September 30, 2017
The Great Portland Thai Food Wine Challenge!
1. 2012 Buty Beast Wallula Vineyard Sphinx Riesling Washington State
Though thisSphinx is as pure and dry as a cool desert night, beneath its timeless reserve is an oasis of flavors. On the nose, layers of luscious peach, orange blossom and honeysuckle are supported by hints of green apple and spice. The floral and citrus notes continue on the palate, where the flavors are accentuated by lively acidity and a streak of sophisticated minerality. Wine.com
2. 2014 Casa Silva "1912 Vines" Colchagua Valley Sauvignon Gris
Pale yellow. Smoky minerals, dried citrus fruits and jasmine on the fragrant nose. Spicy and precise, offering intense Meyer lemon and green apple flavors that flesh out and deepen with air. Powerful yet lithe and finely etched, finishing with excellent clarity and mineral-driven persistence. That 1912 designation refers to when the vines were planted, not how many of them are planted." Rated 90 Vinous, Josh Raynolds
3. 2015 Leyda Sauvignon Gris Single Vineyard Kadun
Initial aromas of canned peas and green fruits are classic Leyda. This Sauvignon Gris is intense on the palate, with a sense of green grape skins to the mouthfeel. Potent, racy flavors are herbaceous, while bell pepper is a key flavor on the finish. Wine Enthusiast Magazine
4. 2015 Elstrom Estate Pinot Gris Dundee Hills, Oregon
Rich Elstrom owns a dandy little vineyard on Breyman Orchards Road, in the heart of the Dundee Hills, that yields organically grown Pinot Gris planted in 1977. Elstrom Estate’s limited-production Pinot Gris comes from those grapes, as well as a Pinot Noir, combining grapes from vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills. Only 126 cases of this wine was produced. Talk about a boutique winery!! Oregonwinepress.com
5. 2015 Selbach Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Kabinett Mosel
“The 2015 Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Kabinett is deep and smoky on the very clear, refreshing nose with its bright fruit aromas and smoky flavors of crushed stones. On the palate, this is a lush and mouth-filling Riesling with great purity, super grip and lingering salinity. The Schlossberg is surely more complex than the regular Kabinett, but I wouldn't drink it before 2025. It has 9.5% alcohol and less than 50 grams of sugar." Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 92+ points
6. 2015 Maximim Grunhauser Abtsberg Riesling Kabinett Ruwer
"The 2015 Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Kabinett opens clear, precise and nicely reductive on the coolish/stony nose, with the typical flinty flavors of the Abtsberg. The wine is very clear, piquant and fresh, typically light but complex and stimulatingly salty in the well-structured and persistent finish. A gorgeous Kabinett—or should I say: Abtsberg? Great aging potential!” Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 93 points
7. 2015 Donnhoff Riesling Kreuznacher Krotenpful Kabinett Nahe
“The 2015 Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett has a "cooler acidity" than the Kahlenberg, says Helmut Dönnhoff, so he considers it as the better vineyard to produce a fruity Riesling with more residual sugar. The wine has a clear and open nose of ripe apples along with some flinty aromas. On the palate, the wine is very clear and piquant, but also generous in its precise, elegant fruit. The finish has a certain intensity and minerality, and this will come out even clearer in two or more years.” Wine Advocate
8. 2015 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Kabinett Mosel
Lily-of-the-valley and geranium combine with yeastiness from spontaneous fermentation for a penetrating aromatic display. Apple, lime and grapefruit, all also intimated on the nose, burst exuberantly onto a glycerol-rich but buoyant palate with juicy, crisp-edged, zesty force. There is a slight sense of sweet-sour tension here, and despite 9 percent alcohol, relatively high for a residually sweet Kabinett, there are still 57 grams of residual sugar and the sweetness is quite prominent. A cheek-tugging, tongue-tingling, palate-staining finish invigorates and refreshes. This should cellar impressively. Rated 90 Vinous