The author anointed Zind-Humbrecht’s bottling from the twelve-acre monopole Clos Saint-Urbain vineyard as the “greatest” Dry Riesling in the world.
Photo: Mitchell Shenker
Taking Dry Riesling's Measure -A World of Expressive Wines Proves the Varietal's MettleBy Steve PitcherIn the vast, gilded hall of the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden a few short years ago, more than 1,000 international collectors, investors and wine lovers responded enthusiastically to Christie's distinguished auctioneer, Michael Broadbent, as he pursued bids for some of Germany's rarest wine treasures - Rieslings from vintages extending as far back as the mid-19th century, sourced directly from the producers' cellars.
Out of the 411 lots at this annual VDP Rarity Wine Auction, several stood out for exceptionally high bidding. Most notably, a 1938 Wehlener-Zeltinger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese from the Joh. Jos. Prüm estate topped the day's bids at DM15,000 (approximately $8,600), the then-highest price ever garnered for a single 750-ml bottle of Mosel wine; a bottle of 1865 Marcobrunner from Domänenweingut Schloss Schönborn in the Rheingau sold for DM11,000 (approximately $6,300). On that milestone day, passionate bidders would go on to spend a quarter-million dollars on a varietal that has yet to really capture a broad American audience.
Riesling is ludicrously underappreciated by most wine lovers in the United States. Which is not to say we are all oblivious to its charms. There is rising interest here, fueled primarily by the enthusiasm of sommeliers and wine servers captivated by the varietal's utility with restaurant cuisine. They are the cheerleaders transmitting a certain excitement to the consumer. Some have called the movement a "Riesling Revival." Maybe "Riesling's Revenge" might be more appropriate. Fueling its ascent is a string of great German vintages extending back more than ten years, as is increased availability of estimable Austrian and Alsatian dry versions. And as influential as these three Old World regions are, it will likely be the Australians who prove to be the most influential in elevating Riesling - both dry and fruity, but especially dry - into the top ranks of American consumer preference.
But those who have not yet tuned in to this noble wine of kings and connoisseurs are truly ignorant of one of winedom's most sublime pleasures.
The bidders vying against one another at the VDP Rarity auction had no intention of missing out, but most of the sales were of the collectible, unctuous, sweet classifications - Beerenauslese (BA), Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) and Eiswein - despite the fact that the singularly remarkable attribute of the versatile riesling grape is that it can produce wines across the entire spectrum of styles, from bone-dry to exquisite, long-lived, lusciously sweet nectars.
Therein lies the basis for the inherent American bias against Riesling. It's mostly the BAs and TBAs that receive the accolades in the wine press, leading some to conclude that the best Rieslings are sweet wines and that anything less is, well, less. Even the most sophisticated American wine drinkers tend to prefer dry wines, viewing sweet wines either as the domain of the uninitiated (think White Zinfandel) or as a niche filled best by Sauternes. Others save Riesling for dessert.
Faulty reasoning. All Rieslings are potentially equal in quality regardless of the absence of, or level of, residual sugar. This parity can be attributed to the beauty of the grape, which is successfully cultivated not only in Germany, where it originated, but in several other countries as well. British writer Hugh Johnson consistently refers to riesling as "the finest of all white grapes." His colleague, Jancis Robinson, says much the same thing: "Riesling is so clearly one of the world's great vines, arguably that which produces the finest white wines of all." A bevy of aficionados generally agree. Indeed, some enthusiasts would insist that riesling is the world's finest wine grape, period. A burning conviction such as this is tempered, of course, by the qualification, applicable to all varieties, that the grape must be treated with respect - in other words, planted in the right patch of earth, nurtured in the ideal microclimate and vinified by a deft hand - to make truly fine wine.
Riesling's touted superiority is linked to its very late-ripening nature. At its best it's capable of extracting more out of the earth than any other grape, given its potentially long vegetative cycle. From the depths of the subsoil, the vine absorbs an abundance of minerals and trace elements, and the longer it takes the grapes to ripen, the higher the content of these taste-forming elements in the wine, resulting in an enhanced ability to reflect its terroir.
Thus, you can find the warmth of the day and the mists of the fall, and everything else the grapes have seen in their lifetime, extracted into a glass of wine. Extract in this sense is the sum of what the grapes bring from the vineyard to the wine except sugar, acid, water and alcohol. It includes the above-mentioned minerals and trace elements, plus proteins and other substances that can be measured in a lab as "dry extract."
High extract is most desirable and something that distinguishes average wine from superior wine - that with more authority, greater length on the palate and more interesting flavors. Low yields are essential to an elevated extract level for Riesling, as are older vines, traditional clones (as opposed to high-tech, early-ripening ones), moisture of the soil, duration of the growing season and elevated, natural grape acidity.
The quality and character of properly cultivated Riesling wines precisely reflect the conditions under which the grapes matured, and thus, the very best Rieslings will come from the most select single sites, and only rarely as a blended wine from a variety of vineyard sources. Indeed, when cultivated in an auspicious locale by a dedicated winegrower willing to restrict yield, the resulting wine from a good vintage is arguably without equal among all varietals.
True, other wines, particularly Pinot Noir, express terroir with exquisite precision. But their character can be - and often is - affected to some degree by oak treatment, especially from aging in new barrels. Riesling is not subjected to such treatment; new oak plays no part in its production, although older, neutral oak, such as 1,000-liter oval casks (fuder in Germany, foudres in Alsace), may be used.
While most Riesling production worldwide falls into the categories of sweet or semisweet, a significant amount is, either by preference or tradition, vinified dry. The latter is among the finest dry white wine produced on earth, offering quality equivalent to the best white Burgundy.
The first step in testing this assertion is simple: ascertain whether the bottling in question was vinified dry. Depending on the language involved, there are only two such label designations: "dry" in English and "trocken" auf deutsch.
"Trocken" is an official category for German and Austrian wines with no more than nine grams of residual (or unfermented) sugar per liter, expressed as 9 g/l (0.9 percent when measured in percents). "Halbtrocken" means half-dry, which can be expressed as off-dry, semi-dry or medium-dry, and is technically applicable to German wines with from 9 to 18 g/l (0.9-1.8 percent) residual sugar, or up to 12 g/l (1.2 percent) for Austrian wines. The average palate begins to detect sweetness at about 13 g/l (1.3 percent) residual sugar, and thus many halbtrocken-designated wines will taste dry.
The French expect consumers to know that Alsace Rieslings without a special label designation are traditionally made in a dry style. Consequently, there is no specific label disclosure that restates this premise. Most range from bone-dry (the house style of Trimbach, for example) to the low end of off-dry at about 10 g/l (1.0 percent) residual sugar. Late-harvest wines are labeled either as Vendange Tardive, which may be dry or sweet depending on the producer, or Sélection des Grains Nobles (SGN), which is the richest, most sumptuous ripeness category for those Alsace whites that are almost invariably sweet and nearly always contain a proportion of precious, botrytis-infected fruit.
A wine from the New World labeled "Dry Riesling" can reasonably be expected to correspond to the German trocken requirements, although there can be some fudging. For example, Chateau Ste. Mich-elle's Columbia Valley "Dry Riesling" clocks in at 1.24 percent residual sugar, which tech-nically puts the $8 charmer into the halbtrocken category. Ambiguity also enters the picture when a New World dry Riesling is labeled simply as Riesling, without indication anywhere on the package that the wine is, in fact, made in the dry style. It's not realistic of producers to expect the typical Riesling-shy customer to be a sleuth, but one can deduce the wine is dry, based on the label disclosure of an alcohol level exceeding ten percent (sweet styles are almost always below this level).
To be particularly successful, a dry Riesling requires more body than a wine vinified in the classic or fruity style, as well as supple, but not soft, acidity. This basic requisite can be satisfied in cooler regions where the riesling grape enjoys growing conditions that allow it to ripen fully without being subjected to intense heat. For truly distinctive dry Riesling, a superb vineyard site is also mandatory.
The mineral, wet-stone component sometimes noticeable in Riesling, both dry and fruity, usually comes from slate-rich soil. One should be able to detect it at first whiff. "Minerality" is difficult to define as a wine descriptor, but think of granite, shale or limestone dampened by a fleeting spring rain and then drying under the warmth of the returning sun.
The "aromatic" yielded by the rocks as the water evaporates comes close to embodying the essence of "mineral."
Sometimes as a very young wine, but more often with bottle age, Riesling exhibits a nose and, to a lesser extent, a flavor that's best described as "petrol-like," an analogous term suggesting a slightly oily, petroleum or kerosene overtone, which is more appealing than it sounds and highly appreciated when detected by Riesling collectors. The Alsatians refer to it as goût de pétrole. This varietal characteristic is a product of the grape's naturally high acidity interacting with certain chemical compounds found in higher levels in riesling than other grapes, and may be enhanced or diminished depending on vineyard conditions. Winemaker Olivier Humbrecht observes, "It is a phenomenon of the terroir that is unique to Riesling. When this aroma is present in the wine, it becomes more manifest with age." His Zind-Humbrecht Clos Häuserer Riesling is positively laden with goût de pétrole.
Rieslings' ability to age and gain complexity and additional depth of flavor over time, especially in traditional German bottlings, is remarkable. In fact, German Riesling is the longest-lived of all white wines and has the capacity to age gracefully longer than most reds. But here a distinction must be drawn between dry Riesling and its sweeter siblings. Dr. Carl von Schubert, proprietor of the renowned Maximin-Grünhaus estate in the Ruwer Valley, explains that "the higher the natural sweetness in a Riesling, the longer the wine will age: 20 to 30 years is not uncommon for traditional, fruity-style QbAs, Kabinetts, Spätlesen and Auslesen, and even longer for superb BAs and TBAs. With some exceptions, ten years is the maximum for most trocken Rieslings."
A 1994 Lingenfelder Riesling Auslese Trocken from the Freinsheimer Goldberg Vineyard in the Pfalz, pulled from the cellar recently, was dark gold in color, suggesting a sweet dessert wine, yet was dry and full bodied with a nose of subtle petrol mingled with tropical and citrus fruit accented by a note of marzipan; similar flavors, enhanced by honeycomb and enlivened by excellent acidity, lingered deliciously on the palate. It had aged splendidly, and like all dry or medium-dry Rieslings, had the ability to pair sublimely with a broad range of food: vegetable dishes (asparagus and dry Riesling sing a fine duet); poultry; white-fleshed fish (trout, sole, pike); pork; veal; smoked meats; shellfish and seafood items; a wide variety of soft, semi-soft, firm and hard cheeses (from chêvre to Parmesan, but not including the blue-veined types); egg dishes; pasta accompanied by a white wine-based sauce (primavera or clam sauce); Asian cuisine (from Chinese to Thai and everything in between; sushi and sashimi are particularly flattered by New World dry Riesling).
Assessing Dry Riesling
The best New World dry Rieslings -- those from Australia's Eden and Clare valleys, the Marlborough region of New Zealand, Washington, Oregon, New York's Finger Lakes and special pockets in California -- offer laser-sharp aromas, crisp, zingy acidity, purity of fruit and exciting varietal expression. Their Old World counterparts -- principally finer examples from Germany, Alsace and Austria -- tend to be weightier on the palate with deeper flavors and more distinct expressions of vineyard source; with the Germanic versions generally more delicate and the Alsatian fuller bodied.
old world
In Germany, where the riesling vine got its start in the Middle Ages, a significant amount of Riesling production is trocken or halbtrocken - roughly 35 and 20 percent, respectively - primarily to satisfy the nation's restaurant trade, which insists on wines "internationally dry in style" for its cuisine. Yet only a tiny fraction of these wines leave the country. For example, American importers of German table wine weight their portfolios primarily with the classic, fruity style Rieslings of the Mosel Saar Ruwer, Rheingau, Nahe and Rheinhessen among other growing regions.
In a ripe, muscular vintage such as 2001, dry German Rieslings can be successful, admits importer Terry Theise, who characterizes the vintage as "gorgeously opalescent" and further observes that he's "never tasted a vintage like it." Nevertheless, he maintains a solid disdain for dry Rieslings. "Initially, the Germans began making trocken wines in order to regain market share they were losing to the Alsatians and Italians," he asserts. "I don't believe dry German Rieslings are successful often enough to make them a point on which anyone should focus - including their creators. A few of them beat the odds, and we enjoy them and sell them, but we simply do not need Germany to supply us with iffy dry wines - we're swimming in dry wines as it is - when she has something so precious and incomparable to give with her 'sweet' wines."
The Germans tend to disagree, however, and have taken steps to broaden the international market for their dry whites. Making their debut last year, two new label designations were approved to assist the consumer in identifying those German wines made in a "harmoniously dry" style, which means up to 15 g/l (1.5 percent) residual sugar for "Classic" and up to 12 g/l (1.2 percent) for "Selection." The Classic designation applies to wines typical of their regional varietal that satisfy high quality criteria (for example, Nahe Riesling Classic); Selection-designated wines must originate from an individual site where reduced yield and hand harvesting ensure premium quality.
Commenting on the new designations (which can be used in any wine region), German Wine Institute Director Armin Göring notes, "The introduction of Classic and Selection classifications will simplify matters for consumers. They need only remember that Classic wines are dry and characteristic of the best quality of a specific region, while Selection wines, also dry, are the premium wines of a specific vintage and vineyard site."
The picture is changing in the Rheingau, too, where in 2000 legislation was signed into law establishing the Erstes Gewächs (airstes ga-VECKS, German for first growth) quality classification system for the Rieslings of the region, and adopting a list of 79 top-classified vineyard sites (out of 123 considered) for the first time ever.
Vineyard classification, a reality in Burgundy, has been the subject of intense debate in the Rheingau for more than 200 years. Significantly, a Riesling from one of these top sites made by a member of the Rheingau VDP, a self-governing quality-control organization of winegrowers, and designated Erstes Gewächs must be "internationally dry in style," which can be at the low end of halbtrocken, at not more than 13 g/l (1.3 percent) residual sugar. For example, the 2001 Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Erstes Gewächs has a residual sugar level of 1.12 percent, although the sweetness is undetectable, translating on the palate as a certain appealing muscularity and power.
For VDP producers, this means that wines they previously designated Spätlese trocken or Auslese trocken from a top Rheingau vineyard on the new classification list will instead be designated Erstes Gewächs. The traditional Prädikat quality designations of Spätlese, Auslese, BA, TBA and Eiswein will be reserved exclusively for the fruity, ripe and lusciously sweet wines that are deeply anchored in the Rheingau's long viticultural tradition.
Because of significant yield restrictions (no more than 2.85 tons per acre) and independent sensory evaluation requirements contained within the legislation, Erstes Gewächs wines will account for only two to three percent of the total Rheingau production, just as the premier and grand cru vineyards of the Côte d'Or produce only a tiny fraction of Burgundy's output.
Yet not all Rheingau VDP producers are happy with the Erstes Gewächs system. One of the very best of their number, Gunter Künstler of the Franz Künstler estate in Hochheim, will have nothing to do with it. He prefers the established Prädikat designations and simply adds "trocken" to identify Rieslings from his top-classified vineyards such as Hochheimer Stielweg Spätlese trocken and Hochheimer Hölle Auslese trocken.
In the Pfalz, Germany's warmest fine wine region, there are similar disagreements over labeling, yet the climate is so favorable that any discord seems secondary. Extending some 60 miles in a southwesterly direction from the city of Worms to the French border and Alsace, the region's vineyards are laid out mostly on flat land or on gentle, undulating slopes. The vines are generally protected from wind and frost by the heavily forested Haardt Mountains, which hem in the region and provide a rain shadow as well. These fortuitous conditions allow riesling grapes to ripen fully virtually every year, producing wines with at least 12 percent alcohol and elegant, ripe acidity. While fruity-style Rieslings benefit from these happy circumstances, a number of Pfalz winegrowers take advantage of the situation to produce the majority of Germany's most harmonious dry Rieslings.
The area containing the finest vineyards and estates in the Pfalz is known as the Mittelhaardt, which is centered on the towns of Kallstadt, Ungstein, Wachenheim, Forst, Deidesheim and Ruppertsberg along the Deutsche Weinstrasse (German Wine Route). This ten-mile-long stretch contains an extraordinary range of vineyard soils, including sandstone, limestone, basalt, slate, clay, marl, gravel and granite.
The best producers of dry Riesling in the Mittelhaardt are the wine estates of Koehler-Ruprecht, Josef Biffar, Reichsrat von Buhl, Pfeffingen, Lingenfelder, Müller-Catoir and Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, the latter being the most spectacular wine estate in the Pfalz and Germany's largest, privately owned winery with some 275 acres of prime vineyard land.
Although the Bürklin-Wolf estate is in the very top echelon of Germany's dry Riesling producers, one will search in vain for the word "trocken" on labels of its vineyard-designated Rieslings destined for export. What is more, the traditional Prädikat designations are used only for estate wines not bearing a vineyard name. Instead, using a classification system unique to Bürklin-Wolf and not covered by German wine laws, owners Bettina Bürklin-von Guradze and her husband, Christian von Guradze, undertook to rate their vineyard holdings according to the Burgundian quality models: grand cru for Kirchenstück, Ungeheuer, Jusuitengarten and Pechstein near Forst and Gaisböhl near Ruppertsberg, and premier cru for Böhlig, Goldbächel, Rechbächel and Gerümpel in the vicinity of Wachenheim. They were aided in this task by comparing the results of modern sensory evaluation with historic maps of the region, including especially the Royal Bavarian Vineyard Classification of 1828, which ranked the vineyards of the Mittelhaardt for tax purposes - the better the site, the higher the tax. They discovered their ancestors' tax burden was heavy, indeed.
In a controversial move, the Bürklin-Wolf vineyard-designated dry Rieslings are back-labeled only as Qualitätswein, affording the winery considerable flexibility under German wine laws, similar to that enjoyed by Italian iconoclasts whose wines are labeled "Indicazione Geografica Tipica." Ovals above the front label proclaim "P.C." for the Philip Christian Edition and "G.C." for the von Guradze Christian Edition, which the shrewd consumer can interpret as code for premier cru and grand cru, respectively.
At the southern end of the Deutsche Weinstrasse, one crosses the French border into Alsace, a region quite similar to the Pfalz. Like its Haardt Mountains, the Vosges Mountains provide a rain shadow for Atlantic storms moving in from the west, which, combined with a warm climate and the beneficial effects of the Rhine to the east, allows the grapes on the well-exposed lower slopes of the Vosges to ripen to full maturity after long hang time. By tradition, this fruit is fermented to complete dryness and the juice is usually permitted to remain in contact with the lees for an extended period to develop richness and power.
On release, Alsace Riesling can often seem comparatively austere and even alcoholic, with closed-in aromas. With three to five years of cellaring, they begin to reveal their potential, exhibiting a wide range of aromas and flavors derived from the particular vineyard source, including peach, grapefruit, pineapple and other tropical fruit, minerals, wet pebbles and warm, loamy earth, green herbs and the distinctive, peculiarly attractive petrol character.
There are dozens of excellent dry Riesling producers in Alsace; of those whose wines are readily available in the United States, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Trimbach, Schlumberger, Marc Kreydenweiss, Josmeyer, Marcel Deiss, Hugel, Domaine Weinbach, Lucien Albrecht and Kientzler are all highly recommended.
The well-regarded Olivier Humbrecht insists that to make good dry Riesling, one must use naturally ripe grapes and not resort to chaptalization (adding sugar to increase alcohol content), which is permitted in Alsace. "If a dry Riesling is chaptalised," he says, "it will lose its varietal character within two to three years. A good dry Riesling can gain character and complexity over 20 years. None of our wine is chaptalised."
Humbrecht believes that the nature of the riesling grape is to become a sweet wine, but that it will produce a dry wine if harvested at just the right moment. "The site is essential," he insists. "The difference in what the grapes will produce -- either a trocken or a Vendange Tardive -- may be only one day." Intimate knowledge of the vineyard enables the winemaker to time the harvest to obtain exactly is needed. "The wine tends to find its own level of sweetness," Humbrecht explains. "If you push a wine that wants to be sweet to be dry, it will be out of balance."
Like the Humbrechts, winegrowers from father to son since the early 1600s, the Trimbachs also enjoy an international following and have been an important part of Alsatian viticulture and winemaking just as long - since about the time of Europe's Thirty Years' War (1619-1638). Today the venerable house is in the hands of brothers Hubert and Bernard Trimbach, assisted by Bernard's sons Pierre (who followed his father as winemaker) and Jean (who, along with Hubert, handles sales). Their goal is to maintain a consistent style of winemaking, a style that was developed and fine-tuned to perfection over the last two centuries. Together they produce marvelously age-worthy wines: restrained and elegant when young, then blooming with complexity, nuance and bold richness after a decade or two.
Pierre Trimbach characterizes the essence of the house style as "restrained winemaking designed to show the character of the varietal from a specific place in a given vintage - a purity of fruit expressed as wine without excess intervention or overt manipulation," he explains. "This Trimbach style produces harmonious wines that are concentrated not heavy, fruity not sweet, bracing rather than fat, polite rather than voluptuous. Trimbach wines are reserved, steely, elegant, even aristocratic; never obvious or flashy," he concludes.
Many critics and Riesling connoisseurs maintain that Trimbach's Riesling Clos Sainte-Hune, made from a monopole three-acre parcel within the grand cru Rosacker vineyard, is the greatest expression of Alsace Riesling. British author and Wine News contributor Clive Coates once observed to fellow author Tom Stevenson (The Wines of Alsace) that the Sainte-Hune is the greatest in the world, and Stevenson concedes that "frankly I have no inclination to disagree."
Others would nominate for such exalted status Zind-Humbrecht's Riesling from the twelve-acre monopole Clos Saint-Urbain vineyard within the Rangen grand cru near the village of Thann, the most southerly vineyard in Alsace, and the only one boasting volcanic deposits. I second the motion. Olivier Humbrecht, one of France's greatest winemakers, says "This is the ultimate trocken Riesling I can make."
Austrian Rieslings, traditionally dry in style, are nevertheless readily distinguishable from Alsatian and German dry Riesling. Riesling specialist Stuart Pigott states the distinctions thusly: "Compared with the majority of Alsace Rieslings, [Austrian Rieslings] taste less alcoholic, crisper, and more forthrightly fruity. Tasted against fine dry German Rieslings, they are fuller-bodied, more aromatic, and generally have a better harmony owing to their softer acidity."
Riesling production in Austria is centered around the large town of Krems on the Danube, about an hour's drive northwest of Vienna. Southwest of Krems, where thousands of years ago the Danube carved a deep gorge through the hilly landscape, lies the narrow, 20-mile-long Wachau (VAK-ow) Valley. Grapegrowing, which has been part of the local culture since the 9th century, is confined to about 3,500-acres centered on the quaint villages of Spitz, Weissenkirchen and Dürnstein, along the northern bank of the river. The Wachau contains the lion's share of Austria's top riesling sites, including Achleiten, Klaus and Steinriegl near Weissenkirchen, and Singerriedel and Hochrain near Spitz.
Northeast of Krems, on generally flatter terrain, are the neighboring districts of Kremstal and Kamptal, each a small valley named for the stream that flows through it. Kamptal is home to Austria's most celebrated winemaker, Willi Bründlmayer, whose holdings in the region include one of the country's greatest riesling vineyards, the Zöbinger Heiligenstein, near the wine village of Zöbing. The smaller Kremstal, centered on the towns of Krems and Stein, is where Martin Nigl resides, another of the country's wine elite. His Riesling Privat often represents the pinnacle of Austrian production of the varietal.
That could well be the case with Nigl's 2001 Riesling Privat ($50), which entices with ethereal aromas of lemon zest, green apple, white peach and pineapple laced with an abundance of minerals. Rich, powerful and mouth-filling, the wine's flavors replicate the nose, enhanced by tart quince and pear. Round and plush, yet exquisitely dry with a refined acidity, the Privat shimmers with purity of fruit.
Like its German and Alsatian cousins, Austrian riesling has an amazing ability to extract mineral elements from the soil, which leads to exciting vineyard expression. In the Wachau, where riesling grows in terraced vineyards rising some 1,600-odd feet up steep hillsides from the banks of the slow-moving Danube, the soil consists mostly of a variety of weathered, crystalline igneous rocks collectively called "Urgestein," which means primeval or primordial stone, mixed with gneiss, granite, slate and mica schist, often ferrous (streaked with iron). The growing season commonly extends late into November. The result is Rieslings with extreme concentration of aromas and a pronounced mineral character due to the soil; the better the vineyard, the more minerality in the wine. The fruit component, both in aroma and flavor, tends to focus on citrus (fresh, ripe lemon, lemon blossom and sometimes lime zest), tropical fruit (mango, pineapple) and stone fruits (ripe yellow peach, white peach and apricot).
Bründlmeyer's Heiligenstein, a vineyard of terraced plantings that scale a dramatic hillside near the Kamptal's principal town of Langenlois, is notable for its 270 million-year-old soils, composed of desert sandstone and volcanic deposits from the Permian geological period. The estate's finest riesling grapes, farmed organically, ripen high up on the hillside in a nature reserve. Talk about purity of fruit.
The 2001 Zöbinger Heiligenstein Alte Reben ($50) is still somewhat closed in, but shows emerging scents of minerals, white flowers and quince marmalade. The palate is more developed with lots of quince-apricot-peach fruit tinged with slate-like minerality, a rounded, silky texture and excellent acidity.
For less of an investment, Bründlmeyer's 2001 Riesling Kamptaler Terrassen ($20) is a great value: It's a fragrant, full-throttle, bone-dry Riesling from terraced hillside vineyards ("Terrassen" being a general hillside designation) bursting with mineral-laced stone fruit flavors, melded with lime and quince, that are broad and deep and buoyed by palate-tingling acidity. Truly a Riesling with altitude.
If there is a distinction between the Wachau Rieslings and those of Kamptal and Kremstal, it is probably that, all things being equal, the Wachau wines are perceptively weightier. They are certainly pricier.
The Wachau producers have their own nomenclature for the three quality classifications of Riesling, all fermented dry, of course. "Steinfeder" denotes the simplest wines, roughly equivalent to German QbA. "Federspiel" is roughly equivalent to German Kabinett. "Smaragd," the top quality classification, is roughly equivalent at least to German Spätlese. Smaragd wines can only be produced in good vintages from clean, perfectly ripe fruit; Wachau growers often harvest their grapes for this category at Auslese level.
The best producers of the Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal export limited amounts of their dry Rieslings to the United States. Names to look for include Franz Hirtzberger, Franz Prager, F.X. Pichler, Josef Jamek, Emmerich Knoll, Hirsch, Rudi Pichler, Loimer and Nikolaihof from the Wachau, and Willi Bründlmayer and Familie Nigl from Kamptal and Kremstal, respectively.
New World
Outside Europe, with few exceptions, Riesling lacks the distinction imbued by an expressive vineyard site eminently suited to the variety. For one thing, variously colored slate, which virtually litters vineyards in the Mosel and Rheingau and accounts for much of Riesling's breed there, is only rarely found in abundance in New World vineyards devoted to the variety. Steep slopes rising from the banks of a climate-influencing river are also in short supply.
In terms of sheer quantity, North American Riesling production is almost completely oriented toward the off-dry and sweet styles of the varietal. Ironically, when one considers how difficult it is to make a really good late-harvest Riesling, there is more of that style made in New York State, the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and Michigan than dry Riesling.
Still, a small number of North American producers are committed to high-quality dry Riesling, and their wines demonstrate that the style has a future on the continent.
New York State's Finger Lakes region (profiled in August/September 2002, p. 60) has two advantages for fine Riesling production that distinguish it from other North American riesling-growing areas: the prevalence of an old, winter-hardy, German riesling clone - Neuchatel No. 90 - introduced to the area by Dr. Konstantin Frank in the 1950s and prized for its low yields of intensely aromatic and flavorful fruit with classic mineral notes; and the presence in many vineyards of a fair amount of broken shale, which enhances the minerality component.
For its size - 10,400 acres of vineyard, of which only 400 are riesling vines - the region contributes a healthy share of fine dry Rieslings to the marketplace. The Finger Lakes bottlings from Dr. Konstantin Frank, Fox Run, Glenora, Hermann J. Wiemer, Chateau Lafayette-Reneau, Salmon Run and Standing Stone display particularly attractive attributes of mineral extract, round, silky textures, racy acidity and lovely aromatics of peach, apricot and lime that translate nicely to the palate. For example, Dr. Konstantin Frank 2001 Johannisberg Riesling Reserve ($20) is beautifully focused and pristine, offering wet slate and lime zest aromas that echo on the palate with hints of white peach, buoyed by crisp acidity.
Washington State, thanks to one very dynamic company - Chateau Ste. Michelle - is the largest producer of Riesling in the world. Nearly 90 percent of the state's wines bear the Chateau Ste. Michelle label, or that of one of its sister wineries (Columbia Crest and Snoqualmie). Production of the four Chateau Ste. Michelle Rieslings amounts to more than 200,000 cases annually; three of them, even the one labeled "Dry," are vinified in an off-dry to slightly sweet style - ranging from 1.24 to 2.1 percent residual sugar - plus one opulently sweet, late-harvest, botrytis-affected nectar.
The winery has made impressive strides in the context of dry Riesling, in part because of its continuing commitment, extending back several years, to improve the quality and image of the varietal in Washington. This entails ongoing scientific study of every aspect of riesling cultivation and production, the result of which has been a steady improvement in the quality of Ste. Michelle's wines. And in 1999, Ste. Michelle Winemaker Erik Olsen partnered with Ernst Loosen of the Dr. Loosen estate in the Mosel to produce Eroica, a world-class, top-of-the-line Riesling that reflects not only its variety and site, but also its heritage: bold, forward fruit from its Washington roots tamed into an elegant and sinewy "echt" Riesling from Old World inspiration via Loosen's collaboration. (When harvest conditions permit, there's also an Eroica TBA-style Riesling called Single Berry Select, but that's another story.)
The success of Eroica - technically a halbtrocken-style wine with 1.5 percent residual sugar, but which tastes much like a Pfalz trocken because of its lively acidity and clean minerality - has inspired others to aim for the style because they now see that consumers will pay $20 for a bottle of American-grown Riesling, provided it's a high-quality, interesting wine.
The 2001 Eroica offers fragrant, come-hither scents of white peach, apricot, citrus and honeycomb that are echoed on the palate with the additional nuances of pippin apple and subtle minerality. Deeply concentrated with excellent acid balance and a silky texture, the wine is an absolute joy to drink.
One winemaker admittedly excited by the niche Eroica has carved is Brian Carter of Washington Hills Winery, who makes Rieslings spanning the full spectrum of the varietal - a rare achievement for an American winemaker. Under the winery's ultrapremium Apex label, Carter's 2000 dry Riesling ($15) mirrors the more- famous Eroica, and is truly dry with a mere one-half of one percent residual sugar.
Several hundred miles south, California is home to several dry Riesling producers who have justly earned a reputation for taking the varietal seriously for many years, embracing it for all its nobility and expression. Yet the style is still a rarity here.
Heading the list are those who have been dedicated to dry Riesling the longest, including Smith-Madrone, Stony Hill and Trefethen in the Napa Valley, Claiborne & Churchill in the Central Coast, Renaissance in the Sierra Foothills, and Navarro in Mendocino's Anderson Valley.
The 2001 Dry Riesling from Claiborne & Churchill ($15) is fairly representative with its golden hue and fresh, honeyed nose of ripe peaches, lemon grass, apple blossom and subtle notes of marzipan and jasmine. The crisp palate exhibits ripe, apricot-peach-like fruit accented by ginger spice, citrus peel and a sly insinuation of petrol. The texture is round yet firm, and the overall impression is a wine that is truly dry but not austere.
Bonny Doon's Randall Grahm has only more recently embraced Riesling, but exhibits the fervor of the newly converted. "We hold these truths to be self-evident," he intones in his newsletter, "that all grapes are not created equal, and what's more, riesling is the most unequal of them all, the Überweintraube."
Grahm's two Rieslings reflect his new-found devotion. The non-vintage Pacific Rim Dry Riesling ($10) marries fruit from three climatic zones. "The Washington State fruit provides richness and a strong tropical component, while the California grapes are quite spicy and concentrated owing to ruinously low crop levels," Grahm explains. "Der Ringer, as it were, is the Mosel fraction, which adds brisk acidity and the brilliant peach, lime and white flower perfume found nowhere else."
Bonny Doon's non-vintage Critique of Pure Riesling ($19) from Washington State's Yakima Valley, which Grahm insists has the best conditions for growing riesling on the continent - "almost identical to those in Alsace" - is offered as a dry, rich, Alsatian-style, prestige cuvée Riesling. Yet his approach is unorthodox by European standards. "In Alsace or Germany, we would be arrested for doing what we've done to this wine," he allows. Among other things, he matured the wine in barrel and periodically stirred the lees prior to racking the wine into stainless steel for settling before bottling.
Sonoma winemaker Doug Nalle also barrel ferments his dry Riesling, in this case from fruit obtained from the Cole Ranch, a chilly pocket in Mendocino County that offers an extended growing season ideal for the varietal. Why make it in a dry style? "Because it's too difficult to mimic the great wines of the cool Mosel or Rheingau regions of Germany," Nalle admits. "We can, however, come close to the French Alsace and Italian Alto Adige regions. We whole-cluster press the fruit and ferment in five-year-old French barrels. The wine is aged sur lie for six months. Then we age it another year in bottle before release. We aren't kidding when we say 'Dry' on the label." Why dry Riesling and why now? "Cause this here world don't need no more Chardonnay," Nalle cracks, only half joking.
Even the Chardonnay-obsessed Australians are waking up to the fact that offering more Chardonnay to American consumers is much like carrying coal to Newcastle. Indeed, Australian Riesling producers are setting the New World standard for the best dry versions of the varietal. Their wines offer distinct regional characteristics rather than the more complex, single-vineyard expressions of Old World Riesling, although a handful of special sites are particularly expressive. What is more, the Aussies are a competitive bunch - showing that you can make a great Riesling has become a rite of passage for younger winemakers, while the quest to make the best possible Riesling has become an intense competition Down Under.
In the Lenswood sub-region of the Adelaide Hills, Stephen and Prue Henschke (of Hill of Grace fame) planted a vineyard back in 1981 at Green's Hill, so-called because the site, at 1,800 feet, overlooks apple orchards operated by the Green family since 1893. The site enjoys plenty of rainfall and higher-than-average humidity at the right time of year, cooler temperatures to retain high natural acidity and still enough sunshine to fully ripen the grapes. Planted to specially selected clones on a west-facing slope, the vines are sunk in loam soil containing shale fragments.
The 2001 Green's Hill ($22) is truly something special: delicate lavender and lime zest aromas with hints of peach, rose petal and exotic spice are echoed on the palate, which picks up citrus and passion fruit flavors that are wonderfully well defined and buoyed by crisp acidity. A perfect Oz dry Riesling (0.33 percent residual sugar). In contrast, Henschke's Julius Riesling, made in the same style from grapes grown near the winery in the Eden Valley, is more floral in character, yet displays the typical regional characteristics of strong lime juice aromas and flavors, a certain minerality and a well-balanced, delicate, crisp palate expressing excellent intensity and length.
Eden Valley Rieslings typically require a year or two after release to advance beyond their initial angularity and age marvelously, picking up a lime marmalade-on-toast characteristic after several years in bottle. In addition to Henschke's Julius Riesling, other notable Eden Valley dry Rieslings include those made by Craneford, Heggies, Penfolds, Pewsey Vale and Yunbar Estate.
Just north of Eden Valley in South Australia, Clare Valley is the source for much of Australia's finest Riesling, which is the region's most important wine. Typically shy and reserved in their youth, these dry, crisp, fresh Rieslings emerge after four or five years into glorious expressions of the varietal, offering intense perfume, well-defined, lime-accented fruit and eventually petrol and mineral qualities. Within the region, two enclaves, Watervale and Polish Hill River, are especially renowned for Riesling. And it's here that Australia's Riesling Meister makes his home.
Jeffrey Grosset, a thoroughly meticulous man, crafts his wines with the utmost care from grapes grown to exacting standards. The Grosset 2001 Polish Hill Riesling ($29) is, even at this stage, an awesome wine, showing intense lime, peach and tarragon aromas and a palate that's tight, focused and lean with minerally, slatey, lime juice flavors and racy, bracing acidity. The wine has incredible, coiled power, varietal purity, surprising finesse considering its strength and the vineyard's characteristic steely backbone. Grosset also makes a Watervale Riesling ($29), which is typically more immediately appealing than the Polish Hill, the latter contrasting with its breathtaking austerity, tighter focus and greater minerality.
Sourcing excellent fruit from both valleys, Wolf Blass, year in and year out, makes a wonderfully dry, affordable ($12) Gold Label Riesling. In the 2001 version, fruit from the Eden Valley contributed intense varietal aromas and flavors of citrus and passion fruit, as well as a steely character, while Clare Valley fruit provided bracing lime zest and crisp acidity. Subtle hints of petrol color the nose and palate, and the wine finishes with a touch of freshly cut pineapple.
Better known for its crisp, gooseberry-grapefruit-flavored Sauvignon Blancs, New Zealand is slowly gaining recognition for its dry Rieslings, which stylistically resemble those of neighboring Australia. Riesling is the country's third-most popular white grape variety after sauvignon blanc and chardonnay, the best of which come from the Marlborough region on the South Island. Blessed with free-draining, alluvial loams over gravelly subsoils, abundant sunshine with cool nights and a long growing season, Marlborough is an ideal locale for the variety.
Many area wineries produce both a classic, fruity Riesling and a dry Riesling, the latter usually modeled on the Alsatian version. Textures tend to be more like raw silk than steely, and the wines are a bit more aromatic than most of their Australian counterparts.
An excellent example of the style is the 2001 Marlborough Riesling from Huia Vineyards ($17), which offers enticing aromas of ripe lime and honey-tinged lemon with similar lime-juice-dominated flavors enhanced by notes of dried apricot, mineral and ginger spice.
rich rewards
With Australia setting the New World standard for intense, action-packed Riesling thrillers, winemakers elsewhere are becoming ever more serious about making top-quality Riesling. One can only speculate that the Aussies will support the varietal with their formidable sales skills, and that the country's Riesling will gain an incremental market share here every year.
With more and more of the world's most exemplary dry Rieslings making it onto our restaurant lists and retail shelves, Americans have no choice but to take notice of these fast-track wines. The quality of these racy thoroughbreds is such that those "dry wine only drinkers," who demand breed and bearing in their glass, will reap Riesling's rich rewards. And those keepers of the faith who have been stubbornly crafting Riesling as a serious dry wine all these years will finally be vindicated.
Tasting Bar
The following wines are a representative sampling of dry Rieslings evaluated for this article. The number that appears in parenthesis refers to the wine's percentage of residual sugar, when available. All the wines were tasted blind from Riedel Vinum Series Glass No. 416/15, which is recommended for Alsace Grand Cru Riesling, among other wines, and which is designed to showcase German, Austrian and New World dry Rieslings equally well. Note that many of the wines listed are produced or imported in limited quantities.
alsace
Big-style, rich yet dry Rieslings exhibiting firm acidity, minerality, and in the best wines, a distinctive grand cru vineyard character, which, because of the huge variety of soils, makes for radically different aromas and flavors, including peach, citrus, tropical fruit, petrol, flowers, stones and earth, and sometimes a note of honeycomb.
Outstanding
Josmeyer, 2000 Riesling Brand
Grand Cru - $55
Josmeyer, 2000 Riesling Hengst
Grand Cru - $60
Kreydenweiss, 2000 Riesling La Dame,
Wiebelsberg Grand Cru - $31 (0.8%)
Trimbach, 1996 Riesling Clos Ste.-Hune
- $120 (0.5%)
Trimbach, 1998 Riesling Cuvée Frédérich
Émile - $38 (0.35%)
Zind-Humbrecht, 2000 Riesling
Clos Häuserer, Wintzenheim - $40
Zind-Humbrecht, 2000 Riesling
Clos Saint-Urbain, Rangen de Thann
Grand Cru - $80
Weinbach, 2000 Riesling
Cuvée Ste.-Catherine - $48
Recommended
J.-B. Adam, 2000 Riesling
Cuvée Jean-Baptiste, Letzenberg - $20
Léon Beyer, 2000 Riesling
Cuvée des Comtes d'Equisheim - $35
Hugel, 2000 Riesling, Alsace
(bone dry) - $17
Dopff & Irion, 2001 Riesling,
Alsace - $16
Josmeyer, 2000 Riesling Le Kottabe
- $27 (0.32%)
Kreydenweiss, 2000 Riesling Le Château,
Kastelberg Grand Cru - $46 (1.0%)
Weinbach, 2000 Riesling Cuvée Théo - $34
australia
Taut, sharply focused wines typically exhibiting intense lime juice/lime zest aromas and flavors, enhanced by apricot, passion fruit, apple and/or subtle green herb notes in Clare Valley bottlings, and more mineral tones in Eden Valley wines, crisp, racy acidity, well-defined fruit and great balance.
Outstanding
Grosset, 2001 Riesling, Polish Hill,
Clare Valley - $29
Henschke, 2001 Riesling, Green's Hill
Lenswood Vineyard, Adelaide Hills
- $22 (0.33%)
Jasper Hill, 2001 Riesling,
Georgia's Paddock, Heathcote - $25
Penfolds, 2002 Reserve Riesling,
Eden Valley - $18/screwcap (0.26%)
Pewsey Vale, 1997 "The Contours"
Riesling, Museum Reserve,
Eden Valley - $20/screwcap (0.5%)
Recommended
Frankland Estate, 1999 Riesling, Isolation
Ridge Vineyard, Frankland - $15
Leeuwin Estate, 2001 Riesling, Art Series,
Margaret River - $22 (0.34%)
Grosset-Hill Smith, 2002 Mesh Riesling,
Eden Valley - $29/screwcap (.08%)
Pewsey Vale, 2001 Riesling, Eden Valley
- $20 (0.38%)
Pikes, 2001 Riesling, Polish Hill River,
Clare Valley - $14/screwcap
Wynns, 2002 Riesling, Coonawarra
- $12/screwcap
Wolf Blass, 2001 Gold Label Riesling,
Eden Valley/Clare Valley,
South Australia - $14
Yalumba, 2002 "Y Series" Riesling,
South Australia - $10 (0.5%)
austria
Less alcoholic, crisper and more forthrightly fruity than Alsace Rieslings, Austrian Rieslings are full-bodied and deeply flavored with extreme concentration of aromas and a pronounced mineral character. The fruit component, both in aroma and flavor, tends to focus on citrus (fresh, ripe lemon, lemon blossom, sometimes lime zest), tropical fruit and stone fruits (ripe yellow peach, white peach, apricot).
Outstanding
Bründlmayer, 2001 Zöbinger
Heiligenstein Riesling "Alte Reben"
Trocken Kamptal- $50
Franz Hirtzberger, 2001 Spitzer
Singerriedel Riesling Smaragd Trocken,
Wachau - $55
Jamek, 2000 Joching Ried Klaus Riesling
Smaragd Trocken, Wachau - $57
Knoll, 2001 Loibner Ried Loibenberg
Riesling Smaragd Trocken, Wachau
- $40
Nigl, 2001 Riesling Privat, Qualitätswein
Trocken, Kremstal - $48
Loimer, 2001 Steinmassl Riesling Trocken,
Kamptal - $45
Rudi Pichler, 2001 Weissenkirchner
Achleiten Riesling Smaragd Trocken,
Wachau - $39
Prager, 2001 Weissenkirchner Achleiten
Riesling Smaragd Trocken, Wachau
- $35
Recommended
Bründlmayer, 2001 Riesling Kamptaler
Terrassen Trocken, Kamptal - $20
Domäne Wachau, 2001 Weissenkirchner
Achleiten Riesling Smaragd Trocken,
Wachau - $21
Hirsch, 2001 Gaisberg Riesling
"Alte Reben" Trocken, Kamptal - $33
california
The state's best dry Rieslings are steely wines with high-tone aromatics and palate-cleansing acidity. Flavors vary depending on appellation with ripe peach, apricot and tropical fruit from warmer areas (Napa Valley), and more white fruits (quince, pear and white peach) from cooler climes (Anderson Valley, Central Coast).
Outstanding
Claiborne & Churchill, 2001 Dry Riesling,
Central Coast - $15 (0.7%)
Esterlina, 2001 Dry Riesling, Cole Ranch,
Mendocino - $14 (0.22%)
Nalle, 2001 Dry Riesling, Cole Ranch,
Mendocino County - $15 (0.35%)
Navarro, 2001 White Riesling, Anderson
Valley, Mendocino - $14 (0.81%)
Smith-Madrone, 2001 Riesling,
Napa Valley - $17 (0.7%)
Trefethen, 2001 Estate Dry Riesling,
Napa Valley - $15 (0.69%)
Recommended
Bonny Doon, Pacific Rim Dry Riesling,
America - $10 (0.8%)
Chateau Montelena, 2001 Riesling,
Potter Valley - $15 (0.67%)
Geyser Peak, 2001 Dry Riesling,
Russian River Valley - $12 (0.36%)
Stony Hill, 2001 White Riesling,
Napa Valley - $15 (0.85%)
germany
Rich with mineral and petrol-like character, the best German trockens, especially from the Pfalz, offer ripe stone fruits and tropical fruit, citrus and spice in aromas and flavors, plus firm acidity and exciting vineyard expression; soil variations account for a diversity of nuance, plus, occasionally, a bit of honeycomb. With the 2001 vintage currently in the marketplace, consumers may choose from the greatest German Riesling selection ever offered from that country.
Outstanding
Bassermann-Jordan, 2001 Forster
Ungeheuer Riesling Spätlese Trocken,
Pfalz - $22
Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, 2001 Wachenheimer
Rechbächel Riesling, Philip Christian
Monopol Edition, Pfalz - $25 (0.8%)
Koehler-Ruprecht, 2000 Kallstadter
Saumagen Riesling Spätlese Trocken,
Pfalz - $28
Von Simmern, 2001 Rauenthaler Baiken
Riesling Spätlese Trocken, Rheingau
- $25
Robert Weil, 2001 Kiedricher Gräfenberg
Riesling Erstes Gewächs, Rheingau
- $50 (under 1.3%)
Recommended
Balthasar Ress, 2001 Rheingau Riesling
QbA Trocken - $11
Georg Breuer, 2001 Rauenthal
Nonnenberg Monopol Riesling,
Rheingau - $35
Gunderloch, 2001 Estate Riesling QbA
Trocken, Rheinhessen - $15 (0.6%)
Reinhart & Beate Knebel, 2001 Winninger
Uhlen Riesling Spätlese Trocken,
Mosel - $20
Von Schubert, 2001 Maximin
Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling QbA
Trocken, Ruwer - $17
Robert Weil, 2001 Estate Riesling Spätlese
Trocken, Rheingau - $16 (0.85%)
new york
Very expressive dry Rieslings that show particularly attractive mineral characteristics, round, silky textures, racy acidity and lovely aromatics of peach, apricot and lime that translate nicely to the palate.
Outstanding
Anthony Road, 2001 Dry Riesling,
Finger Lakes - $11
Dr. Konstantin Frank, 2001 Johannisberg
Riesling Reserve, Finger Lakes - $20
Red Newt, 2001 Riesling, Finger Lakes
- $13
Recommended
Chateau Lafayette Reneau, 2001
Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes - $12
Glenora, 2001 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes
- $12
Standing Stone, 2000 Dry Riesling,
Finger Lakes - $11
new zealand
Similar in style to Australian dry Riesling with clean, precise flavors, but generally showing more complex aromas and rounder, silkier textures.
Outstanding
Framingham, 2001 Dry Riesling,
Marlborough - $15 (0.6%)
Huia, 2001 Riesling, Marlborough
- $17 (0.63%)
Isabel Estate, 2001 Dry Riesling,
Marlborough - $18 (0.64%)
Nga Waka, 2000 Riesling,
Martinborough - $19/screwcap
Saint Clair, 2001 Riesling,
Marlborough - $13
Recommended
Felton Road, 2000 Dry Riesling,
Elms Bannockburn Vineyard,
Central Otago - $19
Jackson Estate, 2000 Dry Riesling,
Marlborough - $15/screwcap
Lake Chalice, 2002 Riesling,
Falcon Vineyard, Marlborough
- $17/screwcap (1.0%)
Lawson's Dry Hills, 2000 Riesling,
Marlborough - $13 (0.44%)
Allan Scott, 2002 Riesling,
Marlborough - $14 (0.74%)
washington
The state's dry Riesling benchmarks offer ripe, fruit-forward expressions of peach and apricot, sometimes with a honeyed nuance, and crisp acidity. Eroica is in a class by itself, perceptively drier than its residual sugar level would suggest and remarkably complex.
Outstanding
Apex, 2000 Dry Riesling, Yakima Valley
- $17 (0.5%)
Chateau Ste. Michelle-Dr. Loosen,
2001 Eroica Riesling, Columbia Valley
- $20 (1.5%)
Recommended
Bonny Doon, Critique of Pure Riesling,
America - $19 (1.0%)
(decanting strongly recommended)
Chateau Ste. Michelle, 2001 Dry Riesling,
Columbia Valley - $8 (1.24%)
Washington Hills, 2001 Dry Riesling,
Columbia Valley - $8 (0.7%)
Based in San Francisco, Contributing Editor Steve Pitcher is vice president of the Vintners Club and president of the Bay Area chapter of the German Wine Society. He can be reached via e-mail at wine2words@aol.com
