Florian Lauer captures the Saar's cooling quality through a full spectrum of styles.

In a valley where each domain uses sugar as the fault line to define their wines, Florian uniquely defines his domain with a focus on each parcel: each with their own character (and of course, acids, sugars, dryness).

On the scale of bone dry to crushingly off-dry, his signature exists in the glorious in-between, crafting wines that flirt with both ends of the spectrum. All with texture, precision, depth—qualities beloved by collectors and newcomers alike.

We had the chance to visit the vineyards, stand at the top of the Kupp, and understand just how his exacting work in the vineyards results in what are arguably the most terroir-specific wines from this hallowed hill.

With ‘23s having just landed, we get into it all below.

Though relatively unknown in the wider wine world until the last decade, the Lauer family has been cultivating vines since 1830. Florian stepped into the family business in ‘05, taking immediate action to parcel out their vines within the Ayler Kupp and, incredibly, reviving their centenarian lines in the terrifyingly steep Schonfels vineyard.

The Kupp itself, a soaring hillside that defines the landscape, is a lot like another German Grand Cru, Donnhoff’s Hermannshöhle (or outside of wine, you could picture Australia's crazy Ayers Rock), in that it has almost every exposure to the sun. The unobstructed hillside vines receive some or all of the sun from East to West; ripeness and breadth at the bottom of the hill, with a cooling forest and stripped soil at the top. (For a full visual, Lauer has some stunning videos here).

Each exposure and position grows a wildly different expression of Riesling; and much of Florian’s work is to show you this beautiful, delicious diversity.

Schonfels is a terrifying site to visit. The vineyard plunges steeply into the Saar River and must be harvested using restraints. Being there, you can understand why Florian’s father let it go fallow in the '80s. Florian revived the site, bringing the centuries old slate back to bottle (one of the most aggressively flavored expressions of this is in the GG below).

With so many parcel bottlings, it's difficult to generalize about the final wines from Lauer's holdings on the Kupp. But, each is a study in balance—delicate yet powerful, featherlight yet resonant.

From the vibrant and citrus-driven 'Fass 25' to the deeper, more contemplative 'Fass 17,' the lineup tells a story of the Saar’s unique microclimate: cool, breezy, and defined by that signature blue slate. And then there are the GGs: bone-dry, razor-sharp, yet still humming with that inimitable Lauer energy.

VILLAGE WINES

2023 Lauer Kupp Fass 1: 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. $32

2023 Lauer Kupp Fass 3: 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. $32

2021 Lauer Saar Reserve Riesling Sekt Brut: Disgorged just this past October, always citrusy and very pretty. $40

PREMIER CRU

2023 Lauer Ayl 1G Fass 21:  This wine is sourced from top parcels in and around Ayler Kupp; in essence a “baby GG,” the wine has all the density and texture you’d expect from a top Lauer wine. $40

GRAND CRU (Off Dry)

2023 Lauer Grand Cru 'Kern' Fass 9: 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. $47

2023 Lauer 'Stirn' Fass 15:  From fruit picked in the prime south-west-facing, upper-front part of the original Ayler Kupp hill. $49

GGs

2023 Lauer Feils Fass 13 GG: From another one of Florian’s Grand Cru, on the other side of the river from Schonfels. $58

2023 Lauer Kupp Fass 18 GG: Pure and fresh, it’s a textbook Saar Riesling from what Florian considers his top fruit in the heart of the Kupp. $58

2023 Lauer Schonfels Fass 11 GG: Almost all of the fruit from this incredible site goes into the GG (a tiny bit goes into a Kabi), making a severe, eye opening wine. $60