Juergen Grieb arrived on the Wahluke Slope during his early 20s to help German giant Langguth plant its flag in Washington. Ineffective marketing, not the winemaking, derailed the company’s efforts, but Grieb stayed and has made perhaps more wine than any other Washington winemaker in the past four decades. Five years ago, he launched his own company near Yakima, and he’s become a regional leader in sparkling wine. Much of his work is focused on traditional Champagne grapes, but he broaden the horizons of consumers with Germanic varieties, too. There’s classic Gewürz spice brought out by these bubbles, which also offer aromas of Ginger Gold apple, ripe pear, Granny Smith apple and slate. Inside, the delicious entry carries along flavors of candied ginger, Asian pear and green apple with a hint of yeasty bread. The fanciful mousse and lime acidity moves the residual sugar of 3.5% into the background.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 1,000 cases
Alcohol: 12%
Leave a Reply