At Good Vitis, Aaron Menenberg took a look at our Rieslings. Please read the entire issue (link below). Here’s an excerpt:
One of my favorite things about Smith-Madrone is its dedication and pursuit of riesling, and I’ve come to conclude that Smith-Madrone riesling is America’s best example of this noble grape. Riesling is a complicated and mysterious wine, and very hard to grow well and just as hard to make so wonderfully.
One of the great challenges is getting all of the various aspects of the grape to develop on the vine in parallel. The goal is to have the right levels of acids, sugars, phenolics, seed and stem maturity, and other things come into balance and hit at the same time. If this happens, it’s the ideal time to harvest and is most likely to produce a balanced wine. And when you do it with dry farming like Smith-Madrone does, you’re accepting a higher chance on getting it wrong so that you get it right, you really get it right. Smith-Madrone’s riesling vines were planted in 1972, and the Smith brothers have spent untold hours, untold amounts of blood and sweat and tears, and walked untold miles through the rows to get things right. It’s a process.
This effort comes because of their true belief in riesling to be the most deserving of all white grapes. They don’t make a lot of money making it when the time it takes to farm and make is taken into consideration. My first wine conversation with Stu was about riesling and his commitment to producing and improving it. This conversation happened, appropriately, at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C., situated no more than a 10 second walk from the Cannon Congressional Office Building, where much persuasion occurs. Stu spent that night persuading me on the merits of riesling, and I’ve been a loyal supporter ever since.…….
Smith-Madrone rieslings offer the faintest hint of residual sugar that adds more to the structure than it does to the flavor profile but is a welcomed feature for how it benefits both. These are, like the other wines of Smith-Madrone, world class wines of Old World temperament and refinement. They are not to be missed whether the survey is of riesling or America’s best producers. And I can’t suggest strongly enough that they be aged if possible, which is how they shine brightest.
2019 Riesling: This has lovely apricot aromas, there’s a sweetness to the bouquet. Vanilla pod. The nose is quite rich and deep. Warm vintage? Orange marmalade. Bit of lemon-lime. Seems young. Nearly full-bodied. The acid hits quick and deep, it’s sharp. Texturally grippy core, juicy edges, tart bite. Very mouth coating. It mellows just slightly with extended air, though enough to make a difference. Flavors include tart lemon and under ripe orange. White peach. Sharp. Very pithy in flavor on the finish, which goes for days. There’s a small amount of sweetness. Just like the structure, it mellows and meshes a bit with time. This is quite sharp and compact, feels young and in need of a lot of time.
On day 2 it’s softer, more integrated, less tart, more sweet, just better and more pleasant all around. The acid is robust and the defining feature of the structure and flavor. The more I taste this away from note taking, the more I like it.
On day 3 the nose hits some tropical notes. Structure hasn’t budged in terms of tightness, but the grippiness has faded into a more smooth mouthfeel. The flavors are a little more tropical today as well. Might be a touch of cooked vanilla.
Smith-Madrone News 