![]() ![]() Their helpful tech sheet reveals titratable acidity on the lower side of the Riesling range, at 8.1 grams per litre, although the pH of 3.04 is typical.įurthermore, residual sugar is 6.8 grams per litre, giving that impression of slight sweetness which is Riesling's great gift to the world. It has flavour characteristics that echo the great German archetypes, yet is distinctly New World, perhaps most obviously via soft acidity that would be unusual in most Teutonic versions. Regardless, the 2016 vintage of Smith-Madrone Riesling confirmed all the expectations of excellence. (As an aside, I remember Ron Laughton of Jasper Hill telling me that all and any irrigation compromises terroir, which has logic to it, although is perhaps an example of the convenience of his own uniqueness.) Such qualities indicate the sort of purist approach that bodes well, since old vines are generally revered for greater concentration of fruit and ungrafted vines are considered more authentic by some (perhaps unfairly, although they are certainly rare), while unirrigated vineyards appeal to our desire for minimal manipulation, especially when water is increasingly scarce. ![]() They are own-rooted and the vineyards unirrigated. Furthermore, their Riesling vines date from their first plantings in 1972. ![]() Smith-Madrone's vineyards lie between 1,300 and 2,000 feet (400–610 m) with some slopes as steep as 34% according to their website. Mountain viticulture is surely one of the vital elements, and the fog-wreathed hillsides shown above give an indication of the cooling influence that will benefit Riesling. Riesling completists, take note! Napa is probably one of the last places you might look for your fix of this most obsessive-compulsive of grapes, but Smith-Madrone prove that it can be done, and done well. ![]()
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