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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