Expensive wine 146: Smith-Madrone Riesling 2017
by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On
Smith-Madrone’s riesling is a top-notch New World take on a classic grape
Once more into the riesling breach, dear readers: And why not? I’ve probably tasted more reislings over the past 18 months than I have in the blog’s entire 14 year history. And I’ve rarely been disappointed. The Smith-Madrone, despite California’s lackluster track record with the grape, is just one more reason to sip and smile.
The Smith-Madrone riesling 2017 ($35, sample, 12.9%) combines New World-style fruitiness with the varietal characteristics that make great riesling so much fun to drink. In other words, not sweet for the sake of sweetness, and not some kind of fruity confection because, you know, that’s what Americans drink.
Look for lime zest, a bit of tingliness in the back, a hint of petrol, some sweetness floating around to remind you it’s riesling, just enough acidity to greet the sweetness, and stoniness in the finish. In fact, this is one of the few times where the wine geek descriptor “wet stone” almost makes sense.
Highly recommended – the kind of wine that people who don’t think they like riesling should try. Even the very tough crowd on CellarTracker (the blog’s unofficial wine inventory app) like this wine. And the usually only like high-end Napa wines.