I don’t agree with that, Evergreen is a world-class Riesling vineyard, where I have issue is too many winemakers let ferments get too hot and you get a distinct Graham cracker note in many WA Rieslings that I despise.
Eroica, Poet’s Leap, Eroica Gold, CSM Cold Creek, and Sleight of Hand all make excellent Riesling.
For a cheap tour, Ste Michelle Dry and Corvidae are really good.
Wyncroft
Domestic to me is Canada. Would you like commentary on our Riesling? We do have some good ones.
Desire Lines (Cole Ranch and Wiley), Bedrock, and Tatomer
I continue to be in awe of all the selectios…reason # 106 that I adore this site! I’m going to have a busy summer and will try to report back my findings!
I opened a 2020 Devium Riesling Lewis Peak last night and it was one of the weirdest wines I have ever tasted. First pour noticed a very bubbly head of foam and bubbles like Champagne. I shook the bottle to release the CO2 and could hardly hold back the pressure with my thumb. On the nose it smelled like rotting apples. It had no Riesling character whatsoever. This was a big disappointment. Keith was quick to respond and offered replacements with some other offerings.
Curious whether he offered reasons why this might have been the case? Curious to hear . . .
Cheers
Keith just told me that he is pushing the boundaries on his winemaking technique with little manipulation and minimal or no SO2. He did say there was quite a bit of bound CO2 on this wine. I am not sure what this all means.
Not uncommon for whites to have a decent amount of dissolved CO2 in the bottle at bottling - especially if the wines were fermented and aged in stainless steel. The no SO2 could certainly have led to ‘other issues’ - and there’s always the chance it started going through out went through ML in bottle if not accounted for by filtering, etc.
Cheers
Revisiting the 2019 version now. It’s just as I remembered last time I tasted it in November ‘20. Maybe a hair more peachy fruit but still taut and structured. This should have a very long life. Still one of the best domestic rieslings I’ve had. 3+ (out of 5) now.
This list more or less overlaps with my top Finger Lakes picks as well, and roughly in the same order, except that Standing Stones is the only one that I have not tried. My seventh would be Anthony Road based on the strength of their Artist Series Riesling and Skin Fermented Grey Riesling, with the caveat that some of their other cuvees can be hit or miss.
Thanks for the note on Anthony Road as i’ve never been there yet… next time i’m up at Kemmeter i’ll give it a try. I also like Heart & Hands but don’t visit as often as they are usually too far out of the way from where i’m staying when in the area.