Halfway between Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace, and Colmar, we find Dambach-la-Ville, a medieval wine town in the heart of the Alsace wine region. It is home to the Frankstein Grand Cru, one of the 51 Grand Crus in Alsace, as well as the great wines of the Hauller Family.
The Climate of Alsace
First, we have to talk about Alsace and its unique climate. Did you know that Alsace is the driest wine region of France? Here is why. The geography of Alsace is determined by two main factors: the Vosges Mountains in the west and the Rhine River in the east. The vineyards are concentrated in a narrow north–south strip on the lower eastern slopes of the Vosges, at altitudes of 175–420 metres. These altitudes provide a good balance between temperature, drainage and sun exposure.
The Vosges Mountains tend to shelter Alsace from the rain and maritime influence coming from the west, from the Atlantic, making the region rather dry and sunny. While the slopes of the Vosges are generally east-facing, many of the best vineyard sites are south-west to south-east facing and benefit from extra sun exposure, including the Grand Cru vineyards around Dambach-la-Ville.
Frankstein Grand Cru: Terroir and Granite Soils
The Frankstein Grand Cru groups together four hillsides right on the border of the village of Dambach-la-Ville. The south to south-east exposures are protected and help reveal the best of the terroir.
The particularity of the Frankstein Grand Cru comes from its soil: both the soil and subsoil are granite. The substrate is very light, stony, sandy and not very deep, often with the parent rock visible on the surface. There are four minerals which we can find in this granite soil:
- quartz, pure silica, acidic in nature
- white mica (muscovite), harder than the black mica, which breaks up into silver chips
- black mica (biotite), which dissolves
- feldspar, which transforms into layers of clay over a cycle of several thousand years
These granite-specific minerals contribute to the characteristic fine and mouth-watering minerality of Frankstein wines. Fortunately, the Dambach-la-Ville granite is highly fractured, allowing the roots to dig deep into the soil to find nutrients as well as much-needed water.
Grape Varieties of Frankstein Grand Cru
The overlapping layers of sand, stones and rocks also create excellent drainage, supporting healthy vines and helping the Frankstein Grand Cru wines reach optimum ripeness without botrytis. The Frankstein Grand Cru lies between 220 and 330 metres above sea level and covers 56.20 hectares, where four of Alsace’s noble varieties are planted: 49% Gewurztraminer, 27% Riesling, 22% Pinot Gris and 2% Muscat.
The Hauller Family in Dambach-la-Ville
The history of the Hauller family in Dambach-la-Ville began in 1776, when François-Joseph Hauller, the first of a great master cooper lineage, settled in Dambach-la-Ville to establish his cooperage workshop. By the end of the 20th century, this activity had expanded into viticulture and wine, which then became the family’s core business.
That wasn’t unusual in the area, as many families became vintners from traditionally cooper families. Louis Hauller was the first to expand the company’s core business into viticulture in the 1970s. He then produced his first bottles, which he sold directly to consumers during wine fairs throughout France.
In 1990, Claude Hauller joined the company, enabling his father Louis to focus on the vineyard and winemaking. Claude developed partnerships on a regional and national scale. In 2015, the two sons of Claude and Laurence, Ludovic and Guillaume, decided to bring their skills and abilities to the family estate. The two brothers wanted to consolidate, sustain and develop the company’s activity while introducing a modern vision in a constantly changing world.
Hauller Family Wines and Alsace Grand Crus
The Hauller Family produces 3 out of the 51 Grand Crus of Alsace today. These exceptional terroirs, including Frankstein Grand Cru, Winzenberg Grand Cru and Zinnkoepflé Grand Cru, give the wine estate a precious bond to these unique soils and terroirs.
The wine estate was also one of the first in Alsace to introduce Vinolok glass stoppers. You can find these glass stoppers on Cuvée Léon’s bottles, a must-have in the Famille Hauller’s wine range.
In spring 2018, a new collection named Héritage was launched, made from parcel selections of old vines and presented in an engraved bottle. This elegant and modern bottle highlights the emblem of barrel makers, reflecting the family’s original activity.
The family has a huge range of different wines, from easy-drinking entry-level wines to Grand Cru wines and Vendanges Tardives (late harvest) premium wines, covering all the grape varieties allowed in the Alsace region. They aim to express the uniqueness of each terroir through its favourite grape variety.
And we must not forget that these wines are organic. The family has always cared about the environment, producing organically farmed wines using only natural-origin products while excluding fertilizers and pesticides.
The Louis Hauller Wine Ranges
The largest production comes under the Louis Hauller brand, with the following ranges:
- Prestige range and Crémant
- Héritage
- Alsace Grand Crus
- Cuvée Léon and Vendanges Tardives (late harvest wines)
- Bio range
There are also several bottles made by the Hauller brothers under the name Hauller Frères: a Crémant, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Riesling.
Since 2015, the brothers have also been taking care of the Pierre Sperry winery and developing sales for both brands. They are certainly busy making exceptional wines in Dambach-la-Ville for us!
Sources:
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