Squeezed lime, pressed ginger, honeydew rind. Green Anjou pear, saffron, fresh spearmint. Powdered turmeric and white pepper, chopped cucumber and tart kiwi. Delicate white orchid and mild floral perfume gently rise from exotic thai spice and diatomaceous minerality. Fresh and sprightly with racy acidity behind zesty spicy green fruit. This 2017 Estate Grüner Veltliner by Spear Vineyards & Winery is a unique varietal bottling we hope to see a whole lot more of.

New world wine growing regions like California don't have native vitis vinifera or thousands of years of winemaking tradition to tell them what grape varieties to plant. Producers here must employ the "guess and check" method to see which varieties thrive in their vineyards and which ones flounder. Since there is hardly any precedence and most vineyards in these regions are being planted to vines for the first time, many vignerons just end up kind of copying what their neighbors are doing. On rare occasions a daring grower will plant a new varietal yet unproven in the region and sometimes the results are fantastic. This Grüner Veltliner produced by Spear was by no means a safe choice, but it is absolutely delicious and we're glad they made it. Here's to the daring few who dare to experiment and take risks. Go out and try a new varietal bottling being produced near you, you'll be glad you did!