hectare. As with all Bouland’s cuvées, this is a wine born from low yields and natural, whole-bunch fermentation.

Fresh and mineral (flinty notes), lemony aromas, pineapple and soft aromas of hawthorn. The palate is fruity, keeping a fine mineral tension and salinity at the end