Stirn tends to be one of the most nervous, linear and soaring of all of Lauer’s wines. It rarely ferments much past 30 grams of residual sugar per liter, thus it certainly is an off-dry Riesling. And yet, because of the extraordinarily high acidity (and low pH), the wine never tastes very sweet. In fact, the razor-sharp grip and density of the wine can make it feel almost dry, at least on the rather gripping finish. For what it’s worth, I believe this is one of Florian’s – and one of the Saar’s – most profound expressions of Riesling.
-importer notes (Vom Boden)
"A lovely wine, supple and harmonious, with multilayered raspberry and cherry flavors that mix with brown baking spices and a hint of mineral as this builds richness and tension toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2030. 495 cases made."
Absolutely nuts-o wine in 2022 – these are maybe the best Kabinetts Lauer has ever made? Which makes zero sense after 2021, I understand this, but still… it’s the lightness. And to prove just how absolutely nuts Lauer is, he made two Fuders of this wine and did not like the combined wine, so he is bottling them with separate AP numbers. Note: I have no idea what we’re getting and we are not going to make a stink about this – and you shouldn’t either. But what is beautiful about this is Lauer’s unwillingness to follow any ideology. Sometimes he finds blending casks better – sometimes not. And so here, two different Kabinetts.
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.
The epitome of delicacy in a Spätlese. It is in no way a dry wine, yet the tart and salty vibrations might make parts of your brain think it is? This is supremely focused and clear, with a slim form attenuated into something almost gossamer. Just outrageous. Again, dinner Spätlese – not for dessert.
Note this is the single 2022 offering in our release of the 2023 vintage. Most estates, including Lauer, hold back quantities of certain wines for fun, for a rainy day, or because they just feel like the wine needs more time. In the case of this wine, it was held back for all of these reasons. A small tranche is being released to us now simply to fill up this offer a bit. Feel free to review my thoughts on Lauer’s 2022ers, readable here. I *love* them.
Since 2022, the VDP has classified Ayler Scheidterberg as a Erste Lage or “Premier Cru”. This site is very sheltered southern exposure that allows a slow and long ripening deep into autumn. Stony-fresh and dense core that is remarkably playful and relatively open in it’s youth.
-Importer notes (Vom Boden)