The 2014 Gewurztraminer Grossi Laüe was picked in the Sporen Grand Cru's lower reaches, where clay soils are rich. The golden wine smells, at first sniff, of wet limestone with a lovely overtone of white truffle before orange and rose oil kick in subtly. With more air, peach compote comes through. The palate surprises with its freshness and youthful, pristine note of ripest but dewy peach flesh, yellow and juicy, colored by just a little Damask rose. It is perfumed, full-fruited, balanced, zesty and fresh. Whoa. This vivid freshness will stand it in good stead for years to come. The 19 g/L residual sweetness is pitched against an unusual and delicious 6 g/L acidity. (Off-Dry)(AK)

The intensely yellow-colored 2014 Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Sporen Grossi Laüe offers a deep, intense and clear, even stony, classical Sporen nose with the fruit-fly touch that is present in virtually all the red-colored grape varieties in 2014. Round, lush and elegant on the palate, this is a rich and intense Sporen that has a remarkable seven grams of tartaric acidity. The finish is long, intense, complex, saline and finely tannic and indicates great aging potential of this still-youthful but already impressive wine. 14% stated alcohol. Diam cork. Tasted at the domaine in April 2024. As always, the Hugel tasting with Jean Frédéric Hugel includes a range of vintages, with the 2022 being the youngest and the 2014, 2016 and sweet 2015 the oldest. The 2014 Schoelhammer from Schoenenbourg, which is not marketed as grand cru, is an outstanding Riesling from the vintage and even surpasses the estate's own still-very-superb grand cru Schoenenbourg, of which the 2014 and 2016 vintages are available for purchase. The 2016 Sporen is once again a great Gewürztraminer, and the generic Vendange Tardive also shows once more that Hugel is one of the best producers of this variety in Alsace. The same applies to the 2016 Pinot Gris, particularly from the Clos du Pflostig and the grand cru Sporen. Hugel is also contributing to the rapid upswing of the Alsace Pinot Noir, because the 2016 Clos du Pflostig is remarkably fine and elegant but also intense and has an irresistible umami flavor.(SR