2021 RieslingRHV Riesling

We've always been big Riesling fans. It can be grown all over the world, but is very particular about site -- if it's happy where it's been planted, the wine will sing. After working with fruit from Kick on Ranch in Los Alamos for 7 years we knew we had to have it planted at Rorick Heritage Vineyard, and with the combination of schist and limestone in our soils we couldn't wait to see what the vines here produced! The first vines we planted here went into our little test block in 2014 (the year after Matthew took over the ranch), where it quickly showed that it was happy here at RHV. We then expanded the planting and selected two very different sites to sprinkle a massale selection of clones from FPS, as well as one from Stony Hill's famed 1948 planting in Napa Valley. Sadly these vines no longer exist at Stony Hill but we are stoked to have a piece of their viticulture history now thriving in the Sierra Foothills.

With three separate plantings in the vineyard we get slightly different results in the fruit from each block; when they are picked together the finished wine has an added layer of depth and complexity due to the varying depth of schist over the limestone it grew on as well as the varying sun exposure in each block. The resulting wine shows wet straw and chamomile on the nose with an agridulce palate of star fruit, wet slate, ripe pear and green mintiness. A faint petrol note encircles these characters and is sure to develop with more time in bottle. We love the expression of true Riesling character in this wine, with electric acid and an incredible concentration of fruit flavors that will continue to develop over years of cellaring in bottle. It is Riesling through and through, and California to its core. This is a FULL ON wine.