Scribe Estate Riesling 2022
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This Riesling is dry – with 0.0 grams of residual sugar – which gives center stage to the pleasures of its unique minerality and evocative floral and stone fruit aromatics. This wine is alive and humming with vibrant acidity and deeply perfumed in the uniquely delicate way only Riesling can be. Notes of jasmine, sea salt and nectarine.
Scribe Winery in Sonoma, California, produces vibrant, terroir-driven wines. The winery – founded in 2007 on a property that pioneered pre-prohibition Sonoma Valley winemaking – is managed by fourth-generation California farmers and brothers, Andrew and Adam Mariani.
Andrew and Adam believe that the best wines are a result of a healthy relationship between man and nature, and that a vineyard managed in harmony with the greater ecosystem results in more site-specific wines that represent a sense of time and place. When vinified with non-interventionist methods, the result is a distinct wine that faithfully reflects what the vineyard naturally expresses.
The vineyard they purchased is a storied pre-Prohibition site (that had reverted to a derelict turkey farm) nestled amongst some age-old California names like Buena Vista and Gundlach-Bundschu, on the Sonoma-side of Carneros.
Andrew and Adam immediately planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, understanding the natural affinity for those grapes to the area, but they embraced varieties historically connected to the original German-born, Champagne-producing vignerons that had planted St. Laurent, Riesling, and Sylvaner in the 1850’s.
Scribe manages to be new school without forsaking the old, and they don’t just farm their vineyards organically but embrace a philosophy they call “Forever Wild Farming” that considers how the vineyard and the winery (and its kitchen gardens) can coexist with, and within, the ecosystem as a whole.
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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.