Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
is fleshy, salty, and savory (its grapes come from a vineyard planted in the 1400s). Aromas and flavors increase with each sip: cashew milk and peach blossom with a ladle of tangerine, a dollop of nougat, and an earthy core from the unique marl soils of the Riquewihr crus.
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Wine Enthusiast
A hint of smoke and a touch of earth precede the fresh lemon notes of the nose. The dry palate, with its vivid impression of very pure, bright and incisive lemon freshness, still seems tightly wound. There is something brooding and alive about this—it can be felt below the surface, disquieting but promising. This has barely started on its journey and will take a while to develop fully but it's all already there, dormant and ready to unfurl with a little more bottle age. The pure, long and intense finish is a delicious promise. Drink 2017–2037.
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James Suckling
A beautiful and clean wine with flowers, honey dew and gun flint. Medium body, bright acidity and flint undertones. Lots of aniseed, clove and burning-spice flavors here, too. So beautiful. Drink now or hold. Lots of potential here.
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Wine Spectator
A graceful white that waltzes on the palate, showing fine integration of the intense acidity, with appealing flavors of ripe white peach, almond blossom and lemon parfait. A streak of salinity drives the lasting finish. Drink now through 2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Entirely sourced in the Schoenenbourg, the 2011 Riesling Grossi Laüe offers a deep, clear, fresh and fine bouquet. Sourced in the best three parcels next to the Schoelhammer, the wine shows a clear and fine, yet warm and rich, bouquet of cooked white fruits along with sweet almond aromas. Rich and intense on the palate, this is a full-bodied, powerful and slightly bitter Riesling with firm, but slightly astringent, tannins. Bottled with 14.2% alcohol – the highest alcohol level the Hugels have ever bottled as Marc Hugel puts it. The acidity is rather low but still vital.
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.