I am in a Riesling mood, might have to do with the choice of dinner- grilled shrimp and scallops with garlic butter alongside a pepper salad. It's sunny, 75 and Friday..... why not. This one is very pale yellow in the glass. The nose is very pronounced with flavors of lemon, green apple, a hint of ginger and gooseberry. The palate is a touch sweet, I would consider it off-dry. Rich flavors of yellow pear and citrus notes meet green apple. The gooseberry is nowhere to be seen but I do get a refreshing acidity. The mouthfeel is generous as this wine is medium bodied. The finish is nicely balanced between fruitiness and tartness and lasts a decent amount making it medium in length. Yummy stuff this is, getting 91 points from me. Drink till 2026 with seafood or hard cheese. I paid $22- a steal that gets 5 stars.
Sourced from a small vineyard in the Potter Valley (Mendocino County), Montelena's 2017 Riesling is a light yellow/green wine with very attractive aromatics. Flaunting scents of stone fruits, green apples, pineapple, jasmine and honeysuckle, it is a fresh, light-bodied, off-dry white that delivers flavors mirroring the nose. The wine's alcohol (listed as 13.4%) is fully hidden and there is a soft measure of oak that adds some complexity with subtle notes of vanilla. Lengthy and vibrant on the back end, this is a quality offering that should be at its best over the next couple of years. Drink now-2022.
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A: Pale lemon N: So cold, I have no idea what intensity this is on the nose, lemon, peach pit, pear, yellow apple, green apple, dandelion, blossom. The fruit is ripe and is made up of primary aromas. P: Lemon, peach, pear, yellow apple, green apple, dandelion, blossom. Dry, medium (+) acid, medium alcohol (13.4%) medium body, medium (+) intensity ,medium (+) finish. I would not age this as its all primaries and made for early refreshing drinking. The wine shows a good balance between fruit concentration and acid. It is not complex but intensity and finish assist with the wine quality. Its a good Meh!
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Medium plus nose, white flowers, dried peach, wet stone, lime peel, lilac. Palate gives lean style, nice fruit, dry style with hints of off-dry fruit but finishes dry. Crisp, all purpose style. Finish does very well, shows some Old World notes in there, hint of petrol.
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Pale lemon color. A rich and plump aromatic display (orange, white peach, pineapple) along with yellow flowers, honeycomb, white tea, a stony-minty element as well. Plump and juicy fruit, this is richer and more tropical than I remember previous vintages, but it’s tropical and delicious (white peaches, cantaloupe, pineapple) with some drizzled lime on there. White flowers, chalky, spritely and fresh with some mineral and nettle notes and a honeyed finish. So surprised, year after year, at this wine.
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7/29/2022 - Okanagan Wine Fan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent.
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7/15/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
MOre like diesel now. But still clean cut.
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5/14/2021 - caspernick Likes this wine: 91 Points
I am in a Riesling mood, might have to do with the choice of dinner- grilled shrimp and scallops with garlic butter alongside a pepper salad. It's sunny, 75 and Friday..... why not. This one is very pale yellow in the glass. The nose is very pronounced with flavors of lemon, green apple, a hint of ginger and gooseberry. The palate is a touch sweet, I would consider it off-dry. Rich flavors of yellow pear and citrus notes meet green apple. The gooseberry is nowhere to be seen but I do get a refreshing acidity. The mouthfeel is generous as this wine is medium bodied. The finish is nicely balanced between fruitiness and tartness and lasts a decent amount making it medium in length. Yummy stuff this is, getting 91 points from me. Drink till 2026 with seafood or hard cheese. I paid $22- a steal that gets 5 stars.
https://caspernick.com/2021/05/14/chateau-montelena-potter-valley-riesling-2017-mendocino-county-california/
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10/14/2020 - OnWisconsin Likes this wine: 89 Points
A ripe, mouth filling take on Riesling with tropical fruits, lemon, oak, and slight minerality.
Some RS is left, but I wouldn’t call this off-dry by international standards.
With 13.5% alcohol and oak aging, this is going for something different. Mosel lovers steer clear, but this is a well crafted wine.
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8/22/2020 - JPR2870 Likes this wine: 74 Points
Crisp, bright and smooth. Definitely dry. Jimmy tastes some oak. Interesting and refreshing on a hot day.
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7/27/2020 - jvphoto wrote: 87 Points
It’s good enough but nothing special. Base line Riesling without any wow.
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5/27/2020 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 91 Points
Sourced from a small vineyard in the Potter Valley (Mendocino County), Montelena's 2017 Riesling is a light yellow/green wine with very attractive aromatics. Flaunting scents of stone fruits, green apples, pineapple, jasmine and honeysuckle, it is a fresh, light-bodied, off-dry white that delivers flavors mirroring the nose. The wine's alcohol (listed as 13.4%) is fully hidden and there is a soft measure of oak that adds some complexity with subtle notes of vanilla. Lengthy and vibrant on the back end, this is a quality offering that should be at its best over the next couple of years. Drink now-2022.
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1/22/2020 - Heynetty wrote:
A: Pale lemon
N: So cold, I have no idea what intensity this is on the nose, lemon, peach pit, pear, yellow apple, green apple, dandelion, blossom. The fruit is ripe and is made up of primary aromas.
P: Lemon, peach, pear, yellow apple, green apple, dandelion, blossom. Dry, medium (+) acid, medium alcohol (13.4%) medium body, medium (+) intensity ,medium (+) finish.
I would not age this as its all primaries and made for early refreshing drinking.
The wine shows a good balance between fruit concentration and acid. It is not complex but intensity and finish assist with the wine quality. Its a good Meh!
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10/19/2019 - kdub Likes this wine: 88 Points
Fabulous, crisp, dry riesling. Served with spicy poke bowls and it was amazing.
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10/16/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
A touch of noble rot to it. Creamy textural mid palate and then a bone dry finish. That is tasty stuff. In 2018 they didn't make it because of fire.
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9/25/2019 - GTFreek wrote:
Medium plus nose, white flowers, dried peach, wet stone, lime peel, lilac. Palate gives lean style, nice fruit, dry style with hints of off-dry fruit but finishes dry. Crisp, all purpose style. Finish does very well, shows some Old World notes in there, hint of petrol.
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7/10/2019 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 87 Points
Chateau Montelena at the Westin Hotel, San Francisco (Westin Hotel, San Francisco, Ca.): Nose of spring flowers, sweet fruit, and hint of honey, same on the palate, medium body, tasty, simple, lovely tasting but for near term drinking, medium finish.
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6/23/2019 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 86 Points
Lovely and simple. Goes great with spicy Asian food.
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6/11/2019 - cmmatthews Likes this wine: 87 Points
Quite juicy, round, and full Reisling. I do feel that it is lacking some balance. Perhaps not my style.
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7/13/2018 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 91 Points
Pale lemon color. A rich and plump aromatic display (orange, white peach, pineapple) along with yellow flowers, honeycomb, white tea, a stony-minty element as well. Plump and juicy fruit, this is richer and more tropical than I remember previous vintages, but it’s tropical and delicious (white peaches, cantaloupe, pineapple) with some drizzled lime on there. White flowers, chalky, spritely and fresh with some mineral and nettle notes and a honeyed finish. So surprised, year after year, at this wine.
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