A bit disappointed

[barnesy]

1999 Rex Hill Dry Riesling Maresh Vineyard, Willamette Valley

When I tasted this baby at the winery/vineyard, I thought I had found a good Dry Oregon Riesling that might compare with an Alsatian. I tasted this at Maresh Red Barn. They don't have a winery, but grow for Rex Hill, and Rex Hill bottles some wines for Maresh and Maresh puts their own label on them. They also have their own tasting room.

Anyways, the wine had good fruit, quite a bit of acid (especially for an Oregon Riesling) and a bit of mineral on the finish.) I thought this would be perfect with my honey curry chicken, which has curry and cayane for spice, giving it a bit of bite. The back label even says its good with "spicey asian dishes." It wasn't horrid, but it just flared up the spice too much. I think the problem is that it just had too much alcohol at 13% without enough of the other elements to balance it when the spice was added.

It still would be a good food wine for a light white fleshed fish or some unspiced chicken. Its just not as versatile as I was hoping. A good effort in dry rielsing from the Northwest, but not yet equal to French or Greman.

Barnesy