Rarities from the Saar
2009 Lauer Extra Trocken - Saarfeilser - Kern
Special Pricing on Very Limited, Very Intense Lauer
As with Burgundy, German wine is not for the faint of heart.
Thousands of vineyard names, miniscule estates that fill their entire output into a few small casks.
In both Burgundy and Germany, details are important.
So today, we present a few rarities from Lauer - special bottlings that are available in extraordinarily limited quantities.
These also happen to be some of the more intense Lauer bottlings. The "Extra-Trocken" is, as the name suggests, a simply cruel and beautiful Saar Riesling with a piercing, salty, pink grapefruit acidity. The Saarfeilser and Kern represent the most opulent side of Lauer, saturating fruit and higher-then-normal residual sugars. Complete notes below.
All of these bottlings could (thanks to the 1971 German wine law) be called "Ayler Kupp" - but all of these sites are very different (click here to see a great map) and instead of taking the easy way out, Florian Lauer bottles them according to their traditional, pre-1971 names.
Honestly, I admire this tremendously. It's probably a bit much, but I'm gonna quote Thoreau anyway: "Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth."
So here are three stunning Lauer bottles from the great 2009 vintage - all of them speak clearly, all of them speak truthfully.
Details on all the wines below - quantities are extraordinarily limited.
To order, shop online or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
2009 Lauer "Fass 2" Extra Trocken
This is an evil wine, in a great way. You like mineral and acidity? This wine is one of the most cutting 2009ers I had while in Germany - a bright, white-light acidity, salt and pink grapefruit, refreshing, shards of ice-cold Riesling. I wrote: "Kind of painful, I love it."
2009 Lauer "Fass 9" Kern
Sourced from a cross section of the Ayler Kupp proper. The name of the wine (and the parcel) comes from the name of an industrialist who at one point owned the site. The wine in 2009 is insanely intense, saturating blueberry, gooseberry. For all the dense flavors, the wine is still incredibly fine, incredibly focused. Truly an epic bottling that will develop in the cellar. Finished with about 55 grams residual sugar if my notes are right. In any event, just about perfect balance - stunning.
2009 Lauer Saarfeilser
The Saarfeilser is a great site - essentially a penninsula at a fork in the Saar (again, the map is worth referencing). The soil, while still slatey, has more gravel, sand and stones thrown into the mix. This is one of the warmest sites in the Saar, very steep with 55- 60-year-old vines. In 2009 the wine finished with 10% alcohol and roughly 38 grams RS. This, to me, feels a bit finer than the Kern, the fruit expression is both darker and tangier, if that's possible - the floral spectrum is simply bonkers, with pronounced mint and high-toned herbs. This is also impressively structured, with a grippy finish. Another Lauer that will develop gloriously in the cellar.
Kern is in stock
Extra Trocken and Saarfeilser arrive late 2010!
NET | No further discount