Petere Lauer Riesling Fass 8 Kabinett 2021

Our Kabinett builds on the long tradition of delicately fruity Saar wines with a record-breaking 7 to 8% alcohol. The shelf life is long, but with its wonderfully open fruit of herbs and berries, it is a lot of fun even in its youth. The concise Saar mineral notes playfully balance the opulent fruit. Unlike the Spätlese, the Kabinett is not obtained from over-ripeness, but by selecting fully ripe and 100% healthy grapes. This is how freshness and fruit are preserved. An extremely invigorating wine that gives elegant pleasure.

All viticulture is organic in nature and nearly all of the work is done entirely by hand thanks to the incredibly steep grades of the vineyards. After the fruit is hand-harvested, it arrives at the winery where fermentation is completely spontaneous and free of any non-native yeasts. What’s more, Weingut Peter Lauer maintains the practice of fermenting the same sites in the same barrel (fass/faß) vintage after vintage so that the same native yeasts can ferment the same point of origin (fruit) in a similar style. Each label is then labeled accordingly, such as the Faß 18 (Barrel 18) I am reviewing today. Lauer prefers slow fermentations with extended lees contact and bâtonnage (lees stirring) to add structure, while also eliminating their need for fining. The resulting wines are incredible representations of their terroir, and truly some of the finest being produced in the Saar.