Monday, December 2, 2013

Saint M 2011 Riesling, Germany


Thanksgiving was the cause of some excitement here at Toledo Wines and Vines world headquarters. Green Dragon, who typically orchestrates our delicious Thanksgiving Day feast, was out of town. She was on a Red Cross volunteer assignment helping out in the aftermath of the Illinois tornadoes.
My stepson and his girlfriend Caitlin stepped in to save me from having a meal of Rudy’s hotdogs and some crusts of bread for Thanksgiving. This was the first time cooking a turkey for Caitlin – and she did a great job.
The turkey was deliciously moist and the green bean casserole was prepared in a tasty new way. My contribution was to provide the wine and dessert.
For the wine I selected the 2011 Saint M Riesling from Germany. We featured this wine during our recent Toledo Wines and Vines Thanksgiving tasting at J. Patrick’s in Perrysburg. I had a cornucopia of reasons for choosing the Saint M.
Saint M is a joint venture between Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington and Germany’s Riesling-meister  Dr. Ernst Loosen. The two wine titans collaborate on Eroica, which is a perennial top-rated Riesling with Washington state grapes. Saint M is the reverse, with Chateau Ste. Michelle teaming up on a project using German grapes from Pfaltz.
Dr. Loosen also has scored very highly in our own blind Riesling tastings even when tackling some top Rieslings from the Finger Lakes. Dr. L wines are people-pleasers, which I thought would make this a nice pick for Turkey Day.
This is a semi-dry Riesling with a bright, lively feel in the mouth. There are flavors of peach with swirls of minerality. The taste is crisp and clean. Acidity keeps the balance and it has a medium, slightly sweet finish.
Saint M is a wine that can charm the wine novice or expert alike. At just $15, it can be kept on hand as an everyday drinker. As with Riesling in general, it is a great food wine. Pair with poultry or spicy Asian food.
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Rating: 3 of 5  Value: 4 of 5
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