Arcane Cellars, Riesling, 2007
This was wine number three in our white wine dinner extravaganza. We started with two very lovely Chardonnays (see the other reviews here and here). So we decided to follow those with this.
In one word: wow! This was really tasty. Obviously it was very different than the Chardonnays. But it worked really well as our wine relay anchor for the evening.
First off, this is not a sickly sweet Riesling, not at all. This is strange to write, but it tasted like a white wine. And there was just a hint of a sparkle to it. It was sort of like an apple cider as it's turning (but in a good way). Herb loved the slight effervescence.
The nose was really flowery. Rose was the consensus. The fruit was apricot and Anjou pear. And of course honey! Specifically it was clover honey (flowery). And if that wasn't enough, there was some sort of vegetable in there too, but I couldn't quite figure it out: not exactly cucumber, not exactly celery, and not exactly dill --- but something like that in there.
And despite all this about honey and such, this wine finishes without any sweetness. It's just not sweet at the end at all. The finish was crisp like a cucumber and floral. That clover honey remains, but it's the taste without any sweetness. Yum. A little later, there was also hints of orange blossom too -- actually it was almost like biting into a Satsuma! At the very end there was also some tartness, like a crab apple mixed with raspberry. Subtle and not bitter, just opposite of a sweet Riesling.
And while it wasn't sweet, this wine did taste much "wetter" (if that's a word) than the Chardonnays. But then, this is an entirely different animal.
Everybody loved this wine. It was complicated and nuanced. It was Yummy. Did I mention this is only $16?
Cost:
Rating:
9.0