GrapesRGreat

$15ish?, 10% alc., Columbia Valley, WA: This wine was a gift from my older brother to my wife a few years back and she surprised me by opening it to have with her delicious jerk chicken and mashed sweet potato dinner a few nights ago.  The current vintage of this wine is the 2009 I believe and I also had the 2005 when it was young.  Seeing and tasting this wine after roughly 4 years (6 total years in the bottle) really goes to demonstrate how well (some) sweeter wines can age.  If this were a German Riesling, it would likely be labeled as “halbtrocken” or “half dry” meaning that it has a significant amount of residual sugar (hence the lower alcohol level) but that it is not quite a sweet as a fully sweet Riesling.  Usually Rieslings with alcohol contents of 12.5% or greater are described as dry whereas wines with alcohol less than 10% are described as sweet.  When I first clapped eyes on this wine I couldn’t believe the color change; when first released it was nearly clear with a slight golden tinge, now it more the color of a light maple syrup.  A wine that was not as well made may have followed this color change by a flabby disappointment in the flavor department but not this one.  In the bouquet I get caramel and a distinct molasses aroma but the bright, light fruit still comes through.  The first thing I think when I taste it is how well the bright acidity still shows through to balance out the sweet carmelly and toasty flavors.  All the fruit seems to ride in on the wave of acidity and you can taste pear and apricot.  The sweetness of the wine comes across as honey, but the wine never seemed overly unctuous (yeah, I pulled an unctuous!).  If the 2009 vintage is anywhere as good as this 05′, I recommend buying a case and storing it in your cool, dry basement for the next 4-5 years.  Then crack one open every time something spicy or citrus hits your dinner table; you will not be disappointed. 90 pts.