Wine & Spirits - June 2020 - 49

YEAR'S BEST US RIESLINGS
90 | Bryn Mawr

516148
$25

2018 Eola-Amity Hills Estate Riesling ^
Bright and lifted with high-toned notes of
pine and ripe peach, this bracing riesling has
a lovely sweetness and fulsome apple flavors.
It has the bones to age. (W&S 10/19) § -P.J.C.

MCMINNVILLE
520398

90 | Yamhill Valley

$18

2017 McMinnville Riesling (Best Buy) ^
Scents of preserved peach and saffron give
way to deeper tropical fruit flavors held in a
mild phenolic grip. It's a lean riesling, with
plenty of complexity for the price. -P.J.C. §

RIBBON RIDGE
520138

92 | RR Wines

$35

2017 Ribbon Ridge Ridgecrest Vineyards
Riesling ^ Harry Peterson-Nedry's new postChehalem venture has him picking up where
he left off, indulging in his passion for Alsacestyle whites, like this one. It smells of wet
stones and petrol, and tastes of sweet apple-
both pulp and peel. Saline and elegant, and a
bit chewy, it's got the stuff to evolve, so cellar.
(119 cases) § -P.J.C.
517167

90 | Trisaetum

$32

2018 Ribbon Ridge Ribbon Ridge Estate
Dry Riesling ^ Another youthful entry from
Trisaetum, this wine is zippy and bright, with
scents of citrus, lees and jasmine, and firm,
lean flavors. The celery-salt notes and grippy
phenolics bring it to a mouthwatering finish.
(W&S 8/19; 418 cases) § -P.J.C.

Y A M H I L L - C A R LT O N
516150

92 | Brooks

$24

2017 Yamhill-Carlton Yamhill Vineyard
Riesling ^ From a vineyard planted in the
mid-1980s, this is tense and bright, with hightoned passion-fruit flavors edged in lemon.
It's lean and muscled, with a mineral tautness. (W&S 8/19; 75 cases) § -P.J.C.

WILL AMETTE VALLEY AVA
520338

94 | Brooks

$38

2018 Willamette Valley Ara Riesling ^ Our
panelists found this wine scintillating. Clean,
tangy, tingly and "it squeaks" were just a few
of the excited descriptors they used, but none
of them capture the depth of flavor, the phenolic grip, the pop and tingle of the acidity
or its penetrating line. It's got the power to
age, though the lemon-peel and green-apple
flavors would work well now with tuna crudo.
(325 cases) § -P.J.C.

93 | Brooks

$38

2017 Willamette Valley Ara Riesling ^ Ara
refers to a southern constellation known in
Greek mythology as "altar of the gods" and
is typically drawn from two older riesling
sources: the Brooks estate, planted in 1974,
and Yamhill Vineyard, planted in the mid1980s. Exotic from the outset, with scents of
crushed lime, apple, stones and buckwheat,
with just a faint hint of fusel, it's the texture
that nails it: creamy for just an instant, shifting with a tart thrust to a lean, almost herbal
finish. Years from its peak, this deserves time
in the cellar. (W&S 8/19; 300 cases) § -P.J.C.
520435

92 | Love & Squalor

$20

92 | Ponzi

$22

WASHINGTON
516578

93 | Chateau Ste. Michelle &
Dr. Loosen
$20

2017 Columbia Valley Eroica Riesling
(Best Buy) ^ Subtle and complex as ever,
the 2017 Eroica delivers on its best features
(including price!) while introducing a few
more. It is always an accessible wine, just
off dry; this one starts with lemon and dried
pineapple scents, then yields more complex
markers of petrol, wool and citrus. It feels
balanced and bright, luminous in purity,
with a mild phenolic bitterness that holds
the sweet fruit aloft. A steal at $20. (W&S
8/19) § -P.J.C.

2016 Willamette Valley Riesling (Best
Buy) ^ While this wine's stony, lemony scent
suggests a lean wine, its flavors are broad and
willowy, with notes of honeycomb, pear and
lanolin. It has the breadth for pork belly and
wood-ear mushrooms. (470 cases) § -P.J.C.
520419
2017 Willamette Valley Riesling ^ This generous white leads with attractive sweet-andsour aromas that feel crystalline and bright.
The flavors are broader, relaxed and elegant,
with creamy apple and a hint of petrol to lend
complexity. -P.J.C. §
516151

90 | Brooks

$24

2017 Willamette Valley Vitae Springs
Vineyard Riesling ^ From a vineyard planted
in the late 1970s just south of the Eola Hills,
this wine projects an old-vine reticence. It
feels angular right from the scent, all lemonlime and citrus pith, and follows with a tart
apple flavor and firm, slatey acidity. It feels
like it needs years in the cellar. (W&S 8/19;
125 cases) § -P.J.C.
520130

90 | Hanson

$18

2018 Willamette Valley Riesling (Best
Buy) ^ Tart and a touch effervescent when first
poured, this turns as creamy as a lemon fizz
once the carbon dioxide blows off. It starts
off tense, then subtly relaxes in the middle,
only to firm up nicely on the finish. For a Thai
curry. (100 cases) -P.J.C.
520448

90 | King Estate

$24

2017 Willamette Valley Elhanan Vineyard
Riesling ^ Lean and floral, with scents of white
flowers and lemon rind, this has a zingy acidity accelerating through green melon flavors,
leaving an impression of dewy freshness. For
pasta with green garlic. (203 cases) § -P.J.C.

520396

90 | Columbia Winery

$26

2018 Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley
Riesling ^ Juicy as a grapefruit, with a cidery
succulence and lean apple flavors, this riesling has a simple wheaty grip that gives it
some savory detail. Pour it for Hong Kong-
style prawns. (485 cases) § -P.J.C.
520249

88 | Chateau Ste. Michelle

2018 Columbia Valley Dry Riesling (Best
Buy) ^ With notes of lemon zest and lime and a
dry, angular cut to its acids, this offers plenty
of zippy flavor at a bargain price. -P.J.C. §

DESSERT
520278

95 | Chateau Ste. Michelle $40

2017 Columbia Valley Ethos Reserve Late
Harvest Riesling ^ Ethos Reserve comes
entirely from the 30-year-old vines at Horse
Heaven Vineyard, where the fruit is left to
hang into the autumn, when the morning fog
off the Columbia River encourages botrytis.
Everything about this late-harvest wine is
joyous: It leads with scents of yellow flowers, star anise, mango, apricot and peach, but
its lively, vibrant fruit character is the lasting impression, a kind of preserved freshness
that may remind you of Viennese pastry, the
fruit glazed and perfect, preserved, yet lifted
and juicy the moment you bite into it. (150
cases) § -P.J.C. ■

WINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2020

https://www.columbiawinery.com/wine-shop/2018-riesling

Wine & Spirits - June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - June 2020