Vintage years

• 2008: a fresh vintage year producing wines with good ageing potential
• 2009: delightful, rich and particularly with Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer, great ageing potential
• 2010: small harvest, worthwhile ageing a little to have them fully express themselves
• 2011: harmonious vintage year, good ageing potential
• 2012: pure aromas, beautiful freshness, good ageing potential.

Remarkable vintage years:
2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011.

Location

The Florimont Grand Cru stretches over the municipalities of Ingersheim and Katzenthal, on a hill reaching 308m high. It is facing the east with a partly south exposure within a small valley leading towards Niedermorschwihr. Its peak is topped with a downy oak forest, boasting very diverse thermophilic-plant flora.

It outlines a prominent hillock and its vineyard parcels are planted on the hillside, between 250 and 280mm high, on slopes forming a semi-circle.

Soil

The relatively pebbly, marl-limestone soil is perfect for growing vines. They grow here on conglomerates from the beginning of the Oligocene epoch where there are beds of interposed marl of varied thicknesses, which were formed from Vosges erosion. Two clearly distinctive layers can be seen here:

• one is made of pebbles from Muschelkalk limestone and Bundsandstein Vosges-specific sandstone,
• the other is deeper and comes from Eolithic limestone from the Bajocian epoch.

The presence of numerous limestone pebbles boosts the root penetration into the ground. These soils have lots of magnesium and can heat very easily. The useful water reserve is average.

Microclimate

This Grand Cru benefits from a dry continental climate with warm springs, dry and sunny summers, long autumns and cold winters.

There are numerous singularities which contribute to creating a microclimate. Thus, the dominating west winds lose their humidity on the western slope of the Vosges and arrive in Alsace like the foehn – a dry and warm wind. Considering the latitude of Florimont, this characteristic provides welcomed dryness and heat.
And in addition there is the protection phenomenon offered by the high Vosges peaks which limit yearly rainfall to a very low level of about 550 mm.
The exceptional sunlight of Florimont (1725 hours a year) is also thanks to its exposure which runs from east to south.
The specific morphology of the Florimont hill, with its atypical semi-circle shape, provides ideal light which enhances the optimum ripening of grapes.

Grape varieties

Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris like this exposure which provides appropriate morning sunshine for the best ripening conditions. Thanks to this sunlight they express all their aromatic finesse.

The wine-growing village of Ingersheim was already prosperous as of the Middle Ages. It belonged to the seigneury of Hohlandsberg, faithful to the House of Austria. The important figures of that time, like the Counts of Lupfen or the Baron of Schwendi who was a great benefactor of Alsace wine-making, all very much enjoyed drinking Florimont wines, and made it known.

L’appellation Alsace Grand Cru est reconnue par le décret de novembre 1983, mais le Florimont ne fait pas partie des 25 premiers sélectionnés. It had to wait until December 17, 1992 for its recognition to be established.

Les vieux vignerons racontent qu’autrefois, au mois de mars, le sol se tapissait d’anémones et en juin d’orchidées sauvages. This flowering is why the hill was baptised mont fleuri (the flowered mount).

Ingersa-Dorfburri

Je nach Johreszitta
Tülipa gaal, Zítterrosa
Orchidee wíld, ziera
Wia a Farwablett
D’Fiass vo da Steck.

Dina Kàlkartig Boda
Gspíckt vo Fossilia
Geliabt vo dr Sonna
Verleiht ín da Rawa
Reichtum ùn Àdelsbrief.

Ím Míttel-Alter scho gewonna
Vo Furst ùn Prinz geträjt
Witt ín die Walt a nüs
ùf Kaisers Tísch za finda
Sín dini edla Gewàchs.

Muscat, Dàmawàhl
Pinot gris, fein vergoldet
Riesling so rassig, ùn
Gewerztraminer
elegànter àss a Prínz.

Dorfburri, edla Boda
Hang getrankt vo Sonna
Tràuim vo Wonna.Florimont, flowered hill
Yellow tulips, anemones
Wild orchids
A pallet of archangels
Colour your vineyard.

Limestone soil spotted with fossils
Your sun-drenched slopes
Give the vineyard
Its affluence and
its noble titles.

Conquered as of the Middle Ages
And backed by nobles
Your grape varieties
Were presiding at banquets
Of the princes of the Empire.

Muscat dear to the ladies
Pinot gris gilded to fine gold
Elegant Riesling and
Gewurztraminer
Mediator of the graces.

Flowered mount, noble land
Drenched with sun
Exquisitely pleasurable dream.

Louis Roesch, Ingersheim, April 15 2013.