Navarro Vineyards - 2005 White Riesling

2005 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:

Go for broke

By mid-October 2005 Riesling and Muscat were the only grapes remaining on Navarro's vines. The harvest had put us in a gloomy mood; the weather was sunny but the yields had been scanty. When the weather turned cool and drizzly we decided to go for broke and let the remaining crop hang, gambling that the sparse clusters would be kissed by the noble rot. Cluster select wines are pricey not only because of the greatly reduced yield from botrytised raisins but also due to the farming risk. It's possible to lose an entire crop to funky molds. We kept our fingers crossed and made three picking passes between October 19 and November 2 selecting only botrytised clusters. This unctuous nectar smells and tastes of apricot, pineapple, mango and honey. It's decadently rich with enough bracing acidity to keep it from cloying. Gold Medal winner. Best of Show.

When the noble rot started to shrivel the Riesling grapes in mid-October ‘05 we giggled with gamblers' glee. Maybe, just maybe, we could recoup some of our earlier losses by producing a sensational late harvest wine.

Specifications

Harvested: Oct. 19 to Nov. 2, 2005
Sugars at harvest: 36.2° Brix
Bottled: May 12, 2006
Cases produced: 351
Alcohol: 11.1%
Residual sugars: 20.1%
Titratable acidity: 12.4 g/L
pH: 3.11

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.