One of the unsung heroes of California Riesling and a favorite of mine… ranks up in the top 5 or so with Navarro, Smith-Madrone and Tatomer… and FOR THE TRUE TEST OF THE VARIETY: I have tasted these with considerable age and they show EVERYTHING you want in a wine. The way the intense vegetal melds perfectly with sweetness and mineral are place-marks at this young age… the way intense tropical resides on acid for a not-too-austere but enough-austere while not-too-fruity but enough gorgeous fruit. Riesling is a strange bird, and why it is a true geek’s wine. Pale yellow in the glass–nearly clear–with a raspy mineral backbone of achy spendor topping fruit starting as pure plum, then going hi-level into almost lychee beauty and sweetness. Smoky and calm, ridiculously un-effusive… tasting will tell.
In the mouth, sweet concentration of fruit wrapped seamlessly around acridity highs and chalky bottoms. I don’t like my dry Rieslings crazily austere like most *serious somms* do… I like a bit of beautiful, sweet fruit. There’s no reason we can’t have both. Tannin grips the late-middle and finish but still a charming elevation of peach and pear carries through. These distill down into CRAZY elixirs with a decade of age and remain one of my reasons I wonk Cambria wineries above most on the Central Coast.
2019 CUTRUZZOLA VINEYARDS Riesling Riven Rock Vyd SLO Coast AVA 13.4
Stephen McConnell 