The Philosophy at Peter Lauer
[philosophy]
“Riesling for advanced learners” means…
1. Stylish wines with elegance, not too alcoholic, but with depth and concentration is the goal of our traditional work in steep slate hillsides.
2. A natural, organic wine production—in the vineyard and beyond is essential.
3. Riesling as passion. The noble white grape plays for us the sensory keyboard of soil, climate, and upbringing. Here originates an individual, first-class range from one single grape variety.
4. Real wines mean for us: one vineyard, one character. We harvest our best parcels separate and let them ferment with their natural yeasts. Nature is the composer, we are the musicians.
5. A spontaneous fermentation with wild, untamed yeasts is risky, though infinitely exciting.
6. In regard to quality levels we think logical and simple. Our wines are arranged in three distinct categories: light-bodied wines from the Saar Valley, typical site-specific wines from around Ayl, and genuine terroir wines from our best parcels.
This was translated from Weingut Lauer’s website. Click here. For Point Two I kept to the original text and left the word “organic,” even though Lauer is not officially organic. The Lauers avoid artificial fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides. They do use, however, non-organic treatments against mildew when necessary. Florian Lauer feels that the use of copper, which is toxic, is more harmful than certain fungicides. The three distinct categories under Point Six are similar to Burgundy with regional (i.e., Saar Riesling) wines, “villages” (from sites near Ayl), and then the “premier” or “grand crus” (e.g., from pre-1971 names within today’s Kupp, such as “Unterstenbersch” and “Stirn.”)
Tags: Peter Lauer, Saar