Washington State Riesling

Wine importers Mack & Schühle have made a name for themselves, searching out wines from across the world and bringing them to U.S. wine lovers.  One of their latest discoveries did not require much travel.  United Ink has three wines from Washington's Columbia Valley and an Oregon Pinot Noir.  Today, the Columbia Valley Riesling.

United Ink Riesling 2020

The 2020 United Ink Riesling is all Columbia Valley Riesling grapes, made dry by winemaker David Forsyth.  The winery says, "the majority of the 2020 Dry Riesling comes from skirted vineyards across a hill line surrounding the Yakima Valley."  The region is known for its semi-arid conditions.  Alcohol tips only 12% abv and the wine retails at a super-low $12.

This Riesling is yellow-green in the glass and offers a very attractive nose dominated by citrus and minerals.  The palate keeps it going, with the flavor of Meyer lemon dancing along with minerals and a bit of peach.  Acidity is good and fresh, but it won't take taste buds off of your tongue.  The winery recommends this one as a pairing with salmon, but anything from the sea will do.

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Michigan Riesling: Old Mission Peninsula

The locals call it paradise on a peninsula.  Michigan's Old Mission Peninsula wine region sticks out of the northwestern edge of the state's main body into Lake Michigan.  Situated on the 45th parallel, about the same latitude where you find Bordeaux, it's a 19-mile spit which juts northward and forms the east and west sides of Grand Traverse Bay.  It's only four miles wide at its broadest point.  They grow wine grapes there.  The blue waters surrounding the land are some 600 feet deep, that produces what they call a "lake effect" which I am told protects the vines with snow in winter, slows bud break in spring to avoid frost damage, and extends the growing season by up to four weeks.

There's a thriving wine AVA on the strip of land, along with breweries and distilleries.  I've tasted Michigan wines before and found them to be of very high quality, so I had high expectations when the OMP reps sent some of their wines to me for review.  I was not disappointed.

Château Grand Traverse Dry Riesling 2017

Château Grand Traverse was founded by Edward O'Keefe Jr., who reportedly made the first large-scale planting of Vitis vinifera grapes in Michigan.  He also started the AVA in the 1980s, when he had the peninsula all to himself.  They say the 1987 Chateau Grand Traverse Johannisberg Riesling Ice Wine was served at the White House, at the George H. W. Bush inauguration.

This bone-dry Michigan Riesling is a mineral-driven wine.  Light golden in color, it has a nose of citrus peel and a wet driveway.  The aromas aren't terribly complex, but as Spencer Tracy said, "What's there is cherce."  On the palate there are flavors of apple, lemon and lime with a brisk, chalky minerality.  Acidity is almost racy, certainly zippy enough to handle a sandwich or salad.  The finish is lengthy and reminiscent of an older vintage Riesling, quite nice.


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Riesling From CA's Central Coast

Oh, how I love a Riesling with that petrol emotion.  The smell that reminds me of swimming near the flat-bottom boat with the Evinrude on the stern, dripping oil and gasoline into the water.  It's not environmentally sound, but it's from my teenage years on a lake in east Texas and I'm sorry about the water, but I loved that smell. 

Francis Cutruzzola and his partner Lisa Miller were longtime Sonoma County residents who merely visited the Paso Robles area - a lot.  One visit turned into a stay when they bought a vineyard outside of Cambria, where they grow two acres of Riesling grapes and five of Pinot Noir.

They work there with winemaker Stephen Dooley, who in 2019 will mark his tenth year on job.  My wife and I also like visiting the little town, and early on we were confused by the different pronunciations it received, with both a short and long "a" sound.  We gradually settled on the short.

Dooley is a U.C. Davis graduate who, the website says, has worked "the Napa Valley, the Australian outback, and the South African Cape."  His personal winemaking style has been shaped by those experiences.

Petrol.  This 2015 San Luis Obispo County Riesling from the Riven Rock Vineyard has that smell in spades, the smell that I long for in every Riesling I try.  It's so strong it's on the palate, too. There's also a wallop of wet driveway here, and even a hint of gin & tonic.  A nice acidity helps the wine be food-friendly, a natural for Riesling, anyway.

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German Riesling A Winner

German wines tend to fall beneath the U.S. wine drinker's radar.  Aside from Riesling, you'll be hard-pressed to find a German grape variety or even a German version of a more familiar grape, on a supermarket shelf.  Specialty wine stores will dig deeper, but depending on their inventory they may not have a very wide coverage.  With this in mind, I was thrilled to be asked to participate in an online tasting event involving German wines, with Matthew Kaner, wine director and partner at several wine bars in the Los Angeles area.

Kaner says of the new world of German wine, "there's more than just Riesling," and he went on during the event to cover a Muller-Thurgau, a Pinot Blanc and a Pinot Gris as well as a Riesling.

Another invitee, Dezel Quillen (@myvinespot) commented that he appreciates "the brightness, raciness, and lower alcohol levels in these wines. But those characteristics are trademarks of Germany's refreshing, cool-climate wines. Not to mention their food-friendly nature."  He knows what he's talking about.

Kaner spoke about German Rieslings, with their ability to age incredibly.  He said they are "time capsules" that can age for a century and called them the "archetype of an age-worthy white wine."  He also offered up an interesting tidbit for wine travel buffs, that the best way to experience Pfalz wine country is to "fly into Frankfurt and make the drive. It's quicker than LA to Santa Barbara."

The Von Winning 2015 Riesling called "Winnings" is a good way to do just that.  Imported by Skurnik Wines of New York, the Terry Theise selection scores big while delivering its attributes in a most understated way.

The Von Winning Weingut has been around for awhile, since 1849.  Leopold Von Winning really started the emphasis on quality wine in 1907, practically current times by European standards.  The team is led today by Stephan Attmann, whom Theise calls an "obsessive winemaker" on the Skurnik website.  The Von Winning grapes are farmed organically while the wines are fermented in oak barrels and handled as little as possible, often bottled unfiltered.

This Riesling from the Pfalz region hits 11.5% abv and sells for about $20.

The 2015 Winnings Riesling shows a golden tint in the glass and a nose which makes me glad I inhaled.  It's austere, with huge slate notes backed by hints of petrol that are starting to show and a whiff of citrus zest to finish off the scent.  The palate is smart and savory, with a sedate acidity softened by the almost creamy mouthfeel.  The finish stays long and leaves tangerine notes to remind the sipper of the pleasure.


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Oregon's Orange Riesling

From southern Oregon's Applegate Valley, Troon Vineyards has released a Riesling to contemplate. The 2016 Troon Riesling Whole Grape Ferment doesn't look like a Riesling. It has a faint burnished orange color, like apple cider. It's not made like most Rieslings, either. I’ll let General Manager Craig Camp tell you about that. He came to Troon from Napa Valley last year, and this incredible wine is one that "fully reflects" his winemaking goals.

In this wine, as in all from the 2016 vintage, Camp says it was all about "native yeast ferments, no additives (enzymes, acids, sugar) and no new oak barrels."  He says the orange Riesling was "produced essentially the same way" as the winery's red wines. The grapes were "first crushed by foot, destemmed, then it was transferred to one-ton fermenters. The native yeast fermentation started after 48 hours and completed in ten days. The fermenters were punched down by hand once a day. It was then pressed into neutral French Oak barrels for three months. That's it." And that's enough.

The wine staff made the decision to bottle earlier than planned to maintain freshness, and it is a fresh wine. Camp says the wine "should be consumed young and fresh, but as this is the first time we've made it we really don't know how it will age, I'll be keeping some bottles around to see how it develops." I wish I had that kind of patience.

He likes the Troon Riesling Whole Grape Ferment with tapas, but its freshness and structure would allow a pairing with a wide variety of dishes. This Riesling offers alcohol at only 12% abv and retails for $20.

The wine’s orange color is immediately interesting. The nose is beautiful - orange blossoms, peaches and pears, oh my. On the palate it drinks like a red wine, full and flavorful. There even seems to be tannic structure. The fruitiness I expected revealed itself instead as savory. Salinity drapes the apple flavors beautifully. I should mention, it's dry, by the way. And the acidity is fresh and lively.

Camp tells me that Troon will continue the "orange wine" program this year with a second vintage of the Riesling and a Vermentino done the same way. 

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Santa Barbara Wine On An L.A. Wine List

When I see a Santa Barbara wine that I am not familiar with on the menu, I'm sold. Tatomer is a label I had not seen before, but it was the Summer of Riesling inside Kali. I tried. I liked.

I had the Tatomer Vandenberg Riesling 2013 at Kali in Los Angeles, where sommelier Drew Langley watches over an immaculately curated wine list. Does "Summer of Riesling" do it for you? It does for me, especially when they are such good examples. My wife had a German Kabinett, but I had this Vandenberg example from Santa Barbara County. They listed it as "dry and medium bodied," which is good advice for a Riesling. This one, though, has a nice touch of petrol - I mean, why order Riesling unless it has that? - along with some surprisingly extreme minerality and a muted citrus note. I paired it with the Niçoise salad to great effect. It was also a hit with the wife's roast pork, Pennsylvania native that she is.

Winemaker Graham Tatomer got one taste of Austrian Riesling and signed on to work there, anywhere. He brought his obsession with Riesling - bone dry Riesling - to Santa Barbara County. He says,  "The sites that excite me have been the coldest ones, lending to wines of lighter weight, nuanced flavors, and bracing acidity. Riesling is the ultimate grape to pursue these characteristics. No other grape conveys its region's character and varietal flavor with the power, focus, and beauty the way Riesling does." Amen, Graham. 

His Vandenberg Riesling - so named for the nearby Air Force base - comes primarily from the Kick-On Ranch, and the grapes are selected for their infection with botrytis, the rot that makes grapes a bit sweeter. I did not notice any unusual sweetness at all in this wine, but that’s okay. 

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Finger Lakes Dry Riesling: Knapp Winery

The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance recently celebrated the launch of the 2013 vintage of Finger Lakes Rieslings with a virtual tasting event on Twitter.  This was shortly before the state of New York was announced as a certain wine publication's recipient of their Wine Region of the Year award.  The state is understandably proud of the Rieslings of the Finger Lakes - the calling-card wine of the area - but they also make some extremely interesting reds, a mean sparkling wine and some pretty heavenly dessert wines there.  Let's get our eyes back on the Riesling, now.  This one is from Knapp Winery and Vineyard.

Close to Seneca Falls and easily accessible from "the New York State Thru-Way, man" - as Arlo Guthrie might say when properly motivated while visiting upstate New York - Knapp makes a Riesling that I have been tasted on for several vintages now, and it always impresses.

There is no reason why it should not.  Knapp Winemaker Steve DiFransesco has brought in 33 harvests in the FLX.  Vineyard manager Chris King has 15 years experience among the vines.  They work together well to produce a good bottle of wine each year.  It's what they do.  Knapp has grown Riesling grapes since 1983.

For the 2013 Dry Riesling, the crushed grapes remain in contact with the skins overnight to enrich the aromas.  The alcohol content is only 12% abv and 302 cases were produced.  Hitting just over one percent residual sugar, it clocks in on the Riesling Scale at "dry."

During the virtual tasting event on Twitter, @WineHarlots tweeted that “The Knapp Winery Dry Riesling 2013 is exquisite. Subtle and nuanced, it is wine that whispers instead of screams.”  And so, lean in a little closer - let me tell you what I think in as quiet a voice as I can manage.

The golden straw tint is fairly light, while the nose is not so shy.  Crisp peach, apricot and nectarine aromas are up front, with notes of flowers, then lemon, then minerals appearing in descending order.  There is almost none of the distinct earthy quality I have noticed in other Knapp Rieslings, but the fruit plays its lead role well.  On the palate, the lemon aspect comes in larger than on the nose.  It's not a zestiness, but a sweet lemon flavor that takes the spotlight.  It is dry, as advertised on the label, and the acidity is better than moderate.  It's one of the more sippable Rieslings I have had in a while - but it fares well in pairing with lighter dishes.  I had mine with a Thai curry that was somewhat spicy and it fit just fine.


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Finger Lakes Riesling: Boundary Breaks Dry #239

The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance recently celebrated the launch of the 2013 vintage of Finger Lakes Rieslings.  The group claims as their own the title of, "North America's premier cool-climate wine growing region."  

The Finger Lakes region is south of Lake Ontario, in central New York.  The glacier-sculpted lakes, great microclimates and talented winemakers make a wide variety of vitis vinifera wines, but the FLX is best known for its Rieslings.


Bruce and David Murray purchased their farm in 2007 and two years later planted grapevines where none had grown before.  The Boundary Breaks estate sits in the area along the eastern shore of Seneca Lake, an area known as the Banana Belt, due to the milder weather resulting from the depth of the lake and the prevailing winds.  Under the name of Boundary Breaks, the Murray's produce only Riesling grapes and wines.

Winemaker Peter Bell - from Fox Run, and Dr Frank's before that - works with vineyard manager Kees Stapel - who came from Sheldrake Point - to make five styles of Riesling, from dry to late harvest.

The 2013 Boundary Breaks Dry Riesling #239 utilizes the Geisenheim #239 clone of the Riesling grape, estate-grown on the east side of Seneca Lake and picked first in the season for higher acidity.  It has been collecting accolades since the first vintage was released last year.  Steel fermentation is the norm in the Finger Lakes.  This wine shows "dry" on the IRF scale, with a scant 0.9% residual sugar and a low alcohol level of only 11.9%.

The wine is pale in the glass, with just a hint of green.  Its nose is bursting with fruit and earth.  Apricots and peaches are heavily influenced by the sense of wet rocks and the fragrance of the soil.  Flavors hold the line in the same way, with apricot, quince and peach acting as a serving platter for those earthy mineral notes.

On the Twitter stream, during a virtual tasting event, @ArtPredator was looking to put this Riesling with some food: “notes of stone fruit pair well with cranberry pecan chicken salad pita n beach breaks” while @WineHarlots tweeted, “Boundary issues? You'll be laying down the law to get your share of @BndryBrx Riesling.”  You won't need a surveyor to find the flavor inside the bottle, either.


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Finger Lakes Riesling: Heron Hill Winery

Few wine regions know how to get a Twitter conversation going like New York's Finger Lakes AVA.  The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance recently celebrated the launch of the 2013 vintage of Finger Lakes Rieslings through a social media gathering.  The group claims as their own the title of, "North America's premier cool-climate wine growing region."  It's probable that only other North American wine growing regions would offer an argument.  Even so, it would just be sour grapes.

The Finger Lakes region is south of Lake Ontario, in central New York.  The glacier-sculpted lakes, great microclimates and talented winemakers make a wide variety of vitis vinifera wines, but the FLX is best known for its Rieslings.

On Twitter, it was a Riesling love fest.  @GrapeBelt tweeted, "Time to spread the Good News: #FLXRiesling is a major player, here to stay!"  @ilove2drinkwine not only likes the wine, but the lower alcohol content of Rieslings: "One great thing about #FLXRiesling? Had about 8 glasses by the time I was done last night -- #NoHangoverForMe."  You can view the entire Twitter conversation as it happened here.

Heron Hill Winery 2013 Classic Dry Riesling

Noted wine expert Janis Robinson wrote recently that "Riesling can transmit terroir more sensitively than any white wine grape I know, making it truly the counterpart of the Pinot Noir that is so often grown alongside it."  However, she fears its powerful nature and schizophrenic sugar content are keeping bottles dusty in your local wine emporium.  She does note that Riesling has become "the signature grape variety of the Finger Lakes." 

Heron Hill Winery overlooks lovely Keuka Lake, as it has for over 35 years.  Their 17,000-case production makes them a fairly large player in the Finger Lakes wine scene.  The winery facility is built into the side of the hill, so gravity feeds the juice through the winemaking process instead of pumping.  

Winemaker Bernard Cannac was born and raised in Languedoc, so it is fitting that he is up to his elbows in grapes.  He oversees the production of the estate wines from Keuka Lake as well the Ingle family's other estate, on the west side of Canandaigua Lake.  Wouldn't you love to be able to say, "My other estate?"  Sustainable farming and harvesting by hand are all in a day's work for Cannac and crew.

The '13 Heron Hill Classic Dry Riesling is made from four different lots of grapes - 13% Keuka Lake estate, 68% Seneca Lake, 16% Cayuga Lake, 3% Skaneateles Lake.  I asked for help from a local on the pronunciation of that last lake, and I was told it's "Skinny-Atlas."  I'm glad I asked for help.

The lots are fermented separately, then blended together.  Alcohol is 12% abv and residual sugar is a low 0.23%.

The Heron Hill looks pretty - tinted golden yellow - and smells even prettier.  Peaches and lemon aromas are bolstered by minerals and an herbal note.  The flavor side of the ledger sheet tallies plenty of green apple, citrus and a slight hint of apricot.  There's a citrus/savory finish which lasts for days.  The folks at Heron Hill say to pair it with something that has bite to it, like spicy Thai food, Asiago cheese or horseradish.

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Finger Lakes Riesling: Sheldrake Point

Few wine regions know how to get a Twitter conversation going like New York's Finger Lakes AVA.  The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance recently took to social media to celebrate the launch of the 2013 vintage of Finger Lakes Rieslings.  The group claims as their own the title of, "North America's premier cool-climate wine growing region."  It's probable that only other North American wine growing regions would offer an argument.  Even so, it would just be sour grapes.

The Finger Lakes region is south of Lake Ontario, in central New York.  The glacier-sculpted lakes, great microclimates and talented winemakers make a wide variety of vitis vinifera wines, but the FLX is best known for its Rieslings.

I always like to point out that the International Riesling Foundation has developed a scale, the IRF "Riesling Taste Profile," to help consumers determine which of the many different styles of Riesling is in the bottle.  It is a methodology that Syrah producers would be wise to employ.  You will find the Riesling Taste Profile on most bottles of Riesling produced in the Finger Lakes.  I thought it was on all FLX bottlings, but through Twitter, @50StatesOfWine and @SandyWasserman pointed out to me that their bottles did not feature the scale.

Sheldrake Point 2013 Dry Riesling

Sheldrake Point Vineyards has been producing wine for over 15 years using grapes grown on their 44-acre vineyard on Cayuga Lake.  The site benefits from low elevation and a lakeside location.  Cayuga Lake is 600 feet deep and never freezes.  The warm and cool waters circulate to provide a tempering influence on the microclimate.  This makes the vineyard about 10 degrees warmer in the winter and slightly cooler in summer than other locations.

Every winery likes a good back story, and this one is blessed with a good one.  It was an abandoned dairy farm when discovered and pressed into a much nobler service, delivering much more interesting beverages.

Winemaker Dave Breeden and vineyard manager  Dave Weimann are the milkmen here, delivering a Riesling that tips the Ries-O-Meter to "dry."  It has only 0.7% residual sugar and hits a low 11.4% abv, so it's a pretty lean machine.  1,292 cases were produced.

The '13 Sheldrake Point Dry Riesling  has a pale greenish tint in the glass and gives a fruity nose.  A little peach, a little apricot, a little pineapple, and the aromas are pleasing.  Taking a sip, the mouthfeel is lush.  The flavors of peach and apple are laced with a gorgeous tinge of lemon zest and earth.  Acidity comes in on the mid-palate and stays for the long finish.  Minerals shoot through it all and give a crisp and refreshing experience.

Pairing suggestions came from @WineHarlots, "Enjoying @SheldrakePoint Dry Riesling. The bright citrus notes make me long to pair it with ceviche," and @ArtPredator thought it was, "a perfect match for Indian summer sunset picnic. Pairs well with ocean air!"  @WineCompass liked the "soft peach and lemon aroma, leads to citrus cream, minerals, and nice acids."  I liked the tropical notes, and I was not alone.  @dallaswinechick and @GrapeBelt tweeted, "Those tropical notes are rising as the wine warms and opens a bit."




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Virtual Wine Tasting: Finger Lakes Riesling

The Finger Lakes Wine Region recently hosted another in a series of live virtual tasting events featuring participation via Twitter.  The virtual tasting event is a great way to gain exposure to a new wine or winery, and it’s a great way to mingle with folks who are as inquisitive about wine as you are.  Like many wine regions, the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance uses the social aspect of virtual tastings to their great advantage.

In May 2014, the FLWA staged a virtual event featuring a large variety of wines, not just one or two.  Participants sipped at home and joined in during a four-hour marathon. (Most virtual tasting events only run an hour or so.)  I was supplied with several white wines to sample, and today I’ll focus on the Wagner Vineyards Caywood East Vineyards Riesling Dry 2012

Wagner Vineyards is one of oldest wineries in New York's Finger Lakes region.  Located on the slopes of the east side of Lake Seneca, the winery is in the Banana Belt, where the climate is several degrees warmer than areas to the north and south.  Winemaker Ann Raffetto has been with Wagner for over 25 years, and she makes her mark on the wines made from estate-grown fruit.

This dry Riesling is made from Riesling grapes grown in the Caywood East Vineyard, south of the winery on a steep slope overlooking the middle part of Seneca Lake.  Grapes have been grown here for 90 years, so they predate the advent of vinifera grapes in the 1950s.  The vineyard was replanted to Riesling in 2005 and is comprised of three Riesling clones: 90, 110, and 239.  If the clone numbers mean anything at all to you, consider yourself a true wine nerd.

With a residual sugar of just one-half of one percent, the wine is marked as dry on the IRF scale, used by all the wineries in the Finger Lakes region.  It clocks in at 13.2% abv in alcohol.  While very restrained, it is actually a little stiffer drink than one normally finds in the Finger Lakes.  1,045 cases were produced and the wine retails for $15.  This Riesling has won gold medals at wine competitions in the east, west, and points in between.

Wagner Vineyards Caywood East Vineyard Riesling Dry 2012 has a very pale tint in the glass, with a nose of flowers, peaches and minerals.  The palate shows clean flavors dominated by minerality, with peach, pear and Meyer lemon and a beautiful acidity joined by a great citrus mineral finish.

The folks at Wagner suggest pairing the wine with fish, seafood, chicken, pork and mild cheeses. They say you should try it in place of Champagne at your next brunch, and that's a pretty good idea.


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Virtual Wine Tasting: Finger Lakes Whites

The Finger Lakes Wine Region recently hosted another in a series of live virtual tasting events, with a video feed and participation via Twitter.  These events are becoming so popular that if you try to take part in every one that comes along, you’ll have a pretty full dance card.

The virtual tasting is a great way to gain exposure to a new wine or winery, and it’s a great way to mingle with folks who are as inquisitive about wine as you are.  Like many wine regions, the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance uses the social aspect of virtual tastings to their great advantage.

In May 2014, the FLWA staged a virtual event featuring a large variety of wines, not just one or two.  Participants sipped at home and joined in during a four-hour marathon. (Most virtual tasting events only run an hour or so.)  I was supplied with several white wines to sample, and today I’ll focus on the Villa Bellangelo 1866 Reserve Riesling 2012.

On Twitter, @travel4foodfun carried the sentiment of all by tweeting, “We are now doing our virtual tasting from our friends @villabellangelo and It's a definite Wow!”  @jeffal66 commented on the wine: “Nice mix of melon, fall fruit on the Bellangelo. Pear for sure. Minerality.”   The winery of the moment, @villabellangelo, offered a glimpse behind the bottle.  They wrote, “Geek out on the Gibson Vineyard  - the source for our 1866 Reserve Riesling.  http://goo.gl/PeQTWm” and “Check out our background history on the 1866 Reserve series at: http://goo.gl/IKpx3G."

This release marks the debut vintage of a Riesling that shows why New York’s Finger Lakes Riesling is known for that grape.  The fruit came from a single vineyard - Gibson Vineyard, just north of the winery on the west side of Seneca Lake.  The date in the wine’s name - 1866 - is a tip of the winegrowing hat to Dr. Byron Spence, an early grape grower in the region

With residual sugar at just 1.9%, this Finger Lakes Riesling clocks in on the dry side of medium dry.  Finger Lakes Rieslings all bear the Riesling Taste Profile scale designed by the International Riesling Foundation.
It’s easy on the alcohol - 11%.abv - and only 99 cases were produced.  My bottle was number 87 of 1188.

The 1866 Reserve Riesling gets a special touch in the winery, aging half in stainless steel tanks and half in oak barrels sur lie - in contact with the spent yeast cells - for eight months.

The light straw tint is pretty, and the nose is even more so.  Floral notes, pear and  nectarine aromas are not shy about getting out of the glass.  The mouthfeel is full and creamy and the acidity is on the gently side, making it a great wine to sip.  Flavors of pears and white peaches provide plenty to ponder while doing so.  This wine would be nice with spicy food, like a Thai dish or even Mexican food with a bit of heat to it.


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