Riesling Grossi Laue 2013
Famille Hugel
Grossi Laüe signifies the finest vineyards in Alsace dialect and represents an equivalent to the German Grosses Gewächs or the Burgundian Grand Cru.
Terroir: Produced in a selection of the finest plots of the Hugel estate in the heart of the grand cru Schoenenbourg. This fantastic historical terroir has been almost exclusively devoted to Riesling for centuries.
Keuper, marl, dolomite and gypsum, rich in fertilising agents, overlaid with fine layers of quaternary siliceous gravel, Vosges sandstone and Muschelkalk, with at its eastern extremity outcrops of Lias marl limestones.
Vinification: The grapes are taken in small tubs to the presses, which are filled by gravity, without any pumping or other mechanical intervention. After pressing, the must is decanted for a few hours, then fermented in temperature-controlled barrels or vats (at 18 to 24°C). The wine is racked just once, before natural clarification during the course of the winter. The following spring, the wine is lightly filtered just before bottling, and the bottles are then aged extensively in our cellars until released for sale. The whole production of this wine is closed with DIAM the cork without the risk of cork taint.
From The Wine Advocate “Starting with the 2010 vintage, the Grossi Laüe range succeeds the Jubilee line, which was introduced to celebrate the family’s 350th anniversary in 1989, with the finest dry Hugel wines made from Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.
Grossi Laüe (Grosse Lage in German) signifies the finest vineyards in Alsace dialect and represents an equivalent to the German Grosses Gewächs or the Burgundian Grand Cru. It is the first time since the Second World War that Hugel uses Alemannic terms like Grossi Laüe or Schoelhammer on the label. Etienne Hugel points out: “After Réserve Exceptionnelle in the 1930s, Réserve Personnelle in the 1960s and the 20 years of Jubilee, Schoelhammer and Grossi Laüe mark a veritable return to the timeless cultural values of our family, deeply anchored in our historic vineyard terroirs. We have finally left the denial of everything what’s Alemannic behind us. It’s time to speak Alsace dialect now.””
Additional Information
“Rarely have we seen a vintage subject to so many variations in the weather. The season started late with a damp spring and coulure, causing a smaller than usual crop. High temperatures and exceptional summer weather brought the grapes to perfect levels of maturity. Right from the start of our harvest on 1st October the grapes were very healthy and ripe, and so 2013 was a classic Alsace vintage of intense, pure, well balanced wines. Uneven weather at the very end of the harvest prevented any significant production of Late Harvest wines.” -Jean-Frederic Hugel
Great classic Riesling which starts to show its promises but which will gain in complexity for 8 years or more. Its minerality and long complex aftertaste will make it the ideal partner to noble fish or seafood dishes.
Technical Details
- Appellation: Alsace
- Winemaker: Marc Hugel
- Sustainability: Organic Practices
- Soil: Keuper, marl, dolomite and gypsum
- Avg Vine Age: 30+ years
- Yield: 45 hl/ha
- Alcohol: 12.5%
- Ttl Acidity: 6.2 g/l
- Residual Sugar: 3.7 g/l
- Sizes Available: 750ml
- Pack Size: 6/750ml
- Varietals: 100% Riesling
Recent Press
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Forbes Author: Brian Freedman
Date: Friday, January 31, 2020Wines Of The Week -- "This is so taut and coiled with energy, like a spring ready to release. Aromas of lemon blossoms and apricots are subtle and pulsed through with an almost granite-like minerality that anchors it all. It somehow smells like springtime—lifted and open-knit yet with that indication of real concentration beneath it all. The first sip reveals a wine of monumental proportions, a fabulous seam of acidity providing a stiff spine along which deeply energetic flavors of nectarines, yellow apples, Mandarin oranges and oils, kaffir lime leaf, and flowers zip along. White cherries and honey-almond tuilles linger in the background of the finish, where that concentrated acidity allows the best of the palate to linger for nearly a full minute." -
Score: 96 Points
Wine Enthusiast Author: Anne Krebiehl
Date: Tuesday, September 17, 2019"The lifted, ethereal herbality of dried hayflowers dominates the nose of this wine and suggests evolution. Similar heady aromas emanate from the slender, concentrated palate that has almost elixir-like consistency. The fruity, fresh wine is full of dried apple and lemon peel rounded with peach. It’s ready now but will continue to evolve. Drink until 2045." -
Score: 92 Points
Wine Spectator Author: Alison Napjus
Date: Monday, December 31, 2018"Bright and mouthwatering, with a finely meshed profile of blood orange and melon fruit, apple blossom and pickled ginger, this delivers a lingering, minerally finish of stone and spice. Very appealing. Drink now through 2028. 1,600 cases made." -
Score: 95 Points
Wine Enthusiast Author: Anne Krebiehl
Date: Thursday, November 15, 2018"The merest suggestion of ripe apricot beckons through an aromatic layer of dried lemon zest. The bone-dry palate then proceeds to push both these poles—the spiky taut lemon and the dreamy balm-like apricot—to their extremes in a wonderfully expansive but toned body. Concentration and finesse aligned to inherent power is what speaks from just a mouthful of this stuff. This is weaponsgrade Riesling that kills with charm alone. The pure dry finish is outstanding." -
Score: 94 Points
JamesSuckling.com Author: James Suckling
Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2018"Tons of floral honey, candied citrus, papaya and pineapple, making this an unusual Alsace riesling. But it has a great balance and a very long, almost-silky finish. Impressive now, but will surely develop further in bottle."
