Feils is a warm site; it is also sneakily steep. Convex like a spoon, the vineyard begins mildly as you walk through it heading down to the river. However, as one reaches center-slope the incline becomes quite severe. In the pictures in the gallery, you can see the roundness and dip of the site – especially in the second picture. The lowest third of the vineyard is extremely steep.
The wine this site produces is one of the most textural and luscious of the GGs; from the beginning it can show a rather broad range of fruit and spice. It also tends to drink earlier than Lauer’s other GGs, though obviously this can change vintage to vintage.
In a way, the Kupp GG is the final selection of the cherry parcels of the Kupp hill. As with Burgundy, most often Grand Cru, the best grapes, come from the mid-section of the hill – see the map in the gallery. The red-colored parcels are where Lauer sources the grapes: the middle section above Unterstenberg and below Stirn, as well as selected parcels both east and west.
Very smoky with notes of cardamon, licorice and fresh sage. Stunning concentration on the sleek and compact palate. So much drive and wet stone minerality at the extremely long crystalline finish. Still really tightly wound, but the combination of depth a...
The 2022 Riesling Ayler Kupp Grosses Gewächs No. 18 was harvested in the steep mid-slope of the Ayler Kupp. Lauer points out that he is adamant that no overripe grapes are used for this. Ripe lemon peel with top notes of crushed citrus leaf and fresh yell...
Another bad-ass wine and one of the inspirations for our new campaign: “Spätlese is the new Kabinett.” I ask Florian how it’s selling. He says, “good,” and then adds this funny but honest line: “The Spätlese isn’t sweet here.” Seventy-four grams of residual sugar and it tastes almost dry. I don’t understand anything.