Navarro Vineyards - 2012 Riesling

2012 Riesling
Late Harvest
Anderson Valley, Mendocino
- (375 ml) Sold Out!
- (750 ml) Sold Out!

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Ugly duckling

Just thinking about making a late harvest wine makes us grin as we contemplate how glorious the luscious nectar will taste. We are not chuckling because of the ease of winemaking or profits; late harvest wines don't provide either. In part, our smiles are because we produce this wine from rotten, moldy grapes that are so ugly that we initially threw botrytised grapes away without tasting them first; beginner's mistake. Botrytis is the one rot that German winemakers, accustomed to chilly climes, have appreciated for centuries. Infected berries eventually shrivel, which concentrates the grapes' sugars, acids and flavors and simultaneously adds layers of honey, apricot and pineapple flavors. During harvest, we sometimes display rotten Riesling to customers in the tasting room. We remember one horrified customer who exclaimed, “I wouldn't feed those grapes to a hog.” After tasting the Late Harvest Riesling wine, she was awed at the transformation and purchased twelve bottles. This bottling is a blend of wine produced from two Riesling fields; the largest lot harvested on October 20, 2012 (the grapes in the photo above-right.) We were somewhat surprised, given the amount of rot, and the fact that we had hand-selected the most shriveled clusters, that the juice wasn't quite sweet enough for producing a Cluster Select wine (at least to Navarro's standards) so we fermented the wine a little more to produce a balanced and delicious late harvest treat. Gold Medal winner. Best of Class.

Bins of rotten Riesling, awaiting destemming.

Riesling, rotting after the October rains. Riesling berries are light green in color and there still are a few in this photo that aren't yet infected. The berries turn a brownish color when infected with botrytis, also called the "noble rot." As the berries begin to shrivel, the mold becomes obvious. The more the berries shrivel, the more concentrated the flavors.

When we dump botrytis-affected Riesling into the destemmer, clouds of rot-spores fill the air. Navarro's crew wears masks to protect their lungs

Specifications

Harvested: Oct. 20 to Oct. 25, 2012
Sugars at harvest: 29.2° Brix
Bottled: May 17, 2013
Cases produced: 599
Alcohol: 12.5%
Residual sugars: 7.5%
Titratable acidity: 10.2 g/L
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.