Poet's Leap

Editors' Choice. Vibrant aromas of pear, flowers, Meyer lemon and herb are followed by off-dry drinking, medium-bodied Nestea iced tea flavors. Vibrant acidity backs it up, heightening the interest. It's delicious, but give it some time to open up.

Aside from Chateau Ste. Michelle, this estate consistently produces the best Riesling in the state. The 2018 Poet's Leap sports a lively gold hue to go with classy notes of sugared green apple, sappy herbs, mint, and hints of minerality. Medium-bodied, off-dry, and beautifully balanced, with a vibrant finish, it will evolve gracefully for over a decade.

A bright and floral Riesling that has musky, fresh and floral perfume and a very bright, fine and crisp palate. This is quality. The finesse and detail really impress.

Brought up all in stainless steel, the 2017 Riesling Poet's Leap is racy and exotic, with a rocking bouquet of green citrus, lime zest, and mint. Fresh, medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, and with a juicy, off dry style, it's terrific stuff that can be drunk today or cellared for a decade or more.

Displaying a focused nose with a good balance of fruit and flowers, the 2017 Riesling Poet's Leap is a winner. It opens with citrus blossoms and honeysuckle aromas over lemon and lime candy and soft peaches. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, the wine is clean and correct on the palate, with a core of zippy, fresh stone fruits and sweet citrus, embodying everything a Riesling should have. At this price point, this is a no-brainer! Energetic and bright, the squeaky-clean finish has an expression of lime candy and a kiss of sweetness. This may very well represent one of the top bottlings of Riesling currently coming out of Washington.

Editors' Choice. Generous aromas of lime leaf, citrus, wet slate and white peach lead to off-dry stone fruit and citrus flavors that stretch out on the palate. It brings a beautiful sense of acid balance with an impressively long finish.

This is a standout. Lime citrus and some more savory wet-stone notes. Really exciting nose. The palate delivers a pithy lime and apple impression. A fresh drink-now style that's gently off-dry.

The 2016 Poet's Leap is very pretty, offering up aromas of lime, lemon oil, white flowers and very subtle petrol that wouldn't be out of place in the Mosel. On the palate, it's light to medium-bodied, racy and mouthwatering, with lovely intensity and purity, concluding with a stony finish. It's a beautiful wine and carries a very modest price tag.

Smart Buy. Snappy and refined, offering expressive star fruit and slate aromas that lead to sleek apricot and spice flavors.

Taut, sharply focused and distinctive, with apricot, peach, Meyer lemon and slate elements that glide over an off-dry finish that doesn't quit.

The terrific 2015 Riesling Poet's Leap has 1.2% residual sugar, which is barely noticeable. Juicy, vibrant notes of green apple, citrus and lychee all emerge from this medium-bodied, fresh, clean, deliciously refreshing white that will be incredibly versatile on the dinner table. It will also age gracefully for a decade or more.

Silky, lively and elegant, with layers of pear, citrus, wax and floral flavors in lovely proportion, finishing harmoniously and slightly off-dry.

Tangy aromas of stone and citrus fruits, dusty brown spices, minerals and honey. Moderately sweet but with terrific acidity and saline minerality buffering the sugar and intensifying the fruit. A strong CO2 content gives the wine a youthful spritz. Tactile, bright Riesling with terrific retention of fruit.

Cellar Selection. One of the consistently finest Rieslings from the state, this is technically off dry, but feels dry given its exceptional acidity. Elegant citrus and floral aromas introduce a dense, textural mid-palate. A showcase of style and panache, its layered citrus and stone fruits bring both skin and flesh flavors into focus.

Rock-solid, the 2013 Poet's Leap Riesling is a delicious, lively and crisp white that offers plenty of mint, green citrus, and flint-like minerality to go with a medium-bodied profile on the palate that delivers a kiss of sweetness. Perfectly balanced.

Editors' Choice. Marvelous concentration and a panoply of lush orange, apricot, peach and papaya flavors carry this beautifully balanced wine through a long and satisfying finish. Delicious young, it could also be cellared for a decade or longer.

A beautiful Riesling, the 2012 Riesling Poet’s Leap offers up classy lychee nut, citrus peel and freshly crushed stone-like minerality as well as a medium-bodied, semi-dry palate-feel that’s buffered nicely by juicy, lip smacking acidity. It’s well done and while I would lean towards drinking bottles over the coming year or two, I was able to taste vintages going back through 2003, all of which were still in fine form.

Sinewy and elegant, with a tangy citrus scent and a hint of peppercorn, this feels finely knit and pure. The flavors lengthen after a day open and bring to bear a juicy, mouthwatering briskness, with a minerality that suggests a long, thrilling life in the cellar.

Editors' Choice. This shows lively acidity, with ripe but tart fruit and an alcohol level just slightly above 12%. The grapes used were sourced from the Benches (German clones) and old vine plantings at Dionysus. It's a lush Poet's Leap, lightly tasting of honey, and loaded with pretty flavors of Meyer lemon, ripe orange, and candied pineapple.

Editors' Choice. From an especially cool vintage that favored acidity and citrus, this Poet's Leap is a pretty wine, vibrant and full across the palate, with a mix of apple and peach flavors. Clean and balanced, it adds nuances of tea and finally a hint of honey in the extended finish.

Editor's Choice, #7 ranking in "Top 100 Wines of 2010". With residual sugar at about 1.35%, this balances the acidity without seeming sweet. Hand-picked and whole-cluster pressed, this immaculate, fresh, generous and stylish Riesling is always at the top of the list of Washington's best. Loaded with grapefruit, citrus and stone flavors, it cleans the palate and piles on the details as it rolls into a finish that lingers well over a full minute.

Editor's Choice, #8 ranking in "Top 100 Wines of 2009". The Poet’s Leap Riesling continues its string of outstanding vintages, once again exceptionally concentrated and complex. The high-acid 2008 vintage adds extra juicy vibrancy to the fruit, giving the wine an impression of dryness and dense, layered fruit component. A mix of old vine and German clones, this is a superb effort.

Poet’s Leap is the Long Shadows riesling project with German producer Armin Diel; it hails from multiple vineyard sources in 2008, including Wallula's biodynamic blocks. The style is plush, with citrus accents and hints of lees, and a texture that feels broad and immensely satisfying. The balance never falters, as if on guide wires; it's fine, poised for grilled char.

Loaded with honeysuckle, melon, pear, peach and hints of sweet grapefruit, this juicy wine perfectly captures the intensity of Washington Rieslings and the complexity of German wines.

The 2007, with estimable vineyard sources that include Wallula, Weinbau and Dionysus, is ripe and tropical, leading with peach accents and a wheaty scent of lees. The flavors are exuberant and fresh, the textures voluptuous, held to a lean contour by a firm, talc-like minerality that calls to mind Diel's home turf.

Aromas and flavors of musky ripe peach, ginger, nutmeg and earth; reminded me of a Nahe riesling. Juicy, intensely flavored and just off-dry, offering a satisfying supple texture and very good length.

Editors' Choice, #19 ranking in "Top 100 Wines of 2009". Old-vine Riesling from Dionysus and Weinbau form the core of the wine, which is immaculate, rich and generous. The fruits sound like a country fair in summer - melon, stone fruits, citrus, honey - and the mix of residual sugar and racy acids is thrillingly on target.

This bottling almost resembles Pinot Gris at first pass, its wheaty scents mingling with a heady aroma of white peach: those peach flavors explode on the palate, a seductive intensity that’s held in check with a thrilling line of acidity.