2019 Dry Riesling, McFadden Farm

History

These organically-grown grapes are cultivated high in the mountains of Potter Valley on the east border of Mendocino county. Unusual for Riesling in California, these are older vines: gnarled, 30+ year-old, and grown in white, rocky, chalky soil tucked against the cool hillsides of the east side of the valley. Since we love dry Riesling, we made this wine bone dry with a beautiful characteristic fruit and mineral aroma, a firm structure, lush midpalate and a dry long fruity finish. With its lovely aromatics and mouthfeel, good acid/fruit balance, and complex minerality, this wine is ideal to drink right now and can also be saved for mid-term aging in the cellar. 

Production

We picked the fruit very early in the morning, to keep the grape bunches cold, and then gently pressed the clusters in our Italian grape press for three hours to intensify the fruit flavors without extracting harsh seed tannin. The wine was settled overnight and cooled, and then fermented in a stainless steel tank. The wine started fermenting almost immediately and then slowed as we controlled the fermentation temperatures to not exceed 65 degrees. After fermentation, we kept the wine on its lees to gain texture and complexity. The wine was bottled in early February, and the resulting wine has powerful aromas, a mouthfilling velvety structure, and a depth of flavor that makes it one of the most age-worthy Rieslings we’ve ever produced.

Production: 328 cases

Tasting Notes