Winemaker Notes
This wine is bright, clean and delicious with a solid core of minerality surrounded by grace notes of citrus fruit and honeysuckle. This wine can only enhance their alreadysolid reputation as a producer of great Riesling.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Opening with a lovely mix of apricot, green apple and petrol, this wine offers enviable structure, complexity and balance. Lush on the midpalate, it never loses focus, retaining mineral-like stoniness and linear, fresh acidity
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James Suckling
Intense nose of lime zest, hay and candied lemon with just a whiff of petrol-like, mature-riesling aroma (entirely normal for 5 years old). Then, a remarkably clean palate for the warm region with a lovely interplay of racy acidity, discreet tannins and mineral character. Long, crisp finish, of a kind that’s light years removed from the Napa norm. Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lots of classic lychee, lime, and white grapefruit notes emerge from the 2016 Riesling, which is medium-bodied and has a kiss of sweetness, balancing acidity, and a great finish. This beautiful, outstanding Riesling is going to age nicely for at least a decade.
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.
Above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains sits the Spring Mountain District.
A dynamic region, its vineyards, cut by numerous springs and streams, vary in elevation, slope and aspect. Soils differ throughout with over 20 distinct types inside of the 8,600 acres that define the appellation. Within that area, only about 1,000 are planted to vineyards. Predominantly farmed by small, independent producers, the region currently has just over 30 wineries.
During the growing season, late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes reach the Spring Mountain vineyards, which sit at between 400 and 1,200 feet. Daytime temperatures during mid summer and early fall remain slightly cooler than those of the valley floor.
Spring Mountain soils—volcanic matter and sedimentary rock—create intense but balanced reds with lush and delicate tannins. The area excels with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and in some cooler spots, Chardonnay.