Poet's Leap Columbia Valley Riesling

The 2021 Riesling Poet's Leap is decidedly green in character, wafting up with notes of lychee, lime zest and crushed green apple. This flows across the palate with grace, displaying a pleasant inner sweetness, as tropical citrus and saline-minerals add a lovely tension throughout. This tapers off with young mango notes accentuated by a salty flourish through the long and crisply refreshing finale. The 2021 is so balanced and refined, just 12.5% alcohol, and at just under one gram of residual sugar per liter. (Eric Guido, Vinous, March 2023)

The 2021 Poet's Leap shows lychee, lime zest and crushed green apple. It’s graceful and sweet, with tropical citrus and crisp minerality. A salty flourish accentuates mango nuances on an outstanding, fresh finish. This is balanced and refined, with under one gram of residual sugar per liter. $20.00 (Eric Guido, Vinous, February 2023)

Great American Riesling from Long Shadows. Off dry. Rounded and pretty. More Mosel than Alsace. Subtle flint. Paired with seared salmon on a hot, covid July night.

I’ll post the recipe tomorrow. This Pork Chop marinade with American Riesling is simply perfect.

Perhaps, my perfect pairing! 👌

Fine chop, whisk together and marinade for two days. Its important you do it for two days to get the desired flavors.

- 4-6 thick cut bone-in pork chops
- 1 cup Wok Mei brand hoisin sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of Tamari soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- 2 scallions
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of Lee Kim Kee brand chili sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of ginger (I double this)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic (again, I double this)
- 3/4 cup of cilantro (no stems)
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
- 3/4 teaspoon of white pepper

Had this with the 2017 Long Shadows Poetry Leap & with the 2009 S.A. Prüm Graach Domprobst Riesling. You can do either but for me, American Riesling is the perfect pairing. Also, a great value for under $20. Enjoy. Fresh Sugar Snap peas out of our garden with roasted Rosemary potatoes. Mmmmm!

@Sharon B Since you love to cook, you should definitely try this one sometime. Cheers!

Photos of; Long Shadows Winery & one example of the amazing glass blown artworks they have on display.

I’ve come to really enjoy the entire portfolio of wines from Long Shadows, and while the reds are a bit more up my alley, this is really difficult to beat for the price. I think I enjoyed the 2016 a bit more, but I think this will hold longer.

Made in an off-dry style, there is a tinge of sweetness that reminds me more of German Riesling than Alsatian Riesling. At pop, there was a slight note of petrol on the nose but it dissipated by day two. Honeyed stone fruits, apricot and crushed limestone also show up aromatically. On the palate, it’s mineral/slate driven with some lemon-lime, lychee and zippy acidity. Touch of sweetness doesn’t arrive until the very back end of the palate. Best enjoyed around cellar temp, in my experience.

What a pleasing food-friendly wine. Fruit with power and balance.

What a pleasant surprise. Petrol and Jasmine on the nose. 14 years young on this wine and I feel like it could still age longer!

This is my second favorite food & wine pairing. The two together are a perfect 10. It is simply my favorite pork chop and there isn’t a close second.

This is the Mustard’s Restaurant in Napa recipe which, they have sold over a million.

There are a dozen different seasoning/spices to this two-day pork chop marinade that brings such depth of flavors & complexity to it. The spices penetrate deep onto the palate. The wine marries and complements all those seasonings & spices perfectly with just the right amount of restrained sweetness and texture.

The nose reveals; stone fruits, Meyer lemon, lemon meringue, lime candy, pineapple juice, green melon, applesauce, just a touch of petroleum, honey notes, waxy notes, touch of beeswax, light white spice, chalky saline notes, mixed greens, yellow lilies, jasmine and spring flowers.

The body is thick, rich, lush and waxy. Stone fruits, Meyer lemon, lemon meringue, lime candy, pineapple juice, green melon, applesauce, just a touch of petroleum, honey notes, waxy notes, touch of beeswax, light white spice, chalky saline notes, light, powdery minerals, mixed greens, yellow lilies, jasmine and spring flowers. The acidity is round and beautiful. The finish is; rich, lush, ripe, well balanced, delicious and persists nicely for minutes.

@Shay A Am I tempting you yet?

Photos of; the Long Shadows tasting room (just voted a top ten tasting room), the amazing glass blown artwork all over their tasting room and our dinner with this amazing American Riesling pairing. Green beans from our garden.

The 2017 ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling shows once again why this wine is truly one of the premier Riesling bottling in North America. This opens with beautiful orange blossom and melon with wet stone character on the nose. The palate is full of freshness., yielding a beautiful sense of minerality. Even more impressive is the near minute long finish. Beautiful in its youth, this will cellar well over the next seven to ten years. Drink 2019-2027- 93

A wonderful tasting put on by Classic Wine Storage featuring Long Shadows Winery. If you aren’t familiar with these wines, they are phenomenal WA state wines that are made by the likes of Randy Dunn, Phillipe Melka, Michel Rolland, John DuVall, and more.

Supposedly this is the number one Riesling in WA state. Dry style. Petrol on the nose. Honey, apricot, bright acidity with a slate finish.