Riesling Grapes

It’s arguably the greatest white grape in the world, but only when it’s grown in the right place. Nothing beats Riesling for its combination of freshness, minerality and off-dry vibrancy. There were some great examples in California, like the Pritchard Hill wines of Chappellet in the 1980s and Bob Long’s exquisite Riesling from not far away. Now there’s another one, and its existence can be credited to a 4:30 a.m. wake up call and a search for Steelhead trout.

Matt Cline is first and foremost a vineyard ferret with an uncanny knack for sniffing out remarkable and singular vineyard parcels from Contra Costa to Russian River. But as much as he’s a winemaker, Matt’s a fisherman, and when he picked up the phone at 4:30 a.m. in early December 2007, he knew who was calling.

“Hi, Matt. Wanna go fly fishing?” It was Axel Schug, managing partner of his family’s Carneros estate winery.

It was pitch black outside. Ugh. “See you outside in 10 minutes.”

Axel showed up at 4:45 a.m., and they packed their gear in Axel’s truck and drove up Highway 101, heading towards Healdsburg and the Steelhead trout-laden Russian River. When they turned off the highway, they could already see they were late. There were a half-dozen cars in front of them, and no one in his right mind would be driving the back roads near Healdsburg at 5:10 a.m. unless he was a fisherman. They knew if they weren’t first in the water, most of the fish would already be scared off by the boats in front. They only had one shot at beating the flotilla, so they took it.

A vineyard buddy had told them where there was access to the river just about a mile below the main public launch. They pulled off on a gravel road, unhooked a cable fence and made their way to the river bank through a sea of Chardonnay vines. And that’s when Matt saw what should never have been there — an exquisite vineyard, just a few acres along the river, unaccountably planted to Riesling. After a cold but successful drift down the Russian River (one fish landed and released), the winemaking ferret’s mind was still stuck on Riesling. The spot seemed perfect, warm enough for ripening in the summer, but cooled by the proximity to the Russian River. It took a while for Matt to locate the owner, but once he did, he couldn’t resist.

There were just a few tons of grapes in 2008, accounting for this bright, mineral, slightly off-dry Riesling — a Russian River version of Germany’s best. There’s good news and bad news in California Riesling. Because there’s so little left, the consumer doesn’t look for it. But because there’s so little demand, Matt was able to buy pristine Riesling at a bargain price.

Tasting Notes from the WineAccess Travel Log

“Pale green color. Bright and mineral on the palate with fine aromatic persistence. Pretty green apple flavors on entry with a slight touch of honey. Lightly kissed with sweetness keeping the fine Russian River acid in perfect balance. Long and firm on the finish. Drink now (not too fast!) for its brightness and vibrancy or age for up to three years.”