Riesling Reviews

One of our Advanced Sommelier students spent a month drinking Riesling. I thought that was cool, so I asked him to write about it.

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One man’s journey to the light side and back.

Several years ago, rose wines began a new era of respectability. This was because many American wine lovers who had spent time in France knew that the French, particularly in the south of France, loved, no, revered rose (dry rose) as THE wine to drink in the summer. Indeed, every French refrigerator in Provence had at least a 6 L. bag-in-box in its’ innards.

The Riesling Explosion

Riesling seems to be experiencing just such a resurgence. Gone are the days when the only Riesling available were sickening sweet syrups in annoyingly packaged bottles. Also, gone are the days when the only Riesling available was from Germany or, to a lesser extent, France, particularly the Alsace. 

Indeed, there has been an explosion of Riesling from the new world, from dry to sweet to eiswein, and much of it quite good. Here, the new world winemakers respond to the world market, while the traditional Riesling makers follow traditions. Centuries-old traditions. But for the lovers of dry Riesling, take heart. Some of the Riesling coming out of Germany is a new style as a new generation of weinguts takes over.

The Caveats

SOME QUALIFIERS:  I made no effort to match foods with wines. I also randomly picked wines, mostly what I could afford that day. I also made no effort to arrange the wines into any order. All wines were purchased(sadly) from Pa Wine and Spirits shops. I didn’t get into high-end   Rieslings, mainly because that’s not what most people drink these days with their hot dogs, pizza, or kung-pao. 

Lastly, my wife will not drink Riesling, so I had no sounding board to discuss my observations; they are mine alone. So were the next day’s effects. But since Riesling is typically relatively low in alcohol, it wasn’t as bad as if I’d chosen Zinfandels or cabs. Also, since I decided on the Friday of Labor Day weekend, I squeezed a couple more days into the project.    On days without food observations, we either ate out or were not worth noting.

Riesling Reviews

Willamette Valley is medium-bodied and lush, with a pear and citrus nose. It has good acidity and a clean, soft finish. It’s just a tad more RS than I like, but it’s balanced nicely with fried chicken from our local grocer.

Koonowla, Clare Valley. It opens with a fair amount of exotic tropical fruit: lychee, kiwi, apricot, and an herbal quality(basil, Tarragon). There is also mandarin orange. The finish is arid and very tight. There is absolutely no RS. It worked pretty well with stone crab claws and herb butter.

Longview Vineyard, Adelaide Hills, Lemon-lime, Granite, just a hint of floral/granite, slate. It has an arid finish, with a burst of herb(lavender) on the close. There was no match for burgers and dogs, so I opened Zin. It is a better match, indeed.

Rolf Binder, Eden Valley, is lush with pear, lychee, and kiwi. It has a very mineral mouthfeel, slate and lemon-lime notes. Also, pineapple notes have some floral qualities. It has a nice mineral-y, dry finish.

Angove’s, Clare Valley Apricot, citrus, blood orange. It has nice bracing acidity and a surprisingly soft finish. It cries out for spicy food.

Pierre Sparr Alsace Reserve.  Apple and Granite, balanced with slate and granite. Citrus, grapefruit finish. It was very good with a grilled ham steak and potatoes fried in duck fat.

Hogue, Washington State, Columbia Valley. It has stone fruit and melon on the open, with a surprising acid balance. I’ll buy another bottle (or 6) to taste again.

Cave Spring, Niagara, Ontario. This is Riesling! Stonefruit, green apple, citrus, framed by bracing acidity. This is the last bottle of a case I bought when it was around a year or so ago. Did well with cold, boiled shrimp and potato salad.

Spy Valley, Marlborough, NZ. Now, I love austere, stone-dry white wines. This offering from NZ is just over the top. It’s very austere, like grapefruit giving way to lemon juice. It’s almost all acid. That said, I liked it, but not for $18.99. It’s no match for B-B-Q pork with chipotle sauce. I can’t think of a food match for this wine.

Gainey, St. Ynez Valley, CA. It is very citrusy, with lemon and orange blossom notes, and it has a distinct minerality, almost metallic but not unpleasant. It is nicely balanced, with good acidity and a subtle finish. It would be good with food. It is not a bad match for grilled Kielbasa sandwiches on Conshohocken Italian Bakery Kaiser rolls.

Airlie, Willamette Valley, OR.  Very mild citrus notes, some floral. It is pretty one-dimensional and off-dry.

Kallfelz, Estate Kabinett, Mosel: It is very lush, with the aroma of orange pith, giving way to granite and shale. It has very distinct acidity, almost lime. Softer than expected on the close. Stood up, if a little awkwardly, to spaghetti  marinara with  Italian sausage

Hazlett, Finger Lakes, Home Reserve. Green apples and citrus blossoms, followed by some herbal quality. Nice stoney, tight mouthfeel, closing with an almost balanced finish, but falling short of dry. No match for grilled steak and baked potatoes.

Studert-Prum Bernkasteler Spatlese Apricot, honey, apple, soft citrus, and diesel, with a bright, soft finish. Take-out pizza, no match, but I gagged it down.

A to Z, Newberg, OR. Fruit-forward and floral, it opens with notes of peach and tupelo honey. It’s a bit sweet but has a nice, citrusy acid finish with a whiff of clove. It’s not bad with grilled shrimp and angel hair pasta with pesto.

The Rail Trail, Leasingham, Clare Valley. Fruity, lemon-lime opening, kind of tart, with a short, mineral and honey finish. I guess for $8.99, not too bad.

Eroica, Dr. Loosen/Chateau Ste. Michelle  My riesling review: Pear, tropical fruit(lychee, pineapple) The mouthfeel is first acidy, giving way to soft, lush fruit. Apricot, eucalyptus, diesel, then a burst of acidity on the close. This was so good that I forgot what we ate.

Grant Burge, Thorn Eden Valley Citrus, particularly lemon and grapefruit, is slightly soft on the tongue with a peppery note. It finishes tart and crisp, with minerality in overdrive. It stood up to chili con carne with extra jalapeno.

Salmon Run, Dr. Frank, Finger Lakes, NY. How can you not love Dr. Frank? This offering, from his second-tier line, is a steal. With a soft mouthfeel, orange blossom, apricot, and diesel fumes balanced by moderate acidity. Not off-dry, but just dry.    My Riesling review: very nice with grilled pork tenderloin with fig and rum sauce.

Cavit, Italy Mild apricot, apple blossom, grassy-herbal notes. It tastes sweet rather than fruity but closes with a nice acidity but a slightly bitter aftertaste. This cheap wine was the only Italian Riesling I could find in Pa. (big surprise there), and it wasn’t too bad. And that’s not damning with faint praise. However, Hogue kicks its’ butt.

Dr. Konstantin Frank, Finger Lakes  Again, how can you not love Dr. Frank? Anyone who brings Rkatsiteli to the Great Lakes has got to be great. This wine was full of peach, pear, apricot, clover honey, and a whiff of butterscotch. Maybe crème caramel? Cantelope mixed with apple on the palate, with a bracing marble and acid-balanced finish. This was a pizza nite, and Dr. Frank was not overmatched, if not ideally matched.

Hardys “S.E. Australia” Surprisingly, this is not the worst of the lot to date. The nose is mildly apple and apricot, a little floral and honey-like. It has a nicely structured, tight acid finish. There is a definite vanilla note on the close, but it is not altogether pleasant.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley My Riesling review: It has a pale golden color and a medium body. The nose is very exotic, with tropical fruit, particularly mango and coconut, flower blossoms, and a vague spice. The palate is incredibly lush, with a nice acid balance to close. It is almost old-world in style.

Fisheye, S.E. Australia, golden color. There is not much else going on in the glass. Tight, bitter citrus nose, some vague floral notes, with a mouth puckering, tart close. A stinker.

Kendermanns, Pfalz  Peach, a vague vegetal smell(asparagus water)? It has a pale golden color and tropical fruit on the palate, mainly pineapple, with a lovely soft, almost dry finish. Quite pleasant for $10.99

Tony Jost Bacharacher Hahn Kabinett, Mosel: It has a distinct fruit-forward style, with orange blossom, spice, and floral(rose?) quality. It is very pale. It has lovely soft fruit on the palate with a slightly soft acid finish. It’s a very old-world style. It’s lovely with goat cheese and slightly stale bread.

Tarrica Central Coast. It’s slightly green, with fresh thyme, clove, and cinnamon on the nose. Green apple and clover honey are floral on the palate—lovely fruit with a tangy finish. With 2% residual sugar, it’s not quite dry. It’s matched nicely with smoked trout, horseradish, and herbed goat cheese pitas.

Rudolf Muller Kabinett, Mosel This wine opened very tight, with a tiny nose, so I let it warm up. It gave up some stonefruit and mineral on the tongue and a tight acid finish. I put this away for the next night and let it open for a few hours, tasting it again, this time at almost room temperature. Unfortunately, this didn’t help much.

Stringy Brae, Clare Valley Lime, kiwi, and some melon on the nose, with a greenish tinge in the glass. It is very dry on the palate, with grapefruit, orange, and some grass. It has a very tight, slightly rough, acid finish. It didn’t work with Spicy cabbage soup, so we opened a ’04 Beaune-Theuron, which was positively decadent.

Marc Kreydenweiss Wiebelsburg, Alsace Grand Cru.  Pale colored, with some citrus and stonefruit, particularly apricot, on the nose. Moderate acidity with a slate finish. This winemaker suggests letting this wine age for a few more years, and I think it will be spectacular. A note: I liked this wine and opened a pinot noir to go with our rotisserie chicken.

Dr. Pauly Bergweiler Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese. Mosel-Saar-Ruwer.   Very fruit-forward, with cinnamon, apples, and peach aromas. It’s a pale golden color. Some vanilla notes with a lush, fruity finish. It is somewhat sweeter than I like, but it is to be expected—a very soft, floral finish.

Pacific Rim Dry, NV While this label is no longer a Randall Grahm property (somebody tells the Pa LCB), it is still sourced primarily from Wash. State grapes. It is still a great wine and a great value. There is peach, apricot, and lime with a lush mouthfeel, yet quite dry on the finish. A good accompaniment to cold chicken sandwiches

A FEW CLOSING OBSERVATIONS

1. There seems to be no price-quality equation. That is, some low-priced selections kicked butt, while some of the higher-priced wines were found lacking.
2. It was eye-opening to note the differences in styles, from both new worlds vs. the old world and from country to country. The old world styles fancy lush, fruit-forward openings, with just enough acidity on the close, to keep them from being off-dry. The new world selections, mainly from Australia and New Zealand, opened more austere and gave more fruit up on the palate, but some, not all, were rather tart on the close. Washington State, New York, and Ontario offered lovely, fruity, yet dry offerings.
3. Just one question—while I’ve heard of sparkling Riesling, why doesn’t the state monopoly have at least one available?