2020 Peter Lauer Barrel X Saar Riesling is a product of centuries-old traditions and a rebellion spirit.
Peter Lauer Winery Story
Lauer family has been winegrowers in the Mosel wine region of Germany since 1830. Florian gradually started taking the reins from his father, Peter Lauer II, in 2006.
While he’s the 5th generation to manage the family estate, Florian is a pioneer in the Saar region of Germany. On the contrary to a long-standing Mosel tradition of crafting off-dry wines with residual sugar, Florian prefers to produce dry Rieslings. Florian’s authentic craftsmanship focuses on spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, extensive lees contact, and varietal purity.
As two centuries ago, the Lauer family approach to their magnificent steep-slope vineyards of the Saar region is the same. These slopes are so steep that they are part of the “heroic viticulture” phenomena. Naturally, everything done by hand in the vineyards and harvest is hand-harvested, just like centuries ago.
In some parts of the estate, mechanization could save time and money. Still, Florian doesn’t deploy tractors because “…they unnecessarily compact the soil and impoverish the living space there.” Needless to say that they follow organic farming practices.
Florian and Peter Lauer wines have acquired almost a cult-like status in the past two decades.
Peter Lauer Barrel X Saar Riesling 2020
In the Bottle
‘Barrel X’ Saar Riesling 2020 is an appellation-level wine sourced from multiple vineyards in four different villages of the Saar: Ayl (Lauer’s home village), Saarburg, Wawern, and Wiltingen. Florian says, “From Ayl and Wawern, the wine gains the fruit and power, from Saarburg the racy acidity, and from Wiltingen, the spice.”
It’s a 100% Riesling made from 50% estate and 50% fruit purchased from high-quality growers in the area. Some grapes came from vines that are over 100 years old.
The grapes were gently pressed whole-cluster, with the juice occasionally pumped back in for a short maceration to add texture to the wine. All fermentations occurred with native yeasts without any fining agents.
The new wines are aged on the lees (natural sediment) in a mixture of stainless steel, fiberglass, and traditional Mosel Fuder (1,000-liter oak casks) for up to 6 months, depending on the cuveé. The ready wine was only lightly filtered with diatomaceous earth to preserve its character.
In the Glass
Peter Lauer’s dry-tasting style of Riesling is on the opposite side of the spectrum from its famous neighbors Egon Müller and Zilliken.
The seducing aroma of linden honey, acacia and orange blossoms, pear, and peach flows into a full-bodied off-dry wine with Golden Delicious apple, Asian pear, apricot, nectar, and limestone minerality flavors.
Aftertaste
2020 Barrel X Riesling walks a fine line between more traditional sweeter Riesling from Saar and drier styles. Thanks to a balanced acidity, Barrel X Riesling has a sweet note, yet it drinks more like a dry wine.
Considering the quality of this wine, it presents a unique value from Mosel with a price under $25. One can easily spend twice as much on similarly tasting wines.
Food Pairings
We tried Barrel X with spicy sushi rolls checking how well it proves we are right about sushi and wine pairings. On the other day, we paired it with a goat cheese spread. The sweet note of the wine and the acidity cut through stronger flavors of Asian spices and sauces very well. We also think this Riesling would taste good with some Indian dishes with spinach and other vegetables.