Winemaker Notes
The aroma presents a classic Riesling profile with notes of honeysuckle and Meyer lemon, complemented by hints of tangerine, river rock, and red pear. On the palate, it offers a vibrant and complex experience, showcasing layers of tart stone fruits, minerality, and spice notes, with a lingering essence of clementine and hard candy.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Lovely nose of sweet lemons, fresh flowers and a touch of honey. Medium-bodied with so much texture. Dense with fresh acidity at the center, a flavorful core of baked lemons and a delicious finish.
-
Vinous
The 2023 Riesling Old Vine Estate is more reserved and finessed than anticipated, with a nuanced blend of chamomile, lime zests and gingery spice. This is round and supple with a tropical green melon resonance, offset by the emergence of salty, saturating minerals. It tapers off perfumed and long with a pleasant bitterness and a citrusy concentration that lingers on and on.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Melon and honeycomb aromas are spiced up by a tiny bit of paprika. It is an unusual combination, but it works. The wine's pineapple and saline flavors are joined by a sweet-tart note that reminded me of icy cold limeade. The wine's bold acidity is a highlight.
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.