SoCal interest?

We were again bequeathed the always-pleasant surprise email with the “Lab Rat - Wine is Coming Your Way!” Subject line last Thursday. Less than 24 hours later, our friendly UPS driver had delivered the package and the bottle immediately found a home in the fridge.

Looks and Initial Aromas:
Pale straw in color. We picked up some apple blossoms, faint citrus, juicy pear.

Initial Taste:
Lots of citrus; lime stood out to me. The better half thought she picked up a few bubbles on the tongue at first. Dry with a really clean, crisp finish.

We already had one of those modish meal kits lined up for Friday dinner. At first I was thinking we’d taste the wine over the weekend, but then the more I thought about it, the more I thought this might turn out to be a serendipitous pairing…

With Dinner:
Okay, this was absolutely great with the meal. It really clears the palate well, and I mean that in the most complimentary way. The dry acidity cut right through the sweetness of the squash and fattiness of the sausage. 10/10 pairing.

Sidenote - dinner was tasty in and of itself. Almost a Thanksgiving stuffing flavor profile, with lots going on from the sausage, squash, apple, cranberries, and nuts. Every bit played off the Riesling very well.

+48 Hours / Other Pairings:
The bottle sat capped in our fridge until we were able to return to it this evening. I made grilled chicken thighs and gold potatoes sautéed in some bacon fat and herbs. It was ok with the chicken and good with the potatoes - as on Day 1, the acidity did a great job cutting through the starch.

Dried strawberries were a real standout pairing. A sip right after eating one brought out a subtle sweetness in the wine.

Salame was the opposite. Now, that’s a typical Sangiovese pairing for us for good reason, but it really didn’t work here. All I got was an unpleasant metallic taste without any notable flavor.

Merlot Bellavitano cheese was nice, with the acidity again cutting through the creaminess. Parmesan Reggiano was also delicious; the wine really balanced out the nuttiness of the cheese.

Pistachios complemented the wine (or vice versa) and the overall mouthfeel was slightly creamy.

Finally, we tried some almond blueberry dark chocolate (72% cacao) that was delicious. The wine really brought out the blueberry flavors and held its own against the rather dark chocolate. We realized after the fact that the chocolate package said it paired well with a Dry Riesling and, well, yup.

Worth It?
SWMBO said she thought this was a good $12 bottle and I came to the conclusion that I’d be fully satisfied with it at $15 retail. No surprise to see Casemates come in at a solid QPR. Absolutely worth it in my book.

Lunch on Friday was Thai and, in hindsight, I wish I’d opened this sooner to see how it stands up to some spice. Typically I go a smidge off-dry with heat but I think this might just work.

Overall, this is best with food. I think it would be quite versatile with plenty of lighter fare, dried fruits, jams, and the like. The nose is great and the initial taste fills your mouth with some great tropical flavors, but the acidity produces a really clean finish.

Not happy…been waiting for years for a dry Riesling, it’s finally here and no shipping to Iowa.

OMG! Got it last time, and down to two bottles. We are SO going to get this! Finally a riesling that doesn’t taste like eating a sugar bowl!

No Virginia? {sad face}

I don’t have anything to say other than Oregon Riesling is underappreciated, I’ve had a few Anne Amie bottles over the years, was never disappointed, and at this price… well… that’s a no-brainer for me.

/giphy owlish-abashed-pollution

@LambruscoKid any interest in splitting a case?

Anyone in SF / Bay Area interested in splitting a case? I have a few right now but wouldn’t mind picking up 4 or 6 more if anybody is interested in a two or three way split.

If any PDXers like their sparkling amrita it’s 7.99 at new seasons right now. At least on Hawthorne

What’s the drinking window on these two vintages? How about the 2015 vintage?

@bunnymasseuse any chance I could convince you to receive a couple cases? Happy to split if you’d like.

First time lab rat, long time buyer! I was happy to see an offering from Anne Amie after the fun sparkling case I have been enjoying this summer.

This 2016 Dry Riesling is a totally different beast from that. I let it chill in the fridge overnight before opening. The nose is definitely straight out of the description. My first notes were kumquat, grapefruit, and petrol. So off to a good start.

This is a VERY dry Riesling. It’s crisp, plenty of acid, and relatively clean on the palate. I say relatively because there is a bit of the minerality, petrol, and oddly honey character at the back of the palate on the finish. Though it’s very light in body/mouthfeel. The primary flavors on the front end were almost Concord grape and citrus fruit on my first tastes. Now, I’ll be fair. I think it was far too cold in my fridge.

After letting the glass warm up just a bit, the green apple and fruit notes really took off. That was more what I was expecting. Day 2 improved things a bit for me. The petrol notes on the nose are still there, but I don’t pick up any of the flavors on the back of the tongue. I think things seem to have gelled together with a really nice green apple, honey (maybe honeysuckle), and mineral flavors all playing nicely together. And the acid still has enough pop.

This should hold up to food pretty well because it can cut through most of the typical white wine foods you think of. I didn’t have it with anything spicy, but I think it would be a super clean and refreshing option for your Indian or Thai food nights.

I pegged it at a good deal at $12-13/bottle and it’s coming in just under that for the 4 bottle option. The case price is a steal and easily worth picking up if you want an interesting alternative to the traditional Sauvignon Blanc in the super crisp and refreshing category.

Not really that dry. MB moderately dry would have been a better description.