Wine Review 2016 Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling Columbia Valley

When is the last time you had a riesling? Have you ever had a riesling? It is one of my favorite wines but this recommendation also comes with a caution. This wine is quite acidic so you should drink it in small doses and with food or fruit at least. If you over do it on a light stomach you may need some antacids in the morning.

This version of the Riesling is a medium. I tend toward dryer wines so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. Perhaps the sweet was necessary to offset the sour that is the first impression on the nose. It's a hard wine to describe, the label says peaches but I didn't get any of that. "Minerally" was the first word that came to mind. Seriously. I've drank water straight from creeks and caverns, water so heavy you could chew on it, and this wine brought back memories of the best natural mineral waters I've ever had. It is also sour but not exactly in a citrusy sense. Is it cheating if I say it reminded me of raisins, since those too are also made of grapes? I don't think so because no other wines remind me of raisins. The body had potential but there was an interference with an oh so slight bubbly sensation. Whether they were actually bubbles or the acidity playing games with my palate I will never know. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good wine I enjoy but others score higher on the body factor.

Food pairings I can imagine would be oysters for sure, alfredo or carbonara noodles, scallops, fruits like bananas, and just about any hors d'oeuvres .

This same vineyard also has a dryer version of this wine that I will also review and compare one of these days. I might even mix them together before I press the post button just to get a little crazy. Overall this medium Riesling gets a 7.5 out of 10. If you shop right you can find it for ~$7 which makes it a great value for the experience. Please upvote, follow and comment. Thanks.