Long Shadows 'Poet's Leap' Riesling Vertical Tasting

I am always amazed how time flies. Just less than six months ago I was sitting across from Giles Nicault, reveling in one of the most thrilling Riesling tastings I’ve ever participated in. Last week I had the chance to finish this absolutely epic vertical of ‘Poet’s Leap.’ Truly an iconic wine project, Long Shadows is the brainchild of former Chateau Ste. Michelle CEO Allen Shoup who had the genius idea to have Washington wines made by utilizing some of the best winemaking talent across the globe. One of the best decisions he made was to hire Gilles Nicault from Woodward Canyon to be his head winemaker and oversee all winemaking production. Gilles has become one of the state’s great talents. Truly one of the great Riesling projects of the Pacific Northwest, the ‘Poet’s Leap’ project was initially a wine made by Armin Diel from Schlossgut Diel. Over time Gilles Nicault has taken over this project in crafting Riesling wines that show amazing acidity and good mid-palate ripeness. I have been amazed by these wines over the years and they are also wines that cellar really well, as last year I revisited the gorgeous 2011 ‘Poet’s Leap’ in Las Vegas which was dazzling and vibrant with gorgeous petrol undercurrents.

Sitting with Gilles we did have some surprises with how well some vintages were showing. I was shocked how fresh and vibrant the warm vintage 2015 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap ‘ Riesling (OB, 93) was, also displaying really nice depth and concentration. The best wine I tried was the unforgettable 2012 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling (OB, 95) which is amongst the best Riesling wines in North America that I have tried in the past several years. This combination of finesse and weight was simply magical. This was truly a tasting to remember. Learn more about these exciting wines at longshadows.com Here are my notes from vintages 2011-2020 of the Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling. 

2020 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap Riesling-  Sourced from The Benches, Gamache and Dionysus Vineyards, the nose is already beautifully. Evolved, as white flowers play well with petrol and green apple notes aromatically. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a silky texture. Just a kiss of residual sugar greets you ( roughly 1.oG/L), this reveals shades of cantaloupe with starfruit and stony minerals. This is already beautifully evolved, showing plenty of ripeness from the warmth of the vintage. Drink 2021-2027- 93

2019 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- The outstanding 2019 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling is a stunning bottling. The petrol notes really impress here alongside shades of saffron, star jasmine and shades of  green melon. The freshness and finesse here is second to none, with a touch of sweetness (1.1G/L) caressing the pretty quince, Japanese pear, wet stone and loads of mouth-watering acidity. This is already beautifully evolved and will surely have another decade of life ahead of it. Drink 2021-2031- 94

2018 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- The gorgeous 2018 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling was sourced from the Benches, as well as the Phil Church and Dionysus Vineyards. With 1.2G/L,  this reveals a wonderful density with outstanding tension but displays gorgeous richness. Layers of ripe pineapple, stony minerals, and green papaya all come together brilliantly on the palate. Silky and elegant with great length, this outstanding wine is slowly starting to hit its stride. Drink 2021-2031- 94

2017 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling-The 2017 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling is a. Gorgeous showing from this outstanding vintage for white wines in Washington. With 1.05% residual sugar, this unveils white rose water with gooseberry, nectarine and stony minerals on the palate. Everything is right in balance here, as this finishes exceedingly long. The tension through the core of the wine makes this particularly a knockout example of Washington Riesling. Drink 2021-2031- 95

2016 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- The 2016 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling is a. Gorgeous effort that is already beautifully evolved now at the five year mark. Ripe pear and starfruit tones mingle with roasted pineapple and stony undercurrents on the palate. This is already good to go and should be consumed over the next few years. Drink 2021-2025- 92

2015 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling-  The warm vintage 2015 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling is a dense and layered effort that is shining brightly now at the six year mark. Once on the nose this takes on a beautiful veil of tension that falls on orchard and citrus fruits. The mouthfeel and lovely finish accentuate this beautiful wines.Drink 2021-2028- 93

2014 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling-The 2014 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling is a gorgeous warm vintage effort by the talented Gilles Nicault. This shows serious density with melon, starfruit, ripe peach and petrol notes shining through. The beautiful length and richness add to the enjoyment as this is starting to show its age. Drink 2021-2028- 93

2013 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- Sourced mostly from The Benches Vineyard (43%), with the remainder from Phil Church and Dionysus Vineyard, this shows incredible tension and finesse from this warm vintage. This is quite frankly shockingly thoughtful with its bright minerality that cuts through the core of green apple, kumquat, wet stone and gasoline undercurrents. Wait for the exceedingly long finish. Drink 2021-2029- 94

2012 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- Fresh, vibrant and highly polished, the 2012 ‘Poet’s Leap’ is beautifully evolved and isn’t going anywhere for a long time. Extraordinarily fresh and vibrant with refined texture and juicy acidity, layers of Japanese pear, lemon rind, wet stone with shades of white grapefruit. This is gorgeous stuff to s savor right now as this has another decade of life in. Front of it! This is clearly up there with the best new world Riesling I have ever tasted. Drink 2021-2031- 95

2011 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- The gorgeous 2011 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling is a gorgeous effort from this slightly cooler vintage. A touch more residual sugar (1.3G/L) this displays peach fuzz with bright pear and gobs of mouth-watering acidity all impress on the palate. With gorgeous finesse and lovely stony character this beautiful wine is also nowhere near done. Drink 2021-2028- 94