We can do some damage to a Riesling in this house–or as my wife says, “We make short work of tall bottles.” Riesling may not ever be trendy, but it’s classic. It’s one of my favorite white grapes.
My earliest experiences with Riesling were the blue bottles of Spätlese from the grocery store or the Euro deli, always brimming with floral nectar and peaches. These days–as every bar seems to be competing to offer the driest possible white wines–I’m more likely to encounter a Riesling in the tart, steely manner of Australia’s Eden Valley.
I love both Riesling genres, to be honest, and this bottle from Long Shadows lands neatly in between. It’s made in a traditional off-dry style. The grapes come mainly from Sagemoor’s Gamache Vineyard, planted in 1982, along with two other nearby sites. The vines are older and the altitude higher than most of Columbia Valley, yielding a good balance of acid and concentrated fruit.
If you insist on drinking your Riesling dry as a bone, Long Shadows has also got you covered. They also make this wine in a dry style, with a similar blend of Sagemoor Riesling grapes and the use of large neutral oak vats.
The Poet’s Leap opens gently enough with white blossom, honeysuckle, and light petrol aromas. There’s some stone fruit, kiwi, and a musky tropical note of ripe melon or papaya.
Take a sip, and the acidity hits you with a “schwwiinng!” Tart green apple subsides to peach nectar and honeydew, followed by sparkling notes of tangerine and lime zest with a lingering mineral finish. I detect the barest hint of almond, which makes me desperately curious to know if this can age. (Too bad I just drank my only bottle of it.)
Long Shadows says this wine is off-dry–and it is. But this drinks more like a dry Riesling, with the slight sweetness serving to complement the dainty fruits and florals, and also contributing a little bit of body. I thought the aromatics were subdued, but it’s a crowd-pleasing style and a nice price at $20. I’d serve this wine as an apéritif with Alpine cheeses and bread–or any mild food that won’t overpower its delicate character.
But also…pickles! High-acid Riesling is one of the few wines that pairs successfully with pickled stuff. I did my ancestors proud and quaffed this fine Riesling with potato pierogies, dill-vinegar asparagus, and cabbage.
Bottle: Long Shadows Poet’s Leap Columbia Valley Riesling (2022)
Variety: Riesling (100%)
ABV: 12.4%
Suggested retail: $20
My rating: 8.7 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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