92points

2022 Estate Riesling

$45.00

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Wine Score

The 2022 Estate Selection Riesling prances out with pretty scents of lime blossoms, freshly squeezed lemons, honeysuckle, and grapefruit peel with touches of wet pebbles and coriander seed. The medium to full-bodied palate is dry and refreshing, with an impressive silkiness to the texture and bags of citrus fruit flavors, finishing long and steely. About 20% was fermented and stored in amphoras and 80% in small stainless-steel tanks. This should age beautifully over 10-15 years+.

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Description

Bouchaine’s 100-acre estate vineyard lies on the southern border of Napa Valley’s Carneros district, overlooking the San Francisco bay with the financial district in the distance. Fog, wind, and the cold night time temperatures of this unique geographical area lend a distinctive regional identity to our Riesling. We believe Carneros is among the most suitable sites in all of California for this noble variety that originated on the frigid slopes of the German river valleys.

Growing Season
The growing season of 2022 will ultimately be defined by the 5-day heat wave we experienced in early September. Thankfully, our crop was ready to be harvested. The heat condensed the time frame of harvest and the winery filled up quickly. Prior to the heat, the growing season in Carneros was highlighted only by its cool breezes and morning fog. With all of these factors combined, Bouchaine was able to capture the fresh acidity we know and love, while also extracting velvety structure and depth of flavor in the wines.

Vinification
A small amount of Botrytis Cinerea, known as noble rot, helped intensify the aromatic sweetness of this Riesling fruit as we delayed harvest waiting for full flavors to develop. The grapes are whole cluster pressed into a stainless steel tank in addition to small amounts into clay amphora and neutral oak, then fermented cold to capture the gorgeous aromatics. Traditional German Kabinett style wines provide our inspiration for this dryer style of Riesling with lip smacking acidity.