Pegasus Bay Riesling

Donaldson Family, Ltd.
Pegasus Bay
Riesling
Waipara Valley
Canterbury, NZ
2007
11%
$19.99 -- Costco, Austin, TX

Color: Light to medium golden-green, with tiny bubbles
Nose: Gravel, green tea, lime
Body: Medium
Front: Lime, peach
Middle: Pineapple, lemon
Back: Apricot, stone
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Screwcap

It wouldn't take a statistician to look at this blog's tags and deduce that I'm not a big fan of Riesling. I've had a couple of stunning ones -- a Hugel that blew me away, for example -- and a whole lot of lame ones. This one was highly rated, and it's quite elegant, though still a bit sweet for my taste. The off-dry style, as I think it's called, somehow leaves me unsatisfied. Perhaps I drink too much soda.

But with the right kind of food (light cheeses and fruit, I think) this wine would be spectacular. A fascinating thing about this (and it's not changing as the bottle stays open) is that the nose is so unrevelatory about the palate. It's a fruit-tacular extravaganza on the palate, but quite minerally on the nose: enchanting. This is better than many a Riesling I've had before, so take that from a non-Riesling drinker as a recommendation.