February 2007 Wine Tasting Notes:
2005 Daniel Gehrs Riesling, Santa Barbara County.
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This Riesling is golden straw-colored in the glass. The nose offers up honey and peach aromas with white floral notes and and a hint of ripe golden delicious apple. The honey-dominant palate gives ripe peach and apricot. The lightly viscous mouthfeel is delicately sweet with a mineral edge. A good balance of acidity and sweetness along with measured alcohol make for an upper-medium body. The medium length finish is focused around peach and honey. |
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RWB Score: 90 breakdown 13.3% Alcohol; 2.25% Residual Sugar $19.00 Retail (from winery); 225 cases produced |
Generous and rich, this Riesling is lightly sweet and creamy. It is a fragrant wine that is delicate on the palate, but not lean or wimpy. It is a well integrated composition with just a touch of residual sugar. This wine should enjoy wide appeal and will do well as a light aperitif, a desert in itself or as a companion to cheese from the next 4 to 5 years or so. |
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More reviews of Daniel Gehrs Wines More on the Santa Barbara County AVA |
Sourced from the Lucas&Lewellen Los Alamos Vineyard. Fermented in steel to 2.25% residual sugar.
Considered by many as one of the best white grapes, Riesling can be traced back to at least 15th century Germany. It has many assets, including versatility: it is made in dry and dessert styles defined by distinct varietal characteristics while reflecting terroir, longevity and a balance of sugars and acidity. Rieslings from the Mosel River region of Germany and the Alsace, France are among the best. In the Mosel River valley, steep hillsides afford the vines plenty of sun exposure and shelter them from winds. This cool climate yields benchmark wines with intense aromas and flavors and low alcohol levels. As a dessert wine, Riesling is made in late harvest, botrytised and ice wine styles. In California, Riesling (a cold weather-loving variety) does well in Mendocino, Monterey and Santa Barbara Counties. In general, these offer well-ripened fruit and racy acidity with bolder alcohol levels. Arroyo Seco Riesling is know for a unique style: a richer concentration of floral (rose petal and violets) and tropical fruit notes than the German offerings along with apple, apricot, peach and pear notes, lower acidity, higher alcohol and minerality. Depending on origin and age, aromas such as diesel, kerosene, petroleum and terpene can be detected.
The Los Alamos Valley Vineyard is over a mile long, and runs along Highway 101 south of Los Alamos. This vineyard is planted with Rhône, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Italian varieties including Malvasia Bianca, Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese. Some of the vines, originating from cuttings brought over from Europe, are over 25 years old. This is a cool climate vineyard with deep loamy soils and late ripening characteristics. Their Italian varietals, including the excellent Pinot Grigio come from there as well. The fruit from this vineyard is highly sought-after by many winemakers.
The 2005 year saw an increase in crops over the preceding years. The year is being compared to the acclaimed 1997 vintage because of a very long and generally cool growing season without heat spikes. This long season resulted in extended hang times in even temperatures which gave the fruit good extraction but lower sugar levels. The slow ripening of the fruit is expected to make for elegance and balance in the wines of this vintage.
Daniel Gehrs developed his wine making expertise over the past 3 decades. He initially started making wine at home as a college student. Well armed for the job with a passion and a Political Science degree, he joined Paul Masson Vineyards, Saratoga, in the San Francisco Bay area. After two years there, he and his wife purchased Congress Springs Vineyards and spent sixteen years there making Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon from old vines under his own label. Over the next three years, Daniel and wife Robin migrated slowly south until they arrived back in Santa Barbara County and Daniel took on wine making responsibilities at Zaca Mesa. After four years, he left Zaca Mesa. He currently makes wines for several labels in addition to his own (including Lucas&Lewellen, Mandolina and Queen of Hearts) and is an active consultant to other producers in the area. He sources the fruit for his grapes from all over California. Stylistically, Daniel believes wine should be a companion to food and strives to make his wines food-friendly, with lower alcohol levels than most producers today.
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5 points |
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Nose |
4 points |
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Palate |
3 points |
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Finish |
3 points |
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Astringency/Minerality |
5 points |
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Acidity |
5 points |
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Alcohol |
5 points |
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Aging potential |
2 points |
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Overall quality |
8 points |
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