Lord knows I don’t want to add too much fuel to the fire; it’s already burning well enough to sell all the Lauer GGs we have. On the other hand, the wines are truly extraordinary and I’m not sure how well we’ve done really communicating what they are, or how they are different, or important.
I also have a New Year’s resolution: To stop leaning on the easy crutch of the phrase “the greatest” when trying to contextualize, describe, pitch or sell wines. Not that the phrase can’t be appropriate at times, but it’s always an easy simplification.
“Greatest for whom?” or “Greatest for what moment?” These are the questions we should ask ourselves and they suggest a more complicated reality.
So how does one with honesty, and yes with some consideration for time and word counts, cut through the static to provide some insight into Florian Lauer’s extraordinary 2020 GGs?
I suppose we could begin with my personal history with them. When I first tasted the trio of Grand Cru “GGs” in Germany, in August, I have to say I was shocked. They were still embryonic, but already they showed a surprising clarity. This is unusual for young GGs. Lime zest, complex citrus oils, floral components, a profound salinity: all of this was already present and in high-definition.
Then, a few weeks later Florian texted me, telling me he had decided to bottle a few magnums of the Schonfels and for the first time ever, he would send this GG to the German auctions in the magnum format. This is no small detail and it hints at the quality Florian thinks he has captured in this bottle. Anyway, these are just some data points you can file away wherever you think they might be relevant.
Finally, the Mosel Fine Wine reviews came out. I loathe scores (not that they can’t be appropriate at times) but, yes, they were high – among the highest of any dry wines in the Mosel.
So what, specifically, makes these wines so special?
For me, I suppose it is their ability to thread a very fine line. These wines are perhaps as close to the perfect ideal of what a “Grand Cru” dry wine from the Saar should be. All three of the wines have a certain presence, a certain finesse, a certain depth… they are obviously “Grand” wines. But they achieve this without simply relying on excessive texture, or heft, or fruit, or alcohol. They have a certain presence. They are not “big” wines. In fact, while they all have 12.5% on the label, they feel much, much lighter – finer. They are Saar in their linear, compact, lithe quality – this is important I think. They are steely and austere-esque, yet the Feils and the Kupp have thin layers of citrus fruit and spice. For all this fine-ness, all the wines are incredibly finessed, absolutely crystalline and perfectly balanced; they have extraordinary length.
Maybe you’ve heard, I love Kabinett Trocken – as a genre. And what I love about the genre is its incredible distillation of a site into something that, by its very nature, is diminutive, small, compact. The Grosses Gewächs – the GG – is in many ways the polar opposite of the Kabinett Trocken. They are normally broader, plusher, riper, higher in alcohol and concentration and, well, everything. Yet grandiosity isn’t the soul of the Saar; the opposite is true. With the 2020 collection, Lauer was able to shape wines true to the soul, the terroir of the Saar – wines that are nervous and steely and vaguely austere. Yet they are also more polished, with more finesse and somehow a broader reach than a Kabinett Trocken, without feeling much bigger in size.
If this doesn’t exactly make sense, so be it – there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than are dreamt of in our philosophies.
Regardless, these are very, very special wines. The Mosel Fine Wine reviews are below. I would only add that if the common general themes are that the Feils is the most plush and ripe, the Schonfels the most mineral and austere, and the Kupp the most complete – a bit of Feils and a bit of Schonfels – for vintage 2020 this roughly holds. Yet I think in 2020 the Feils and the Kupp are closer together, more similar than different. Both feel quite complete. The Feils has an incredible phenolic grip, unlike any Feils I’ve had before; the Kupp is beautiful. And the Schonfels? (gulp) It is absolutely superb; holy juice.
The steep slopes of Feils are pictured above; the site runs straight into the Saar river which is unusual here, unlike the Mosel.
“The 2020er Feils No.13 GG, as it is referred to on the central part of the label, comes from this south-south-east facing Lieu-dit overseeing the Saar (legally part of the Ayler Kupp vineyard). It offers a beautifully refreshing and smoky nose of minty herbs, cassis leaf, pear, stone fruits, black pepper, grapefruit, raspberry, bergamot, and a hint of beeswax. The wine proves full of presence and intensity on the palate. Some fruity flavors of pear and peach add a sense of smoothness to the experience. The finish has more lightness, yet the whole thing remains on the riper side. It may however develop finesse and warrant an even higher score with time.” Mosel Fine Wines, No. 59
The grand hill of Kupp is pictured above, the GG comes from selected parcels in the middle of the hill above Unterstenberg and below Stirn.
“The 2020er Kupp No.18 GG, as it is referred to on the central part of the label, comes from the central part of the original Kupp hill. It proves rather reserved at first and only reveals some faint scents of smoke, roasted spices, cardamom, anise, fresh water, grapefruit, and greengage. The wine already shows some great finesse, presence, and intensity (from dry extract) on the palate and leaves a beautifully sharp, precise, and energetic feel of salt and spices in the very long and bone-dry finish. The aftertaste is all about smoke, herbs, and lime. This will need a couple of years to reveal all its complexity.” Mosel Fine Wines, No. 59
Schonfels pictured above, featuring 100-year-old ungrafted vines and bracing winds due to the exposed cliff-face exposure.
“The 2020er Schonfels No.11 GG, as it is referred to on the central part of the label, comes from this steep south-east facing hill overseeing the Saar. It offers a magnificently fresh and elegant nose of white flowers, bergamot, minty herbs, grapefruit zest, lime, rosemary, and white peach. The wine delivers plenty of fresh flavors of mint and spices on the superbly focused palate. The finish has some crisp and chiseled citrusy fruits, and, above all, plenty of salty elements. The wine proves incredibly persistent and gorgeously intense, without any disturbing feel of power. It proves a stunningly complex dry Riesling in the making!” Mosel Fine Wines, No. 59
