Tag Archives: Riesling

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Wegeler PURE Riesling 2006

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I’ve never really gotten in the habit of drinking much German wine. Partly because I’ve always drunk more red than white. And partly because of all the uncertainty around sweetness, especially in my early wine-drinking days when I turned my nose up at any hint of sweetness, thinking that made me more sophisticated. More than most categories, I feel like I need a guide when it comes to German wine, so I took a chance at this bottle, which came highly recommended from Garagiste.

Producer: Wegeler

Grapes: 100% Riesling

Appellation: Rheingau (Germany)

Vineyards: Loess/loam and clay soils

Vintage: 2006, so it’s got a bit of bottle age on it.

Winemaking: no info

Alcohol: 11.0%

Price: I paid $11.99 via Garagiste, but this normally retails for around $20.

Tasting notes: Pale, brassy color. Pretty citrus and stone fruit aromas lead the way, accented with talc and gravel notes. There’s a little pineapple juice, too, and I keep thinking it’s reminding me of Juicy Fruit gum. Round fruit flavors with a touch of sweetness (medium-dry) on the palate, but with bright acidity that makes this very fresh, and dare I say, PURE. A little crushed rock shows as well for added interest. This wine was drinking well for several days after opening.

Overall impression: This is the Germans doing what they do. And I appreciate it. I bet you would to. B

Free association:

More info:

Imported by Rudi Wiest Selections.

10,000 cases produced.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Helfrich Riesling 2007 Alsace

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helfrich_riesling_2007_snapshotProducer: Helfrich

Grapes: 100% Riesling

Appellation: Alsace (AOC, France). This region of France has been handed back and forth between France & Germany numerous times depending on who won the last war. So many of the names don’t sound very French. If you generally avoid Riesling because you’ve tried German ones and found them too sweet or you can’t figure out their labeling, give Alsace a try. The wines are almost always dry or just off-dry and I’ve rarely found a dud.

Vineyards: “The grapes come from the Couronne d’Or (Golden Crown), an association of local vineyards that run through the middle of Alsace. The vineyards are sloped with a South/South East exposure, while the soil is mostly calcareous and thin. The vines are dry farmed and trained upwards for maximum exposure to the sun.” [From the importer’s press release]

Winemaking: no info

Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: Around $15 (I paid $13.67 at Spec’s in Austin)

My tasting notes: The wine is a green-tinged pale yellow in the glass with a steely, stony, citrusy nose. On the palate, the citrus fades and more apple & pear flavors emerge, accented with baking spices. Though just off-dry, it’s fairly crisp – but not as racy as the Rieslings I enjoy most. The wine improved a bit by the second glass.

Overall assessment: Not bad. I like the nose, but I wasn’t thrilled with it in the mouth. You could do a lot worse…  B-

Free association:

silversurfer

More info:

The guys at WineGeekTV reviewed this bottle and Helfrich’s Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer from the same vintage.

Other blogger reviews at The 89 Project and Gabe’s View. And few more reviews at CellarTracker (avg. 90).

Sonadora over at Wannabe Wino recently reviewed the Helfrich Pinot Gris and has a review of the Riesling coming soon, I think.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2008

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2008_kungfu_girl_bottleshot

Producer: Charles Smith Wines

Grapes: 100% Riesling

Appellation: Columbia Valley (though from a single vineyard; see below)

Vineyard: Evergreen Vineyard, a 452 acre vineyard planted to 10 different white varieties and farmed by Milbrandt Vineyards. It is rather young, having been planted in 1998. The vineyard currently falls under the large Columbia Valley AVA, but is a part of the “Ancient Lakes” area, which is seeking AVA status. Ancient Lakes is a cooler region with soils of clay, sand, silt and Caliche.

Winemaking: 100% stainless steel fermentation and aging

Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: $11.77

Package: Kick-ass label. Screwcap.

My tasting notes: A slight spritz. Bright green apple and pear aromas on the nose with a waxy quality. Round, luscious mouthfeel yet with lively, zippy acidity. Makes me think of Clearly Canadian sparkling water from back in the 90s, if they made an apple and kiwi flavor. (I mean that as a complement – I loved Clearly Canadian back then, especially Mountain Blackberry and Western Loganberry flavors.)

Overall impression: A very enjoyable drink. A crowd-pleaser for your next party. Hell, I might pick up another bottle to have on hand for Thanksgiving. B

Free Association: I loved playing this game at the bowling alley arcade I was a kid.


More info:

Winery’s tech sheet.

Good info on the Ancient Lakes region from the Millbrandt Vineyards website.

Jeff at Viva La Wino reviewed this wine earlier this year and liked it, too.

Gary V. had Charles Smith on WLTV last year and they tasted the 2007 Kung Fu Girl.

Update: Found another blogger review from Ben at Benito’s Wine Reviews.