Navarro Vineyards - 2002 White Riesling

2002 White Riesling
Cluster Select Late Harvest
Anderson Valley, Mendocino
- (375 ml) Sold Out!
- (750 ml) Sold Out!

Unfortunately this product is no longer available!

You may still be interested in:

Rare bird.

Although Navarro makes White Riesling each harvest, we don't always have the good fortune of botrytis-kissed grapes, which are the essential ingredient of a true Cluster Select Late Harvest White Riesling. In 2003 we were unable to find any botrytis in the vineyard because the weather was so warm and dry. There are a couple of prerequisites for harvesting botrytis, which is also known as the noble rot. First of all you need cool, damp conditions at the end of the growing season without heavy downpours to dilute the juice. That's up to Mother Nature. Then you need to keep the darn birds away from the sweet, rotting grapes. That's up to the farmer. At Navarro we have a multi-plan approach for keeping out the birds. We tie shiny tape on about ten percent of the vines which tends to discourage starlings from landing. We strategically place plastic decoys of predators, such as owls, in the vineyard which, in truth, tends to fool people better than birds. Our best solution has been solar powered digital alarm speakers that blast the vineyards with the distress signal of the particular birds giving us problems. Raptors then start to circle the vines looking for distressed prey and voilà, you, instead of birds get to sample this golden nectar.

The end of the picking season is a busy time for men and birds alike. After months of dry weather, an ominous sky threatened two inches of rain overnight. As the birds scrambled to eat the
botrytis-kissed late hanging grapes, the vineyard crew scrambled to seed and cover the ground with mulch where we had removed an older, diseased vineyard. By golly, the birds even went after the seed under the straw.

Simultaneously sweet and tart, this scrumptious wine has intense aromas of honey, apricot and orange blossoms; it tastes both naughty and nice and is a grand finale to our growing season and your dinner party. Gold Medal winner.

Some lucky Navarro customers spotted a juvenile bald eagle from Navarro's tasting room porch last summer. Keep your eyes peeled the next time you visit.

Specifications

Harvested: Oct. 20, 2002
Sugars at harvest: 39.2° Brix
Bottled: March 28, 2003
Cases produced: 198
Alcohol: 10.1%
Residual sugars: 21.0%
Titratable acidity: 10.5 g/liter
pH: 3.12

2007 Late Harvest White Riesling

Navarro's streak continues, with this gorgeous effort packed with ripe green apple and honey, hay scents on the nose, and a ton of sweet late-harvest character, all defined by a high-acid focus. The dense, sumptuous fruit is cut by an almost electric energy all through. - Jon Bonné,Top 100 Wines, San Francisco Chronicle, December 7, 2008.

Gorgeous nose of concentrated apricot, sweet green apple and honey, with floral notes. Focused, dense and almost limpid - definitely late-harvest sweetness, but with good balancing acidity. - Lynne Char Bennett, San Francisco Chronicle, November 7, 2008.

2004 Late Harvest White Riesling

…Also awesome is the regular ’04 Late Harvest Riesling. - Dan Berger Vintage Experiences, November 10, 2005.

2000 Vineyard Select White Riesling

Aromatic and sweet, with Bartlett pear, nectarine and honey. Nice balancing acidity. - Laurie Daniel, San Jose Mercury News, August 29, 2001.

This wine has a lovely honeyed botrytis, with flavors of fig, apricot and a touch of grapefruit rind. It's sticky sweet, but the rich honeyed flavors are very nicely balanced with crisp acid, and the long finish reminds me of dried apricots. - Carol Shelton, California Wine Magazine, State Fair 2001.

1999 Vineyard Select White Riesling

Terrific beginner wine for dessert drinks. Medium-bodied, moderately complex, slightly sweet, balanced acidity, little or no oak. Light gold with aromas of butterscotch, custard and marzipan. Flavors of fruitcake, golden raisin, honey, pear and pecan. Balanced, creamy, soft and vibrant. - Leslie Sbrocco, The New York Times on the Web, April 23, 2001.

1998 White Riesling Late Harvest

Has 10.5% Residual Sugar. Sweet apricot and pineapple on the nose continue onto the rich palate which adds peach and honey. The finish is medium to long. Overall, the wine has nice balance and retains enough acidity to prevent it from becoming cloying and maintain good structure and balance. - Colorado Wine News, January-March 2001.