Eroica Riesling 2007
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Winemaker Notes
An amazing pairing with sweet, flavorful Dungeness crab.
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Taking its accustomed place at the head of the class as it has in so many past vintages, this latest rendition from Chateau Ste. Michelle and Ernst Loosen is a remarkable wine of impeccable balance and stunning depth. Slightly sweet and buoyed by fine fruity acids, it smells of honeysuckle, white peaches and minerals and follows with long, compact, layered flavors that presently only hint at the richness to come. Top-notch Riesling is capable of great beauty and complexity with age, and, we have no doubt that the greatness lurking here will gradually become more and more evident with time.
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Wine & Spirits
Eroica, the joint venture between Dr. Loosen and Chateau Ste. Michelle, produced a focused, ethereal and pure 2007. This vintage is a blend of fruit from Evergreen. Viewcrest, Horse Heaven and other vineyards. Its aromas are all about citrus, with hints of lemon and tangerine, while the taut flavors are more pearlike. A fine, mineral finish gives the wine balance and poise.
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Wine Spectator
Bright and juicy, with bracing acidity against lightly sweet, expressive pear, apricot and quince aromas and flavors, remaining vibrant as the finish persists. A slate character hovers in the background. Drink now through 2017.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Eroica Riesling, made in collaboration with the Dr. Loosen estate in Germany’s Mosel region, is light to medium straw-colored with fragrant aromas of spring flowers, mineral, and honeysuckle. Crisp and just off-dry, in a Kabinett style, it delivers flavors of melon and pineapple. The wine is balanced and vibrant and may well evolve for several years in the manner of a top German Mosel Kabinett. It can be enjoyed now and over the next 5-7 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
This Riesling collaboration between Chateau Ste. Michelle and Ernst Loosen is no longer unique, but the wine has been fine-tuned over the years and sets a consistently high standard. This may be the most acidic ever made, but it is juicy rather than sour, and has a textural creaminess that adds both depth and length. The fruit flavors mix ripe apple and Mandarin orange, with hints of sweet lime and wet stone.
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Launched in 1999, Eroica is a labor of love for two of the world's great Riesling producers. One from the Old World, Dr. Loosen estate of Germany, and the other from the New World, Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington state. An intermingling of Old and New World philosophies and technique enables the crafting of an extraordinary Riesling from Washington state grapes. Named for Beethoven's Third Symphony, Eroica reflects not only its variety and site, but also its heritage: bold and forward from its Washington roots, elegant and refined from German inspiration.
The first five vintages of Eroica Riesling (1999-2003) were named to Wine Spectator's "Top 100" list.
"I have long believed that a Riesling revival would have to start with a prominent New World winery like Chateau Ste. Michelle."
- Ernst Loosen, Dr. Loosen estate
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.