For Lauer’s 2020 collection we have done our best to get ahead of the drama; last year was a mess with tough allocations and shipping delays – all with very good excuses – but still.
It’s not fair to Florian or to the wines.
While I’m finally heading to Germany in August, I have as of this moment only tasted a few 2020 Lauers, including both the Barrel X and Senior. They strike me – as many have noted about the vintage – as nervier and more cut than nearly any other vintage I’ve tasted at chez Lauer. This is shaping up to be a superb vintage for those of us who cherish finesse and clarity. Beyond that, there are very few specific details I can offer.
At this point though the truth is Lauer is simply one of the greatest producers in Germany; I don’t think there’s much debate there. More importantly though, his style is just so singular: There is really no one else in Germany making wines with this tactile grip, this density, yet also this transparency and precious balance.
It doesn’t make sense; but there it is. That’s the magic.
We have seen demand for Lauer’s wines skyrocket while the estate has not gotten any bigger; the early bird catches the Lauer. Do not miss these wines.
Consumers: Please note we are importers and not retailers, however if you email us what you’d like we are more than happy to connect you with a friendly retailer in your area!
Retail and Restaurant Buyers: Please let us know what you’d like and we’ll do our best. Please note: NO ORDER IS GUARANTEED WITHOUT A CONFIRMATION EMAIL FROM US! You will be expected to take your order when it arrives, likely in September.
Email us at orders@vomboden.com to order.
the 2020er Lauer collection
wines will arrive late summer, early fall – all orders subject to confirmation
village level
2020 Lauer “Senior” Fass 6 ~$28 – $32 (under cork)
The following single line, penned by John Gilman reviewing Lauer’s 2019 collection, makes the whole damn subscription to The View from the Cellar worth it. He writes about the 2019 “Senior”: “This is a ‘village wine’ the way Jean-François Coche used to make them!” I honestly think this is 100% relevant regarding the 2020, which is as dry-tasting a “Senior” as I’ve ever tasted. This is, year-after-year, one of the best values in white wine; profound depth, complexity, finesse, structure. It is an icon of “natural” balance and it deserves its reputation. We bought everything we could and are nearly sold out so please reserve now if you haven’t! We may get a final drop of this before the other wines arrive so if you want sooner, let us know.
2020 Lauer Ayler Village Level Fass 25 Trocken ~$28 – $32 (screwcap)
This is the first year we are able to offer a bit of this wine! This is a village-level dry wine sourced from two sites (Scheidterberg and Rauberg) that circle around the backside of the village. Historically a bit chilly, these sites are now coming into a glorious place and the sorta jaw-dropping quality of “Barrel X” is a testament to these sites. Florian says the wine is cut and clear and vigorous – old school Saar! This will have a screwcap.
2020 Lauer Ayler Village Level Fass 4 Feinherb ~$28 – $32 (screwcap)
As noted above, yet more revelations of climate change, the “1er Cru” Scheidterberg hill that curls around the village of Ayl and the riper Sonnenberg (positioned against the Saar canal) are beginning to turn out wines of real depth and complexity, yet they also still flaunt a bit of their even-more-cool-climate thing. This is only the third vintage of this wine I’ve brought in, and honestly I think it’s here to stay. Think of it as “Barrel X” with more punch and guts – in 2020 this wine is almost dangerous: 33 grams residual sugar with nearly 10 grams (!) acid. Holy hell watch out. This will have a screwcap.
2020 Lauer Ayler Village Level Fass 3 Feinherb ~$30 – $34 (screwcap)
Another village level off-dry, this is sourced from various parcels on the “Grand Cru” Kupp – as such this is more the equivalent of “Senior,” in a Feinherb style. In other words, it is a “Grand Cru” declassified and sold at village-level pricing. (You’ll note “Senior” and the “Fass 3” pricing are in fact exactly aligned.) This tends to be a bit deeper and broader-shouldered than the Fass 4; it has more mineral complexity and more depth. The analytics are similar to the Fass 4, so expect lightning bolts and some dizziness. This will have a screwcap.
2020 Lauer Ayler Village Level Fass 2 Extra Trocken ~$33 – $37 (screwcap)
The Fass 2 is wine-dork crack; it is the most ruthless and mineral wine Florian makes, a baby “GG” with all the teeth-shattering force on a smaller framework. While these can be, shall we say bracing (?) in youth, they can make old bones. Maybe you’ve heard me tell the story of the 2008 Fass 2 that basically made Florian and me weep when we opened it in 2018. Oh lord. This will have a screwcap; I’m not particularly happy about that fact, but there we go.
grand cru
2020 Lauer Grand Cru “Unterstenberg” ~$38 – $42 (under cork)
Over the thirteen years I’ve been closely following Florian’s wines the Unterstenberg (sourced from the lower part of the Kupp mountain, “unter” the “berg”) has shed sugar, from a bit under 20, to then 15 and now in 2019 and 2020, even lower. The wine is completely dry for 2020 at under 9 grams residual sugar. I love it in this dry / drier form, with the schmaltzy, glycerin depth of the mid-palate emphasized and defined by the acidity’s cut and lift.
2020 Lauer Grand Cru “Kern” ~$46 – $50 (under cork)
“Kern” is named after the 19th century industrialist that cleared this more-western part of the Kupp; it is a small parcel that spans the entire top-to-bottom reach of the Kupp. Thus, for me, the wine always has something of the lift and rigor of “Stirn” and something of the depth of wines like “Neuenberg” and “Unterstenberg.” The vines are old here, well over 70-years-old, so the wine has some stuffing. It is most often well in that off-dry style, yet, with Lauer, it’s always about the balance.
2020 Lauer Grand Cru “Stirn” ~$48 – $52 (under cork)
For me, always one of Lauer’s most angelic, soaring wines. Sourced from the top of the Kupp mountain, the vines here are battered by the wind and there is little soil and little water; it is a struggle up here. The wine, however, shows just a soaring tension, an amazing linearity. I love this damn wine.
2020 Lauer Grand Cru “Neuenberg” ~$56 – $60 (under cork)
As with the “Unterstenberg,” the “Neuenberg” this year comes in close to dry and is one of the more curious wines Florian makes. It is sourced from a cherry parcel in the Grand Cru Kupp, one that sees the cool morning sun as well as the warmer afternoon sun and, situated as it is mid-slope, it can often have a bit of mist or fog lingering about. Sometimes there is just a touch of early botrytis that Florian will keep in the wine, adding to it a certain exotic textural component, glycerin polished down to its mineral core. It is a profound testament to what Lauer can do, what Riesling can do. It is also always one of the rarest wines.
prädikats
2020 Lauer Ayler Village Kabinett Fass 87 “Special Edition” ~$31 – $35 (screwcap)
This is the first time I’ve ever seen this wine; very simply it is a product of the vintage, one of the best for Kabinett in a long time… as Florian said, making this wine wasn’t the plan, but there it was. Thus, from an estate where I normally have to allocate out paltry amounts of the Kupp Kabinett – this year I get to allocate out paltry amounts of this village-level Kabinett as well! Florian says it is a bit more nervous and linear than the Kupp bottling. This will have a screwcap.
2020 Lauer Grand Cru Kupp Kabinett Fass 8 ~$36 – $40 (under cork)
This Kabinett is sourced from the Kupp; power and extreme rigor – this sports 50 grams residual sugar with about 10 grams acidity. Teeth-shatteringly delicious.