2009 Peter Lauer Saar Riesling Faß 16 Trocken

2009 Peter Lauer Saar Riesling Faß 16 Trocken

In the past couple of years, we in Australia have seemed to have embraced German Riesling….and when I say embrace I mean we’ve given it a really good hug, not one of those insipid little squeezes while rolling your eyes behind its back.

This….well from my perspective anyway is for the following reasons….firstly it provides a counterpoint for the excellent array of linear, zippy Australian Rieslings we have on the market and secondly we have an increasing number of savvy importers who are bringing in some of, not only the established high profile estates, but some of the hottest, up-and-coming producers in Germany…..the ones that are leading the charge so to speak.

Importers like Neville Yates at Eurocentric Wine , Patrick Walsh at Cellarhand , Rob Walters at Bibendum , Randall & Nic at Heart & Soil and Andrew Guard at Andrew Guard Wine Imports who is bringing in this particular producer.

Thirty-something Florian Lauer studied his craft in Montpellier and honed his chops under the watchful gaze of his Father Peter, a fifth generation owner/winemaker at Weingut Peter Lauer ….a 7.5ha domaine on the Saar River in the commune of Ayl.

According to my brother from another mother, Lyle, over at Rockss and Fruit , who recently visited the estate….80% of the production is sold at the hotel Peter & Florian own in Ayl so we can count ourselves pretty lucky to see any of the wines over here at all.

The Saar is the main tributary of the Mosel, beginning its journey from the Vosges mountains in Alsace…sluggishly meandering its way down to the Mosel River. There is about 750ha under vine in the Saar…..the sites are steep on blue, grey & red slate with pockets of sandstone and quartzite. The rockstar vineyards here are Scharzhofberg and Ayler Krup…..it is at the latter site that you will find the vineyards of Peter Lauer.

There are some curious labelling peculiarities with the Lauer wines……the wines are labelled with a Faß (barrel) number for starters…then many of the wine names pay homage to sites that were used before the German wine laws were changed in 1971….names like Unterstenbersch, Stern and Kern rather than  Prädikats for the top wines….with this particular wine, I’m presuming that it is from various sites from the Saar possibly including some parcels of fruit from Ayler Krup itself.

The wines at the estate are made with whole bunch pressed, sometimes adding the juice back to the pomace for some skin contact, wild yeasts and get extended aging sur lie (on lees), sometimes battonage is employed and the aging takes place in old oak Fuder or tank…..in the case of the Faß 16, it see’s 2 months sur lie and I am presuming (unless someone would like to correct me) that it is all tank.

The Peter Lauer wines have just rocked up in the country and I’m sure you’ll be seeing them appear on wine-lists and in decent retailers in the near future, so we’ll have a look at the Lauer entry level Riesling for starters.

Pale straw in the glass with a mineral-laden nose of peach, citrus and crunchy apple underscored with slate and stone, jasmine blossom, almond paste, flint and light estery hints of ripe pineapple.

Clean and pure on the palate with excellent slatey drive….white peach, grapefruit and green apple are again the predominant flavours, almond, white flowers, a light creaminess and minerals. The acid profile is filigreed and weaves its way through the fruit. Good tension and poise on the palate and finishes dry and lingering…..a great introduction to the style of Peter Lauer and seeing as this is his entry level Riesling, it certainly makes me look forward to the wines higher up in his portfolio.

Price: $36 – Closure: Screwcap – Alcohol: 11.5%

Ayler Kupp