2022 Lauer Riesling Grand Cru Unterstenberg No. 12

“Unterstenberg” can be translated, roughly, as “under the mountain” –  the vineyard sits at the base of the Kupp.

The location of this vineyard shapes absolutely everything about the wine; everything runs down the mountain after all. Thus the Unterstenberg is one of the few sites that rarely lacks for water and has a mineral-rich soil. 

What does this mean for the wine itself? It tends to be one of the broadest and most powerful of Lauer’s dry wines. Because of the ample water, it has a mineral expression that is multifaceted, complex, deep. Interestingly, Unterstenberg is one of the few Lauer wines that has changed its signature dramatically at times; in the late 2000s the wine tended to be rather “Feinherb” in style. Since 2012, for reasons unknown to Florian, the wine has been fermenting closer to dry, shedding sugar, first from a bit under 20, to then 15 and now even lower – it is dry this vintage.