S= Shady Lane, A: Arcturos
Makers
S: Shady Lane Cellars, Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA
A: Black Star Farms, Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA
Grapes: Reisling (at least 85%)
Places of origin
S: Shady Lane Estate, Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA
A: Montana Rusa, Capellla, Leorie vineyards, Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA
Vintage: 2017
ABV
S: 10.8%
A: 12%
Price
S: $13
A: $15
Appearance
S: Medium light gold
A: Light gold.
Nose
S: Semi-sweet apple
A: Gravel, peach.
Palate
S: Full-bodied, semi sweet, a little chewy.
A: Full-bodied, drier. Underripe peach.
Finish
S: Sweet and apply.
A: Semi-dry, clean.
Parting words: A few weeks ago, I was perusing my cellar and I discovered I had two or three bottles of Arcturos Semi-Dry Riesling and Shady Lane Semi-dry Riesling so I decided to invite friends of the blog Amy and Pete over for some homemade jambalaya and a head to head tasting.
Everyone seemed to enjoy both of these wines, but Arcturos won the night by a nose, as it were. It’s flinty dryness paired perfectly with the toasty spice of the dish and was a little more balanced and true to type. Shady Lanes’ Semi-dry tasted much more like how I expect a semi-sweet Riesling to taste and was a little chewy (a little lees contact maybe?), not a style that typically does as well with food.
That said, both of these wines are good and worth the price. 2017 Shady Lane Semi-dry Riesling and 2017Arcturos Semi-Dry Riesling are both recommended.
If you want to do more comparing, check out my review of the 2017 St. Julian Semi-dry Riesling!
Sipology 