I was lucky enough to see an email from Ariana and redirected a shipment so I could pick it up to taste before the holiday weekend. Excited for the opportunity,I stuck the bottle in the wine fridge for a few hours to chill at 48 degrees (the wife likes her whites chilly).
I am more of a red drinker, but drink white here and there; appreciate all varietals but prefer something more bold and rich. This is not that wine, not that that is a bad thing at all!
The Head Shrinker is pale yellow, had a delicate nose, maybe a hint of peach or other stone fruit. Legs are non existent and doesn’t cling to the glass.
First taste I get a lot of citrus/grapefruit, very clean, but leaning towards a tart finish. Makes my moth picker slightly.
Paired it with smoked chicken and smashed Yukon gold potatoes. Really benefited from the dood in my opinion. Acidity balanced well with the richness of the food, and made me want a second glass, which I normally would not do with a white. As it warmed it picked up more notes for peach and lost a touch of acidity.
This is not your “sweet Riesling” (as my mother in law thinks they all should be), but more of a Sonoma Coast dry Riesling, tart and refreshing. Could be a crowd pleaser, a great wine for an end of summer bbq on a hot September day.
In a word: delicious.
Rieslings have not been a wine that I typically go for as I usually find them too sweet. This one is a game-changer for me. I was cock-a-hoop that it drinks more like a Chardonnay than the other, sweeter varieties I’ve tried in the past. It’s got a crisp, refreshing taste that brings through the citrus fruit. No sweet residue! I was just left wanting another sip.
I could see how this would be a summer go-to selection. After a long day at work and a long drive home in DC traffic, A buddy and I paired this with a variety of late-night snacks including the provided nuts (thank you!), chicken salad canapés, and yes, even Doritos.
Oh. Hi. This is MichelleShari, not Joel, but … I can’t seem to figure out how to get into my account. Anywho. We got labratted!
We first tried this the other day after it arrived. We had it with a pasta dish and some appley flavored fake sausages. It was … fine. I’m fairly picky with my wines these days, and am not a huge riesling fan. It’s dry. Very dry. And acidic, with floral notes. It’s got almost no aroma. There are some hints of mineral. MUCH better with food than without. It’s not bad, and if you like rieslings, then this is a great option. The price point for the case is right about where I’d expect it to be at $10ish per bottle. It’s worth that, I think.
We tried it again tonight with pizza. It went well with the pineapples that topped the pizza (and YES PINEAPPLE GOES ON PIZZA). Again. It’s not my favorite, but then, I’m not sure ANY riesling would get a much better review from me.
Notes from Joel:
Mineral. There are hints of apricot on the nose. Fully dry. Better with food. Good acidity. Light straw color. Guessed around $10 per bottle for decent QPR.
“There is a common misconception among wine drinkers about Riesling, that it’s usually from Germany and usually very sweet, like dessert wine.”
Really? Are wine drinkers that tunnel-visioned? Alsace, Niagara, New Zealand, California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Ohio, Michigan…
But that is the same as saying all beer tastes alike, all scotch tastes alike, all coffee takes alike, or for goddess sake all sweet brown cola tastes alike.
All are clear falsehoods.
you cannot even begin to say all unfortified sweet wines are whites. because well again … sweet reds can be quite divine.
@CruelMelody@klezman So, first of all, a fraction of the Riesling from Germany is sweet, and generally that fraction is exported to the US. For long Riesling has been associated with sweet wines in the US, which was so frustrating for long for me, coming from Europe, because I know how amazingly refreshing and flowery can be a good dry Riesling (such as a Gewurtz-Traminer, for instance). So, people had a specific conception of what a wine is supposed to taste like, and the market fulfilled that expectation.
Glad to see that things are changing, and that riesling=sweet is not true anymore!
And Alsace Riesling, OMG, that’s amazing too!
Now, a Finger Lake DRY riesling, that I would like to try!
@salpo I’d love to know where it was in Europe that they told you Gewurtz-Traminer [sic] is an example of a good dry Riesling. Riesling and Gewürztraminer are totally different grapes. BTW, good dry Finger Lakes Rieslings (and Gewürztraminer) are easy to find when you visit the region, which I heartily recommend you do.
@ddeuddeg Unfortunately that sentence was put together in a way that made it seem as if the writer thought that Gewurtztraminer was an example of a Riesling (“such as”), when what I believe they meant to say was a good, dry Riesling is “similar to” a Gewurtz. At least, I hope that’s what they meant. They did mention they come from Europe, so maybe it’s simply a matter of misusing a term in English by a person not writing in their first language, and not an indication of ignorance of wine grapes?
Either way, I strongly second your support of FL wines, dry and otherwise.
@ddeuddeg@InFrom Unfortunate phrasing: I was trying to say that a dry Gewürztraminer (thanks for correcting the spelling) can be as refreshing and flowery as a dry Riesling. Thanks InFrom for the (correct) interpretation.
Too bad FL dry rieslings are hard to come by outside the region (at least, that’s how it looks like here in PA).
Anyway, a dry Riesling from CA made by a former actor (did I get that right?) doesn’t sound like a OMG-can’t-wait-to-buy-it type of bottle to me…
I had this a while back direct from Nocking Point and it was my favorite Riesling that I have had. In for a case, especially at that price! (and I don’t even have room for it)
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 “Head Shrinker” Riesling - $55 = 33.32%
A dry riesling with a decent rat report…more good rattage could convince me. I can get Kung Fu Girl Riesling for $12/bottle, so wonder how this compares?
Founded by Stephen Amell (ARROW) and Andrew Harding (MTV), Nocking Point Wines creates its collections with renowned Walla Walla Winemakers Justin Wylie (Va Piano) and Sean Boyd (Rotie). This special cuveé from California was part of an exclusive project that Nocking Point did during the 2018 harvest, collaborating with some winemaker friends of theirs in California, including Markus Bokisch (Bokisch Wines), Jennifer Reichardt (Raft Wines- Wine Enthusiast 40 under 40) and Scot Bilbro (Marietta Cellars). These collaborations brought some wines to the portfolio that Nocking Point had never featured before, including this dry Riesling, along with Primitivo and Zinfandel.
This single varietal Riesling, coming to you from Northern California, is lean, crisp and refreshing but not without an abundance of stone fruit and citrus flavors. Open this one up on a nice summer day, and it’s showtime! There is a common misconception among wine drinkers about Riesling, that it’s usually from Germany and usually very sweet, like dessert wine. In reality, many new world winemaking areas like the USA and Australia are making truly excellent styles of dry Riesling that are lean, mineral, and truly special food wines. This is a great example of that style – with its citrus notes and refreshing profile, it almost drinks like a Sauvignon Blanc.
Tastes Like: Summer in a bottle
Notes: Citrus fruits like lemon & grapefruit, mineral.
Nocking Point Wines is based in Walla Walla, Washington, birthplace of Founder Andrew Harding and General Manager Sarrah Harding. The winery produced 36 different wines this year, of many different grape varietals and styles. The uber-relaxed and homey tasting room in Walla Walla features this large selection of fine wines, along with corn-hole, and a big screen TV where friends and fans often park it on a Sunday to watch football.
The idea for the winery first began in May of 2012 when Andrew and his best bud Stephen Amell embarked on a road trip from LA to Oakland to watch a Blue Jays game for Stephen’s birthday. Three hours into the trip, Andrew, who had grown up in wine country, easily convinced Stephen – who had never been to a wine region before – to make a quick stop in Paso Robles to taste some wine. Stephen’s first-ever wine country pit-stop turned into a 48-hour wine bender that included visiting more than a dozen wineries, making a bunch of new friends in the local wine business, and eventually wrapping up at a dock-side party on a private lake built smack-dab in the center of picturesque, rolling vineyards. As they drove away from Paso, heading on to Oakland, Stephen looked over at Andrew and asked, “Hey man, how do we do this ALL THE TIME?”. The rest of the road trip and the next few months became an exciting brainstorm about a new, unique kind of winery and the concept for Nocking Point was born.
Fast forward 5 years and this little wine venture has allowed the founders to connect with hundreds of thousands of fans and wine drinkers to cultivate a crazy-loyal wine club community that they are more than proud of. The two guys honestly didn’t know if anyone would care about a TV superhero and his good buddy making great wines out of a smaller wine region in the Northwest. Well, it turns out they do and for that they couldn’t be more proud or more appreciative of everyone who has supported them from day one.
Nocking Point also frequently partners with tastemakers and celebrities who love wine, such as Jason Momoa, Jonathan Bennett, Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Aisha Tyler, Stassi Schroeder, Katie Maloney, and Kristen Doute.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
I was lucky enough to see an email from Ariana and redirected a shipment so I could pick it up to taste before the holiday weekend. Excited for the opportunity,I stuck the bottle in the wine fridge for a few hours to chill at 48 degrees (the wife likes her whites chilly).
I am more of a red drinker, but drink white here and there; appreciate all varietals but prefer something more bold and rich. This is not that wine, not that that is a bad thing at all!
The Head Shrinker is pale yellow, had a delicate nose, maybe a hint of peach or other stone fruit. Legs are non existent and doesn’t cling to the glass.
First taste I get a lot of citrus/grapefruit, very clean, but leaning towards a tart finish. Makes my moth picker slightly.
Paired it with smoked chicken and smashed Yukon gold potatoes. Really benefited from the dood in my opinion. Acidity balanced well with the richness of the food, and made me want a second glass, which I normally would not do with a white. As it warmed it picked up more notes for peach and lost a touch of acidity.
This is not your “sweet Riesling” (as my mother in law thinks they all should be), but more of a Sonoma Coast dry Riesling, tart and refreshing. Could be a crowd pleaser, a great wine for an end of summer bbq on a hot September day.
In a word: delicious.
Rieslings have not been a wine that I typically go for as I usually find them too sweet. This one is a game-changer for me. I was cock-a-hoop that it drinks more like a Chardonnay than the other, sweeter varieties I’ve tried in the past. It’s got a crisp, refreshing taste that brings through the citrus fruit. No sweet residue! I was just left wanting another sip.
I could see how this would be a summer go-to selection. After a long day at work and a long drive home in DC traffic, A buddy and I paired this with a variety of late-night snacks including the provided nuts (thank you!), chicken salad canapés, and yes, even Doritos.
Thanks again for another opportunity to lab rat!
@degroens Thank you for adding a word to my vocabulary today! https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cock-a-hoop
Oh. Hi. This is MichelleShari, not Joel, but … I can’t seem to figure out how to get into my account. Anywho. We got labratted!
We first tried this the other day after it arrived. We had it with a pasta dish and some appley flavored fake sausages. It was … fine. I’m fairly picky with my wines these days, and am not a huge riesling fan. It’s dry. Very dry. And acidic, with floral notes. It’s got almost no aroma. There are some hints of mineral. MUCH better with food than without. It’s not bad, and if you like rieslings, then this is a great option. The price point for the case is right about where I’d expect it to be at $10ish per bottle. It’s worth that, I think.
We tried it again tonight with pizza. It went well with the pineapples that topped the pizza (and YES PINEAPPLE GOES ON PIZZA). Again. It’s not my favorite, but then, I’m not sure ANY riesling would get a much better review from me.
Notes from Joel:
Mineral. There are hints of apricot on the nose. Fully dry. Better with food. Good acidity. Light straw color. Guessed around $10 per bottle for decent QPR.
“There is a common misconception among wine drinkers about Riesling, that it’s usually from Germany and usually very sweet, like dessert wine.”
Really? Are wine drinkers that tunnel-visioned? Alsace, Niagara, New Zealand, California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Ohio, Michigan…
@klezman I do think if you say Riesling most people assume sweet.
@CruelMelody @klezman
When I was a youngun’, red was dry, white was sweet.
But that is the same as saying all beer tastes alike, all scotch tastes alike, all coffee takes alike, or for goddess sake all sweet brown cola tastes alike.
All are clear falsehoods.
you cannot even begin to say all unfortified sweet wines are whites. because well again … sweet reds can be quite divine.
@CruelMelody @klezman So, first of all, a fraction of the Riesling from Germany is sweet, and generally that fraction is exported to the US. For long Riesling has been associated with sweet wines in the US, which was so frustrating for long for me, coming from Europe, because I know how amazingly refreshing and flowery can be a good dry Riesling (such as a Gewurtz-Traminer, for instance). So, people had a specific conception of what a wine is supposed to taste like, and the market fulfilled that expectation.
Glad to see that things are changing, and that riesling=sweet is not true anymore!
And Alsace Riesling, OMG, that’s amazing too!
Now, a Finger Lake DRY riesling, that I would like to try!
@salpo I’d love to know where it was in Europe that they told you Gewurtz-Traminer [sic] is an example of a good dry Riesling. Riesling and Gewürztraminer are totally different grapes. BTW, good dry Finger Lakes Rieslings (and Gewürztraminer) are easy to find when you visit the region, which I heartily recommend you do.
@ddeuddeg Unfortunately that sentence was put together in a way that made it seem as if the writer thought that Gewurtztraminer was an example of a Riesling (“such as”), when what I believe they meant to say was a good, dry Riesling is “similar to” a Gewurtz. At least, I hope that’s what they meant. They did mention they come from Europe, so maybe it’s simply a matter of misusing a term in English by a person not writing in their first language, and not an indication of ignorance of wine grapes?
Either way, I strongly second your support of FL wines, dry and otherwise.
@ddeuddeg @InFrom Unfortunate phrasing: I was trying to say that a dry Gewürztraminer (thanks for correcting the spelling) can be as refreshing and flowery as a dry Riesling. Thanks InFrom for the (correct) interpretation.
Too bad FL dry rieslings are hard to come by outside the region (at least, that’s how it looks like here in PA).
Anyway, a dry Riesling from CA made by a former actor (did I get that right?) doesn’t sound like a OMG-can’t-wait-to-buy-it type of bottle to me…
Where specifically is the fruit from and how was it acquired?
“Head Shrinker” Riesling
4 bottles for $54.99 $13.75/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $109.99 $9.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2018 “Head Shrinker” Riesling
The ‘Dood’ abides : ]
I had this a while back direct from Nocking Point and it was my favorite Riesling that I have had. In for a case, especially at that price! (and I don’t even have room for it)
/giphy smoggy-fragile-love
@DanFielding After that giphy I’m not thinking of Riesling anymore…
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 “Head Shrinker” Riesling - $55 = 33.32%
A dry riesling with a decent rat report…more good rattage could convince me. I can get Kung Fu Girl Riesling for $12/bottle, so wonder how this compares?
Definite convert. I wrote the Lab Rat report before seeing the price and other reviews. With this deal, I’m in for a case. This one is a no-brainer.
Tasting Notes
Founded by Stephen Amell (ARROW) and Andrew Harding (MTV), Nocking Point Wines creates its collections with renowned Walla Walla Winemakers Justin Wylie (Va Piano) and Sean Boyd (Rotie). This special cuveé from California was part of an exclusive project that Nocking Point did during the 2018 harvest, collaborating with some winemaker friends of theirs in California, including Markus Bokisch (Bokisch Wines), Jennifer Reichardt (Raft Wines- Wine Enthusiast 40 under 40) and Scot Bilbro (Marietta Cellars). These collaborations brought some wines to the portfolio that Nocking Point had never featured before, including this dry Riesling, along with Primitivo and Zinfandel.
This single varietal Riesling, coming to you from Northern California, is lean, crisp and refreshing but not without an abundance of stone fruit and citrus flavors. Open this one up on a nice summer day, and it’s showtime! There is a common misconception among wine drinkers about Riesling, that it’s usually from Germany and usually very sweet, like dessert wine. In reality, many new world winemaking areas like the USA and Australia are making truly excellent styles of dry Riesling that are lean, mineral, and truly special food wines. This is a great example of that style – with its citrus notes and refreshing profile, it almost drinks like a Sauvignon Blanc.
Specifications
Included In The Box
Price Comparison
$308.51/case at Nocking Point Wines (including shipping)
About The Winery
Winery: Nocking Point Wines
Owner: Andrew Harding
Location: Walla Walla, WA
Nocking Point Wines is based in Walla Walla, Washington, birthplace of Founder Andrew Harding and General Manager Sarrah Harding. The winery produced 36 different wines this year, of many different grape varietals and styles. The uber-relaxed and homey tasting room in Walla Walla features this large selection of fine wines, along with corn-hole, and a big screen TV where friends and fans often park it on a Sunday to watch football.
The idea for the winery first began in May of 2012 when Andrew and his best bud Stephen Amell embarked on a road trip from LA to Oakland to watch a Blue Jays game for Stephen’s birthday. Three hours into the trip, Andrew, who had grown up in wine country, easily convinced Stephen – who had never been to a wine region before – to make a quick stop in Paso Robles to taste some wine. Stephen’s first-ever wine country pit-stop turned into a 48-hour wine bender that included visiting more than a dozen wineries, making a bunch of new friends in the local wine business, and eventually wrapping up at a dock-side party on a private lake built smack-dab in the center of picturesque, rolling vineyards. As they drove away from Paso, heading on to Oakland, Stephen looked over at Andrew and asked, “Hey man, how do we do this ALL THE TIME?”. The rest of the road trip and the next few months became an exciting brainstorm about a new, unique kind of winery and the concept for Nocking Point was born.
Fast forward 5 years and this little wine venture has allowed the founders to connect with hundreds of thousands of fans and wine drinkers to cultivate a crazy-loyal wine club community that they are more than proud of. The two guys honestly didn’t know if anyone would care about a TV superhero and his good buddy making great wines out of a smaller wine region in the Northwest. Well, it turns out they do and for that they couldn’t be more proud or more appreciative of everyone who has supported them from day one.
Nocking Point also frequently partners with tastemakers and celebrities who love wine, such as Jason Momoa, Jonathan Bennett, Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Aisha Tyler, Stassi Schroeder, Katie Maloney, and Kristen Doute.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Friday, September 27th - Tuesday, October 1st