Since then the winery has only expanded its international acclaim and can be found not only in France, but the United States, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, Singapore, and the list goes on. They're Cuvée Frédéric Emile Riesling is also on 25 of the 26 Michelin 3-star restaurants in France. The King of Sweden even visited and worked in the vineyard and their wines were poured at his daughter's wedding.
One of the really interesting things about this wine, however, is its appellation: AOC Alsace. This wine comes 100% from the Grand Cru Rosacker, but you won't find that anywhere on the label. Clos Ste. Hune has been made for over 200 years, but the Grand Cru system has only been in place for 40 years. Families like the Trimbachs believe that their wine essentially precedes the Grand Cru classification and thus the name "Clos Ste. Hune" carries more weight than "Grand Cru." In this instance, they're probably right. But the real issue, which I spoke with Jean about, is that the Grand Cru system isn't good enough. It's too loose and doesn't have enough control. He told me that he once saw a Grand Cru wine for sale in a grocery store for only five euros! That's way cheap. He believes that massive reforms really need to take place in order to protect the name Grand Cru so that it is reserved for wines of true quality. In that same spirit Jean is also against the current movement to implement a Premier Cru (a level just below Grand Cru) that would mimic Burgundy. He figures what good is another useless classification. Why not fix what they currently have in place before introducing another level.
I think he's probably right. I'd rather see the current system get fixed before they make any other changes. And as much as I'd love for all Grand Cru wines to be five euros, I'd rather know that the wine is going to be good.