Brooks Willamette Valley Riesling 2016
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Enthusiast
Wine -
Wong
Wilfred -
Spirits
Wine &
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Cantaloupe and honeydew melon on the nose, with faint aromatics of honeysuckle and gardenia. A hint of petrol along with tangerine and nectarine. Rich, ripe fruits, fresh cut melon and cantaloupe, lemon pie, yellow peaches, and ripe pear. This ripe, opulent fruit is balanced with lifting, acidity, and a mouthwatering, crisp finish. Hints of fresh sun box herbs like thyme, basil, and lemongrass.
This is a perfectly balanced, refreshing wine with medium weight, which would be very versatile paired with a chicken salad, pears salad with goat cheese or richer dishes like pork tenderloin or grilled fish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The most affordable and widely available Riesling in the Brooks lineup, this is an especially appealing cuvée in 2016. It's fragrant and inviting, with orange blossom, lemon zest and grapefruit components. That tangy fruit is layered and textural, with a phenolic snap. It's a blend sourced from a number of unspecified old vine sites. Editors’ Choice
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: Before trying the 2016 Brooks Estate Riesling, I probably would not have chosen a Riesling from Oregon's Willamette Valley— the Mosel, Columbia Valley, and the Clare Valley come first to my mind. This wine hits all of the precision points in making it an excellent example of this grape variety. TASTING NOTES: This wine is fresh, bright, varietal, and crisp. Its aromas and flavors of apple, mineral, and petrol make it a solid pairing choice with simple shellfish preparations. (Tasted: September 25, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine & Spirits
A well-made, well-priced riesling drawing from most of the nine riesling vineyards in the Brooks repertoire, this is snappy and bright, settling into something creamy, broad and pear-like in both texture and flavor. It’s tense enough, and flavorful enough, for lemon chicken.
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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.
One of Pinot Noir's most successful New World outposts, the Willamette Valley is the largest and most important AVA in Oregon. With a continental climate moderated by the influence of the Pacific Ocean, it is perfect for cool-climate viticulture and the production of elegant wines.
Mountain ranges bordering three sides of the valley, particularly the Chehalem Mountains, provide the option for higher-elevation vineyard sites.
The valley's three prominent soil types (volcanic, sedimentary and silty, loess) make it unique and create significant differences in wine styles among its vineyards and sub-AVAs. The iron-rich, basalt-based, Jory volcanic soils found commonly in the Dundee Hills are rich in clay and hold water well; the chalky, sedimentary soils of Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton and McMinnville encourage complex root systems as vines struggle to search for water and minerals. In the most southern stretch of the Willamette, the Eola-Amity Hills sub-AVA soils are mixed, shallow and well-drained. The Hills' close proximity to the Van Duzer Corridor (which became its own appellation as of 2019) also creates grapes with great concentration and firm acidity, leading to wines that perfectly express both power and grace.
Though Pinot noir enjoys the limelight here, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay also thrive in the Willamette. Increasing curiosity has risen recently in the potential of others like Grüner Veltliner, Chenin Blanc and Gamay.