FREDERICK WILDMAN AND SONS, LTD.

IMPORTERS AND WINE MERCHANTS

Overview

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 from a selection of the 3 finest plots of the Hugel estate in the chalky Pflostig.

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 the 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 Details edit

"The winter of 2010 was particularly harsh, with more than 30 days below zero, and temperatures dropped as far as -17°C. Budburst on 8 April was early, but flowering which began on 10 June took almost 3 weeks to finish due to cool temperatures. July was exceptionally hot and sunny, before cold, damp and rainy weather set in throughout August and into September. Ideal weather conditions returned on 11 September, with not a drop of rain for 6 weeks. Our harvest began on 27 September and ended on 26 October. Maturity reached record levels, the highest for 50 years, with good acidity, similar to 1996. Crop size was 30% below average, and even lower for Gewurztraminer. Superb wines with magnificent balance, purity and fruit. 2010 is a great classic vintage, with good ageing potential." -Etienne Hugel

Technical Details

Recent News edit