2009 Chateau St Jean Riesling Sonoma County

The Vineyards
At Chateau St. Jean, we have a long tradition of producing a Sonoma County Riesling. Our 1974 Riesling was the first Chateau St. Jean wine to win critical acclaim and bring recognition to the winery. The grapes for the 2009 Riesling were selected from vineyards that bear fruit of exceptional quality and true varietal character. All of the fruit for this wine comes from the Alexander Valley.

Winemaking
After a brief soaking on the skins, the juice was fermented at very low temperatures, in small batches, for just over one month in temperature-controlled stainless steel vessels. This retains natural acidity and fruit-forward varietal character. We stop the fermentation a little early so that the wine is off dry/semi-sweet in style with fragrant aromatics and good palate weight.

Philippe’s Tasting Notes
Pleasingly sweet on entry, this Riesling is crisp and lively.  Classic aromas of apple blossoms, mango, white peaches and honeysuckle start in the nose of this wine.  Wonderful ripe flavors of apricots, nectarines, melon, honey and yellow pears lead to a citrus finish with hints of mineral notes that make for the perfect complement.