Grand Cru

Steingrubler

Wettolsheim

Taking its name from the stone (pierre), this terroir pays tribute to the mineral world due to the numerous and inextricably entangled sorts hidden inside.

  • Soil type Marl-limestone-sandstone
  • Surface area in hectares 22.94 hectares
  • Exposure South/ South-East
  • Village Wettolsheim
  • Altitude 230 to 350 metres
  • Grape varieties (in % per variety)
    • Gewurztraminer 52%
    • Riesling 26%
    • Pinot Gris 22%
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Grand Cru Steingrubler

The wines

This terroir is distinguished by its dense and delicious concentration, admirably balanced by a generous and firm freshness which integrates into the mouthfeel.

The terroir-tie

In the bottle

Riesling has a fine and taut acid base produced from grapes harvested usually rather late. It develops aromas of flowers and fruit, green tea and fresh salt, and when it evolves, a beautiful smoky minerality. It is generally dry.

Pinot Gris is complex and rich, generous and with a good length, always with this beautiful freshness tied to the microclimate, allowing it to accept a slight over-ripeness.

Gewurztraminer is a little reserved with complex characters between fruitiness and floral when young. When evolving, there is a very elegant minerality. The body has beautiful intensity admirably balanced by the typical freshness of Steingrubler.

It’s a Grand Cru which stands out with its maturity and balance.


This terroir generally gets itself noticed by a fat and fleshy volume in the mouth. Which does not mean sweet. A dense and delicious concentration is admirably balanced by a generous and firm freshness which integrates into the mouthfeel. This acidity brings succulence to the fleshy matter and often expresses exotic, fresh or candied fruits. The length narrows down to subtle bitter notes which unveils delicious minerality.
Riesling offers a beautiful and refined aromatic pallet of candied citrus fruits whereas Gewurztraminer associates honey-like and candied fruits to its concentration.

Romain ILTIS
Best Sommelier of France, 2012 and Meilleur Ouvrier de France, 2015 (in the Sommelier category)

Choose and serve

In the cellar

If these wines already have their expression when young, after 3 to 4 years, their bitter notes evolve to mentholated hints to provide an additional fresh sensation.

During late-ripening vintage years: the acidity encourages the structure more while preserving the smooth substance which characterises this Grand Cru. The aromas are more marked by citrus fruit and fresh exotic fruits when overripe.

During early-ripening vintage years: the substance is more concentrated but remains elegant, combining aromas of candied fruit, even bitter almonds for Gewurztraminer, bestowing an ever-more delicious silhouette.

Romain ILTIS
Best Sommelier of France, 2012 and Meilleur Ouvrier de France, 2015 (in the Sommelier category)

2011: Sunny and fresh summer, beautiful late autumn. Beautifully matured wines, finding balance between intensity and acidity.
2010: fresh and late-ripening vintage year, slow maturity, beautiful substance, great acidity.
2009: hot vintage year, early ripening, fruity and opulent wines.
2008: fresh vintage year with beautiful late autumn, very ripe acidity.
2007: early-ripening vintage year, fresh and balanced with beautiful concentrations.
2006: year marked by fast deterioration of harvest condition, due to heavy rains, large presence of botrytis.
2005: late-ripening, powerful vintage year.
2004: generous, classic, decent vintage year.
2003: vintage year marked by record heat and drought, weak acidity.
2002: cold vintage year, wines marked by acidity and good ageing potential.
2001: wonderful ageing potential.
2000: hot vintage year, great maturity, power wines with good ageing potential.
1999: fresh, very late-ripening vintage year, powerful wines.
1996: vintage year with a marked but ripe acidity.
1995: cold vintage year.
1990: great substance.
1989: very beautiful vintage year.
1988: very beautiful vintage year.
1987: late-ripening but successful vintage year, expressive and fresh.
1985: late-ripening vintage year, good maturity.
1983: hot and early-ripening vintage year.
1982: generous vintage year, beautiful concentration, Vendanges Tardives around November 25.
1981: beautiful concentration, with finesse and great ageing potential.
1980: late-ripening and fresh vintage year, small harvest but expressive Gewurztraminer.
1979: lovely and well-balanced vintage year.
1978: classic but successful year.
1977: vintage year which produced wines with good ageing potential.
1976: exceptional year due to small volumes and outstanding concentration of Vendanges Tardives.
...
1972: particularly late year due to bad weather conditions, harvest began during the second half of October.
1971: exceptional year, harvesting of Vendanges Tardives.

Wine and Food pairing

White meats, veal or poultry, served with sauce can be very complimentary with these wines. Any dishes combining seafood and meat, notably with mushrooms or smoked meats, can also be delicious.

Romain ILTIS
Best Sommelier of France, 2012 and Meilleur Ouvrier de France, 2015 (in the Sommelier category)

Wine and food pairing

Restaurant «La Palette» Wettolsheim - Henri Gagneux

SWEETBREADS WITH CITRUS FRUITS, POLENTA AND SAVOURY CRISPY FRITTERS
Riesling Steingrubler Grand Cru

PAN-FRIED FOIE GRAS ESCALOPE, WILD BERRIES GRAVY
Pinot Gris Steingrubler Grand Cru

Restaurant «Au soleil» Wettolsheim - Guillaume Schilling

SEA BASS FILLET, RISOTTO WITH CHORIZO, WHITE WINE SAUCE
Riesling Steingrubler Grand Cru

PAN-FRIED DUCK FOIE GRAS AND SPICY PEARS
Gewurztraminer Steingrubler Grand Cru

CHOCOLATE FONDANT
Pinot Gris Steingrubler Grand Cru

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Grand Cru Steingrubler

The terroir

The nature

The Grand Cru starts at the foot of the Wettolsheim wine-maker homes and unravels up onto a steep slope towards the mountain whereas the soils are blended and entangled in an extraordinary complexity.

Location

Located to the west of the municipality of Wettolsheim, a small Haut-Rhine municipality near Colmar, Steingrubler is exposed south/south-east and is situated at the foot of the Hohlandsbourg and Hagueneck castles.


Soil

Steingrubler is located at the tip of the Rouffach fault. In 2002, four trenches dug-out in Steingrubler by the geologist Claude Sittler, revealed profiles of extremely complex terrains.
The lower part, to the east of the Grand Cru, is composed of grey compact limestone and Muschcelkalk very deep down.
In the centre, the soil is mostly made of carbonate with calcite-rich marl limestone from the Quarternary and quartzite pebbles, silica and black granite.
More to the west, there is mostly sandstone with sandy marl and iron-rich Vosges sandstone.
To the extreme west, there is the presence of a granite strip.
Finally, at the peak, the siliceous-sand rich eroded part is composed of hard sandstone, decomposed granite and calcareous stone blended with Muschelkalk blocks.

The simultaneous presence of rocks and calcareous debris or calcareous-sandstone with a large marl content on one half, and siliceous rocks, sandstone, sand and clay on the other half, categorises Steingrubler as a complex marl-sandstone marl-limestone terroir.

Microclimate

Located near the rocky base of the Vosges mountain range, Steingrubler is protected from excess water.
It’s a rather late-ripening terroir.


Grape varieties

The Steingrubler wine-growing area is a spontaneously productive terroir, mostly composed of fairly old vines with a density often over 5000 vines per hectare, stimulating deep rooting.
The powerful and heavy marl-limestone soil is controlled by the grass cover on every other row, accompanied by soil work undertaken in the other rows to provide better terroir expression.

The people

A demanding and uncompromising terroir, the Steingrubler personality unravels if the vines are carefully farmed with monitored yields.It’s also about perpetuating the know-how of the «elders» to fully promote the terroir-specific expression.

Heritage transmission

The name Steingrubler (stone quarry) is a reminder of the quarries which existed as of the 13th century. At this same time, in 1487, a Marbach monk already mentioned the Steingrub vineyard. The Marbach and Munster abbeys had indeed owned vines in the lieu-dit An den Steingruben since, respectively, the 13th and 15th centuries.

In 1888, F.-X. Saile noted that, «Wettolsheim wines are most appreciated, notably the Steingrubler and Schofflit ones.» 4032/>

Before the First World War, Steingrubler wines, under the name of Gentil (grape blending), easily supplied the city of Basel, and so much so that a Basel restaurant owner had the Hohlandsbourg ruins painted in white allowing clients to see, on clear days, the place their wines originated from. (Michel Mastrojanni - Op. cit., p. 141)

The Grands Crus of Alsace

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