Why you need to try a California Riesling, the TL;DR: These interpretations of California Riesling are crisp, acidic and beguilingly aromatic. Ripe with notes of silky lemon citrus, honeyblossom, grapefruit and green apple, and maybe just a touch of mint, this batch of California Rieslings should be on your radar – and in your glass.
California has a long history of producing Riesling wines. In fact, the first recorded planting was all the way back in the mid-1800s when it was planted in St. Helena. Unfortunately, with Chardonnay now the most planted white grape in California, other varieties, like Riesling, are a mere footnote – but they shouldn’t be.
As you will see in this list, the grape does well up and down the state, from the Spring Mountain District in Napa all the way down to San Benito County, California. This blog is primarily focused on small, low intervention wineries, rather than the big boys that churn out tens of thousands of cases a year, and that is reflected here.
Each of the California Rieslings on this list is produced by a family-owned winery that practices sustainable farming methods and releases a limited number of cases a year.
Enjoy!
Smith Madrone Estate Riesling, Napa Valley
The 2017 Smith Madrone Napa Valley Riesling I opened this past Thanksgiving hooked me on the first sip. The palate is crisp, but soft; it’s acidic, but the wine has a luxurious mouthfeel, and a deep mid-palate finish. Balanced notes of citrus, wet stone, and slightly sweet lemon blossom come together to create a very, very good California Riesling. It all just rolls over the palate like the mountain fog where these grapes are grown in the Spring Mountain District.
Founded back in 1971, this old school Napa Valley winery should be number one on your list of California Rieslings to try. If I had to pick a wine for the top spot on my list of the Best California Rieslings, it would be Smith-Madrone. My only regret with these wines is that I didn’t try them sooner.
2017 Smith Madrone Napa Valley Riesling – $29
Cobb Wines Riesling
Cobb Wines is primarily known for their ethereal Anderson Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but they also make exceptional Rieslings. The Cobb Wines Vonarburg Vineyard Rieslings are made with grapes from a bite-sized, two acre site on the edge of Anderson Valley. These wines are classic bone-dry Rieslings that have a honey blossom and petrol quality.
The Cobb Wines Cole Ranch Riesling is a similarly dry California Riesling with a citrus-filled palate and jasmine-like floral notes. An interesting fact about the Cole Ranch vineyard: Cole Ranch is the smallest appellation in California.
2021 Cobb Wines Vonarburg Vineyard Rieslings – $45
2020 Cobb Wines Cole Ranch Riesling – $35
Rootdown Wine, Cole Ranch R2 Riesling
Speaking of the Cole Ranch Vineyard, have you tried Rootdown Wines? The aforementioned Cole Ranch (vineyard, and, well, the entire appellation), are owned by Mike Lucia, founder of Rootdown Wine. If you’re not a believer in the merits (and quaffability) of California Riesling, the Cole Ranch R2 Riesling will make you a convert.
This wine is a kaleidoscope of flavor: you’ve got the usual suspects of lime, kiwi and an Arctic wave of cool minerality, but also some sneaky herbal elements like desert sage and eucalyptus.
2021 Rootdown Wine, Cole Ranch R2 Riesling, $34
Tatomer Wines Riesling (Central Coast)
You know that old saying, ‘do one thing, and do it well’? That sums up Tatomer Wines and their bird dog focus on California Riesling.
Winemaker Graham Tatomer takes a traditional approach to Riesling and is encyclopedic in his knowledge of the grape – he honed his winemaking skills in Austria, after all. He sources grapes from five, yes five different California sites, to produce wines like his ultra popular ‘Kick On’ Ranch Riesling, which has a touch of skin-contact, and the brightly aromatic and acid-driven Oliver’s Vineyard Riesling.
Wirz Vineyard Rieslings
The own-rooted, dry-farmed Wirz Vineyard in Cienega Valley, which lies within San Benito County, is a favorite for low intervention winemakers who work with Riesling grapes. Owner Pat Wirz began planting what is now 40 acres of Riesling in the 1960s, and today his grapes are in high demand with forward-thinking, boutique wineries who believe this grape has a ripe future in California.
Stirm Wine Company Riesling
We can’t talk about the best California Riesling and not talk about Ryan Stirm’s wines: they’re minerally, acidic, and with intriguing floral notes. ,Stirm Rieslings prove just how versatile this grape can be. They are great as a thirst quenching summer wine, or as an everyday sipper. And, for all of you folks on the canned wine bandwagon, Stirm has a second label called ,Companion Wines, which features Riesling, Gruner and Malvasia.
I posted a full ,review of Stirm Wine Company’s Old Vine Riesling, if you want to dig in a little deeper into this winemaker’s passion for California Riesling. Humble brag: Ryan Stirm is partnered with winemakers Scott Schultz of Jolie-Laide, Gina Hildebrand of Lady of the Sunshine, and Graham Tatomer of Tatomer Wines on the Companion Wine project.
2020 Stirm Wine Comany, Wirz Vineyard Riesling – $32
Bedrock Wine, Wirz Vineyard Old Vine Riesling
Bedrock describes their rendition of Wirz Riesling as a “beautiful, lime-zested, savory expression of the grape”. What I love about Bedrock Wines is that winemakers Morgan Twain-Peterson and Chris Cottrell are so invested in utilizing and preserving California’s heritage vines, which are an extension of California history. These two work with growers and vineyards up and down Northern California and the Central Coast who, despite market demands for cash cow crops like Chardonnay, keep their historic vineyards intact.
Bedrock Wine Co, Wirz Vineyard Old Vine Riesling – $22
Maidenstoen “Wirz Vineyard” Cienega Valley Riesling
Maidenstoen Wines is a family-owned and operated winery based in San Luis Obispo. Winemaker Mike Callahan makes site specific Rieslings to show just how well this grape expresses the idea of terroir in the Golden State. At any given time you will find three to four Rieslings with grapes sourced from up and down the California coast.
The 2020 Maidenstoen “Wirz Vineyard” Riesling has a palate of wet stone, grapefruit pith and honeydew melon. This California Riesling is under $25 a bottle, and garnered a 94 point score from Wine Enthusiast.