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Riesling, glorious, Riesling. The best of the best single-vineyard Rieslings from Niagara, tasted, tweeted, reviewed

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Riesling, glorious Niagara Riesling.

Now, some of you out there might take exception to this next bold declaration, and it’s only one man’s opinion, but Riesling is Niagara’s most important variety, the one grape that is comfortable in the extreme heat of the summer and severe cold of an unpredictable Ontario winter. It rarely suffers from a poor vintage; there are only good vintages and better vintages in Niagara. But much more than that, it offers up an endless amount of joy in the glass no matter what the pricetag says.

When it’s made right, which is often, nothing beats a cold glass of crisp Niagara Riesling. With those fresh lemon-lime-citrus, tropical and stonefruit flavours that wash over the palate, that electrifying acidity, and the clean, refreshing finish that makes you want to take one sublime mouthful after another.

And while it’s hard to imagine a better every day wine than Riesling, that’s just the beginning for this noble variety. No other grape is more versatile, from the foods it accompanies to the endless styles ranging between bone dry and super sweet. Riesling does it all and satisfies all.

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You can enjoy Riesling at virtually every price point in Niagara and Ontario, from $10 to $35 and find immense pleasure. It’s not only delicious as soon as it’s bottled, but also years down the road as it ages ever so gracefully.

The very best Rieslings being made today in Niagara, as in most wine regions of the world, are being crafted from single vineyards in mineral-rich appellations best suited to growing this variety. The advantage of a single-vineyard Riesling is all in the personality that’s sucked up by vines grown in a similar soil and microclimate. It’s a style that can define a winery’s Riesling program consistently from vintage to vintage. The subtleties of the vineyard emerge in every glass you taste.

We recently gathered up the very best single-vineyard Rieslings in Niagara for the fifth in a series of  “Twitter” tastings that Suresh Doss (Spotlight Toronto publisher), William Predhomme (of Canoe Restaurant in Toronto) and myself organize from time to time. These are informal tastings with sommeliers, bloggers, wine writers, winemakers, winery owners, and wine lovers, designed to showcase a variety, vintage or style of Ontario wine. It’s done for the pure enjoyment of local wine, nothing more. We drink, we discuss, we tweet, we drink some more.

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Wines were tasted blind in flights of three.

The tastings are split between Niagara and Toronto and have consisted of 2002 Cab Merlots, Canadian sparkling wines, Pinot Gris and Viognier. Our next event will be the fine 2009 Pinot Noirs to be held in Toronto at Canoe in September.

The #SVRiesling (as it was hash-tagged on Twitter) event was hosted by The Speck Brothers, namely Daniel Speck, in the upstairs bright, clean private tasting room, which was perfect for the 26 or so tasters who made the drive to Henry of Pelham to enjoy this special event.

The wines were organized (not perfectly, there were some errors in judgment) from dry to sweeter, older to newer, and they were poured blind in flights of three in order to give tasters a chance between flights to tweet out their impressions without having to wait for the big reveal two hours after starting the tasting.

It was a fascinating look at single-vineyard Rieslings not only in Niagara but also Prince Edward County and a couple of ringers (Clare Valley, Australia and Alsace, France) that were tossed into the mix to keep everyone on their toes. The Niagara wines were all very closely linked in style and substance while the Grosset from Clare Valley and the Trimbach from Alsace easily stood out as having their own personalities.

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Tasters gathered at Henry of Pelham for #SVRiesling.

Only two wines were corked (about half the bottles were screwcap, the rest cork) and a couple of others just didn’t perform well in this tasting for whatever reason (bottle variation?). To be fair, I have retried the under-achieving wines and included the reviews in this roundup. The scores for the single-vineyard Rieslings reviewed appear high, but in the context of them being the absolute best produced in Niagara, I think they are fair. One final note . . . most of the wine for this event was kindly donated by the wineries and also by some of the participants. If we felt a wine was missing and should be included in the lineup, it was purchased and the cost spread out among the participants. Our apologies to Tawse Winery which submitted wine for the tasting but we somehow messed up and it didn’t get poured.

Here are the reviews, in the order that they were poured:

Angels Gate St. John Vineyards Riesling 2007 ($22, 92 points) — If you love minerally-driven Rieslings, this is your style of wine. Pure wet stone minerality with citrus fruits on the edges. It’s a complex wine that should evolve further. From a small estate vineyard on the Beamsville Bench.

Calamus Vinemount Ridge Riesling 2008 ($17, 89 points) — From the fabulous Vinemount Ridge estate vineyard where a lot of top Riesling is being sourced. A perfumed nose with citrus, lime, mineral notes. It’s loaded in zesty lime juice, grapefruit, white peach and a touch of honey.

2027 Cellars Featherstone Vineyard Riesling 2009 ($25, 92 points) — From the virtual winery of 2027 Cellars this is one of three single-vineyard Rieslings made by Kevin Pangapka. The nose displays quince, light ginger, citrus and minerality. It’s racy on the palate with bright acidity and beautiful integration already.

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Hillebrand winemaker Craig McDonald talks about making interesting Riesling in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

2027 Cellars Fox Croft Vineyard 2009 Riesling ($25, 94 points) — This is a phenomenal wine with grapefruit, petrol and crazy-beautiful citrus zest and minerals on the nose. It’s explosive on the palate with bracing acidity to go with citrus, underlying minerality, and a finish that goes on and on.

Thirty Bench Small Lot Triangle Vineyard Riesling 2010 ($30, 91 points) — I have to admit, I do like the Rieslings from 2010 for their immediate appeal. But when these ripe wines are made with a decent amount of acidity, such as the Small Lots, I start drooling. The Triangle has a big, ripe fruity nose of floral, peach, grapefruit, tropical fruits and minerals. It is juicy, fleshy, bold and rife with fruits, minerality and moderate acidity. A rewarding wine to try now and for the next couple of years.

Thirty Bench Small Lot Wood Post Riesling 2010 ($30, 92 points) — I admit to being a Wood Post kind of Riesling lover and while I like this wine, it’s not my favourite of the three 2010s (the Steel Post is and wasn’t part of this tasting). Still good, but Steel Post steals the show this vintage. Nonetheless, this is a wet stone mineral-driven beauty with opulent fruits, a dash of ginger and citrus-orange rind aromas on the nose. It feels drier than the other two in the series, even though all three are technically close in residual sugars (pretty much dry). It shows zingy-zesty fruits on the palate, generous fruits and juicy acidity. This will develop in the bottle and those soft petrol notes will come forward.

Flat Rock Cellars Nadja’s Vineyard Riesling 2004 (NA, 93 points) — This is exactly why we should be aging Niagara Rieslings. This has an attractive earthy-lanolin nose and citus and minerality that mingles on the nose. It’s completely tamed on the palate with soft peach, lemon, slate and petrol notes. In a beautiful place right now.

Flat Rock Cellars Nadja’s Vineyard Riesling 2010 ($20, 92 points) — This is one of Niagara’s defining Rieslings. It’s already showing classic Nadja aromas on the nose — grapefruit, lime, citrus and melon fruits with a gorgeous mineral note through the core. It’s more opulent than previous vintages but maintains firm acidity in the mouth and juicy citrus flavours.

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Pouring samples of single-vineyard Riesling.

Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling 2004 (NA, but new vintages sell for $80, 92 points) — A bit of an oddball in this lineup and easily stands out because of its profound minerals and citrus cream notes on the nose. It’s still fresh and vibrant but it shows where it’s going — a long life of mineral goodness on a sturdy frame of acidity.

Cave Spring CSV Riesling 2008 ($30, 92 points) — It’s just now starting to open up to show lush exotic tropical fruit aromas to go with profound talc and mineral notes. In the mouth it displays white peach, grapefruit, tropical and apple fruits that are playfully sweet and tart in the mouth.

Charles Baker Picone Vineyard Riesling 2009 ($35, 92 points) — A truly remarkable and unique expression of the Vinemount Ridge sub-appellation. A juicy core of highly extracted fruit on the nose with an underlying bead of minerality. It’s fleshy yet vibrant on the palate with layers of sweet citrus fruits, quince and wet stone minerality. Buy and hold for five years.

Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Riesling 2008 ($30, 92 points) — The Speck brothers only make this top Riesling from vineyards on the Short Hills Bench in the very best years. This is a thrilling wine that will develop with 10 years or more in the bottle. Already it shows wonderful minerals, concentrated fruits and structure. While still tight on the nose, the palate shows structure, juicy citrus fruits, a firm core of acidity and tension. And through it all, a wonderful, fresh mineral note adds complexity and personality.

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Daniel Speck, of Henry of Pelham, talks about the Short Hills vineyards.

Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Riesling 2002 (NA, 93 points) — Tasting this beside the current vintage affords one a glimpse to where its going. It shows petrol, mineral, citrus and attractive bees wax on the nose. Such depth of flavour in the mouth, almost earthy notes to go with well-integrated citrus flavours that are complex and completely lifted by fresh acidity. So fine.

Hillebrand Showcase Ghost Creek Riesling 2010 ($25, 91 points) — Lovely aromatics of grapefruit, wild honey, citrus, orchard fruits and a distinctive core of wet stone minerality. It’s finished at a light 8% alcohol in an off-dry style but shows its fruit brilliantly on the palate with just enough zest to make the mouth water for more.

Hillebrand Showcase Ghost Creek Riesling 2009 ($25, 90 points) — What a nice Riesling, and an unexpected pleasure from Niagara-on-the-Lake (not usually noted for its minerality in Riesling). It’s made in a German Mosel style with only 7% alcohol and nice honey-dipped sweetness. The fresh lemon-lime-mineral profile is driven by firm acidity and perfect balance. The honey notes are derived from a touch of botrytised fruit in the vineyard. From a vineyard in the estate’s Four Mile Creek appellation.

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling Clare Valley 2005 (NA, 93 points) — The best of what Australia can do with this variety and such a unique expression with its chalky pear, smoke and peach aromas. It’s a serious wine in the mouth with depth and complexity that reveal integrated fruits slowly in layer after layer. The profound minerality is what defines this wine.

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Thought this photo was kind of neat.

Hidden Bench Felseck Vineyard Riesling 2009 ($32, 92 points) — Hidden Bench is doing wonderful things with its high-end single-vineyard Riesling program. The Felseck shows wonderful lime, tropical pineapple, citrus and subtle minerality just around the edges. It’s complex and rich in the mouth with lovely texture and minerals that will develop for years to come.

Hidden Bench Roman’s Block Rosomel Vineyard Riesling 2009 ($35, 93 points) — From a classic and historic vineyard, the Roman’s Block Riesling shows a unique river bed minerality on the nose to go with lime, grapefruit and some tropical fruits. It’s layered in the mouth with gorgeous citrus, minerals and tangy-ripe tension through the finish. Cellar for five years or more.

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2007 Clare Valley Australia ($40, 94 points) — From Australia’s top Riesling producer, Grosset delivers a seriously firm and age-worthy wine vintage to vintage. The 2007 shows flinty minerality, smoke and lime-citrus juice on the nose. It is a tightly wound white still with steely dryness, slate minerals, firm acidity and layers of tart fruit pleasure. Can cellar for 30 years.

Lacey Estate Riesling 2010 Prince Edward County ($21, 86 points) — A nose of green apple, citrus and honey. In the mouth the fruit is ripe and fleshy and shows some distinct minerality in an off-dry style.

Karlo Estate Riesling 2010 Prince Edward County ($22, 87 points) — A nose of flint, pear, citrus and marmalade with just a hint of honey. Juicy and fleshy on the palate, with ripe citrus-lime fruits and lovely minerality.

Vineland Estate St. Urban Vineyard Riesling 2009 ($20, 92 points) — This should be hitting the shelves at Vineland soon. It’s another great Riesling from this historic vineyard. A nose of zesty, mineral rich citrus goodness that carries to the palate in a pure expression of sweet-tart citrus, minerals and racy acidity. Buy, hold or drink.

Vineland Estate St. Urban Vineyard Riesling 2008 ($20, 91 points) — This Riesling from the iconic St. Urban vineyard oozes minerality to go with peach, tropical fruits and citrus on the nose. This is a focused wine with a profound mineral edge from nose to finish. It all travels on a racy spine of acidity that cuts through the subtle sweetness.

Sue-Ann Staff Estate Robert’s Block Riesling 2009 ($21, 91 points) — It starts with sharp citrus, lime, peach and classic mineral notes on the nose. The mineral edge carries to the palate with added orange peel and lime that’s clean and refreshing with such wonderful clarity of fruit. A beautiful thing. And built to improve in the cellar.

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The Rieslings revealed.

Fielding Estate Lot 17 Riesling 2010 ($26, 92 points) — This Riesling is finished with 36 g/l of residual sugar and 9% alcohol with fairly vibrant acidity. The nose kicks off with highly concentrated notes of sweet peach, mango, apple and minerals just starting to emerge. It’s highly extracted and honey-kissed on the palate but balanced out by the acidity. A really nice Mosel-style Riesling for drinking now or up to five years. From the Jack Rabbit Flats vineyard on the estate.

Rosewood Sussreserve Creek Shores Riesling 2008 ($18, 91 points) — Sussreserve is unfermented Riesling grape juice that’s added back just before bottling which increases complexity, structure and natural acidity. The end result is a lighter style of wine (less alcohol) with fresh lime and citrus notes that are subtle on the nose. But it’s a fruit bomb on the palate with blasts of lime and peach on a backbone of juicy acidity. A delight from the Creek Shores appellation.

Ravine Vineyard Riesling 2009 ($28, 91 points) — This partially botrytis-affected Riesling is dangerously good. Thankfully, it’s finished with barely 10% alcohol so when you go to refill your glass over and over, you can do so without feeling too guilty. What a fabulous wine! It gushes with honeycomb, peach, lime cordial and melon that carries on through the palate. A truly unique wine that tops the previous great Rieslings made at this property and its unique Riesling vineyard.

Chateau des Charmes Paul Bosc Vineyard Riesling Icewine 2009 (NA, 94 points) — A sweet treat to end the tasting, and, wow, what a beautiful icewine. The nose is killer with sweet wild honey, apricot, peach and quince that comes at you in waves. It’s thick, unctuous on the palate with sweet, concentrated fruits, honey goodness and balancing acidity. I wish I could buy a case and cellar for a decade but there is no way it would last that long.

And, some other Rieslings reviewed recently from Niagara, Alsace, Germany and the Okanagan that seemed appropriate to include here, for what it’s worth:

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The Wood Post Vineyard at Thirty Bench.

Thirty Bench Small Lot Steel Post Riesling 2010 ($30, 94 points) — This is what Niagara Riesling is all about. The key word is balance and this is perfect in that regard. An abundance of lime, peach and minerals on the nose. The palate reveals a sensational fruit package of citrus, stone and tropical fruits that come at you in waves with wonderful added wet stone minerality in a balanced approach. This is decadent stuff, and one that will age 10 years or more.

Vineland Estates St. Urban Vineyard Riesling 2010 ($20, 93 points) — This Riesling from this iconic St. Urban vineyard is highly aromatic with tropical fruits, peach and minerality. It’s so lovely on the palate with fresh sweet-tart fruit notes and rich, layered flavours on a bed of minerality. Buy, drink and tuck some away in the cellar.

Trimbach Riesling Reserve 2009 ($28, Vintages now, 91 points) — A very young Alsatian wine (these Rieslings can age for 15 years or more) with a nose of green apple, quince, citrus and a hint of minerality. It shows steely firmness on the palate with wet stone, smoky apple-lime flavours and a crisp, clean finish.

Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling 2001 ($80, 93 points) — From 45-year-old estate grapes, farmed organically in two vineyards. The 2001 vintage was the best of the decade, says Pierre Trimbach, and, oh my, what a wine! Such a mineral-stony, and, yes, petrol nose with smoky stone fruits just now opening up. The fruit is explosive on the palate and adds integrated acid, minerality and intensity that grows with each sip. This is a Riesling with broad shoulders that will evolve for decades.

Hinterbrook Riesling 2010 ($18, 91 points) — Winemaker Natalie Spytkowsky makes a lovely sussreserve style of Riesling over at Rosewood Estate in Beamsville. This is in that style, but not entirely sussreserve. The rich fruits are all about tropical, mango, peach and grapefruit. On the palate, the peach, grapefruit and tropical fruits are kissed by honey in a slightly off-dry style.

GreenLane Estate Winery Old Vines Riesling 2010 ($30, 89 points) — The Old Vines, from an average vine age of 25 years old, shows gorgeous citrus-tropical fruits with an apple accent to go with minerality and decent acid from a fat vintage. Loved the depth of fruit and texture of this wine.

Tantalus Old Vines Riesling Okanagan 2008 ($30, 93 points) — A fine example of Okanagan Riesling with a nose of lemon-lime, peach, lanolin and stony minerality. It’s tart and fresh on the palate, made in a dry austere style, with defining minerals to go with a core of citrus fruit. Will age beautifully or drink now with oysters on the half shell.

Joie Farm Riesling 2010 Okanagan ($23, 89 points) — A nose of peach, lime, honey, flowers and a subtle note of evergreen. Refreshing on the palate with flavours of honeysuckle, citrus, honey and summer peach. Finished in an off-dry style with mouth-watering acidity.

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Sperling Vineyard Old Vines Riesling.

Sperling Vineyards Old Vines Riesling Okanagan 2009 ($29, 91 points) —The nose is replete in lime, peach, flinty minerality and a hint of petrol. It’s made with 10.5% alcohol and explodes with flavour on the palate. Mineral, tart citrus, quince, grapefruit and bracing acidity that suggests a youthful wine that will evolve for years to come.

Schloss Schonborn Riesling Kabinett ($19, Vintages Sept. release in Ontario, 91 points) — What a nose on this lovely Kabinett from the Rheingau in Germany. Like a peach orchard in summer, with white flowers, citrus and mineral. In the mouth, the flavours explode with juicy white peach, apple and racy acidity to balance it all out. You may want to buy by the case when it’s released this fall.

Schloss Reinhartshausen Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen Riesling Kabinett 2009 ($18, 90 points) — Another Rheingau Kabinett that shows more mineral on the nose with wet stone, green apples, white peach and some tropical fruit notes. Displays a full range of juicy fruits on the palate from melon to quince to apple with balancing acidity and minerals that will be more pronounced with time.

Domdechant Werner’sches Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Spatlese ($20, 89 points) — Honeydew, lemon tart, peach and underlying chalk and minerality on the nose of this affordable Spalese. It has vibrancy on the palate to go with the sweet flavours of lime, peach and honey. Very intense with a hint of petrol. Will age beautifully.