Bower’s Harbor Vineyards Block II Riesling, 2010

Maker: Bower’s Harbor Vineyards, Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Place of origin: Block II, Bower’s Harbor Vineyards, Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Traverse City Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2010

ABV: 12%

Purchased for $22 (Holiday Market)

Appearance: Medium gold.

Nose: Gravel, jarred applesauce, lychee nut, bottled lemon juice.

Palate: Dry and medium bodied. Meyer lemon and mineral water.

Finish: Short, clean and dry. A little bitterness and minerality with a spritz of acid.

Parting words: I had the privilege of wandering around the famous Block II a couple weeks ago with three of my best friends. It’s a noble, old stand of Riesling with soil is so sandy that I felt like setting up a volleyball net. As our guide told us, the sand is very important. It retains very little water, so the vines are forced to send their roots deep. This stresses the plant, and leads the plant to focus more on reproduction (fruit) than producing leaves and stems. Many also believe that greater root depth leads to more complex wine, since the roots are drawing minerals from a greater volume of soil.

Whatever the role of terroir, this is a very tasty dry Riesling that is still drinking well given its age. There’s not a lot of fruit or flowers left here, but what there is keeps the acidity and minerality from overrunning the glass. The few reviews I was able to find of this wine were from 2012 and there seems to have been a lot more going on back then.

Even with the lack of complexity, this is still a good dry Riesling at this price. 2010 Bower’s Harbor Vineyards Block II Riesling recommended. If you have one in your cellar, drink now, with food or without!