Kung Fu Girl Riesling makes good impression as summer wine

Occasion: Just as I thought we had checked off riesling on the list of wines to enjoy in the summer months, along comes this Kung Fu Girl from Charlie Smith in Washington state, and kicked my palate up a notch. I have known about this brand and all the other awesome wines that Charlie makes, but never thought much of this, until I tasted the 2014. Wow! Not a lightweight wine by any stretch of the imagination, this is a supercool wine to drink by the glass, properly chilled to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and if you happen to have a dozen freshly shucked oysters lying around, then that wouldn’t hurt it one bit.

Wine: Kung Fu Girl Riesling

Grape: Riesling

Region: Washington

Vintage: 2014

In the glass: Kung Fu Girl Riesling is a faint, light-citrine yellow with a clean, clear star-bright appearance, showing a translucent core going out into a glass-clear rim definition with just hints of greenish tinge and light viscosity.

On the nose: There are nicely concentrated notes of pears, crisp Fuji apples, stone fruit, grapefruit segments, kaffir lime and warm minerality emanating from the bowl of the glass.

On the palate: The wine is expansive with lovely delineated white fruit, crushed pear skins, apple sauce, clean, bright citrus character and hints of green melon and chalky minerals with just a touch of sweet white currants. The midpalate is very soft and balanced and the feeling of harmony between acidity and fruit is constant through the bright rounded finish, with just a little bite of fizziness to remind us that this is still a very young wine.

Price: $9.99

Availability: Most retailers and chain stores

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears on Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box

50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.