2023 Peter Lauer Riesling Sekt, Mosel, Germany
There are 26 units left in stock.
ABOUT THE WINE
The 2023 Peter Lauer Riesling Sekt is made from 100% Riesling, with fruit from the Ayler Kupp in Ayl on the Saar, part of Germany’s greater Mosel wine region. This dramatic hillside is defined by steep slopes and blue-gray Devonian slate, with the Saar’s cool climate helping the grapes retain the naturally high acidity that makes Riesling particularly well suited to sparkling wine.
Grapes destined for the Sekt are picked by hand and harvested relatively early to preserve acidity, then immediately whole-cluster pressed. After settling naturally overnight, the juice is transferred to traditional Fuder casks, where fermentation begins spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. This restrained cellar approach follows Lauer’s broader philosophy of allowing vineyard and vintage to dictate the wine rather than relying on heavy-handed winemaking.
The wine receives its second fermentation in bottle using the traditional method, followed by maturation on the lees in the estate’s deep cellars. Rather than emphasizing overtly ripe fruit, Lauer seeks tension, minerality, and savory complexity. The result is a particularly vinous style of Sekt, where fine bubbles frame Riesling’s citrus and floral character while the Saar’s slate soils contribute smoky, stony depth. The estate describes its sparkling-wine philosophy around great freshness and no dosage, reinforcing the wine’s dry, incisive personality.
Serve well chilled, around 45–48°F (7–9°C), preferably in a white-wine or narrow sparkling-wine glass rather than an overly tight flute. It is superb as an aperitif but has enough acidity and structure for oysters, shellfish, smoked trout, sushi, fried seafood, schnitzel, fresh goat cheese, or salty appetizers.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Weingut Peter Lauer is based in Ayl on the Saar and traces its winemaking history back nearly two centuries. Today the estate is led by Florian Lauer, representing the family's fifth generation of winemaking. Its identity is intimately connected to the steep vineyards surrounding Ayl, particularly the historic Ayler Kupp, Feils, and Schonfels sites.
Lauer’s philosophy centers on expressing the remarkable diversity found within these slate slopes. Vineyards are worked by hand with a natural, holistic approach, fruit is selectively hand-harvested, and fermentation typically occurs spontaneously with wild yeasts in old wooden casks. Even the estate’s distinctive practice of identifying wines by cask number reflects this commitment to individual parcels and cellar traditions: particular vineyard lots return to specific casks from vintage to vintage.
Although best known for its still Rieslings, Lauer’s sparkling wines are a natural extension of the estate’s philosophy. The Saar’s combination of cool temperatures, steep vineyards, slate soils, and naturally high acidity provides ideal raw material for serious Sekt. The 2023 Riesling Sekt distills that identity into sparkling form—fine-boned, intensely mineral, naturally fermented, and driven more by freshness, texture, and terroir than by sweetness or overt fruit.