This wine retails for $16.50 through the winery. We tried this comped bottle as part of the Tweet and Taste Michigan - search #ttmi on Twitter and check out all the tweets! During the Tweet and Taste I was not on my A game for an array of reasons we'll avoid here, so by all means check that out, but you may be better off ignoring the comments from @thewineauxs.Spicy apricot hits me immediately on the nose, with some slightly unripe golden apple, maybe even apple blossom. Apple flavored herbal tea comes to mind.
So, when I read "Dry Riesling" I admit the occasional eyeroll, but I'll be damned, this s.o.b. is dry. Lots of acid, fruit and floral notes, but very little - if any - sugar. The fruit is slightly unripe with pear, apple, maybe even green grape. There's a definite petrol quality - the sort of thing you'd expect in a much pricier Riesling, and a funky kind of asparagus thing. The mouthfeel is slightly viscous, but the acid creates a good pucker that makes it barely noticeable. Everything here comes together nicely.
Lengthy finish - unripe stone fruit, peaches mostly. You know, it's kind of like if you take a peach, squeeze out all the juice and somehow remove the sugar - the way back end of the finish has this pungent dry peach thing that, lame as it sounds, is somewhat exciting.
I am digging this one a lot. My advice - and the consensus of many people on the Twitter feed - is let this one warm up a bit before drinking. This bottle has been out of the fridge for a full two hours and can be be described as "cool" and I think it's at its finest point. I originally gave this one an 88, but after it warmed up it completely elevated to a new level.
Though this review was not done blind and the bottle was comped, my opinion has not been consciously swayed. That being said, I'm not afraid to say a crappy wine is just that - this is solid.
Score: 91* *not blind
So glad you guys joined us on Tweet & Taste, it was a tremendous way to have lots of people chime in with honest commentary on my wines. The pace (by my count 17 tweets per minute) created a forum where folks reacted to the wines spontaneously therefore without the opportunity to measure their words beforehand. It was open, honest and truly reflective of the what the wines offered. And I'm happy to see you liked this wine! Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteAdam Satchwell
Shady Lane Cellars
You touched on something with this wine when you let it warm up and open a bit. I think this is a testament to the aging ability of this wine. My Dry Rieslings, because of the nature of the wine chemistry, are very slow to evolve, they continue to offer new and increasingly fascinating facets over a long period of time. I think this wine will truly peak after 5 years (or more?) in the bottle.
ReplyDeleteAdam Satchwell
Shady Lane Cellars