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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Wine Tasting - Firestone Vineyard Riesling Central Coast 2009

"Wine is the answer.  What was the question?"
 - Anonymous

Greetings and salutations my fine friend. 

May you be blessed with nothing short of a simply wonderful day!  May every expectation and hope for this day be exceed by every action and reaction that surrounds you.  If all else fails; escape from your woes, uncork a bottle, and sip a small glass of wine.  It may not help but it certainly isn't going to hurt!

This day's blog revolves around a most wonderful Riesling that Tiffany and I purchased from our local Costco Warehouse Club.  I believe that it was on special and had a discount on top of the everyday low price. 

Point Score A:  90
Point Score B:  91

2009 Firestone Vineyard Riesling Central Valley

Appellation:  Los Olivos, Santa Ynez Valley (Central Valley), California
Grape Varietal(s):  Riesling 
Retail Price:  $7.39
Vintage:  2009
Producer:  Firestone Vineyard
Alcohol:  13.5%
Calories:   94 per 4-ounce

Tasting sheets as follows.

Reviewer A

Reviewer B

When it comes to Rieslings, I have historically had a greater affection than does Tiffany.  However, now that we have opportunity to taste may different Rieslings from many different regions, Tiffany has raised the bar on this grape varietal.  I favor the sweet wines over Tiffany.  However, she has come to realize that not all Riesling are overly sugar-coating the tongue and palate.  This proved to be one of those wines.  Sweet but not liquid sugar cane in taste.

We experienced quite different tastes on this particular selection.  However, our minds melded when it came to scoring.  Tiffany can discern things that I am unable and my palate returns the favor to her.  It's a beautiful marriage in both life and at the wine toast! 

The label reads as follows:

"Vintage:   2009
Wine Type:  White Wine
Varietal:   Riesling
Varietal Composition:   100% Riesling
PH:   3.16
Bottling Date:   March 2009
Tannin:   1.10
Alcohol %:  13.5
Tasting Notes:  Our Riesling delivers on every front —fragrant, approachable and delicious. Striking notes of Meyer lemon, honeysuckle, apricot and honeydew melon are abundant on the nose. A firm acidic backbone is balanced by plush fruitiness—flavors of Tupelo honey, melon and apricot abound, with just a hint of sweetness on the finish. Although this is an ideal sipping wine, it pairs very well with Vietnamese and Thai cuisine, as well as a Rainbow Trout on the grill.
Production Notes:  A fairly dry winter, yielding average rainfall that led to reduced vine vigor, good fruitfulness and smaller than normal cluster sizes. Cool early spring temperatures were followed by normal temperatures in summer moderating during the fall.
Winemaker Notes:  The grapes were harvested during cool mornings to maintain fruit integrity. Inert gassing was used to minimize oxidation and enhance flavor retention during crushing. The fermentation was carried out under very cool temperatures in stainless steel tanks, preserving bright fruit notes and aromatic esters, and remained in cool conditions until bottling.
Food Pairing:  Asian food, mexican food, and creamy cheeses, or enjoy alone as an aperitf.
Production:  24,000 Cases"

According to my calculations, I just savored 1/288,000th of the original bottles available!  Gawd... I feel so fortunate!  :)  Hey!  Tiffany and I will be returning to Costco to purchase more of this Riesling so you had better hurry up before we find all 287,999 other bottles! 

Hi-dee hi-dee Riesling-rocks-ho my friends.

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