The 2010 Fetzer Goosefoot Road Riesling is 83% Riesling and 17% Muscat sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. Fetzer has been using sustainable farming practices since 1968 and 100% of all the energy for its winemaking facility comes from 100% green renewable energy. The bottle is lighter weight than the usual bottle (uses less material in manufacturing and cheaper and more efficient to ship) and uses 35% recycled glass. In April 2011, Fetzer was purchased by Concha y Toro, the largest wine producer in Latin America. There are 3.27 grams/100ml of residual sugar in this Riesling, which would classify this as a medium wine. The alcohol content is 11.5%.
The color is goldenrod yellow, bright and shiny. The nose is sweet apricot, pineapple juice, honey and pink grapefruit. There is a nice, oily, silky mouthfeel. It tastes of apricot jam, but not sugar sweet, Anjou pear, fleshy peach and the lime from a gin and tonic. The mid palate offers fresh pineapple and a soft, but firm slap of minerality. The acidity is under control, if anything it is a little on the light side, but still it has enough body and flavor to pair very well with spicy Asian food. The full mouthfeel continues all the way to the finish, where it allows the finish to shine for quite some time.
The 2010 Fetzer Goosefoot Road California Riesling, is yet another solid, delicious, well made, varietally correct and interesting sub ten dollar wine. This is a very good Riesling, no qualifiers are needed, it isn’t good for a $7.99 wine, it is just good, period.
