2020 Willems-Willems 'Auf der Lauer' Feinhurb Riesling Mosel

Winemaker Notes:  The walled vineyard in Oberemmel, planted with vines up to 55 years old, originally bore the name "Auf der Mauer" ('On the Wall'). Another winemaker patented that name, so Willems-Willems has shortened it to "Auf der Lauer" (from a German children's song) and changed its label with a wink to feature a fox. This is their "fun Riesling" — playful and elegant, and just as delicious solo as it is with a wide variety of food.

Five generations of Willems women have managed the family’s business. While today a dedicated wine growing estate, up until 1971 it was still operated as a mixed farm. That was the year Maria Willems married Karl, who shared a distant ancestor and thus the same last name. And so Willems became Willems-Willems, a name still proudly in use today.

Maria’s daughter Carolin and her husband Jürgen are now responsible for the wines. Both Jurgen and Carolin frequently commute from their family home in Appenhem in Rheinhessen to the wine growing estate on the Saar. General manager Peter Thelen is local full-time, looking after the grapes and the cellar. Grandparents Karl and Maria Willems regularly lend a helping hand as well, including responsibility for the holiday flats located in the historical section of the estate’s residence.