Poet's Leap

Best Buy - Every year I marvel at how such a marvelous Riesling can be $20. The Poet’s Leap opens with an aromatic ode to lychee fruit, honeysuckle, almond butter and a wisp of petrol. Lemony acidity curls itself around flavors like green honeydew melon, rose water and the sweetness of a slice of peach pie. The 2023 is as good as any in recent memory.

Truly one of the best Rieslings of the Pacific Northwest, the 2023 ‘Poet’s Leap’ is mainly comprised of old vine Riesling from the Sagemoor Vineyard as well as small parts from the famed DuBrul Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. This is mineral-laden stuff that offers freshly cut limes, green apple, petrol and salty minerals on the palate. With just a kiss of sweetness, enjoy this beautiful wine now and over the next eight years to come.

Cellar Stocker - Poet’s Leap is consistently at the very top of Washington’s list of best Riesling. This wine surely belongs there. Fruit comes predominantly from Sagemoor and Gamache vineyards in the White Bluffs along with a small amount from DuBrul in Yakima Valley. It’s aromatically expressive, with notes of lime zest, orange rind, white flower, wet slate, ginger, and citrus. Off-dry, full-bodied flavors deliver on all of that promise and more, with an explosion of fruit flavors. Lively acidity propels it all forward.

How does this wine exist for $20? Such a value. Its Bosc pear and donut peach aromas are laced with notes of tangerine and gardenias. The Poet's silky texture and velvety mouthfeel escort flavors like lemon soda and mandarin orange slices. - Best Buy

Another incredible vintage of Riesling from the winemakers at Long Shadows, the 2022 Poet’s Leap actually leaps from the glass and into your senses. Made in a dry style with boisterous aromas of grated lime zest, stone fruits, red apples, crushed limestone, and just a hint of petrol, which will become more prominent as it ages. Elevated acidity keeps everything moving on the finish. I can see this wine aging incredibly well for a couple of decades.

The 2022 Poet’s Leap mainly comes from the Gamache Vineyard with vines that were planted in the 1980s. This wine was originally made in conjunction with German producer Armand Diel. Only 1 G/L sugar, this Trocken style has fantastic tension with petrol, lemon/lime zest, juicy white peach, wet stone and shades of Gravenstein apple. Nicely textured, this is gorgeous stuff that is amongst the finest made in Washington State.

The 2022 Poet's Leap Riesling impresses with its spicy bouquet of lemongrass, ginger, green melon, crushed stone and hints of petrol. This is soft textured and soothing, with a measured inner sweetness and salty mineral tones to contrast the ripe orchard fruits within. The 2022 leaves the palate completely refreshed and the mouth watering for more, finishing with hints of kiwi and candied lime. This is gorgeous, clocking in a just under one gram-per-liter of residual sugar.

Semi-sweet with 10 grams per liter sugar, this peachy, floral and delicate wine also offers a whiff of smoky petrol that's a signature of German Riesling. Light-bodied and refreshing, backed by good, tangy acidity.

How do I love thee? Let me sip the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height of your aromas and flavors of spicy baked pear, passion fruit, chilled Golden Delicious apple slices and ginger. Your acidity adds a glow to my palate, after which a trace of petrol drives me home. Editors' Choice, Best Buy.

Deeply concentrated, with terrific underlying finesse, this outstanding Riesling shows kiwi, wet slate and shades of lemon blossom on the nose. The viscosity is sensational here as layers of lemon oil, pink grapefruit and wet stone all combine, with a fantastic underlying minerality.

Always one of my favorite white wines coming out of Washington, this wine made by winemaker Gilles Nicault is such an incredible value for the money year after year. Notes of candied white peach, Key Lime zest, crushed wet gravel, and a hint of tangerine oil permeate the palate. Showing just a touch off-dry to help counteract the expansive acidity, this wine should age for 1-2 decades under proper cellaring.

Bright citrus, rosemary, honeyed lime, and some minerality all emerge from the 2021 Riesling Poet's Leap, another bright, refreshing, balanced, impeccably made example of this cuvée from Long Shadows. With solid mid-palate richness and nicely integrated acidity, you can safely drink bottles any time over the coming 10-15 years, it's that age-worthy.

Notes of dried apples and sliced pears with honeysuckle and honey. Medium to full-bodied with ripe, creamy stone fruit and vivid acidity. Fruity and slightly off-dry with a flavorful finish.

This shows intense detail and complexity in the aromas of lime zest, wet slate, white peach, flower and a whiff of botrytis. The palate is just a hair off-dry, balanced by electric acidity. It's a textbook picture of Washington Riesling at its best. Editors' Choice

Truly one of the great wines of its kind made in Washington. Given 1.1% g/L, it shows petrol and wet stones mingle with Japanese pear and gooseberry tones on the nose. The palate is fresh and beautifully textured with outstanding length. Orange blossom water, Sprite and sweetened cantaloupe flavors alongside crushed wet rock tones all impress on the nose. The verve, weight and length of the wine is really outstanding.

Aromas of honeysuckle, peach and dried herbs. Full-bodied with bright acidity and honeyed notes of apricot and lavender. Good intensity.

Fermented and aged completely in stainless steel tanks, the Rieslings from Long Shadows have always been a favorite of mine. I love the ageability of these wines. I have opened some from 10-15 years ago and they have aged perfectly. It does have a touch of residual sugar and sweetness on the palate. Lemon-lime, honey, and white flower blossoms form the core of this wine. Mouthwatering acidity and a medium body complete the wine. Drink this with some spicy Thai food and then thank me later. Best Buy.

Juicy green apple, lychee, and tart pineapple notes all emerge from the 2020 Riesling Poet's Leap, a medium-bodied, lively, balanced, impressively textured off-dry Riesling that can be drunk any time over the coming decade or more. It's surprising how well this wine can age, and it's certainly up with the top examples of the variety in Washington State.

Plentiful aromas of caliche and wet rock, followed by notes of lime and flowers. The palate drinks dry, full of citrus flavors, tightly wound with electric acidity.

It's got an aroma of freshly cut apple and lime juice, with a salty, mineral tang to the nose. The flavors are considerably richer than the aromas would indicate, slightly off-dry with a whiff of peach and a mineral edge to the texture. Pure and delicious, for summer sipping. - Year's Best US Riesling

Honeyed green apples, hints of lychee, and baking spice notes all emerge from the 2019 Poet's Leap Riesling, which is consistently one of the top examples of this variety from the New World. Medium-bodied, with a clean, mineral-laced style on the palate, it has notable acidity and a subtle off-dry style that's going to be incredibly versatile on the dinner table.

Peaches, white flowers, lemon curd and some toasty, musky notes on the nose. It's medium-bodied with sharp acidity and a creamy, peachy palate.

Another gorgeous vintage of one of my favorite Washington Rieslings, the 2019 does not disappoint. The nose expresses aromas of fresh peach, lime zest, ripe honeydew, petrol, and yellow flower blossoms. The palate is just as special with flavors of honey glazed nectarine, green melon, white peach, lime zest and blanched almonds. There is just a touch of residual sugar on the palate. This wine will age for a decade or more with the petrol notes increasing as time goes on. I cannot wait to taste this wine again in 5 and 10 years time.

Pure, subtle scents of green apple, lime oil, anise, licorice, ginger and dusty herbs, with riper notes of white stone fruits emerge with air. Penetrating, flavorful wine with an initial impression of sweetness leavened by ripe, harmonious acidity and accents of flowers, ginger and herbs.

The 2019 Poet’s Leap Riesling is another sensational effort that is truly one of the great wines of its kind made in Washington. Given 1.1% G/L, this shows petrol and wet stones mingle with Japanese pear and gooseberry tones on the nose. The palate is fresh and beautifully textured with outstanding length. Orange blossom water, Sprite and sweetened cantaloupe flavors alongside crushed wet rock tones all impress on the nose. The verve, weight and length of the wine is really outstanding.