{"id":29,"date":"2008-06-30T14:02:13","date_gmt":"2008-06-30T14:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=29"},"modified":"2008-07-05T23:19:50","modified_gmt":"2008-07-05T23:19:50","slug":"riesling-blind-tasting-results-from-kenswineguidecom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=29","title":{"rendered":"Riesling Blind Tasting Results From KensWineGuide.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"RieslingWe recently\u00c2\u00a0conducted a blind tasting of Riesling and Dessert wines.\u00c2\u00a0 In this post we will cover the Riesling results.\u00c2\u00a0 In addition to the blind tasting, we received several other Rieslings and did some non-blind tastings as well.\u00c2\u00a0 Two\u00c2\u00a0weeks after the\u00c2\u00a0blind tasting, we\u00c2\u00a0visited the Finger Lakes.\u00c2\u00a0 In the end, we were swimming in Riesling.\u00c2\u00a0 In my opinion, Riesling is the most under appreciated Noble grape, although Merlot is starting to challenge it on that front.\u00c2\u00a0 Dorthy Gaiter\u00c2\u00a0and John Brecher, weekly wine writers\u00c2\u00a0from the Wall Street Journal, recently wrote that wine writers like me make a regular plea for readers like you to try more Riesling.\u00c2\u00a0 I say why not?\u00c2\u00a0 The stuff is really good!\u00c2\u00a0 It is not all sweet like the stereotype.\u00c2\u00a0 If you want sweet, you can have sweet, but there is also dry and semi dry Riesling as well.\u00c2\u00a0 The Very Good ones are balanced and food friendly.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The WSJ quoted a Nielsen Co. report that said Riesling is the fastest growing white varietal in the US for the past 2 years.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s the good news.\u00c2\u00a0 The reality is that Riesling is still only 2% of total wines sales.\u00c2\u00a0 So drink up! We will give you some Very\u00c2\u00a0Good suggestions.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"DrWe tried\u00c2\u00a0ten Rieslings blind.\u00c2\u00a0 We are recommending\u00c2\u00a0six of them as Very Good or better.\u00c2\u00a0 Our winner scored\u00c2\u00a090 points or Very Good +.\u00c2\u00a0 Which wine won?\u00c2\u00a0 It was the Dr. Loosen 2006 “\u00c3\u0153rziger W\u00c3\u00bcrzgarten Sp\u00c3\u00a4tlese”<\/strong><\/a>\u00c2\u00a0$32.\u00c2\u00a0 This full bodied wine is quite viscous, creamy, nicely balanced, with delicious sweet lemon iced tea like flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 It was clearly our favorite option in this tasting.<\/p>\n

\"WillametteOur second place wine was the Willamette Valley Vineyards 2007 Riesling<\/strong><\/a>\u00c2\u00a0for $12.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0This wine scored an 88.25.\u00c2\u00a0 It was medium bodied,\u00c2\u00a0racy, round, a bit spritzy, with a complex array of flavors including lemon lime and pineapple with hints of apple. The finish is refreshing.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine is very versatile and would pair well with many foods.<\/p>\n

The rest of our recommendations are as follows:<\/p>\n

#3 Johannishof Riesling 2006 “R\u00c3\u00bcdesheimer Berg Rottland Sp\u00c3\u00a4tlese”<\/a><\/strong> (Rheingau,\u00c2\u00a0Germany) $28 (87.75)<\/p>\n

#4 Dr. Loosen 2007 Riesling “Dr. L QbA”<\/a><\/strong>(Mosel, Germany) $12 (87.5)<\/p>\n

#5 Flying Fish 2007 Riesling<\/strong><\/a> (Columbia Valley, WA) $13 (87.0)<\/p>\n

#6 Clean Slate 2007 Riesling “QbA”<\/a><\/strong>(Mosel, Germany) $12 (87.0)<\/p>\n

\"JohIn our Non Blind tastings<\/strong> several wines stood out as winners.\u00c2\u00a0 The first was the\u00c2\u00a0Joh Jos Christoffel Erben 2006\u00c2\u00a0“\u00c3\u0153rziger W\u00c3\u00bcrzgarten Kabinett”<\/strong><\/a> $28.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine is awesome.\u00c2\u00a0 We scored this wine Very Good+.\u00c2\u00a0 It is brisk, very round, very refreshing, with full palate coverage. This wine comes alive in\u00c2\u00a0your mouth.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

From our Finger Lakes visit<\/strong> we\u00c2\u00a0are also\u00c2\u00a0recommending\u00c2\u00a0some Rieslings that were quite impressive.\u00c2\u00a0 A new producer we discovered was Atwater<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 We were quite impressed with their 2006 Riesling<\/strong><\/a>\u00c2\u00a0$17.\u00c2\u00a0 We scored this wine Very Good.\u00c2\u00a0 At the Friday Night reception at the 2008\u00c2\u00a0Golden Nose Awards in the Finger Lakes, our\u00c2\u00a0favorite wine was the Anthony Road 2006\u00c2\u00a0Semi Dry Riesling<\/a><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0$16.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \"LakewoodAt the main event, we were also very impressed with the Lakewood 2007 Riesling<\/a><\/strong> $17.\u00c2\u00a0 This impressive wine\u00c2\u00a0won a Double Gold metal at the 2008 Golden Nose Awards.\u00c2\u00a0 We were equally impressed and scored this wine as Very Good +.\u00c2\u00a0 It is nicely balanced and displays nice sweet flavors of lemon with a touch of lime.\u00c2\u00a0 Another Gold metal winner was the Hosmer 2007 “Estate Grown” Riesling<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>$12.\u00c2\u00a0 We scored this wine Very Good and this is the second vintage in a row we have recommended this Cayuga Lake wine.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

At our mini tasting, we were\u00c2\u00a0quite\u00c2\u00a0enamored with this entry from California.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The Ventana Vineyards 2006 Riesling<\/a><\/strong> $16 was well liked by all the tasters.\u00c2\u00a0 We scored this wine 89 points or\u00c2\u00a0Very Good.<\/p>\n

\"AtwaterWe also separated out the “Dry” Rieslings<\/strong> and did a mini tasting of them.\u00c2\u00a0 The thing I like most about “Dry Riesling” is how food friendly they are.\u00c2\u00a0 These were our favorites. From Down Under, the Larry Cherubino 2007 “The Yard Whispering Hill Vineyard” Riesling<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>$40 was our favorite.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine is very food friendly.\u00c2\u00a0 It is bone dry\u00c2\u00a0with a flavor profile\u00c2\u00a0full of minerality\u00c2\u00a0and some lime notes as well.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 From the Finger Lakes, one of my favorite “Dry” Rieslings was the Atwater 2006 “Dry Riesling”<\/strong><\/a> $18.\u00c2\u00a0 We scored this wine an 89 Very Good.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine is balanced, easy to drink, and has lemon-lime like flavors with some mineral like notes.\u00c2\u00a0 You should seek out this producer.\u00c2\u00a0 From Germany one of our favorites was the\u00c2\u00a0Barth Estate 2005\u00c2\u00a0“Charta” Riesling<\/a><\/strong> $26.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0This wine is off-dry, balanced, slightly tart, and displays nice quince and lime like flavors with noticeable mineral notes. This is a\u00c2\u00a0very nice food wine.\u00c2\u00a0 We scored it Very Good.<\/p>\n

\"StFinally, we have two other Rieslings worth noting.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Our favorite Riesling from the 2008 Boston Wine Expo was the St. Urbans Hof 2006 “Ockfener Bockstein Sp\u00c3\u00a4tlese” Riesling<\/strong><\/a>\u00c2\u00a0$22.\u00c2\u00a0 This full bodied wine is well balanced, creamy, viscous, and displays citrus like flavors of pineapple along with some minerality.\u00c2\u00a0It would pair perfectly with a seafood casserole.\u00c2\u00a0 The other wine of interest is the 2006 Château Ste. Michelle\u00c2\u00a0“Eroica” Riesling<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>$22.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine is a consistent winner every year.\u00c2\u00a0 We have had this wine on a number occasions over the last few months.\u00c2\u00a0 It is a prefect food wine\u00c2\u00a0which will pair very nicely with a seafood casserole or chicken with broccoli in a cream sauce.<\/p>\n

In summary, as you can see we found many tasty Rieslings over the last few months.\u00c2\u00a0 If you have not had a Riesling recently,\u00c2\u00a0please give one of these wines a try.\u00c2\u00a0 This Noble grape does warrant more attention and will make your next meal special.\u00c2\u00a0 You can also certainly enjoy one of these gems chilled by the pool this summer.\u00c2\u00a0 For a complete list of all the Riesling we recommend, click here<\/a><\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 Cheers – Ken<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We recently\u00c2\u00a0conducted a blind tasting of Riesling and Dessert wines.\u00c2\u00a0 In this post we will cover the Riesling results.\u00c2\u00a0 In addition to the blind tasting, we received several other Rieslings and did some non-blind tastings as well.\u00c2\u00a0 Two\u00c2\u00a0weeks after the\u00c2\u00a0blind tasting, we\u00c2\u00a0visited the Finger Lakes.\u00c2\u00a0 In the end, we were swimming in Riesling.\u00c2\u00a0 In my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,11,21,8,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blind-tastings","category-kens-wine-guide-tasting-panel","category-riesling","category-wine-recommendations","category-wine-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}