Pacific Rim Solstice Vineyard Riesling 2009
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The new release from this old (1972) vineyard boosts the alcohol to 13.9%, dropping the residual sugar to just over 1%. Deep, concentrated, and driven by a dense minerality, this exceptional single-vineyard Riesling has raw fruit flavors of green apple, white peach and citrus rind. Sure to evolve, perhaps over decades, it has the vivid acidity and penetrating finish to improve significantly.
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Pacific Rim is the home of Riesling zealots. In fact, 95% of the total production is Riesling wines. Riesling is consistently one of the fastest growing white varietals in the wine industry. Riesling simply is the most versatile, complex and food-friendly of all the noble grapes. No other varietal can be crafted to express so many different and wondrous characteristics — from bone dry with floral aromas to dessert, sweet with spicy aromas.
More than any other varietal, Riesling purely expresses its terroir and Washington’s Columbia Valley — home of Pacific Rim — provides the ideal soils and climate for growing world class Riesling. Purity is at the core of Pacific Rim’s winemaking philosophy. They exclusively use stainless steel tanks, expressing the truest character of the vineyards. The wines are fresh, vivid and elegant with delicate yet complex aromas. Riesling’s crisp, vibrant characteristics are a fresh alternative to heavier, oak-laden white wines.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
As the first recognized wine-growing region in the Pacific Northwest, Yakima Valley is centrally located within Washington’s vast Columbia Valley. The region also includes Washington’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, Otis Vineyard, planted in 1957, and Harrison Hill Vineyard, planted in 1963. Yakima Valley contains three smaller sub-regions: Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, and Snipes Mountain and is ideal for both red and white wine production. In fact, Yakima Valley is Washington’s most diverse region, boasting more than 40 different grape varieties over about one hundred miles.
The cooler parts of the valley are home to almost half of the Chardonnay and Riesling produced in the state! Both are made in a wide range of styles depending on the conditions of the vineyard site.
But its warmer locations yield a large proportion of Washington’s best Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The finest Yakima Valley reds are jam-packed full of red cherry, currant, raspberry or blackberry fruit, as well as cocoa, herb, spice and savory notes, and exhibit a supple texture, great body, focus and length.