In honor of Riesling Week, I popped and poured a 2006  Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen Riesling Eroica.  In the past it’s been my favorite American Rieslings.  I was expecting good stuff, but what I got was a lesser version of a wine I last had 2 years ago.  For my detailed Cellartracker tasting notes under “MartinD” follow the link: – #wine http://cellartracker.com/w?370683

So what happened?  I’m not sure.  Because it’s a Riesling, I expected it be fine if I laid it down a couple of years.  In this case it wasn’t.  Petrol on the nose is common for German Rieslings in my experience, but not American Rieslings.  Nevertheless petrol dominated the nose,  the wine seemed have a much lighter body that I remember, along with a shorter finish.   Perhaps, it wasn’t stored properly.  I think this is a good example of when  good wine goes bad.  Contrary to popular belief it doesn’t turn into vinegar.  Rather it becomes a lesser version of itself.  In this case, a wine I’d had before (same vintage) went from a wine I would consider to at least be very good (85-89pts), maybe perhaps outstanding (90+ pts) to a wine I scored a notch above mediocre.  Perhaps I just had a bad bottle.  Based on the track record, I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and try another bottle.  Next time, I’ll store in the refrigerator.