Over a few years, I collected a number of Kick-On Ranch (Lompoc/Santa Rita Hills area) Rieslings and decided to uncork all of them at once to taste blind a few months ago. Here’s a pic of the lineup (bottles in random order; glasses in the order tasted below):
Here are the notes that I took, followed by the scores and the producers/wine names:
Wine #1:
Darker golden yellow. On the nose, already some interesting Riesling-esque petrol-ish notes just beginning to form. Solid concentration and weight. Unusual flavors with some of the expected lemon pith but also a distinct note of cantaloupe/melon. Finish is a little short but with some nice minerality and sharpness. 91 Points
[J. Brix, Kick-on-Ranch 2021]
Wine #2
Smells lemon-lime and a bit of river rock. Very fresh. Color is lighter than others, very pale yellow. Decent weight and concentration, but a bit less so than others. Definitely lighter in body overall, but a bit more distinct lemon juice/fruit flavor than others. Short finish. 87 Points.
[Ojai, Kick-on-Ranch 2021]
Wine #3:
Light, very light yellow and pale. Smells like the beginnings of a petrol-ish scent on the nose, but otherwise pretty light. Interesting flavors! Complex flavor with good acidity and a hint of minerality. Lemon-lime and bitter lemon zest flavors dominate, but there’s also a bit of something akin to mushroom that I can’t quite pin down. 91 points.
[Tatomer, Kick-on-Ranch 2021]
Wine #4:
Darker yellow, golden and a bit cloudy. Lots of interesting flavor on the nose here, definitely some secondary aromas of aged honey and a sort of cheesiness. Very complex nose and flavor! Almost reminded me a bit of an aged Chenin. Taste is delicious, follows the nose with a bit more of that kind of caramel-honey sweetness (without being actually sweet) and lemon + wet stone flavor. Long finish. I wonder if this one was picked later? Also leaves visible traces on the sides of the glass. Wow. Easily my favorite in the tasting. 93 points.
[Stirm, Kick-on Vineyard eøølian 2021]
Wine #5:
Smells a bit aged as well with a hint of leather (not quite petrol), but not as much as the others. Body is medium, with a tiny hint of caramel-ish sweetness, but mostly lemon pith and lemon-lime. A little more straightforward than the others, but still enjoyable. 87 points.
[Union Sacre, Fraulein Dry Riesling Kick-on Ranch 2021]
From experience I’ve found that Tatomer wines tend to benefit from extended aging, so checking in on these in 2-3 years might have different results. I had never heard of J. Brix before this though and really liked the wine, great QPR. And I’m not sure what was going on with the Stirm wine that made it so different, but it stood out in a good way. Union Sacre was a bit of a surprise since I’ve really enjoyed their Rancho Sisquoc and Riven Rock Rieslings.
Kick-On Ranch I think is about as good as it gets in CA for Riesling, though I’d love to see more “mountain” Riesling plantings like Smith-Madrone’s (and Cole Ranch, given its unique location).