Move over Chardonnay; Riesling is back in our refrigerator, thanks to the Roogle. After a long hiatus from drinking Riesling, Roogle Riesling 2007 has put this grape back on our list this summer. It's hot outside and this Riesling is like air conditioning in a wine bottle.
Thirty years ago, Riesling was a much more popular grape. Popularity has declined and many wine lovers have had little interest in recent years. The Roogle could help spark greater interest in the grape, due to it's cutting edge styling and the Wine Advocate's 90 point assessment of this vintage.
We expect most American and German Rieslings to be too sweet for most occasions, and those from Alsace and Australia are typically bone dry and not what we expect. Roogle gets it right with perfect balance, almost dry but with just enough residual sugar to coax a smile out of anyone. Riesling at its best does a great job of carrying a little bit of sugar, due to its tart acidity. This is Riesling at its best for seasonal everyday drinking, especially to get summer evenings started.
All the talk about sugar and sweetness takes away from the real heart of the matter, the layers of nature that unveil themselves in the nose. Without requiring manipulation such as oak or malolactic fermentation, Roogle Riesling delivers a plethora of aromatic purity. When the glass is empty you just want to keep smelling the residue. There's honey, apricots, perfume and a whole lot more to keep your brain occupied trying to identify.
On the tongue the tartness tickles you while the restrained sweetness rewards you. You get to experience that "mineral" character you hear wine guys like me talking about. Some Riesling fans refer to it as "slate". And the finish is like a shower and a fresh outfit, clean and refreshing all over.
We hope to see more Riesling of this caliber at this price. Meanwhile, we'll drink more Roogle while the summer and the wine lasts (It's going fast).
Price: $11 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13.5%.
R Wines is a partnership between Grateful Palate's Dan Philips and renowned Australian wine maker Chris Ringland. Winewaves recently reviewed Bitch Barossa Grenache 2006, and named Dan Philips wine marketer of the year for 2006, as well as Chris Ringland wine maker of the year, also for 2006.
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Welcome back! I'm very excited that you have returned and look forward to reading all your new reviews.
Posted by: Sonadora | June 19, 2008 at 07:47 PM
Sir:
With all due respect, this riesling does not do justice to a varietal with such a long and storied history. Chris Ringland makes many beautiful wines; this is not one of them. While the wine is well made, it seems to me to be produced for a mass market - lets move bottles folks!
Respectfully submitted,
alsacelover
Posted by: Jim Spencer | August 13, 2008 at 06:23 PM
Sir:
With all due respect, this riesling does not do justice to a varietal with such a long and storied history. Chris Ringland makes many beautiful wines; this is not one of them. While the wine is well made, it seems to me to be produced for a mass market - lets move bottles folks!
Respectfully submitted,
alsacelover
Posted by: Jim Spencer | August 13, 2008 at 06:25 PM
The Marquis Phillips was just sitting there in my wine cooler. It was one of 12 bottles the wife buys me each christmas for a gift to restock and make me a happy camper. I had a hard day at work and just wanted a nice white wine to have after dinner. Since I wasn't entertaining, I figured I would pick the one with the screw cap. She buys them often just for the look of the bottle and the price. I wasn't expecting much, but to my delight, this was a most delightful wine. Now I wish I had some cheese to make this a treat. Still, I was so surprised for it had a screw cap. I have read that some good wines now come with a cap, but to my experience, none had passed my lips, until tonight. It so delighted my senses, that I thought I would look it up and here you are. Your comments accentuated my experience and I now value your review and hope this comment will add to the readers enjoyment. I love good wines that are good values. For those who loved this wine, you might alo look for a Vinho Verde from Portugal by (pardon my spelling) Giselle. It has a sweet/tart almost apple pie taste like this and it has a most slight fizz to it which makes it alomst champaigne like. That makes it a nice summer delight like this too (even though I enjoy this in January)
Jim
Posted by: Jim Minton | January 13, 2009 at 08:58 PM