A to Z Riesling 2018
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#30 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Best Buy of 2019
Brilliant and clear with emerald highlights, the 2018 A to Z Wineworks Oregon Riesling is expressive and expansive on the nose. Initial lime zest and tangerine aromas mingle with gooseberry, apricot, meringue, honey, mint, jasmine, gardenia, and green tea. The palate is impeccably balanced with refreshing, mouth-watering acidity and a bare touch of sweetness. It is bright, intense and exotic with ample richness and texture that lingers, finishing clean, fresh and juicy. Fun and serious all at the same time, this wine will gain in complexity over the next ten years, but it would be a shame to wait that long. Although delicious by itself, this is an excellent food wine that pairs well, even with spicy dishes.
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Finished off dry, this pops out a tasty mix of orange, grapefruit and apple fruit, with acidity that suggests a dash of lemon tea. There are more highlights, unexpected in a wine at this price, bringing floral and honey notes on through a lingering finish.
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Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
As the the largest region in the greater Southern Oregon AVA, bordering California, the Rogue Valley AVA grows the most diverse array of grape varieties compared to any other Oregon appellation.
The Rogue Valley AVA is actually made up of three adjacent river valleys—not just one as its name suggests—Bear Creek, Applegate and Illinois. These valleys extend from the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains, a coastal sub range of the Klamath Mountains. Most Rogue Valley vineyards are planted on hillsides at elevations of 1,200 to 2,000 feet where soils are metamorphic, sedimentary and volcanic.
On one end Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Tempranillo, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc benefit from a warm and dry climate. To the west end of the Rogue Valley, cool-climate grapes like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Muscat and Gewürztraminer do best. Dolcetto, Grenache and Zinfandel also grow in the Rogue Valley AVA.
Early European settlers first started growing grapes here in the 1840s, the most famous of whom was a pioneer named, Peter Britt. He also opened Oregon’s first official winery (which later closed in 1907). Today, besides its great wines, the region is known for the Britt Music & Arts festival, which inhabits Peter Britt’s former hillside estate, and the Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival.