Favorite Riesling from USA ?

[Matthew_Brown]

Small production, but Union Sacre makes a great one from Happy Canyon, iirc. Also have a really good skin contact Alsatian style Gewürztraminer.

[JeffK]

Left Foot Charly and Wyncroft make some Reislings I’ve really enjoyed, but they are from Michigan.

I’ll second both of these.

VM

[Jim_Stewart]

Left Foot Charly and Wyncroft make some Reislings I’ve really enjoyed, but they are from Michigan.

Hey, good to know. I didn’t mean to exclude any particular place and I have an open mind (plenty of empty spaces!). BTW, last month I tasted some very enjoyable wines made in a very unexpected place - Saltwater Farms, Mystic, CT. Thanks for the MI tips.

[Hank_Victor]

Black Star Farms Makes the World's Best Riesling

This just happened pretty recently.

“On Friday, October 19 the most prestigious award at the 19th Annual Canberra International Riesling Challenge (CIRC)—Best Wine of the 2018 Challenge—was given to the Black Star Farms 2017 Arcturos Dry Riesling. This is only the second time in CIRC’s 19-year history that an American wine has come out on top.”

[Subu_Ramachandran]

Just had a Nathan Kendall 2016 Dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes. It ranks up there with Ravines and Wiemer offerings. Had a bit more complexity and seemed slightly more fruit driven than Ravines from the same vintage.

These wines age really well too. Recently had an '11 from him (cooler vintage up here) that was lean and angular but so complex and pithy. His style is still evolving but I would say it sits somewhere in between Wiemer (lush, opulent) and Ravines (tense, stony).

Nice placement, will look out for them. Thanks Kyle and Scott!

[T_Altmayer]

Navarro has a new reserve bottling called Deep End Blend (a program they’ve used for Pinot Noir) that has a percentage of fruit from the property I manage. Release date is April.

Love Navarro, one of the most underrated white wine producers around. The Guwerzt is really nice as well. Great QPRs.

[Casey_Hartlip]

Navarro has a new reserve bottling called Deep End Blend (a program they’ve used for Pinot Noir) that has a percentage of fruit from the property I manage. Release date is April.

Love Navarro, one of the most underrated white wine producers around. The Guwerzt is really nice as well. Great QPRs.

I’ve sent a bottle to Tom Hill for review.

[lleichtman]

Brooks and Trisateum from Oregon.

[Carlos_Delpin]

Thanks to the OP and all contributors to this thread. This type of information and experience sharing is what makes this place great.

[Mike_Grammer]

Navarro has a new reserve bottling called Deep End Blend (a program they’ve used for Pinot Noir) that has a percentage of fruit from the property I manage. Release date is April.

Fascinating. I was coming here to post that Navarro’s late harvest cluster select rieslings (as well as the gewurtz and muscat) are sensational. Their regular rieslings are quite good. I’ll have to try the Deep End if I’m not on buying hiatus when it comes out.

Yes, they certainly are, Jay. I think their regular bottling is decent too. Another vote for Wiemer, solid wines every year. forgot about Smith Madrone, it’s been a long time but I remember being favourably impressed. Savage Grace is good, though not extra-good (mind, I’ve only had it once)

A bit off-topic, but in Oregon, if you can ever get your hands on the rare-as-hen’s-teeth Coury Old Vines Semillon, that stuff is excellent.

[Carlton_McCrindle]

I enjoy all Stony Hill’s white wines.

[Jay_Miller]

And the Brooks recommendations above are spot on. I’m a particular fan of their delightfully fun Bois Joli.
Their drier versions depend on how much of a trocken fan you are.

[Ian_Dorin]

Surprised to not see Bellwether mentioned yet. Wild wines, really unique approach and really high quality.

[John_Glas]

California stand out by a mile is Stony Hill.

A local shop said they had a bottle on their site but went to the store and they could not locate it. Really wanted to try it!

[Matt_K1]

Left Foot Charly and Wyncroft make some Reislings I’ve really enjoyed, but they are from Michigan.

Agree with these, and would add White Pine and Verterra from Michigan as well. Some great Rieslings coming out of the state.

[Brandon_R]

Belle Pente (OR) makes a very nice Riesling. I just searched on W-S pro and there is a shop in Oregon that has some of the 2008 for $15. They ship to FL, Jim.

[JeffK]

Left Foot Charly and Wyncroft make some Reislings I’ve really enjoyed, but they are from Michigan.

Agree with these, and would add White Pine and Verterra from Michigan as well. Some great Rieslings coming out of the state.

Haven’t tried anything from Verterra yet but agree with White Pine. I just stopped into their tasting room last week and was talking to Dave Miller. Wanted to see if he had any interest in buying a half ton of Pinot Noir from my vineyard next year.

VM

[Subu_Ramachandran]

Surprised to not see Bellwether mentioned yet. Wild wines, really unique approach and really high quality.

Ian, wanting to try them. How do you compare them against Ravines and HJW, style wise?

[Matt_K1]

Left Foot Charly and Wyncroft make some Reislings I’ve really enjoyed, but they are from Michigan.

Agree with these, and would add White Pine and Verterra from Michigan as well. Some great Rieslings coming out of the state.

Haven’t tried anything from Verterra yet but agree with White Pine. I just stopped into their tasting room last week and was talking to Dave Miller. Wanted to see if he had any interest in buying a half ton of Pinot Noir from my vineyard next year.

VM

Dr. Dave is a great winemaker. I really enjoy his style… Let me know if he buys your grapes, I’d be interested in tasting the result

As for Verterra, definitely worth stopping in. Some of the best Riesling on Leelenau IMO. Forgot to mention Bowers Harbor earlier, probably the most classic expression of Old Mission. I think they’ve set the precedent.

[kyledorsey]

Surprised to not see Bellwether mentioned yet. Wild wines, really unique approach and really high quality.

Ian, wanting to try them. How do you compare them against Ravines and HJW, style wise?

I actually cited them on the previous page as one of the best. More dry and citrus driven than HJW but more exotic and fruit driven than Ravines. He also makes a TBA-style wine that is nuts.

My top recs would be:

• Bloomer Creek’s second harvest rieslings (both Auten and Barrow vineyards) are outstanding, very textural and ripe though not totally dry. They often have a ginger/lemongrass spice character to them that makes them beguiling and versatile food partners. Someone above compared to Auslese, though I think GC Alsace is a more apt comparison.
• Forge Cellars makes riesling in a high-extract style finished in neutral wood that will appeal to those with a palate for Chablis (chabliesling?). Both their blends and single vineyard expressions are all exceptional (Liedenfrost is my favorite of the SVs).
• Red Newt Cellars makes very lean and incisive rieslings that often have an assertive lime and petrol character. The Tango Oaks vineyard riesling is my favorite among these.
• Herman Wiemer continues to push their quality. The HJW vineyard is consistently my favorite year after year as it tends to show a distinctly mineral character.
• Bellwether Wine Cellars A&D Vineyard has a really German stylistic character with really bright acid, full mid-palate, and tense orchard fruits. Kris has been consistently improving the winemaking every vintage and is now among one of the best with riesling around here.
• As others have noted Ravines’ Argetsinger is a classic as well, though often needs a little more time. Lots of wet slate and white peach in that wine.

Other high-quality producers include Barry Family Cellars, Boundary Breaks, Nathan Kendall, Standing Stone, Fox Run, and Anthony Road.