2015 Three Vineyard Riesling

A Chehalem Holiday Library Selection

WINEMAKER'S NOTES

The first of this vintage’s Rieslings, this is quintessential Oregon Riesling, with brightness, white peach and queen anne cherry fruits. The accents of candied ginger, slate and lemongrass make you hunt for nuance. Despite carrying a little sugar, it shows dry and well balanced, developing a vibrant tension with bright acid and a peach pit tang. How refreshing, complex and food friendly can you get?! 

VINTAGE OVERVIEW

The 2015 vintage was slightly different in early growing season timing from 2014, but the final effect was the same, big heat, big crop and big expectations. The acids are down, the alcohols are hovering around 14% and the work we did to minimize overextraction resulted in more elegant wines than a hot vintage deserves. Similar to 2014, the fruit was impeccably clean and devoid of disease. Whites look fully ripe, texturally rich and yet balanced. Four progressively warmer vintages, we will just learn to count higher—more heat, more fruit, more, more!