Tag Archives: riesling

G. Stepp Riesling 2020, Pfalz, Germany

21 Tuesday Mar 2023

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Medium lemon colored with a watery sheen in the glass (12.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of lemon, lemon spritz, lanolin, slate, white peach that’s not quite ripe, green apple, some petrichor and perhaps- a touch of petrol.  The palate is dry with high acidity, I feel this wine is medium (-) bodied.  The palate confirms the citrus notes along with the minerality and I also get a bit of grapefruit pith on the mid palate.  The stone fruit are a little muted as is the petrol.  The finish is medium with a bit of leftover phenolics.  I like this no-nonsense Riesling for what it is- easy drinking, capable of taking on several styles of food and modestly priced at $14.  I’m pairing this 88 point wine with Thai shrimp noodles.  4 stars , to be drunk by 2026.  Salut….

16 Thursday Mar 2023

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Pale lemon-lime colored with a watery sheen in the glass (12% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of grated lemon rind, lime cordial, apricot and paperwhite flowers.  The palate is dry with high acidity and a light body.  Steely, cutting lime and lemon flavors are very precise along with some rounder apricot and floral notes- the citrus really honing in on the center of my tongue.  The acidity is very juicy and refreshing.  This wine needs some seafood to temper it a touch.  Perhaps a dozen clams on the shell with some plump oysters in all their saline beauty would do the trick.  It finishes lean with a medium length.  At $ 17 I like this 88 pointer that gets 4 stars from me.  I would drink it till 2027.  Salut….

 

Nova Cadamatre Reserve Riesling 2021, Finger Lakes, New York

11 Wednesday Jan 2023

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Medium lemon colored with a medium (+) intensity nose.  Right off the bat I get aromas of creamy tropical flowers- bizarre, I know.  Then…. Nougat mixed with tangerine, more bizarreness.  Followed by saline and some pithy citrus as well as a touch of petrol.  I am really perplexed by this wine.  The palate is dry and slightly bitter with medium body and high acidity, which I was expecting.  Flavors of subdued citrus and florals alongside the bitterness from pith carry through to the medium length finish.  I must say this is not what I was expecting, the flavors and aromas are off my normal path for this varietal.  I like the precision, minerality and cut of this wine- it’s like a laser, I just need to recalibrate to these new flavors and aromas.  I would give this $18 wine 90 points and drink with charcuterie or oysters on the half shell.  Be ready for some mouth puckering vibrancy- 5 stars.  Salut….

Lucien Albrecht Riesling Tradition 2020, Alsace, France

09 Tuesday Aug 2022

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Medium lemon colored, this rather young Riesling has pronounced aromas of citrus, apple, pineapple, ginger and acacia.  The palate is dry (at 13% ABV that was an obvious assumption) with bracing acidity and a medium body.  Lemon, grapefruit, green apple, pineapple and some spice coat my palate to a medium length finish that is jaw watering.  This is a very refreshing thirst quencher that I am enjoying immensely.  Tonight’s pairing is fish and chips so this will work out quite well.  I would think this wine can age for a few years, say till 2030 and hopefully pick up some tertiary notes.  91 points from me makes this $22 bottle a 5 star quaffer to look for.  Salut….

Hubert Meyer Riesling Winzenberg 2018, Alsace Grand Cru, France

20 Monday Jun 2022

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The thing that annoys me about Riesling is that most labels don’t tell you if it’s going to be dry, off-dry or sweet.  Deductive reasoning tells me this bottle is going to be dry due to it’s 13.5% ABV.  A very pretty medium lemon color in the glass with pronounced aromas of lemon zest, grapefruit pith, petrol, geranium and ripe pear.  It tastes dry as expected with very high acidity and a delicious cut of lemon/grapefruit.  The ripe pear note is more a green pear note on the palate but I do get florals and petrol.  I can sense the alcohol if I breath out through my nose, which is unusual for me as my threshold is pretty high to sense the burn.  I would say this wine is medium bodied and it has a juicy, tart finish that is medium in length.  It begs for Asian dishes or a grilled seafood platter.  I like it but think it will develop over time.  Right now it is really zesty with just a few primary flavors.  It should flesh out and develop with time as it has great structure for cellaring.  92 points from me for this $60 bottle makes it a 4 star effort.  Salut….

Weis Vineyards Semi-Dry Riesling 2020, Finger Lakes, New York

13 Monday Jun 2022

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Medium lemon color. On the nose I get pineapple, pink grapefruit, Meyer lemon zest, nutmeg and honey.  The palate is off-dry with high acidity, medium body and fresh fruit flavors of pineapple, lemon and grapefruit with some zingy minerality, finishing with  some honeysuckle.  The finish is medium (+) long with a fresh cut from juicy acidity.  The fruit flavors linger nicely. It’s is a delicious wine that has some residual sugar but is not cloying.  A 12% ABV is indicative of its sweetness level.  This refreshing wine will go well poolside or served up with a chilled salad topped with steamed prawns or grilled octopus.  Drink till 2028.  92 points for this $20 beauty makes it a 5 star summer wine to drink till 2027.  Salut….

Pewsey Vale Riesling 2021, Eden Valley, Australia

07 Saturday May 2022

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Our second wine of the 27th VWTC event was this dry Riesling that was served at room temperature first and then chilled.  The group thought this pale straw wine had aromas and flavors of citrus, white geranium florals, caramel, honeysuckle, tangerine, pear skin and almonds.  The tangerine was very prominent on the dry palate which had medium (+) acidity, a medium body and a slightly mineral edge to it.  The finish was medium length and this wine was enjoyed by most.

Served chilled it was far more focused with greater citrus thrust, higher perceived acidity, some white peach in there as well as some unique additions of cotton candy and bananas in addition to the citrus (tangerine) and floral components.  I was hoping for a crisp wine- this 89 pointer delivered.  (One pro went as high as 96 points!).  For $16- it’s a great value that gets 5 stars from me.  Drink till 2026 with fresh seafood or baked chicken with green beans Almandine.  Salut….

Weingut St. Urbans-Hof Nik Weis Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett 2017, Mosel, Germany

20 Wednesday Apr 2022

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Tasted blind for practice at my WSET class, this Riesling was pale gold in the glass.  Medium (+) intensity nose with aromas of ginger, honey, tangerine, lemon, lanolin and wet stone.  I made a note that it was developing ‘nicely’.  The palate was off-dry with high acidity, low alcohol and a full body.  Medium (+) intensity flavors echoed the nose and the wine finished with a decent medium (+) finish.  I thought this was an ‘Outstanding’ wine based on the WSET criteria and feel it could be drunk now or aged some more.  I really liked it and for $17 this 90 pointer gets 5 stars.  Spicy Asian dishes come to mind.  Salut….

Pikes Hills & Valleys Riesling 2019, Clare Valley, Australia

20 Wednesday Apr 2022

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My WSET tasting group was tasked with presenting notes on this Aussie Riesling.  It was pale lemon in the glass and we found the nose to have medium (+) intensity aromas of lemon, lime, mandarin, grapefruit, blossom, wet stones and that tell-tale petrol note.  The wine is considered youthful at this stage.  The palate was off-dry with medium (+) acidity, low alcohol (9.5% ABV), medium (-) body with medium intensity flavors of the above aromas.  We thought it fell off a bit on the palate versus the nose.  Ending with a medium finish we thought this $18 effort was of very good quality and could be drunk now with suitability to age as well.  If you like an off-dry Riesling that has already developed petrol notes (which I do), then this is for you.  Members of the class questioned a food pairing and one lady said Thai food- I concur.  91 points and 5 stars.  Salut….

Boschendal Reserve Collection Vin d’Or 2016, Paarl, South Africa

02 Saturday Apr 2022

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I’m on a sweet wine roll, two in one day.  This South African blend of Riesling/Viognier is a stunning deep gold color.  The nose is right up my alley- rich aromas of dried apricot, honey, blood orange marmalade, candied pineapple, peach and a touch of lychee.  Amazing, complex and very enticing.  The palate is very sweet, unctuous and full bodied.  Medium (+) acidity keeps this wine very balanced and I love the pronounced flavors.  The honey component is taking center stage but I also get lively fresh fruit even though the Botrytis driven flavors are very present.  At 163g/l of residual sugar, this is considered a luscious wine- and it is just that!  At $20 for 375ml, it is a great dessert wine to have a few bottles of.  93 points from me for this 5 star wine to serve with a warm tart and ice cream.  Salut….