Wine & Spirits - February 2018 - 62

YEAR'S BEST
WEST COAST RIESLINGS
Our blind panels tasted 145 new-release West Coast rieslings over the past 12 months.
Our critics rated 14 as exceptional (90+) and 6 as Best Buys. Joshua Greene reviews
California wines; Patrick J. Comiskey reviews Oregon and Washington. Find a complete
list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.
509787

92 | Ovum

CALIFORNIA
449947

91 | Dutton-Goldfield

$30

2016 Marin County Chileno Valley Vineyard Riesling ^ As clean and brisk as it is substantial, this grows in the cool rolling hills
north of San Francisco. Its flavors of ripe
apricot and orange peel play against savory
coriander spice and frisky pea-tendril greenness, refreshing acidity bringing clarity to its
mouthfilling abundance. Pour it with sweetand-sour pork. (W&S 8/17; 327 cases)
508827

90 | Phillips Hill

$24

2016 Mendocino Ridge Greenwood Ridge
Vineyard Riesling ^ Some of the vines that
produce this wine date to 1972, the rest
to 1988, all planted on loam derived from
weathered sandstone in a mix with gravel.
They yield a rich riesling, yeasty and broad,
with plenty of acidity to add an edge. That
mouthwatering acidity will match sole panroasted with grapes. (W&S 12/17; 145 cases)

92 | Rain Dance

91 | Brooks

509476

$24

2016 Eola-Amity Hills Orchard Fold Vineyard Riesling ^ Brooks is one of Oregon's
most dedicated riesling producers, and yet
Chris Williams' wines, to this taster, aren't
so much standard-bearers as arresting outliers, often fiercely savory and idiosyncratic,
hinting at fruit but not about fruit at all. This
one, from a vineyard planted in 2007, is no
exception, a wine that starts out savory, more
about tone than flavor. There is a compact
package of wheat, Meyer lemon and lime
flavor delivered with remarkable focus and
freshness. It's a tense, leesy and crisp riesling
for contemplating, or pouring with herbroasted halibut. (125 cases)
WINE & SPIRITS

$24

FEBRUARY 2018

91 | Yamhill Valley Vyds.

$18

90 | Blakeslee

$32

90 | Brooks

$18

90 | Ovum

$30

90 | Yamhill Valley

$18

88 | Ransom

$18

2014 McMinnville Riesling (Best Buy) ^ Supple and pillowy, this has an attractive bouquet of pear and peach, pointed up by a little
residual sugar. It's weighty and satisfying; for
Sichuan chicken. (W&S 8/17; 300 cases)
509441
2015 Willamette Valley Riesling ^ A simple,
thoroughly delicious white from a north valley vineyard, this leads with a high-toned
passion-fruit scent. The flavors play on the
palate like limeade, sweet and puckery, a
mouthwatering tension for sole. (296 cases)
509433
2016 Willamette Valley Riesling (Best
Buy) ^ A well-made, well-priced riesling drawing from most of the nine riesling vineyards
in the Brooks repertoire, this is snappy and
bright, settling into something creamy,
broad and pear-like in both texture and flavor. It's tense enough, and flavorful enough,
for lemon chicken. (800 cases)
509786
2016 Ribbon Ridge Toro Y Scorpio Riesling ^ From a vineyard planted on sandy soil,
this wine's lean, savory edge hints at fresh
herbs, pine and cedar, a fine crisp-apple
accent at the core. It's jittery and unresolved,
but seems full of potential energy and has
staying power for the cellar. (223 cases)
509185

$24

2016 McMinnville Riesling (Best Buy) ^
Scents of wheat and lees propel this wine's
flavors and crisp, saline texture, like a cold
ocean wave on your cheek. It's balanced and
well knit, for lunch sipping. (399 cases)
509327

2015 Willamette Valley Vitae Springs
Vineyard Riesling ^ From an older vineyard near Salem, planted in 1978, this gentle, wheaty riesling is dry and pithy, savory
and lean, with tension between the wine's
mouthwatering apple flavor and the savor of
its saline, mineral rim. (W&S 8/17; 75 cases)
509788

2015 Willamette Valley Sunnyside Vineyard Riesling (Best Buy) ^ From a vineyard
planted in the 1970s in the south Salem
Hills, this has lanolin and pineapple scents
and flavors of green herb, parmesan rind and
lemon. Let it settle in the cellar before opening for a roasted beet salad. (100 cases)

91 | Brooks

$22

2016 Chehalem Mountains Estate Nicholas Vineyard Riesling (Best Buy) ^ From a
new winery with multiple estate vineyards in
the Chehalem Mountains, this brisk white is
sourced from the largest, a 40-acre parcel. It
offers some of Oregon riesling's best features:
an angular and edgy energy, a high-toned
lemon-lime scent and a minerality that snaps
the wine's citrus and passion-fruit flavors into
a precise finish. (W&S 12/17; 105 cases)
509435
2016 Yamhill-Carlton Yamhill Vineyard
Riesling ^ A compelling white with broad flavors of crushed apples and citrus, this has an
appealing freshness and a juicy core of fruit,
like applesauce spiked with lemon. Chill it for
hot-and-sour fish soup. (150 cases)
450007

OREGON

94 | Brooks

$45

2016 Eola-Amity Hills Memorista Riesling ^ A strident phenolic bitterness runs
through this wine when first poured. Bear
with it: After a day the wine's savory elements
flow into view, a creamy lees-and-citrus character buoyed by a texture so elegant and lasting you'll want to buy a case of this and ponder it once a year for a decade. (161 cases)
508734

450060

91 | Ovum

$30

2016 Elkton Base Line Riesling ^ Here's a
riesling that's so well built it's hard to see
the contours. Its evolution over two days is
glacial, from a firm bready note that opens,
slightly, toward something warmer, more
brioche-like. The fruit behind this savor is
minimal but opens, also, into green apple
and mild Asian pear flavors. This is the sort
of wine that will reward time in the cellar, or
time in a decanter when pouring for boudin
blanc and roast potatoes. (248 cases)

WASHINGTON
507655

90 | Chateau Ste. Michelle

2016 Columbia Valley Dry Riesling (Best
Buy) ^ A terrific wine for the price, this riesling's best feature is its freshness; it's a hightoned, leesy white leading with scents of
apple blossoms and a hint of lime. The flavors are at once crisp and round, supple and
generous, with the body to pair with seafood,
like octopus or squid. (W&S 10/17) n

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - February 2018