Stirm Wirz Vineyard Riesling 2018

Riesling from Cienega Valley, Central Coast, California

94 Wine
Enthusiast
91 Wilfred
Wong

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Stirm Wirz Vineyard Riesling 2018 Front Bottle Shot

Stirm Wirz Vineyard Riesling 2018 Front Label

Product Details

Varietal

Riesling

Region

Cienega Valley, Central Coast, California

Producer

Stirm

Vintage

2018

Size

750ML

ABV

12.6%

Features

Boutique

Screw Cap

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

The 2018 growing season was characterized by less than average winter rainfall returning to the Los Alamos Valley. Early spring rains helped the vines get a needed drink to start off the growing season. Early summer was very warm which resulted in great fruit set, followed by a very mild later summer, with a long ripening season. The grapes were harvested on September 24th.

Professional Ratings

94 Wine Enthusiast
A deeply golden hue in the glass, this bottling shows fantastic aromas of petrol, beeswax, roasted squash and honeyed saffron on the nose. The palate sizzles with acidity, offering wool, beeswax and lemon preserve flavors. It’s really hitting its stride right now.
91 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Stirm Wirz Vineyard Old Vine Riesling is appealing and impressive in its delivery. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with classic aromas and flavors of petrol, ripe apples, and earth. Serve it with freshly-steamed Dungeness crab. (Tasted: June 22, 2021, San Francisco, CA)

Other Vintages

2017

94 Wine
Enthusiast

Stirm

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Stirm Winemaking Philosophy Winery Image

Stirm Granite Ridge Vineyard Winery Image

Ryan Stirm cultivated his passion and skill working at renowned estates in California and Austria - Tyler and Grant Tatomer (Santa Barbara) and Weingut Tegernseerhof (Wachau). He farms all of his vineyards himself (with the exception of the historic Wirz vineyard), all of which are dry farmed and without chemicals. Harvest is always done by hand, fermentations are always native yeast, and all wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered, with minimal to no sulphur. In addition to Riesling, Ryan farms Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon in the Santa Cruz mountains and is also concentrated on working with some of the state’s historic vineyards, such as the Enz and Wirz vineyards and historic or native grape varieties such as Mission, Pais and Rosa de Peru. His reds are all aged in old American redwood, which lends an old school character and elegant rusticity, making his wines unmistakably classically Californian. Ryan’s goal of keeping alcohol levels in check and highlighting the fruit’s natural acidity makes the wines incredibly food friendly and approachable.

Riesling Wine

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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.

Cienega Valley Wine

Central Coast, California

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Part of the larger Central Coast AVA, the valley was historically an important source of grapes for Almaden Vineyards before it was acquired by Constellation Brands in the 1980s. At 1,100 feet, the San Andreas Fault divides the valley so that one side is granite and sandstone, and the other is granite and limestone. Its position along the San Andreas fault makes the region well suited for excellent Central Coast wine production. Top varietals include Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and rose.

SPRSMRSWRZ18C_2018 Item# 772976