Smith Madrone
Spring Mountain District Riesling
Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, California, USA
Stony minerality+++, lemon rind, yellow peach, green pineapple, elevated/high acidity, bone dry. Charlie Smith was proudly showing us the book Best White Wine On Earth written by Stuart Pigott where on page 193 it listed Smith-Madrone Riesling as the only Northern American Riesling among the best Rieslings from the world.
Visited the winery on Sep 3rd 2022 in the morning, greeted by the responsible vineyard guard dog 🐶 who turned into the happiest sloppy doggo during our tasting appointment. Charlie Smith just finished picking the estate Cab Sauv fruit that morning started at 6am. And we witnessed fruits coming in and the destemmer churning and read through reflectometer that the Brix sits at 24.5.
Charles Smith is a such a personality but that’s a story for another time :)
Stony minerality+++, lemon rind, yellow peach, green pineapple, elevated/high acidity, bone dry. Charlie Smith was proudly showing us the book Best White Wine On Earth written by Stuart Pigott where on page 193 it listed Smith-Madrone Riesling as the only Northern American Riesling among the best Rieslings from the world.
Visited the winery on Sep 3rd 2022 in the morning, greeted by the responsible vineyard guard dog 🐶 who turned into the happiest sloppy doggo during our tasting appointment. Charlie Smith just finished picking the estate Cab Sauv fruit that morning started at 6am. And we witnessed fruits coming in and the destemmer churning and read through reflectometer that the Brix sits at 24.5.
Charles Smith is a such a personality but that’s a story for another time :)
Pear, lemon curd, peach, citron and hints of dried apricot. Good acidity and balance.
Pear, lemon curd, peach, citron and hints of dried apricot. Good acidity and balance.
May 14th, 2021
Pale lemon in color with a yellow tint.
Pretty nose of lemons, citrus, yellow apples, diesel, light tangerines, light river rocks, spices and minerals.
Medium plus in body with high acidity.
Dry on the palate with citrus, spices, lemons, apples, light earth, minerals, light sea salt and white pepper.
Tangy finish with limes and grapefruit.
This is a delicious Riesling from Spring Mountain District in Napa Valley. Showing mild complexity with a nice mouthfeel.
Still young and would benefit from a few years in the bottle. Already drinking nicely with nice balance.
Good by itself or with food, and better after 45 minutes of airtime.
Not as complex as the 2016 vintage, but time will tell as this evolves in the bottle. Still very yummy.
A great sipping wine and a good pool wine too. Fresh with a dry finish.
I paired it with Cedar Planked Salmon on the BBQ.
12.9% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$34.
Pale lemon in color with a yellow tint.
Pretty nose of lemons, citrus, yellow apples, diesel, light tangerines, light river rocks, spices and minerals.
Medium plus in body with high acidity.
Dry on the palate with citrus, spices, lemons, apples, light earth, minerals, light sea salt and white pepper.
Tangy finish with limes and grapefruit.
This is a delicious Riesling from Spring Mountain District in Napa Valley. Showing mild complexity with a nice mouthfeel.
Still young and would benefit from a few years in the bottle. Already drinking nicely with nice balance.
Good by itself or with food, and better after 45 minutes of airtime.
Not as complex as the 2016 vintage, but time will tell as this evolves in the bottle. Still very yummy.
A great sipping wine and a good pool wine too. Fresh with a dry finish.
I paired it with Cedar Planked Salmon on the BBQ.
12.9% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$34.
Helping a chef with a Smith Madrone tasting. This is a very nice Riesling that exhibits apples, peach and some bartlett pear. Just a bit of acidity and you will get a fair hint of oil on the nose, not in a bad way. We gave it a good 1 hr decant and didn't serve it too chilled. Light acidity and a full mouthfeel. 7 year bottle aged and drinking nicely.
Helping a chef with a Smith Madrone tasting. This is a very nice Riesling that exhibits apples, peach and some bartlett pear. Just a bit of acidity and you will get a fair hint of oil on the nose, not in a bad way. We gave it a good 1 hr decant and didn't serve it too chilled. Light acidity and a full mouthfeel. 7 year bottle aged and drinking nicely.
Jun 17th, 2024Bright Meyer lemon acidity, some peach, dry
Bright Meyer lemon acidity, some peach, dry
May 28th, 2022
Wow this tasted better than the 16’ I can remember!
A bit more petrol note, in a very pleasant way. There is also more subtle tropical fruits such as pineapple on the nose. Hint of smoke as well. Textured like a Viognier. Bright clean cut acidity with just the slightest sweetness for balance.
Now I have no doubt that this is the best US Riesling I’ve tasted.
Wow this tasted better than the 16’ I can remember!
A bit more petrol note, in a very pleasant way. There is also more subtle tropical fruits such as pineapple on the nose. Hint of smoke as well. Textured like a Viognier. Bright clean cut acidity with just the slightest sweetness for balance.
Now I have no doubt that this is the best US Riesling I’ve tasted.
Best American riesling I've ever had
Best American riesling I've ever had
Oct 16th, 2021
Christopher had this 3 years ago
Christopher had this 3 years ago
Aug 8th, 2021