Riesling Reviews
Dorothy Gaiter & John Brecher, GrapeCollective, November 4, 2024
Elegant and subtle
2019 Riesling
Look for this Riesling, whether you’re a Riesling fan or not. Smith-Madrone is a classic Napa winery and, when it was founded, Riesling was its inaugural wine. We’ve been fans of this wine and this winery for a very long time and it’s wonderful that its focus has remained true — and we mean that about the winery and the wine. The current release is 2019, which will give you some idea how beautifully this wine matures. It’s elegant and subtle, with balanced acidity and tastes of various fruits, like tart, juicy Honey Crisp apples and a tangy citrus. But no single taste shouts and the wine finishes very clean, fresh and dry. Too many whites today, even expensive ones, seem to hit us over the head. This is relaxed and confident enough to say, “Hey, stop for a minute and enjoy.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/DB66mzfSrby/
Michael Kelly, CaliforniaWinesandWineries, October 24, 2024
Extremely aromatic with floral notes and green apple
2019 Riesling
The 2019 Riesling is extremely aromatic with floral notes and green apple on the nose. A more golden yellow color than previous vintage with medium viscosity. On the palate, hints of lemon zest, mixed with stone fruits (white peach and apricots) tame the lime citrus. A modicum of beeswax makes it extremely mouth filling. On the finish, the minerality comes through strong and pure from either the volcanic soil, or sandstone, limestone or the general rocky soil found on the property. The minerality and acidity is jovial and enticing with a semi-sweet crescendo.
The Food and Wine Pairing: Duck, Pork, Bacon, Chicken, Shrimp, and Crab are suggested foods for Riesling. Chose this wine to pair with one of my favorite dishes, Chicken Pad Thai. The Smith-Madrone 2019 Estate Riesling was pulled from cellar for last night’s meal due to spiciness of the dish, Chicken Pad Thai, or at least the way we prepare it! Last evening went with a much more flavorful and spicier recipe. The ingredients were fresh whole wheat noodles, virgin olive oil, minced garlic, cooked chicken, eggs, bean sprouts, sliced red bell pepper, green onions, peanuts and lime juice. The Pad Thai sauce included fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, Momofoku Chili Crunch and creamy peanut butter! The Riesling’s very dry with a tinge of semi-sweet finish was spot on for this meal. Limes were plated to squeeze the juice over the top of the dish as well as ground peanuts and green onion slices. The 2019 Smith-Madrone Riesling was a godsend. The wine was refreshing and quenched the palate. The 2018 Smith-Madrone Riesling had made the Best Wines tasted in 2023 and the 2019 will also make my Best Wines tasted in 2024! We stock this wine specifically for this food and wine pairing.
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2024/10/24/2019-smith-madrone-vineyards-and-pad-thai-a-perfect-marriage/
The Wine Advocate, Joe Czerwinski, October 17, 2024
Scents of honey and Golden Delicious apples
2019 Riesling
90 points: Marked by scents of honey and Golden Delicious apples, the 2019 Riesling retains plenty of current-drinking appeal. Medium-bodied and crisp, it finishes long. Drink it up over the next several years.
https://www.robertparker.com/wines/jDwvPj4NGuKvEGaiG/smith-madrone-riesling-2019
Wine Enthusiast, Elaine Chukan Brown, December 2024
Sophisticated...delicious now and will develop beautifully
2019 Riesling
94 points: Brightening aromatics carry into abundant flavors of salted lemon, lime zest and grapefruit pith. A pleasingly textural palate makes this sophisticated Riesling a perfect accompaniment for a range of foods. It is delicious now and will develop beautifully in the bottle. A firm and enticing wine.
Michael Chelus, NittanyEpicurean, September 30, 2024
Good acidity and balance
2019 Riesling
. The wine showed a straw color. Pear, lemon, apple, tangerine and slate could each be found on the nose. Pear, lemon curd and peach brought the crisp palate to life also supported by notes of apple and hints of tangerine. The wine exhibited good acidity and balance. It was light-bodied and demonstrated good length. This wine would pair very well with a classic preparation of Coquilles St. Jacques.
https://nittanyepicurean.blogspot.com/2024/09/2019-smith-madrone-estate-riesling.html
Ellen Landis, EllenOnWine, September 30, 2024
This gem is equally mesmerizing on the palate
2019 Riesling
The alluring wet stone, citrusy aroma clearly shouts out Riesling. This gem is equally mesmerizing on the palate. Vibrant flavors of nectarine, white peach, green apple, minerality, lemon gelato, and mandarin orange, enhanced by classic brisk acidity, interlaced. The long and zesty finish shows off a splash of fresh lime. It is drinking beautifully now while promising many years of enjoyment ahead.
https://ellenonwine.com/ellen-on-wine/tcn12mxtfrpbuklghsxczwrznqvkhe-7blkd
Michael Chelus, NittanyEpicurean, September 30, 2024
Good acidity and balance
2019 Riesling
This wine is 100% riesling from the Spring Mountain District. It was both fermented and briefly aged in stainless steel. The wine showed a straw color. Pear, lemon, apple, tangerine and slate could each be found on the nose. Pear, lemon curd and peach brought the crisp palate to life also supported by notes of apple and hints of tangerine. The wine exhibited good acidity and balance. It was light-bodied and demonstrated good length. This wine would pair very well with a classic preparation of Coquilles St. Jacques.
https://nittanyepicurean.blogspot.com/2024/09/2019-smith-madrone-estate-riesling.html
CaliforniaWinesandWineries.com, Michael Kelly, September 24, 2024
Extremely aromatic, enticing
2018 Riesling
It's extremely aromatic with floral notes and green apple on the nose. A light radiant golden yellow color and medium viscosity. On the palate, hints of lime, mixed with stone fruits (white peach and apricots) tame the lime citrus. On the finish, the minerality comes through strong and pure from either the volcanic soil, or sandstone, limestone or the general rocky soil found on the property. The minerality and acidity is jovial and enticing with a semi-sweet crescendo.
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2024/09/24/2018-smith-madrone-vineyards-riesling-a-slice-of-heaven-on-spring-mountain/
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2024/09/24/2018-smith-madrone-vineyards-riesling-a-slice-of-heaven-on-spring-mountain
Henry Jeffreys, Substack, September 11, 2024
Wine of the Week: Smith-Madrone Riesling: A cult Californian riesling that’s worth splashing out on.
2018 Riesling
The best way to learn about wine isn’t by reading, talking to producers or even visiting vineyards, it’s by tasting as many bottles as you possibly can. And, this is the crucial bit, remembering them. So despite having visited vineyards in Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Napa and Sonoma, my knowledge of Californian wine is patchy to say the least. In comparison, I have never visited South Australia but I’m much more confident on the wines of the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra. Most of the good stuff from California is simply out of my price range. But following an article featuring Peterson Family Vineyards, one of the few affordable Californian producers sold over here, in The Critic (https://thecritic.co.uk/california-dreaming-2/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email ) someone from Smith-Madrone in Napa got in touch and asked me if I’d like to try some wines. Well, what was I going to say?
Three bottles arrived soon afterwards: a cabernet sauvignon, a chardonnay and a riesling. I think I was dimly aware that riesling was grown in Napa but had never tasted one before. The vintage I received was a 2018 and it was superb - bone dry but also honeyed and toasty with opulent apricots in syrup quality but as far as I could tell absolutely bone dry. It lacked the razor edge of dry rieslings from the Rhine or cooler parts of Australia, the nearest comparison would Alsace, I think. They grow riesling in Napa??!!! I put something stupid on Instagram like ‘California riesling, who knew?’ A few days later I discovered that Smith-Madrone Riesling was actually a piece of American wine history, almost as important in the development of California wine as Chateau Montelena Chardonnay or Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon. D’oh! Smith-Madrone was founded in 1971 by Stuart and Charles Smith in an area of the Napa Valley called Spring Mountain. The site they found had been a vineyard in the 1880s but was abandoned after phylloxera. They planted Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (which was not a success and turned over to chardonnay in the 1980s) and Riesling, and took the name Madrone from a species of evergreen tree that grows in the area. The first Riesling vintage was 1977 and in 1979 they entered it into a wine competition sponsored by Gault Millau—the French restaurant guide. Much to everyone’s surprise, not least the Smith brothers, the wine beat the might of Germany and France to win the riesling trophy. It was like a mini Judgement of Paris, and another sign that California had very much arrived on the world wine scene. They’ve been making it ever since despite the variety now being unfashionable, there’s very little Riesling left in Napa. Smith-Madrone doesn’t really fit into the glitzy, show biz world of modern California wines, but the Smiths aren’t natty hipster hipster either. The mentality is more like a family owned French producer—something reflected in the very classical labels and reasonable prices. The riesling might seem expensive at just under 40 £ but by California standards, it’s a bargain. As wine buyer Steve Daniel told me: “American consumers do still tend to believe that the more you pay for a wine, the better it is, and the winemakers in California are happy to oblige!”
American earn significantly more than most British people. Charles makes the wine while Stuart looks after the vineyard. Unusually for California, all the vines are dry farmed, there is no irrigation. Stuart is wonderfully outspoken and curmudgeonly, I’d highly recommend listening to this podcast with him (https://henryjeffreys.substack.com/p/wine-of-the-week-smith-madrone-riesling ). He used to run a blog with the self-explanatory title of Biodynamics Is A Hoax. Here’s a little teaser: “I believe that Biodynamics is a hoax and deserves the same level of respect the scientific community has for witchcraft, voodoo and astrology.” Bracing stuff! It’s always baffled me that Guardian-reading, follow-the-science, evidence based people in the wine world can shrug their shoulders and accept what is essentially a religion in a way they wouldn’t if a priest came out and shook holy water on the vines! But I digress! The Riesling is the star of the range but the Chardonnay and Cabernet are both very good though quite expensive by impoverished British standards. Looking at CellarTracker many of the comments seem to be along the lines of what incredible values these wines are. Americans! The 2018 Chardonnay [around 50£] is all heady tropical fruit on the nose but on the palate it’s really fresh and zingy despite the 14.5% alcohol with a gloriously toasty, nutty quality. The 2019 red [65£] tastes how I imagine Napa Cabernet used to taste before ripeness levels got out of hand. It’s bright and fruity but also savory with an exotic spicy quality—like a Medoc in a hot vintage like 2009. It proved the perfect antidote when a friend came around with a natural Italian wine that turned out to be pickled in mousiness (https://themorningclaret.com/p/the-complete-guide-to-mousiness ). I can imagine Stuart Smith having a little chuckle at that.
https://henryjeffreys.substack.com/p/wine-of-the-week-smith-madrone-riesling
JamesSuckling.com, September 6, 2024
So vibrant, peachy, fresh and clean
2023 Riesling
So vibrant, peachy, fresh and clean, this mountain-grown, medium-bodied wine is racy with acidity, offering refreshing citrus and white peach flavors, good depth and a long, lingering finish. Bottled but not yet released. Drink or hold.
https://www.jamessuckling.com/tasting-notes/270282/smith-madrone-riesling-napa-valley-spring-mountain-district-2023/
Food & Wine Magazine, Ray Isle, September 2024
Endlessly drinkable
2019 Riesling
Even in Napa Valley, the land of Cabernet, a few passionate vintners—Charlie and Stu Smith, in this case—stand by the value of Riesling, one of the world’s greatest white grapes. This flinty, crisp, endlessly drinkable white also ages beautifully in a cellar.
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, July 2024
Individual, characterful
2018 Riesling
92+ points: Scents of petrol, pineapple and lime mark the nose of the 2018 Riesling, which continues a long heritage of Smith-Madrone Rieslings. It's medium-bodied, just off-dry and intense, with ample concentration and a long, crisp finish. In a Napa Valley that has become increasingly focused on Cabernet Sauvignon (and the occasional Chardonnay), it's refreshing to find that these sorts of individual, characterful wines still exist.
https://www.robertparker.com/wines/sSoFhC5SP9ekjwPur/riesling-2018
Jim Gordon, JamesSuckling.com, July 2024
Outstanding
2019 Riesling
93 Points: Riesling is quite unusual in Napa Valley, but the Smith brothers make an outstanding version. Preserved lemons, kerosene and orange sherbet on the nose. The palate is focused and minerally, with notes of orange zest and candied kaffir limes carried by a textured, medium body. Very vibrant and fresh. Drink or hold.
https://www.jamessuckling.com/tasting-notes/268193/smith-madrone-riesling-napa-valley-spring-mountain-district-2019
The Tasting Panel Magazine, Michael Franz, September 2024
This wine belongs among the world's most esteemed examples of this great variety
2019 Riesling
95 points: Any surprise that ultra-prime land in Napa is still planted to Riesling will blow off like morning fog by anyone who tastes this wine. Truly dry but still very generous in aroma and fleshy fruit recalling the best peach you’ve ever eaten, this wine belongs among the world’s most esteemed examples of this great variety. Nearing five years of age, it has gained complexity without tiring at all, with energetic acidity that’s perfectly tuned to the wine’s fruitiness.
Michele Anna Jordan, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, July 3, 2024
A sassy little quaffer
2019 Riesling
Our Wine of the Week, Smith-Madrone 2019 Spring Mountain Riesling, is a sassy little quaffer, with an aroma of orange and lemon flowers and lovely citrus — think Seville orange, pomelo, and yuzu — on the palate. It is lush yet refreshing, with tantalizing notes of minerality and a delightfully juicy mouthfeel. In a word, the wine is gorgeous.
I’ve enjoyed several vintages of this wine, as it pairs beautifully with many of my favorite foods. It is a delight with Vietnamese-style green papaya salad, which includes both pork and shrimp. Petrale sole with sautéed celery served over a bed of wilted spinach is a fabulous match. The Vietnamese noodle salads known as bún make outstanding pairings, too. A tostada of Oregon baby shrimp, avocado, cherry tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, sautéed Padron or Shishito chiles, a mild salsa, and plenty of lime juice is a great match. A salad of either brown rice or farro with green olives, green onions, feta cheese, and a green peppercorn vinaigrette encourages the wine to soar. For today’s recipe, I’m drawn to Hawaii, specifically to the island of Oahu, where shrimp trucks line the upper part of the island. Giovanni’s is the best known and most widely praised of the trucks and it deserves every accolade it gets.
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/riesling-food-pairing/
Peg Melnik, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, July 3, 2024
Wine of the Week
2019 Riesling
An elegant Riesling with notes of Meyer lemon, mandarin orange and mineral, buoyed by crisp acidity. Striking.
Unfazed by nature’s whims, local winemaker brothers continue to excel decade after decade
On the last weekend in September 2020, the Glass Fire was approaching Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery on all sides. It pressed up to the very perimeter of the property but then it stopped its forward motion. As a result, the St. Helena winery didn’t lose a single grapevine to the fire. But the smoke taint was substantial, so brothers and co-vintners Charles and Stu Smith decided to forgo bottling any wine from that year’s vintage. Like most farmers and grape-growers subject to nature’s whims, the co-vintners have learned to keep a cool head. “My brother and I are pretty phlegmatic when it comes to the weather,” Charles Smith explained. “We talk about the weather a lot, but of course we can’t do anything about it. So, we plan accordingly but don’t stress too much. As they say in baseball, ‘it’s a long season.’” The two vintners are behind our Wine of the Week winner — the Smith-Madrone, 2019 Spring Mountain District, Napa Riesling ($40). It’s an elegant wine with notes of Meyer lemon, mandarin orange and mineral, buoyed by crisp acidity. Stu Smith, 76, founded Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery in 1971. Charles Smith, 80, has worked at the winery for more than five decades. The brothers oversee all aspects of the business: they are the proprietors, grape-growers and winemakers. Located at the northern tip of the Spring Mountain District AVA, their winery produces 3,000 to 4,000 cases of estate fruit each year — Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and the prestige cuvee, Cook’s Flat Reserve. This fall, the winery will be launching its 2021 Cabernet Franc.
When producing their Riesling, the Smith-Madrone co-vintners are aiming for an Alsatian house style — dry Rieslings with crisp acid are the greatest wines made in Alsace, France. Their Riesling vineyard is perched at nearly 1,900 feet, where, on a hot day, it enjoys temperatures 8 to 12 degrees cooler than those on the valley floor below. “The importance of rugged mountain soils and cool mountain air as quality factors cannot be overstated,” Charles Smith explained. “The quality of the wine is directly related to the quality of the grapes.” One thing people might find surprising about Riesling is how versatile it is when it comes to pairing it with food, Smith said. “It’s the wine of choice for most of the world’s spicier cuisines and it goes beautifully with everything from Mexican ceviche to Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and Szechuan food,” he explained.
Riesling also is among the most age-worthy dry white wines, Smith added. “Our 2019 Riesling will undoubtedly — if stored properly — age beautifully for the next 30 to 40 years,” he said. “Older Rieslings of quality are capable of providing a truly stunning sensory experience. Really, there is nothing in the world quite like a great older Riesling.”
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/napa-valley-smith-madrone-riesling/
Eve Bushman, Wine101, May 31, 2024
Beautiful mouthfeel
2019 Riesling
Pale gold color, shiny and crystal clear. Noted honey, yellow flower, white peach, cherry, honeydew melon, talcum powder and clean wet stones on the nose. Beautiful mouthfeel with persistent flavors of Golden Delicious apple, lemon-lime soda, pear, and peach, all very fresh. Not your mother’s California Riesling, this one was bone dry. I could enjoy this alone; on this occasion we had it with a simple chicken taco salad.
https://evewine101.com/2024/05/31/reviewing-the-new-releases-from-smith-madrone/
PullThatCork, Nancy Brazil, June 7, 2024
A Riesling for all seasons
2019 Riesling
Pale yellow with generous aromas of petrol, pineapple and stone fruit. Flavors include petrol, lemon, stone fruit and stony minerality. The body is relatively light with bracing acidity. The flavors are fresh and refreshing. Riesling is the first wine Charlie and Stuart made on the mountain after establishing the winery in 1971. It was more in fashion then, but even when Riesling’s popularity ebbed their interest never did. They didn’t have to re-discover Riesling, as some winemakers have, they have always loved and appreciated Riesling. They know how to grow it and how to bottle the flavors the mountainside vineyard gives them. This is a Riesling for all seasons.
I have a thing for mountainside vineyards. Growing vines on the side of a mountain is definitely not the easiest place to grow them, but some of the most interesting and complex wines I’ve tasted are grown there. Smith-Madrone wines are both. They are also elegant, unexpected and affordable. Affordable and Napa Valley are sometimes mutually exclusive with regard to wine.
https://pullthatcork.com/2024/smith-madrone-mountain-winemaking-at-its-best/
James Melendez, YouTube, May 30, 2024
Unequivocally the best Riesling in California
2019 Riesling
A Youtube review: I always look forward to tasting Smith-Madrone I would say unequivocally this is the best riesling in California now and in the past. I would love to taste aged versions of this wine itself and to see what it tastes like in say 20 years. What makes it so tremendously wonderful is that it has a really nice departure in temperatures from nighttime to daytime in the growing season so I think that's an important aspect to this wine itself. This wine does not have Malolactic fermentation nor does it have lees stirring and it is not Oak Barrel aged. Ultimately this is not trying to be anything other than what it is which is the Spring Mountain district and comes out in a superb beautiful gorgeous manner so I would say light gold colorization to this wine what I like about this wine is lemon curd, freshness of orange blossom as well as petrol and Beeswax notes. Apple dry as well as abundant acidity notes on this wine are green citrus pomelo skin as well as green apple Asian pear and mineral. This wine is 95 points out of 100 points so it's a good honest price point at $40.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTDBrRP5h3I
Stephen Bainbridge, ProfessorBainbridge.com, May 16, 2024
Complex bouquet....a lot of youthful vitality
2019 Riesling
Long time readers will recall my affection for Napa Valley's Smith-Madrone wine. It's a 34 acre vineyard perched on a steep slope high atop Spring Mountain on the western side of Napa Valley, with beautiful views. It's run by great people who make excellent wines that they price very fairly with high quality per dollar.
We drank the 2019 Estate Riesling with some moderately spicy Thai food, for which it made a great match. Unlike some vintages, the 2019 did not exhibit the trademark Riesling whiff of petrol (which can be a good thing). Instead, its lovely yellow-gold body offered up a complex bouquet of citrus, peach, pear, almonds, and honey. On the palate, it suggests Meyer lemon, papaya, peach, and a note of flint. This wine still has a lot of youthful vitality. Unlike most California white wines, this one will age well. Past experience with vintages that were allowed to mature suggests it will develop into a mature wine with lots of character.
Highly recommended.
https://www.professorbainbridge.com/professorbainbridgecom/2024/05/smith-madrone-riesling-napa-valley-spring-mountain-district-2019.html
Dave McIntyre, The Washington Post, May 16, 2024
What’s amazing about this wine is the structure: It made me sit up straight and pay attention
2019 Riesling
Fans of old-style Napa Valley wines know Smith-Madrone, and fans of riesling know this winery perched high on the slopes of Spring Mountain in the northern stretch of Napa Valley, makes one of this country’s best. Citrus — orange, pomelo, grapefruit — floats from the glass and dances around your palate. What’s amazing about this wine, though, is the structure: It made me sit up straight and pay attention. It seemed to be pulling its essence from the depths of Spring Mountain and pouring it into my glass. Smith-Madrone also makes compelling chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. If you find them, snap them up — the winery did not release any 2020 wines because of the Glass Fire that ravaged Spring Mountain and threatened their vineyards right at harvest.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/05/16/low-calorie-low-alcohol-wine-malbec/
Rupal Shankar, Sante Magazine, May 2024
Wonderfully stylish and delicious
2019 Riesling
This elegant Napa Valley Riesling is sure to impress your mom. The wine is made from mountain-grown grapes, honoring the international tradition of Riesling which thrives on steep hillsides. The Smith-Madrone Riesling is racy and beautifully balanced with a backbone of juicy fruit acidity. Wonderfully stylish and delicious and built to last. Drink now, or twenty years from now. Seriously! This is perfect for the mom who is a wine connoisseur and appreciates wines that can be drunk now or aged gracefully in the cellar.
https://santemagazine.com/10-wines-to-celebrate-mothers-day/
Isaac James Baker, May 9, 2024
Streak of excellence
2019 Riesling
If you’re looking for very high-quality Riesling, and like saving money, Smith-Madrone’s new release (the 2019) continues with their streak of excellence. It’s one of the best, not just from California, but from anywhere in the U.S. – my humble opinion, of course. It drinks great now since it’s been aged a bit, but don’t hesitate to lay some down for five to eight years, as this will improve in the long run.
Medium yellow color. The nose is so vibrant and sings with these harmonies of white peach, lime, papaya, backed up with white flowers, honey, almond skin, and hints of white pepper and celery seed. On the palate, this is racy and tangy but sports significant depth, and the balance is on-point. The papaya, white peach, banana, and lime fruit blend well with elements of chalk dust, limestone, honey, sea salt, and these deep nuances that need years to develop. Beautiful to drink now (due to its later release), and this will age for so many years. Another win for Smith-Madrone team!
https://isaacjamesbaker.blogspot.com/2024/05/wines-for-mothers-day-and-beyond.html
Alder Yarrow, Vinography, April 28, 2024
Fresh and bright...and profound
2019 Riesling
A perennial favorite....Light yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of paraffin, Asian pear, and mandarin zest. In the mouth, mandarin oil, candied lemon rind, winter melon, and a hint of toffee have very good acidity and a lovely wet chalkboard minerality. Aging beautifully. Here's a wine that is beginning to show some of the secondary characteristics that transform Riesling from something fresh and bright into something more profound.
https://www.vinography.com/2024/04/vinography-unboxed-week-of-4-21-24
AttorneySomm Instagram, John Jackson, April 20, 204
A magnificent mix of flavors
2019 Riesling
The 2019 Smith-Madrone Estate Riesling is impressive! A magnificent mix of flavors that included lemon, lime, grapefruit, Valencia orange, and petrol. These flavors were balanced with ample acidity. This wine is very food friendly, but can also be enjoyed on its own!
The best views come after the hardest climb. Or in the case of Napa’s Spring Mountain, after a hard drive up a long and winding mountain road! But once you reach the top you can enjoy spectacular views and equally impressive wines! For example, near the top of Spring Mountain you will find Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery. Smith-Madrone has 38 acres of vineyards on its 170-acre ranch. Of these 38 planted acres, Smith-Madrone has 6.25 acres of Riesling vines planted on slopes with eastern exposure. Smith-Madrone was an early proponent of dry farming. Dry farming causes the grapevines to struggle in search of water and nutrients. The result is lower yields with small grapes that have high skin-to-juice ratios and produce concentrated fruit. This low-yield fruit, in turn, leads to wine with greater intensity and concentration than wine made from grapes that are the product of high yields.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5_G1S_rnMp/?igsh=cjJxeGtmZHIwZjFr
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Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery
P.O. Box 451/ 4022 Spring Mountain Road, St. Helena, CA 94574
Telephone: 707.963.2283
