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Horst Sauer

Horst Sauer joined the family business at the age of 22, having completed his studies in oenology. At the time he didn't know it, but has was to transform the concern into one of world renown. His father had always sent the grapes produced on their small estate of just 3 ha to the local co-operative, but Horst changed that. He started to vinify and bottle the wine himself, using the bocksbeutel, the squat flagon-shaped bottle that is traditional in Franken. His wines came to the attention of the wine press, and his fame was assured. The family business is now a strong one, and employs Horst's wife Magdalena and daughter Marion. Their other daughter, Sandra, will join the team when she has returned from gaining further experience in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, having completed her oenology studies at Geisenheim.

Horst Sauer Horst Sauer expanded the family estate, which now amounts to over 10 ha including leased as well as purchased vineyards. Chief among all his vineyards is Eschendorfer Lump, where lump, meaning 'rags', is derived from the way the vineyard soil broke up during rainfall after the land had been tilled. It is an amphitheatre of a vineyard, south-facing, trapping the sun's rays and thus warming the vines which are planted on the vertiginous slopes. This mesoclimate, together with the limestone terroir, is what helps Sauer to fashion his finest wines. In addition, close around the base of the Lump runs the River Main, and the consequent damp fosters Noble rot in these vines. Franken is noted for dry rather than sweet wines, but this site is a source for botrytised sweet wines of excellent character. His other sites include Berg and Furstenberf, also in Eschendorf, and Untereisenheimer Sonnenberg, but none match Lump for quality.

Most of Sauer's vines are Silvaner, which is more prevalent in Franken than in other regions of Germany, although he also has plenty of the dreaded Müller Thurgau and an increasing area of Riesling planted up. Most are trocken, in keeping with the practices of the region, although some are halbtrocken and an increasing proportion are sweet, including Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein. The vines are cared for along environmentally sound lines, although unsurprisingly this far north the vineyards are not entirely organic. The winemaking tends to be as non-interventional as possible, with fermentation in stainless steel. There is no use of oak whatsoever. My personal impression is that the quality of some wines produced here is very high indeed, although I have an evident and readily confessed penchant for the sweet wines rather than the trocken. (30/8/05)

Contact details:
Address: Bocksbeutelstr. 14, D-97332 Escherndorf
Telephone: +49 9381 4364
Fax: +49 9381 6843
Internet: www.weingut-horst-sauer.de

Horst Sauer - Tasting Notes

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2004

Horst Sauer Frank & Frei Müller Thurgau 2004: Sweet, grapey nose. Little impact on the palate. Quite unremarkable. 12/20 (May 2005)

Horst Sauer Sehnsucht Silvaner 2004: A lovely tropical fruit and bacon nose here. Peachy and perfumed on the palate, very fresh, with great acidity. Quite mineral, with a chalky talc quality. A good quality for Silvaner, and interesting. 16/20 (May 2005)

Horst Sauer Eschendorfer Lump Riesling Kabinett 2004: A fine, aromatic nose on this wine, with more peachy fruit. Full, and well flavoured on the palate. Nicely rounded texture, a touch oily, with good weight and structure. Overall good. 16/20 (May 2005)

Horst Sauer Eschendorfer Lump Silvaner Spätlese Trocken 2004: Rather plain and simple herbal white fruit on the nose here. Again served very cold which doesn't help the aromatics. Full, structured, very bright on the palate. Quite decent flavour and very correct, fresh acidity. Good firm finish. This is good, and has potential for the cellar. 16+/20 (May 2005)

2003

Horst Sauer Eschendorfer Lump Riesling Spätlese Trocken 2003: Exotic, perfumed nose. Tropical fruit aromas, perhaps somewhat muted as served very cold. A good Spätlese weight is evident, with talc and perfume nuances of flavour. Moderate acidity. Interesting wine, and one that will improve in the cellar. 16+/20 (May 2005)

2002

Horst Sauer Eschendorfer Lump Silvaner Auslese Trocken 2002: Canned peaches on the nose, with some exotic twists on the side. Again served too cold. Notes of sherbet too. This is quiet appealing. Full and really dry on the palate, with plenty of sherbetty character. Shows good vinosity and weight when warmed in the glass. This is quite lovely, and will mature well in the cellar. 16.5+/20 (May 2005)

Horst Sauer Eschendorfer Lump Silvaner Auslese 2002: Very, very mineral on the nose, with some botrytis character in evidence. This is clearly a step up in character and quality from the previous wines. A wealth of texture and residual sugar evident on the palate, with delicious peach and mango flavours. Great focus and minerality. Lovely; forget trocken, this is how it should be! 17+/20 (May 2005)

Horst Sauer Eschendorfer Lump Riesling Beerenauslese 2002: Beautiful nose, simply stuffed with gloriously exotic tropical fruits, tinged with botrytis derived apricot character. Stunning palate; great verve and style, enveloped in lovely richness. Immaculate, piercing flavour of tropical fruit, with great focus and structure. This has real panache. I would think it would develop for twenty years at least. 19+/20 (May 2005)