Lawson's Dry Hills Riesling

[Innkeeper]

2001 Lawson's Dry Hills, Marlborough, Riesling ($13 Belfast Coop). First off, this is another screw top. Don't know if Lawson's have a handle on their screw tops or if it was using Sue Courtney's method, but I had no problems with this one. Her method is to hold the top firm with a towel, turn the whole bottle from the bottom, sort of like to open a bottle of bubbly.

Anyhoo, like most Downunder Rieslings, this one is bone dry. It had peaches and apricots on the nose and upfront. Soft citrus, lovely complexity, and a nice finish followed. Matched nicely with grillpanned pork chops, applesauce, and spinach.

However, Mother thought it was too dry! When I served her Greenwood Ridge White Riesling (which is ever so slightly off dry) with the same dish, she said it was too sweet. She also maintains that she likes riesling. What to do, what to do?

[Thomas]

Since Riesling ages beautifully, my suspicion is she would respond better to the same dry wine when it reaches its peak. R needs at least four years in the bottle, in my view.