Chateau Saint Michelle White Riesling Ice Wine 375ml

Wine Spectator 95 points

Wine Spectator says: "After picking the frozen grapes the morning after Halloween, Ste. Michelle winemaker Bob Bertheau burned up the phone lines and email circuits getting advice from German vintner Ernst Loosen, who is involved in a joint venture with the Washington winery, on how to get it right. It worked. Dazzling in flavor, with a sure-handed balance of sweet apricot, pineapple, honey and lemon-candy elements against clean, sharp acidity. Stylish, elegant and amazingly refined, it's 29 percent residual sugar but tastes like one-third of that. From Washington.-H.S."

From the winemaker, Bob Bertheau:

"For the second year in a row, Mother Nature handed the winery the ideal conditions needed to make prized ice wine. (Chateau Ste. Michelle has produced ice wine only three other times in the winery's history with the 1978, 1995 and 2002 vintages)."

"Having just joined Chateau Ste. Michelle in early 2003 after years of winemaking in California, this was my first time making ice wine. It was an amazing experience to stand in the vineyard in the middle of the night in 14-degree weather picking frozen grapes as hard as marbles. It was like making wine on the dark side of the moon. The result is this exotic, luscious, ultra ripe wine with concentrated aromas and flavors of apricot and honey. The only thing I would do differently next time is wear long johns!"
Bob Bertheau, Winemaker