Winemaker Notes
This wine leans a bit more French than German, but perhaps it’s more accurate to say that there is a German style in Riesling, a French style and a Smith-Madrone style. However one identifies the various styles, the one thing they all have in common is the unique character that shines through and defines all good Riesling. The wine is a very pale light straw color with a pronounced aroma of apricot, pear, green apple, crushed rocks and the je-ne-sais-quoi that can only be Riesling. Very crisp and lively on the palate, the wine has a deep core of minerality and a citrusy freshness that is simply mouthwatering. The wine is a fine summer thirst quencher, but in its youthful vigor, its real strength will be as a superb companion to that enormous range of international foods for which Riesling is so uniquely suited.
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Year in, year out, this is one of Napa’s most fascinating whites — a Riesling from a true Napa icon, and a genuine rarity in the Valley. Sourced from the winery’s high-elevation, dry-farmed vines atop Spring Mountain, it opens with lovely acacia honey and acacia-wood tones, nuanced by white florals, dried ginger and a faint flicker of that flinty petrol note we all know and love in Riesling. The light-to medium-bodied palate is rife with the fresh, juicy squeeze of lemon, grapefruit and tangerine, framed by the grippy texture of biting into citrus pith and underscored by plenty of zesty acidity. It finishes on a wet-stone mineral snap that keeps the wine vivid and refreshing.
-
James Suckling
Preserved Sicilian lemons, sea spray, kerosene and lime blossoms. Such a delicious interpretation of new-world riesling, with some time in the bottle bringing complexity and nuance. The palate is textural and rounded, cut straight through with bright acidity. Long, flavorful finish. Drink or hold.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Flinty aromas open the nose on this wine to reveal a complex of citrus blossoms, pith, and oils of sweet lemon, lime, and grapefruit.Freshness lifts from the glass leading to a light sprinkle of savory mineral, almost like sea salt. Pleasing texture sweeps through the palate on bright acidity, for anattractive Riesling with great potential to age. Cellar Selection.
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.