Winery: Bonny Doon
Brand/Type: Riesling
Vintage: 2004
Country: USA
Region: California (not really – see text)
Alcohol content: 12%
Closure: Screwcap
Appearance: Extremely Pale Dishwater Blonde
Aroma/Bouquet: Melon and tangerine
First things first; Bonny Doon is a California winery. However this vintage is made from grapes (according to the bottle) harvested from eastern Washington and the Middle Mosel. So it’s a mix of American and German grapes. Hmm, as Colonel Klink would say, “Interesting, very interesting.” (If you don’t know who Colonel Klink is try Yahoo ok?)
So how does it taste? Like a Pinot Grigio. This is the driest Riesling I’ve ever tasted. The bouquet and aroma hint of a Riesling, but it is far too light and watery and has a noticeable, but not overbearing, oak finish. It doesn’t have the complexity of a Riesling either.
We’ve seen this wine hyped and so we were excited to try it. Unfortunately we’re not excited anymore. Like so many wines, especially California wines, the bottle had more character than the wine; fancy label, so-so wine. Bonny Doon also has a rather annoying website. It is entirely Flash based and spends more time distracting you than informing you about their wine. “Understated†is seemingly not a Bonny Doon trait.