Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of lemon drop hard candies, honeycomb and red apples fill the air, followed by a wee bit of talc. The palate vibrates with acidity, lighting up Meyer lemon, tonic water with a lemon slice and Bosc pear flavors.
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James Suckling
Sliced apples, citrus pith, orchid blossom and crushed stones. Medium-bodied with vivid acidity cutting through, delivering freshness and crunchiness. Flavorful and attractive. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Old Vine Riesling features fresh pineapple, lime zest, elderflower and candle smoke aromas. The light-bodied palate is dry and citrusy with pleasing floral character, very tangy acidity and a puckering, lime sherbet-like finish.
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.
Stretching southwest from the city of McMinnville, the AVA with the same name covers about 40,000 acres across 20 miles until it meets the Van Duzer Corridor. This corridor is the only break in the Coast Range whose gap allows the cool Pacific Ocean air to flow eastward into the Willamette Valley.
The Pacific's moderating winds hit McMinnville’s south and southeast facing slopes where cool-climate varieties—namely Pinot noir and Pinot blanc thrive on ridges at between 200 to 1,000 feet in elevation.
Soils here are primarily uplifted marine sedimentary loam and silt, with alluvial formations; McMinnville receives less rainfall than its neighbors to the east because it is situated in the rain shadow of the Coast Range.