St. Clair Blue Teal Vineyards Riesling 2009
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St. Clair winery produces over 70 different wines under many labels, including Blue Teal, D.H. Lescombes, Soleil and St. Clair. With 120 acres of vineyards located in the high desert of the Pyramid Valley, just outside Lordsburg, New Mexico, the winemakers found the ideal climate and soil to grow the best quality grapes. St. Clair’s state-of-the-art winery—New Mexico’s largest—offers numerous award-winning wines for every taste. Just like New Mexico’s first vintners, their goal is to produce great wines and food for people to enjoy in the company of friends and family.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
New Mexico represents some of the most exciting and successful high-elevation vineyards in the country—many of their best are above 4,000 feet.
New Mexico’s modern wine industry is based on traditional European varieties and claims over 30 successful wineries throughout the state. In fact, New Mexico and Texas were the first US states to produce wine from the Vitis vinifera species, beginning around 1626. They made wine with the Mission grape, which was also prolific among California missionaries.
Today New Mexico produces good reds, whites and can attest to the value of high elevation vineyards, especially with the success of its sparkling wines. In fact the New Mexico sparkling wine producer, Gruet, boasts some of the strongest nationwide distribution among smaller-producing states.