2023 Lauer, Peter - Riesling Kabinett Schonfels

Vollenweider is quite simply, among the greatest practitioners of Kabinett on planet earth, part of a very small and elite group including Julian Haart, Egon Müller, Keller, Weiser-Künstler and Willi Schaefer – the young Julian Ludes of Hermann Ludes may join the ranks soon enough, but right now these are my five. Try and buy as much of this as you can.

-Importer notes (Vom Boden)

The Goldgrube Spätlese 2023, as it is referred to on the consumer label, was harvested on very old un-grafted vines in the Portz sector of the vineyard, a south-west facing and higher up the hill vineyard and was fermented down to sweet levels of residual sugar. It has a quite restrained yet refined and elegant nose of fine yellow peach, smoke, almond, may tree, lime tree, candied grapefruit, and anise. The wine shows a delicate juicy and smooth side on the palate, where fine creamy elements add to the overall suavity. The finish is velvety and very pure, and above all shows an animating freshness. This is a filigreed and refined Spätlese.

-Mosel Fine Wines

The 2022er Goldgrube Riesling, as it is referred to on the consumer label, is a bone-dry wine made from fruit harvested on up to 120-year-old un- grafted vines and was left for 1 year on its gross lees. It has a beautifully and finely reductive and very herbal nose of minty thyme, rosemary, white pepper, spearmint, flintstone, and other wild herbs, before showing fine scents of white flowers and lime tree. The wine starts off on a slightly round and creamy side, yet an acidic backbone clearly comes through and leads to a straight and quite spicy long finish. This defies the richer side of the 2022 vintage and proves superbly refined and playful. The aftertaste is all about smoke and white flowers and proves bone-dry in taste.

-Mosel Fine Wines