One of the benefits of living in Washington State is a wine industry that is no longer burgeoning, but can now be said to be well established. But back in the day, Chauteau Ste Michelle was one of only a handful of wineries in the area.
Bah, but that was the past. It’s simply nice to have a winery that’s literally 2 miles from my work place. It’s even nicer that they’re so well respected in the industry.
I picked up their 2004 Riesling, a wine that has been lauded by Restaurant Wine and Smart Money. I won’t say I was surprised, because I’ve heard good things about this wine, and this wine didn’t disappoint.
About this wine…as mentioned in the comments by Alice this Riesling used to be called Johannisberg Riesling, after the German city of Johannisberg. However, for wines made outside of Johannisberg, Germany, it is not a true varietal designation and no longer considered an appropriate term for Riesling according to federal alcohol regulations.
Eyes:A nice pear color, a soft yellow with just a tinge of green. It’s rim is nearly solid, meaning the color sits right up against the glass, lacking the translucence I’m used to other Rieslings. There are good, strong, thick legs, indicating a fair amount of sweetness, which is typical for a Riesling, at least in my experience.
Nose: A little musty, but melon as well.
Taste: A very nice grapefruit taste before it grabs lightly upon the tongue. It finishes nicely, decrescendo-ing into slight vanilla.
Overall: If you don’t know already, I’m biased towards Rieslings. But even knowing that, I did enjoy this wine very much. It a little less sweet than the Spatlese I had a few weeks ago, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s very fruity and quite delicious. A good wine that just happens to be in my own back yard.
