As we've written many times, this is simply one of the greatest values in white wine, period.
With the 2022 edition, we mark the 15th vintage of this wine we have had the pleasure of offering to the U.S.
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Fifteen years later and this wine now solidly occupies one of the wine world's most magical places: a wine that is bought by the most serious collectors (in quantity) yet is also a standard weekday "go-to" bottling.
For 15 years Lauer's "Senior" has been a perennial staff favorite, a "Grand Cru" Riesling priced to be a summertime house white.
At as low as $24.95 per bottle, you can understand why.
Florian Lauer has taken his rightful place as one of the acknowledged greats of German wine and while prices have yet to go crazy, there is now a supply-side issue: The wine disappears more quickly every year.
The 2022 edition has just arrived and it is one of the most delicate and linear "Seniors" Lauer has ever made, clocking in nearly dry and yet only 11% alcohol.
This is a wine of incredible lightness with an explosive-evaporative quality that recalls cool vintages like 2004 and 2008. Yet 2022 was not a cool vintage. How does one explain the startling sharpness of the wine?
Two factors shaped this vintage more than the heat. The first was an extreme dryness that basically forced all of the vines to shut down; they did not produce sugar for a four to six week period, thus the wines have a very low level of alcohol. They are extremely lithe and delicate in feel.
The second factor was a very cool September which kept acids sharp and polished and the fruit-profile of the wines citrusy and green, with lime zest but also anise and mint.
As always, the balance is extraordinary and just so unique. While a handful of German estates now produce Rieslings in this complex, dry-tasting range, no one has been able to match the uncanny elegance and poise of Lauer's wines.
Fifteen years and this line is only more and more true every year: Senior is one of our most popular offerings every year. There's no doubt that this will sell out quickly.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
Special 6-pack pricing for a limited time. Use Code: Senior-22