Riesling Barrel X

Peter Lauer — now stewarded by Florian Lauer — is widely considered one of the greatest estates in the Saar, the tiny tributary of the Mosel that produces wines of singular intensity, minerality, and cut. Unlike his famous neighbor Egon Müller, Florian's focus is on dry to off-dry Rieslings that ferment spontaneously with native yeasts on the Ayler Kupp and surrounding sites, finding their own natural balance without reference to the Prädikat system. 'Barrel X' is Florian's Platonic ideal of a Saar Riesling — his 'Bourgogne Blanc.' An appellation-level blend from four Saar villages: Ayl (fruit and power), Wawern (power), Saarburg (racy acidity), and Wiltingen (spice). There is some residual sugar, but the Saar's fierce natural acidity absorbs it entirely — the wine reads dry. It is, as importer Vom Boden says, the gateway drug to Lauer, to the Saar, to Riesling. Blue slate soils, indigenous yeasts, minimal sulfur. 10.5% ABV.