Paetra Lobenstein Dry Riesling (Case)
Yamhill-Carlton, Willamette Valley 2021
“An electric single-vineyard dry riesling from a true pioneer of traditional winemaking in Oregon. Paetra’s Lobenstein riesling delivers cool-climate refreshment and deep mineral profundity in equal measure.”
It’s common to hear winemakers talk of their passion for wine and winemaking. For Paetra’s winemaker Bill Hooper, it's more like an unwavering obsession. After trying a bottle of one of JJ Prum’s top Mosel wines, the Riesling bug bit him so hard that he eventually moved to Germany, learned German, and enrolled in Wine and Agriculture school in the Pfalz winegrowing region. As part of this wine school, Bill went through the German apprenticeship program, working at top wineries in different regions in Germany. And it was in these wineries that Bill learned the traditional winemaking techniques and philosophies he now keeps alive at Paetra. When he graduated from the wine program, he became only the second American in 115 years to do so!
$48 Per Bottle
(Sold in cases of 6)
Oak
None
Service Temp
45-50 degrees
Drinking
Now -2025
Decanting
None
Upon his return to the United States, Bill launched an extensive search for a suitable location to grow the same grapes he had worked with in the Pfalz, primarily riesling and pinot noir. He was looking for a place he could grow high-quality fruit organically, without irrigation, and with a growing season long enough fully ripen riesling and pinot but cool enough to ripen them slowly, allowing complex flavors to develop. He found this perfect place in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and since 2014 he has been producing some truly special wines using traditional European techniques, some of which are almost unheard of in North America.
Bill spends 90% of his time out in the vineyards, farming them by hand, and the Lobenstein Vineyard, the source for this reisling, is set in a forest clearing on a steep slope within the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. The vineyard is certified sustainable, and the subsoil is a mixture of limestone and chalk. Wildlife is common in the area, with deer often stopping to drink at a small stream that runs along bottom of the vineyard. In the cellar, Bill ferments the wine in traditional 500l foudres, leaves the wine in contact with the lees for an extended period, and uses the absolute minimum amount of sulfur possible.
In the glass, Paetra's riesling is straw gold with a complex nose of candied citrus peel, green apple, peach, and apricot. Medium bodied and mouthwateringly dry, the wine has racing acidity, great minerality, and a long, lingering finish. Pair it with pulled port or smoked vegetables and enjoy!
