He's more or less put together and personable. If he were a politician, maybe you'd vote for him? He's the kind of guy you want to get a beer with. But forget the beer.

Start talking wine with Florian... and you realize quickly how truly driven (insane?) Florian Lauer is - how truly, irrationally (insanely?) specific and focused he is. For 2022, Lauer had only two casks of Kupp Kabinett. Yet, each one tasted better on its own compared to the blend. Florian's answer? Bottle two unique Kabinetts that will have the same exact label, other than the AP#. No one will notice this tiny detail - no one is meant to. But to Florian, keeping the identity of these unique casks, this year, was important.

Yes, even in the gloriously inefficient and detail-oriented world of German wine (which god I do love), Florian Lauer is on a different level.

Another example? Lambertskirch.

In the vintage 2022, from the tiny 2,500-square-meter plot (everything you see above - that is the entire vineyard!) Florian Lauer made no fewer than three unique wines: 500 liters of Kabinett (harvested in late September), 300 liters of Spätlese (harvested in the second week of October) and 200 liters of a GG (harvested in the third week of October).

We are talking about one thousand liters of wine - in total - harvested in multiple passes on three separate occasions, all to express, as finely as possible, as high-resolution as possible, the truth of the Lambertskirch vineyard.

In our age of synergies and scales of economy, the fact that there is a human dedicated to painfully complicated, inefficient truths, who does things because they just should be done... it's inspiring, crazy, heart-warming and awesome.

This is what we celebrate today.

The GG will only be sold at the auctions. These auctions celebrate this exact madness and specificity of German wine: Some casks are just better than others. Want to learn more? Interested in bidding at the auction? Anyone can do this - it's easy and fun and while it's hardly bargain shopping, you don't have to wear an ascot to bid either. Click here to learn more about the auctions.

The Kabinett is available here and only a few other places in the U.S. Five hundred liters for the world, only a bit for the U.S., so first come, first served.
(The Spätlese? It hasn't been released from the estate yet, but buy a bottle of Kabinett today and your name goes into a hat for some of the few bottles that will come to the U.S. later this year.)

The history of this site - the Lambertskirch - is also inspiring. Lauer's involvement with it and his restoring and replanting the vineyard to 100-year-old selection massale cuttings from Saarburg, Wiltingen, Piesport, Cochem and Winningen is another testament to Lauer's glorious madness. The longer story of the Lambertskirch is told below.

And the wine, well, it's as soaring as any Lambertskirch Kabinett I've had; those of you who have been able to grab a few bottles from past vintages know what I'm talking about.

I can't explain the why or the how - but for me Lauer's 2022ers are among the most compelling wines he's ever made. If 2021 is a rocketship, powerful and thundering, vintage 2022 is an arrow: ultra-light, quivering and razor sharp. Read more about my obsession here.

And for me the Lambertskirch is one of Lauer's sleekest Kabinetts. The 2022 - a bottle of which disappeared frighteningly quickly when re-tasting for this offer - is almost absurdly dense, polished and slick. It is a needle-fine rush of candied lime, grapefruit, salt and mineral. The finish is absurdly long, forceful and precise.

Is it 90 degrees in September? This is the perfect wine. Is it any temperature anywhere? This is the perfect bottle. Drink now or for the next decade and celebrate genius... and a touch of insanity.

Stephen and Robert

2022 Lauer Riesling Lambertskirch Kabinett
"The 2022er Lambertskirch Kabinett, as it is referred to in the central part of the label, was made from fruit harvested in this south-east facing Lieu Dit overseeing the Saar, and was fermented down to fully fruity-styled levels of residual sugar (50 g/l). It offers a fully aromatic and appealing nose of pink grapefruit, candy floss, Conference pear, quince, minty herbs, and celery spices. The wine is nicely pure and light-weighted on the finely aromatic, refined, and smooth palate. There is good length and freshness in the finish. This is a superb drinking Kabinett." Mosel Fine Wines, Issue No. 66, June 2023

A short history of the Lambertskirch vineyard
This place has been sacred for centuries (millennia?). Already by the Middle Ages it was a stop on various pilgrimage routes. A church was built there, at some point in history, and at some point it weathered away. There is still a clos here, walled and serene with huge old trees. Just outside of the walls is the gem-like vineyard: a strange trapezoid steeply angled and turning toward the Saar river. This site is dramatically-inclined (the photo does not do it justice) and only a stone’s throw from the Schonfels. Growing up, Florian’s father would always tell him: “The Lambertskirch is one of the best sites out there.” It changed hands a number of times and one owner, alas, grubbed up the vines and planted a small orchard there; this too went fallow. When Florian finally had the chance to buy the site around 2008, he jumped at it. That said, it took a year just to clear the site before it had to be completely replanted. However, Lauer decided to really invest here: The Lambertskirch is planted with 100-year-old selection massale vines taken from five villages in the Mosel: Saarburg, Wiltingen, Piesport, Cochem and Winningen. This is some special genetic material – and honestly from nearly the get-go the wines from here have been electric.

This offer is now closed. If you need help finding the wines please email orders@sourcematerialwine.com.