Talley Vineyards Edna Valley Riesling 2020, California

Pale lemon in color with a golden hue.

Nose of citrus, lemons, light diesel, apples, light vegetables and spices.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with limes, lemons, apples, peaches, minerals and white pepper.

Medium finish with limes and light earth.

This is a very tasty Riesling from Edna Valley in california. Engaging with mild complexity.

Good right out of the bottle, easy drinking and good for parties. I had it all by itself by the lake.

Aged for 7 months in a combination of neutral barrels and stainless steel.

12.9% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$34.

Advertisement

Smith-Madrone Vineyards Spring Mountain District Riesling 2018, Napa Valley, California

Pretty color of light gold.

Strong nose of citrus, lemons, yellow apples, pears, limes, light earth, diesel and minerals.

Full bodied and creamy with high acidity.

Dry on the palate with a touch of RS to balance it out.

Showing limes, lemons, green and red apples, minerals, light earth, light diesel, herbs and white pepper.

Long finish with light almonds and limes.

This 5-year-old Riesling from Napa Valley is drinking so nicely now. Elegant and rich.

I’ve had the 2017 some time ago, and this vintage drinks much better.

Well balanced with nice complexity and mouthfeel. Neither tart nor bitter, and I love that. Buttery and creamy. Soft and smooth.

Will be interesting to revisit it in 5 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after some air time. Better when not too cold. Good by itself as a sipping wine.

13.3% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$36.

RomerHof Bernkasteler Kurfurstlay Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Spatlese Riesling 1996, Germany

This is a very tasty German Riesling.

Off dry on the palate with nice complexity, and a beautiful nose of wild flowers.

Showing citrus, lemons, apples, tropical fruits, kiwi, pineapples, white pepper, minerals and spices.

This 26 year old is still drinking nicely, which is nice to see. Showing nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 30 minutes of airtime. I did not decant it.

Easy drinking and good by itself as a sipping wine. Drinks like juice, and will also pair nicely with spicy Asian dishes.

8% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

Colloca Estate Winery Lake Effect Vineyard Dry Riesling 2016, New York

Very pale lemon in color, almost see-through.

Strong nose of ripe apples and pears, diesel, spices, minerals and light peaches.

Medium plus in body with high acidity.

Dry to off dry on the palate with citrus, apples, pears, spices, honey, sea salt, pineapples, light metals, minerals and light black pepper.

Long finish with honey and black pepper.

This 6 year old Riesling is drinking very nicely now. Dense and creamy with a great mouthfeel.

Nicely balanced and delicious. Spicy and interesting.

This Single Vineyard will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

The wine has less than 1% RS, but feels somewhat off dry, which makes it very balanced, tasty and engaging.

Good by itself or with food. A great sipping wine.

100% Riesling grapes were aged in stainless steel vats for 8 months. A small production of only 4,000 bottles.

11.9% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$14 (current vintage).

Weingut Friedrich Altenkirch Lorcher Krone Kabinett Riesling 1983 Rheingau, Germany

This 39 year old Riesling from Rheingau is still drinking nicely, although definitely not in its peak anymore.

Twenty four carat gold in color, with a brown tint.

Soft nose of citrus, lemons, apples, Mediterranean spices, cardamom, fig jam and honey.

Light to medium in body and refreshing, with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with limes, lemons, green apples, spices, herbs, minerals and white pepper.

This is a nice surprise. I did not expect too much from it, but it was really easy to drink. Crisp and refreshing.

Not fully balanced any longer, but still enjoyable.

Needed 20 minutes to open up, but started declining pretty quickly. Nevertheless, drinking these old wines is always an interesting experience.

I paired it with tuna tartare, but it was actually better all by itself.

A small production of only 3,690 bottles.

10% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

Chateau Ste Michelle Eroica Single Berry Select Riesling 2000, Columbia Valley, Washington State

This is a great collaboration between Chateau Ste Michelle and Dr. Loosen.

Brown in color with a brick rim.

Full bodied and bold.

Sweet on the palate with high acidity.

This 22 year old is showing citrus, prunes, dried figs, raisins, honeydew, spices, honey suckle, red apples and pineapples.

Extremely sweet and a bit unbalanced, although very yummy.

Wine Spectator 98 points.

Very tasty by itself as a dessert. I loved the nose more than the palate.

7% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$200 (375ml)

Maison Koenig Alsace Riesling 2018, France

Pale lemon in color with a golden hue.

Strong nose of lemons, limes, apples, diesel, light tropical fruits, minerals and spices.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry with a touch of RS on the palate with citrus, lemons, apples, melons, pears, spices, white pepper and minerals.

Tangy finish with limes and pepper.

This is a very enjoyable Riesling from Alsace. Easy drinking and good by itself.

Showing mild complexity and a nice mouthfeel. Nicely balanced with some sugar left, to balance the acidity.

Would be nice to see how this evolves in the next 5 years.

A good wine to sip on by the porch. I paired it Burrata and tomatoes.

Vegan. Kosher and Mevushal.

12% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$19.

Lorcher Krone Riesling Kabinett 1983 Rheingau, Germany

It is always interesting to drink these kind of old wines, but it is never a sure thing. This 38 year old Riesling is not at its peak for a while now.

Nice deep golden in color.

Medium bodied with high acidity.

Dry to off dry on the palate with lemons, citrus, limes, green apples and spices.

Tangy finish with limes.

This 38 year old is tangy and interesting, but not as complex as I wanted it to be.

Good by itself and better with food. A little oxidized on the nose, but not on the palate. Has a light cider feel.

Wasn’t that pleasant right out of the bottle, but opened up nicely after 20 minutes of airtime.

Not balanced anymore, but still interesting and easy to drink.

I paired it with spicy Ahi Tuna and seaweed salad.

Bottled in September of 1984. A small production of only 3,690 bottles.

10% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

Smith-Madrone Winery Spring Mountain District Riesling 2017, Napa Valley, California

• 

Pale lemon in color with a yellow tint.

Pretty nose of lemons, citrus, yellow apples, diesel, light tangerines, light river rocks, spices and minerals.

Medium plus in body with high acidity.

Dry on the palate with citrus, spices, lemons, apples, light earth, minerals, light sea salt and white pepper.

Tangy finish with limes and grapefruit.

This is a delicious Riesling from Spring Mountain District in Napa Valley. Showing mild complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Still young and would benefit from a few years in the bottle. Already drinking nicely with nice balance.

Good by itself or with food, and better after 45 minutes of airtime.

Not as complex as the 2016 vintage, but time will tell as this evolves in the bottle. Still very yummy.

A great sipping wine and a good pool wine too. Fresh with a dry finish.

I paired it with Cedar Planked Salmon on the BBQ.

12.9% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$34.

Bee Hunter Wines Greenwood Ridge Vineyards Late Harvest Riesling 2014, Anderson Valley, California

• 

Deep yellow in color with a golden 24 carat hue.

Beautiful nose of yellow apples, ripen pears, minerals, tropical fruits, apricots and spices.

Fill bodied with high acidity.

Sweet on the palate with pears, apricots, honey, apples, tropical fruits and spices.

Long sweet finish.

This is a delicious Sweet Riesling from Anderson Valley. Nicely balanced and rich, with lots of acidity to balance the sugars.

This 7 year old is drinking beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Showing great complexity with beautiful flavors. Good by itself as a sipping wine.

I paired it with a chocolate cake, but I preferred it all by itself.

A special selection that was only produced in this vintage. Very special.

9.7% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$32 (375ml).