Misha’s Vineyard Lyric Riesling 2009
Intense nose of freshly squeezed limes amongst apricot, fresh pineapple and a musky quality with scents of lemongrass, fresh tarragon and an air of mountain-freshness and clover fields; there’s a white cone honey sweetness to the bouquet with a wink to the Mosel in style yet distinctively spicy with white pepper and fresh ginger, back-grounded by lime zest, fresh mints, nettle and cold slate minerality.
Creamy, viscous palate entry with waves of intense lime with palm sugar sweetness engulfing the mouth and senses, as does the rapier acidity that turns the fullness and lushness of the wine on a knifes edge sharpened by powerful spiciness of pickled ginger and lemongrass with a wasabi like warmth, all the while building in intensity with incredible length and power as only riesling can do, the persistent essence of lime enhanced by succulent orange and mandarin juiciness and vivacious acidity refreshing the palate giving the sensation of finishing off-dry with a wet rock and shingle tailing. A stunning first-release of this single-block ‘Lyric’ Riesling which appears to favour a drier ferment and more powerful expression than their other single-block ‘Limelight’ Riesling which is made in a more delicate style with more residual sugar.
(Curtis Marsh,TheWandering Palate, Singapore, 2 January 2010)