Winemaker Notes
The salinity of shellfish, especially oysters, resonates beautifully with the mineral notes in this wine. Winery Chef Chris Kennedy also suggests pairing it with spicy cuisine, including Thai and Indian flavors, as well as stone fruits.
Blend: 100% Riesling
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A tangy and minerally riesling with sliced spiced pear, flint and spice character that follow through to a full body with layered fruit and a tangy, mouthwatering finish. Minerally at the end.
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Wine Enthusiast
Wafting delicate peaches and melons, then crisp and jazzy green apples, this light-bodied wine tastes fresh and alive. It is super mouth cleansing and appetizing due to vivid acidity, and one of the few Rieslings left in Napa Valley.
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Wine & Spirits
Trefethen's latest riesling is light, crisp and airy, with ripe kiwi flavors and lime-scented length. It leaves the mouth tasting good. An aperitif or a wine for sand dabs.
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.
As one of Napa’s coolest sub-appellations, the area begs for diversity among its vineyards. Merlot and Chardonnay firmly compete with Cabernet Sauvignon for a place here. Some of Napa’s best Zinfandels also come from the Oak Knoll District.
Situated far in Napa’s southern end, Oak Knoll receives a strong cooling influence from both the San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Coast’s evening fog and breezes. Summer days are warm but on average ten degrees cooler than in St. Helena farther north up the valley; summer nights are chilly. A long growing season promotes for leisurely ripening of grape berries, resulting in an impressive balance of sugars, phenols and acidity.
Notable producers include Trefethen, one of the appellation’s oldest wineries, Robert Biale, legendary Zinfandel producer and Lewis Cellars, a family-run, hands-on establishment.