Winemaker Notes
The 2016 vintage of Poet's Leap is an off-dry Riesling with expressive, spicy aromatics and generous, lively flavors. Fresh melon, honey, ripe apricot and a hint of citrus jump on the palate leaving a vibrant, racy impression and a long, clean finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a standout. Lime citrus and some more savory wet-stone notes. Really exciting nose. The palate delivers a pithy lime and apple impression. A fresh drink-now style that’s gently off-dry.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Riesling Poet's Leap is very pretty, offering up aromas of lime, lemon oil, white flowers and very subtle petrol that wouldn't be out of place in the Mosel. On the palate, it's light to medium-bodied, racy and mouthwatering, with lovely intensity and purity, concluding with a stony finish. It's a beautiful wine and carries a very modest price tag.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: One of my biggest complaints about New World Rieslings is: Why aren't they balanced? Whether they come from Australia, California, New Zealand, or Washington State, I often find the wines to be a bit soft. Fortunately, the 2016 Poet's Leap Riesling from the Columbia Valley brings balance and structure front and center. TASTING NOTES: This wine is fresh and beautiful. Its aromas and flavors of green apples, mineral, and flowers, with a hint of chalk, are tied together with excellent acidity. Pair its off-dry, slightly sweet finish with slivered roast chicken over a bed of iceberg lettuce accented with dried red pepper flakes. (Tasted: July 25, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Poet's Leap Riesling from winemaker Gilles Nicault sports a light gold color to go with lots of lychee nut, crushed rocks, lime, and hints of petrol. It's clean, off-dry, beautifully balanced, and has a great finish. It’s good today, but this cuvée can age nicely for over a decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine’s aromas are bright, with honeysuckle, ripe peach, mandarin orange, slate and lime zest notes. It drinks just off dry, with abundant stone fruit flavors, mouthwatering acidity and a balance that’s spot-on.
Long Shadows Vintners is a collection of seven ultra-premium wines, each built on the unique expertise of some of the world's most highly-regarded winemakers to showcase the viticultural quality and caliber of Washington State's Columbia Valley.
Founded by Washington wine visionary Allen Shoup in 2002, Long Shadows is the continuation of Allen's ongoing ambition to bring international recognition to the Columbia Valley. His idea for Long Shadows was as simple as it was complex. Recruit seven internationally acclaimed winemakers; give each access to Washington State's best grapes; and outfit a winery to the vintner’s exacting cellar specifications. The result, in effect, is seven stand-alone wineries, under one roof.
Since the beginning, Long Shadows' director of winemaking and viticulture Gilles Nicault, has overseen the operations of the winery and worked closely with the vintners to bring each winemaker's vision to completion. Internationally renowned winemakers Randy Dunn (Feather Cabernet Sauvignon); John Duval (Sequel Syrah); Philippe Melka (Pirouette Red Wine); and Michel Rolland (Pedestal Merlot) are active partners in their respective wines. Gilles now crafts Poet’s Leap Riesling and Saggi (Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon) in styles that remain true to their original winemakers, Armin Diel and Giovanni Folonari respectively. Gilles crafts Chester-Kidder, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend, independently.
Gilles works closely with the state's top growers to execute a diverse winemaking protocol at Long Shadows' state-of-the-art facility in Walla Walla to produce wines of exceptional quality, true to the Columbia Valley's terroir.
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.