2021 Peter Lauer "Barrel X" Mosel Riesling

PETER LAUER: THE MAESTRO OF MOSEL TERROIR

Peter Lauer catapulted to cult status in the last two decades, and Riesling collectors snap them up with lightning speed each year. Located specifically in the Saar subregion of the Mosel, Lauer farms his steep, old vines right next to the Mosel's most famous name, Egon Muller. Lauer's focus is to make fresh, ethereal wines with prickly acid that dances on the palate and perfectly matches the delicate residual sugar. Each vineyard and parcel is bottled separately to ensure the underlying terroir is fully expressed, and the numbers on the bottle indicate the individual foudre the wine was matured in. All the wines are meticulously made, with surprising variability between the different bottlings, and they all deliver major complexity and flavor at an astoundingly affordable price point. These are balanced, textural, precise, and crystalline examples of Saar Riesling that reflect the incredible diversity of Mosel terroir, and the new 2022s are nothing short of outstanding. Go for the Barrel X if you want a "adult Gatorade" with more substance or explore the fass (single individually numbered barrels) and single vineyard wines to get more serious wines with incredible intensity and ability to age.