I have long admired the Long Shadows lineup. Long before I was writing about wine professionally, I always enjoyed visiting their Woodvinille tasting room in my spare time, reveling in one of Washington’s great lineups. Truly a 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 year. Gilles explained the process of making his top notch Washington Riesling:
“During the growing season we try to open up around the fruit zone and have. Good canopy to protect fro the sun yet to have uniform maturation.” He continued “This way we preserve as much acidity as possible and the flavor developments that is what we want to be. The cluster is going to be uniform. Some of these have been 19.6 Brix and this brings acidity and minerality, and some other lots come at 22 Brix and you get more stone fruit and white peach. All of the fermenters are separate and then you can do the best bleedings looking at the flavor profile, acidity and getting the best balance in the wine.”
Sitting with Gilles it was just a blast chatting about each wine as we tasted backwards, starting with the dazzling 2010 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap ‘ Riesling (OB, 94) which showed insanely good texture and finesse. One of the shining stars was certainly the 2008 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. I just love the range here as the wine is slowly evolving into secondary tones. Another standout was the 2007 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling (OB, 94) which was not quite as viscous as the ’08 but showed brilliant acidity and freshness. This was truly a tasting to remember. Learn more about these exciting wines at longshadows.com Here are my notes from vintages 2003-2010 of the Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling.
2010 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap Riesling- This was the fist vintage of this incredible wine that has been one of the iconic wine. Sourced primarily from The Benches Vineyard (57%) with also Phil Church Vineyard {23%) as well as Weinbau and Dionysus vineyards, this shows gorgeous honeysuckle and nutty tones on the nose. The heady aromatics bring you back to the glass for more enjoyment. The palate is very fresh and beautifully textured. Layers of rich orchard fruit and sour apricot mingle with wet stone and an insanely good sense of mouthfeel and length. Gorgeous now, this still has a ways to go with its sense of weight and acidity. Drink 2021-2027- 94
2009 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- The 2009 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ is a warm vintage Riesling that has beautifully evolved already now at the twelve year mark. With 1.35g/L the silky texture really impresses here with baked apple and pear notes alongside shades of wet stone and shades of mango and orange blossom water. Enjoy this great wine over the next five years. Drink 2021-2025- 92
2008 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- The 2008 Poet’s Leap Riesling is a blend of fruit from the Horse Heaven Hills, as well as the ‘Sonnet Vineyard’ and blocks from the Dionysus Vineyard planted back in 1972. On the nose this takes on bright kiwi and starfruit tones alongside wet stone and slate. The palate is viscous with great acidity and a scintillating texture. Bright and youthful, this is wonderfully evolved right now and still has a long way to go. This is Washington Riesling at its best. Drink 2021-2029- 95
2007 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- Bright, youthful and gorgeous now at the fourteen year mark, the 2007 ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling comes from a warm vintage that saw a mild September and great conditions at harvest. Lighter petrol and pink grapefruit blossom alongside kiwi and wet stone all hit the nose. The palate is plush and full, showing a great sense of texture and exceedingly good length. Gorgeous to enjoy now, this has another five to seven years ahead of it. Drink 2021-2027- 94
2006 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- The 2006 ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling includes some longer vines, as the wine shows off honeysuckle and wet stone alongside kiwi and white grapefruit tones that all combine aromatically. The palate is plush with a silky mouthfeel and great send of texture. Layers of ripe Pink Lady apple, and papaya mingle with honeydew melon and wet stone on the palate. This is really ready to drink now. This is really impressive fifteen year old Riesling considering the heat of the vintage as well. Drink 2021-2025- 92
2005 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- The 2005 ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling is an impressive showing with honey and cantaloupe notes on the nose alongside shades of white rose water. The palate is soft and elegant with a silky texture. Generous and rich, with a good sense of minerality, this bright wine reveals pear and gooseberry tones alongside shades of baked apple and wet stone on the palate. Drink 2021-2026- 93
2004 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- The 2004 ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling its beautifully evolved at the seventeen year mark. Showing 1.93g/L, this reveals slate and honeysuckle tones alongside Japanese pear and green papaya. The wine is beautifully textured with a great stony profile. Layers of ripe peach and mango combine with damp earth, wild mushroom and nutty undertones. Quite beautifully evolved now, and still showing good freshness, enjoy over the next five years while the gorgeous tertiary tones continue to rock on. Drink 2021-2025- 93
2003 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling- The 2003 Long Shadows ‘Poet’s Leap’ Riesling is the first wine of this series that was made more in the Kabinette style. The wine is rich and un tutus with a. Soft texture. Layers of ripe nectarine and Pink Lady apple march on with minerals, Shitake mushroom and juicy starfruit. Drink 2021-2025- 92