When properly groomed, Riesling excels in the Willamette Valley, and Lynn Penner-Ash made the call on this 3 acres of estate fruit on Oct. 25. The Clone 12 Riesling came in at 20 brix, and her decision to leave 10% of the lot in French oak adds remarkable complexity. There’s a tickling of facial powder and a whiff of smoke in the nose, along with baked apple, cotton candy, peach blossom, strawberry and cherry juice. Yet the entry is dry (0.8 % residual sugar) and bright with flavors of Honeycrisp apple and pineapple, finished with notes of lime and lemon yogurt. Penner-Ash and associate winemaker Bryan Weil look forward to Riesling “and anything with bacon at 6 a.m. on the last day of harvest!”
Rating: Excellent
Production: 500 cases
Alcohol: 11.3%
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