Underage Riesling?
Question: What do you think about drinking a wine from the 2004 harvest? Too soon? Will it taste overly 'simple?'
I'm starting to see southern hemisphere (harvest is 6 months ahead of northern hemi) wines appearing on store shelves. My first impression, call it bias, is that 2004 wine isn't quite serious enough yet to drink. However, my guess is that most people buying a
$10-$20 2004 wine are going to open it up today or tomorrow. So I took the plunge and un-capped (un-screwed?) a $16 bottle of 2004 Lake Chalice Riesling from New Zealand. It's just a baby in terms of age; yet it's a grown-up in terms of flavor. And if you want to age it for a couple of years, I'm sure you'll be rewarded. But hey, why wait? Drink it now.
The Skinny
Lake Chalice Riesling, '04 ($16)
- From Marlborough, New Zealand
- Pale white gold in color
- Straightforward, yummy scents: apricot, honey, blossom, and very light citrus
- In the mouth, this wine shines. It' s got light citrus acidity, luscious fruit flavor, and a mineral finish. It is much bigger than German Riesling in terms of body - however, not quite as big as an Alsatian Riesling
**** (4 stars out of 5)
A well-made wine that is ready to drink right now. Try it with Asian veggie stir fry, grilled scallops, chicken breast sandwich, or potato salad.
Comments