Pacific Rim Wallula Vineyard Biodynamic Riesling 2007
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2007 was well suited for Biodynamic wines because the acidity in the grapes was high. The wine aromas are fairly ripe with some guava and grapefruit notes. The wine was aged on lees for a few months and displays wonderful yeastiness, jasmine on the palate and great minerality with a dry, bright finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This vineyard has been Demeter certified biodynamic, one of just a handful in Washington to achieve that recognition. It's all natural, ripe and full-flavored, with a wonderful, mouth-filling intensity. The flavors are a lovely mix of stone, yeast, flower and a jumble of citrus and apple fruits.
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Wine Spectator
Vibrant, tangy and distinctive for the floral and grapefruit overtones that work their way through the pear and apple character at the core. Feels dry in the mouth and remains tangy with succeeding sips. Drink now through 2012.
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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.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.