2023 Riesling
Does Riesling have an image problem?
I've heard tale of debates on this controversial topic in recent years, and have been reticent to give my two cents, until now. I've never been one to really care about my own image, but my wines - that's a different story!
Like anything in life that is abundant, reliable, low maintenance and versatile, Riesling tends to get taken for granted. Our region is not completely blameless in this oversight, as we've come to treat Riesling as a "plateau priced" varietal that is often overcropped and in surplus.
Riesling is a great blending varietal due to its intense aromatics and reliable balancing acidity. In fact, it may be such a good blender that it has exacerbated the aforementioned issues. It also tends to be a great value per price point single varietal wine, which can be a double-edged sword, making it relatively easy and inexpensive to find a decent bottle, yet hard to justify paying more to explore single vineyard terroir.
In our experience, Riesling tends to be the slowest seller of our whites each vintage, and I feel strongly that this does not reflect a quality disparity amongst the wines. The other whites tend to be more niche and get more fanfare, but the Riesling is often my preference.
There is a hidden benefit to the slower Riesling sales, however, in that it's usually available for tastings in our barn throughout the summer. In the many tastings I've conducted over the years, I would say that Riesling is the wine that tends to get the most surprise reactions from our guests. Expectations of something sweet and dull or dry and bracing are quickly cast aside.
Niagara Riesling has consistently proven to be a unique take on the varietal and should continue to be celebrated as such. I encourage people to explore the many different clonal and terroir variations that we can offer throughout our region. As a grape grower and winemaker, I will continue to treat Riesling with the same reverence and effort that I afford all other noble grape varietals.
2023 "Jean's Block" Riesling
There is usually a lot of drama and bluster in my yearly recap of vinifying Riesling. For once, I am extremely grateful to report, that was not the case. We're talking drama free, and borderline enjoyable!
In terms of fruit cleanliness, the Riesling we harvested in 2023 stands on its own amongst previous Jean's Block vintages. As much as I'd like to take credit for this result, it is 100% due to the lack of late season precipitation and humidity. Okay, maybe 99%.
Harvest date was October 11, and the pressed juice was cool-fermented with W15 yeast in stainless steel tanks. Fermentation was slow and steady over 26 days, then stopped at a specific gravity of 1.004 and 10.7% abv. Total production was 100 cases.
I think the cleanliness of fruit is reflected in the purity of the aromatics. There are distinct layers of apple, citrus and floral notes. I always associate Riesling with Springtime in Niagara, as it abounds with freshness and hints of tree fruit blossoms.