Both Lauer and Schönleber will be coming to Rieslingfeier, January 18th in New York!
While the Gala Dinner is sold out, there are some tickets available to the Grand Tasting; for only $75 you can taste roughly 60 wines from an amazing array of growers.
We will also be hosting a number of events, deep-dives into the growers’ work, on the Monday and Tuesday following Rieslingfeier. Neither Lauer nor Schönleber has been to the U.S. in over five years; this will be epic.
If you are interested in details on these events, please let us know.
While German wine law allows the sale of the GGs beginning in the September of the year following the harvest, we try, when possible, to release the wines as late as possible; dry wines simply require more time.
Even with this additional time, I’ve spent the last few days tasting through everything and, honestly, most of these wines should be opened and drank 24-48 hours after opening – only then do they shine. Seriously – please try this if you buy some. It’s outrageous how much they open and reveal themselves.
Please note: Because of the devastating frosts in the spring of 2024 both estates produced around 50% of a normal harvest. Sadly, there will be very little wine coming from either of these estates in this coming year.
This release, therefore, represents something of an oasis, a moment of plenty in what will soon be a shortage.
With Lauer, expecting significant scarcity, we decided in the spring of 2024 (that’s last year, wow), to hold four wines from the normal 2023 collection (village-level wines No. 1 and No. 3, and Grand Cru wines Kern and Stirn) and to release them, only now, roughly a year later, along with the GGs.
As per normal, we have notes on all the wines currently being released below. All the wines are in-stock and available for immediate delivery.
Email orders@vomboden.com if you are interested in pricing and availability.
Grand Cru GG
2023 Emrich-Schönleber Frühlingsplätzchen GG ~ $100 retail
The top, top wines of 2023 are epic and this, well, is one of them: ripe, juicy fruit, yet crystalline and clear. Schönleber’s aesthetic works so well in this vintage – they are not flashy, but they are vivid. The Frühlingsplätzchen is sharp yet delicate, just insanely floral and perfumed – honestly on day two I go back to this and it’s even more technicolor, exuberant. Is this one of the most floral wines on earth? Maybe? Lemon balm, lavender, honeysuckle and floral nuances well beyond my descriptive abilities. I have the brief thought: Is this wine why I’ve become so fascinated by my flower garden in the past few years? Again: maybe? The floral component is for me the defining greatness of this wine, but it is also very sea-inflected, fresh ocean air, sea salt, green citrus, lime zest. The wine has such a fine energy, it feels satiny yet also firm, mineral. Just a profound wine that, like many 2023ers, drinks now beautifully with a few hours open. Unlike many 2023ers, I am confident this wine will develop beautifully for a decade or two.
2023 Emrich-Schönleber Halenberg GG ~ $115 retail
The top, top wines of 2023 are epic and this, well, is one of them. Compared to the Frühlingsplätzchen, the Halenberg is rounder and riper – at least on first opening. There is more depth, more raw and pushing citrus fruit; the register feels more yellow than green. On the palate too, while the minimalist aesthetic of Schönleber is there, the wine feels more textural, both more fruity and more mineral. On day two the wine goes full 360 and shuts down completely: the nose is like smelling the cold purity of space (albeit with maybe a tinge of Meyer lemon?) It is haunting and the reputation of the wine begins to make sense only after 24+ hours open, holy hell. This is a brilliant wine, severe, coating, dense with concentration. Wow. This is an immense wine that needs hours/days to unfurl if you are drinking sooner and will certainly age for a decade or two or longer.
Honestly both wines are among the best GGs I’ve had from 2023.
Grand Cru GG
2023 Lauer Feils GG ~ $60 retail
“The 2023 Feils as it is referred to on the central part of the label (GG is written top left), is a bone-dry wine (with less than 3 g/l of residual sugar) made with fruit picked on this south-south-east facing lieu-dit overseeing the Saar (legally part of the Ayler Kupp vineyard). It has a superbly concentrated and fresh nose of candied lemon, grapefruit, minty herbs, greengage, smoke, and spearmint. It also shows some density on the palate, which develops a nice creaminess and broader side as it develops. The finish has great length and intensity, as well as focus with mineral and salty elements coming through. This is an intense, yet refined expression of dry Riesling in the making.” Mosel Fine Wines, No. 72
2023 Lauer Kupp GG ~ $60 retail
“The 2023 Kupp as it is referred to on the central part of the label (GG is written top left), is a bone-dry wine (with less than 3 g/l of residual sugar) made with fruit picked on the central part of the original Kupp hill. It displays a superbly smoky and herbal nose of white flowers, fine spices, almond, jasmine, menthol, and greengage. The wine proves zesty and elegant on the deliciously light-weight yet energetic palate. The finish is pure and vibrating, with a rather racy side. This is a fresh and pure expression of dry Riesling.” Mosel Fine Wines, No. 72
2023 Lauer Schonfels GG ~ $60 retail
“The 2023 Schonfels as it is referred to on the central part of the label (GG is written top left), a bone-dry wine (with less than 3 g/l of residual sugar) made with fruit picked on this steep south-east facing hill overseeing the Saar (legally part of the Ayler Kupp vineyard). Slightly reductive at first with residues from its spontaneous fermentation, it quickly offers an aromatic and fresh nose of aniseed, elderflower, gooseberry, smoke, and aniseed. The wine is delicately creamy and juicy on the slightly fruit-driven palate and leaves a spicy and more mineral infused finish. There is also a touch of tartness in need of integration. It needs a few years to fully deliver.” Mosel Fine Wines, No. 72
Grand Cru releases (off-dry)
2023 Lauer N. 9 “Kern” ~ $50 retail
“The 2023 ‘Kern’ No. 9, as it is referred to in the central part of the label, is a fully off-dry wine (with 37 g/l of residual sugar) made from fruit picked in a complete cross section (bottom to top) of a prime south-west-facing old-vine parcel (called Kern) situated well into the side valley on the original Ayler Kupp hill. It offers a quite enjoyable nose made of bergamot, white flowers, grapefruit, and spices on the nose. The wine is beautifully racy and tart on the palate, where grapefruit zest mingles with creamy elements. The finish is still rather firm and tart but full of potential, especially as the tartness recedes.” Mosel Fine Wines, No. 72
2023 Lauer N. 15 “Stirn” ~ $50 retail
“The 2023 ‘Stirn” No. 15, as it is referred to in the central part of the label, is a fully off-dry wine (with 34 g/l of residual sugar) made from fruit picked in the prime south-west-facing, upper-front part of the original Ayler Kupp hill. It offers a still somewhat backward nose made of grapefruit, white flowers, wet stone, mint, and smoke on the nose. The wine develops a touch of fruit-loaded creaminess at first on the palate which gives way to a nicely tart and mouthwatering feel in the long and quite vibrant finish. Grapefruit and minerals make for a superb feel in the aftertaste.” Mosel Fine Wines, No. 72
Premier Cru 1G
2023 Lauer Ayler 1G~ $50 retail
German wine fans should expect to see more of these “1G” wines going forward. Essentially a “Premier Cru” wine, these can be made from either single-vineyard, “premier cru-designated” sites or, as Lauer does, a blend of premier cru-designated sites from a village. This wine is sourced from top parcels in and around Ayl; in essence a “baby GG” the wine has all the density and texture you’d expect from a top Lauer wine.
village-level
2023 Lauer Ayler No. 1 (dry tasting) ~ $35 retail
“The 2023er Ayler Riesling No. 1 is a just off-dry wine (with 10 g/l of residual sugar) made from fruit harvested on the east-facing side of the main Ayler Kupp hill. It offers a subtly ample and creamy nose made of wet stone, smoke, pear, star fruit, ginger, mint, and earthy spices. The wine proves creamy and intense on the palate and leaves a slightly round but nicely fruity feel in the finish.” Mosel Fine Wines, No. 72
2023 Lauer Ayler No. 3 (off-dry) ~ $35 retail
“The 2023er Ayler Riesling No. 3 is a fully off-dry wine (with 30 g/l of residual sugar) made from fruit picked in the front, east-facing part of the original Kupp hill, in the upper section near Stirn. It offers an attractive nose made of whipped cream, pear, ripe apple, citrusy elements, fine spices, and herbal elements. The wine proves creamy on the fruity-styled palate and leaves a joyful feel of creamy yet tart grapefruit puree in the finish.” Mosel Fine Wines, No. 72