Freshness from 2006
2006 Lauer Riesling "Fass 7"
One Small Parcel Direct from Lauer's Cellar
A small gift, from Mr. Florian Lauer.
While 2006 is famed for its Baroque dessert wines, BAs and TBAs that will last centuries, the vintage also scares some people; it is a high-botrytis vintage that turned many a Kabinett into goopy, sticky messes.
That said, some people managed the "luxury" of the vintage very well. To Joe and me, Willi Schaefer's 2006s are magical - the Kabinetts are glossy, the fruit has a beautiful stone fruit cake-icing quality, yet they remain poised and balanced and pure and glowing and... just beautiful.
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| Florian Lauer in the Crush Tasting Room |
Today we present another success story of the vintage, to say nothing of the fact that these are the only bottles of this wine the U.S. will likely ever see, direct from the Lauer cellar.
The provenance is no small fact. Maybe you could attribute the wine's freshness to the Saar, to the natural lighter-than-air briskness the best wines from this region flaunt, or to the winemaking of Lauer - indeed Lauer's wines have become cult wines based almost solely on their ultra-fine presentation of mineral, on the piercing quality of their acidity.
Yet still, I can't help but think that the icy freshness, the beautiful mint and basil aromatics of this wine have as much to do with the fact the bottles have been unmoved, and in a very cold place, for the last six years.
Whatever the cause, this bottle offers a really stunning presentation of what 2006 can be. Lauer's 2006 Fass 7 has that certain slimness and nuance that only come with bottle age, a delicate stone fruit sweetness edged by mint and honey, by sweet flowers and herbs.
The mid-palate sweetness is present, yet it is woven with mineral - not in the least overt, or sappy or sticky. Among the few people tasting this last week, we put away the bottle very quickly and very easily.
Back-vintage parcels (may we call 2006 back-vintage?) of Lauer just don't exist. This is an opportunity that is unlikely to repeat itself.
In the years since our (re)introduction, Lauer has become a cult name - the wines have found a very serious clientele, all deserved. With this as the context, we expect this small parcel to go very quickly.
To order, email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Stephen Bitterolf
Wine Director
Crush Wine & Spirits