Smith Madrone

Spring Mountain District Riesling

9.110 ratings
9.03 pro ratings
Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, California, USA
Riesling
Pork, Squash & Root Vegetables, Chili & Hot Spicy, White Fish, Fruit Desserts, Meaty & Oily Fish, Duck, Goat & Feta Cheese, Blue Cheese
Top Notes For
Shengli Hu

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 :)

Sep 5th, 2022
Michael Chelus

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
"Odedi"

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.

1 person found it helpfulMay 17th, 2021
Ken Venezio

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, 2024
Melissa Housman

Bright Meyer lemon acidity, some peach, dry

Bright Meyer lemon acidity, some peach, dry

May 28th, 2022
Ming L
9.4

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.

May 6th, 2022
Joseph Gannon

Best American riesling I've ever had

Best American riesling I've ever had

Oct 16th, 2021
Roberto Lartigue

One of my favs

One of my favs

Apr 11th, 2021
Redian

Redian had this 3 years ago

Redian had this 3 years ago

Dec 29th, 2021
Christopher Langton

Christopher had this 3 years ago

Christopher had this 3 years ago

Aug 8th, 2021