Our blind tasting game—without the tasting! Can you identify a wine just by reading its tasting note? We post real Wine Spectator reviews. You use clues such as color, aromas, flavors and structure to figure out the grape, age and origin. Good luck!
Tasting Note: A racy white, with an aroma of petrol giving way to peach, apple and grapefruit flavors. The vivid structure focuses the finish, echoing the citrus notes and picking up white pepper and lanolin.
And the answer is...
Variety
Our mystery wine displays racy acidity and peach, apple and grapefruit flavors with pepper, petrol and lanolin accents. Let’s figure out what it is!
It would be unusual for a Chardonnay to show our wine’s racy acidity and petrol note, so that grape is the first to go.
While Grüner Veltliners can show peppery accents, our wine's lanolin and petrol notes would be unusual for that grape as well. We are also missing Grüner's vegetable, herb and green fruit notes.
Melon-based whites can have lively acidity, but they are unlikely to display our wine’s peppery accent. We are also missing that grape’s minerality. We’ll have to move on.
Sauvignon Blancs can be citrusy and racy. However, we are missing Sauvignon Blanc’s hallmark grassy notes. Maybe another grape works better?
Riesling is well-known for its racy acidity, bright citrus and tropical fruit flavors, as well as distinctive petrol and lanolin notes. When made in a riper style, it can also show spice accents like white pepper. We have a match!
This wine is a Riesling.
Country or Region of Origin
Riesling is grown in regions around the globe, but South Africa is not one of them. While Argentina and Chile have cooler, high-elevation sites that would work for Riesling, the grape isn’t prominent in those countries either. Riesling does have a foothold in Australia, especially in the Clare Valley region, where it is used to make bracing whites with minerality, honeyed fruit flavors and a distinctive lime note. These wines contrast with styles from Austria, one of Riesling’s prime regions, which tend toward petrol, lanolin and spice accents. Austria’s Riesling sounds closer to the mark.
This Riesling is from Austria.
Appellation
We know that our Riesling is from Austria, so we can eliminate Australia’s Clare Valley, Chile’s Maipo, Argentina’s Mendoza and South Africa’s Swartland. This leaves us with two Austrian regions: Burgenland and Wachau. A range of grapes grow in Burgenland, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Grüner Veltliner. But Riesling is not a significant variety there. Farther north in the wider Niederösterreich region, the Wachau appellation is renowned for its white wines made from Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. We have an obvious choice.
This Riesling is from Wachau.
Age
While our Riesling’s fruit notes and acidity are still fresh, its petrol note may indicate some time spent aging. This is common for Wachau Rieslings, especially those classified as Federspiel and Smaragd, meaning they are, respectively, made from medium-ripe grapes and the ripest grapes harvested. Let’s look at some of Austria’s most recent vintages to pinpoint our wine’s age.
An extremely dry spring and nighttime frosts made 2020 a challenging year for Austrian winemakers, though it also brought impressive Rieslings with racy acidity and rich fruit, spice and lanolin notes. Spring was cool and summer was warm in 2019, and that year’s Rieslings show peach, floral and mineral flavors. A warm summer led to a generous harvest in 2018, making for fuller-bodied, silky Rieslings with spine, saffron and saline notes. 2020’s Rieslings sound like what we’re looking for.
This Riesling is from 2020, making it three years old.
Wine
This is the Domäne Wachau Riesling Federspiel Wachau Terrassen 2020, which scored 89 points in the July 31, 2022, issue of Wine Spectator. It retails for $20, and 12,000 cases were made. For more on Austrian wine, read senior editor Bruce Sanderson’s wine focus, "Austrian Duet," in the Aug. 31, 2021, issue.
—April Louis, assistant tasting coordinator
