By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor As I patrol the Internet, seeking out information about New York wine and read what to others are saying about it, I see some pretty amazing and curious things. One of the most mind-boggling is the contention by some that Finger Lakes rieslings are over-priced. That's just silly and barely merits discussion, so I will just assume those folks must be very happy drinking a lot of Pacific Rim and Covey Run rielsings from the West Coast and move on. This wine, the Lamoreaux Landing 2010 Dry Riesling, is $13 at the winery and I've…
Posts Tagged“riesling”
Heart & Hands Wine Company 2009 Reserve Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Tom and Susan Higgins, owners of Heart & Hands Wine Company on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, have worked tirelessly to build a reputation for making what may be New York's best pinot noirs. It's clear that pinot is their passion and it shows in the bottle and throughout their entire operation. But, with wines like Heart & Hands Winery 2009 Reserve Riesling ($29) Tom, who makes the wines, proves that he's not a one-trick pinot pony. This is the Finger Lakes after all, where riesling rules and it seems silly not to make…
Lamoreaux Landing 2010 Yellow Dog Vineyard Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor There are other single-vineyard riesling programs in the Finger Lakes, but Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars was among the first wineries to enact one. It's a part of their portfolio that I always find fun and educational to explore and topping at out at $20 per bottle, it's probably the most affordable site-to-site exploration available. Lamoreaux makes three labeled single-vineyard rieslings and their reserve riesling comes from another single vineyard. Lamoreaux Landing 2010 Yellow Dog Riesling ($20) comes from one of the winery's youngest vineyards, planted in 2007, and opens with aromas of grapefruit, peach and…
Bloomer Creek Vineyards 2009 Auten Vineyard First Harvest Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor When my colleague Evan Dawson first introduced us to Bloomer Creek, I only knew Bloomer Creek Vineyard as the winery that shared a parking lot with one of my favorite places to eat in the Finger Lakes, Stonecat Cafe. But, after speaking with Evan further about them, I knew that I had to get my hands on some of Kim Engle's wines. Evan and I have similar-but-different palates and tastes when it comes to wine, but I think we agree on Bloomer Creek's rieslings — these are some of the most uniquely expressive, genuine rieslings…
Hermann J. Wiemer 2009 Magdalena Vineyard Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor As much affection as I feel for the wines of New York State, there are only a handful of wineries with “any wine” status — status that means I will happily drink any wine from their portfolio. Hermann J. Wiemer is a winery with such status in my life. From their $12 Frost Cuvee — a clean, fresh blend of riesling, gewurztraminer, pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc — to their $95 TBA-style riesling, the portfolio is a winner. Several of these wines will be reviewed on the NYCR over the next few weeks, starting…
Influence Wines 2010 Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor You may not know who Erik Bilka is, but chances are he’s helped make at least some of your favorite Long Island wines. Bilka, who launched Influence Wines in 2009, has been working at Premium Wine Group — a custom crush facility responsible for several Long Island labels — since 2001. In fact, he was employee #3 when he joined founder Russell Hearn and John Leo. Prior to joining PWG, he worked the 2000 harvest with Alice Wise as a Cornell Cooperative Extension vineyard assistant. Working at PWG, Bilka has worked with many consulting winemakers…
The Grapes of Roth 2009 Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Another impressive 2009 riesling from New York? Yes. And this one is from Long Island. Because he mostly works with Bordeaux reds and chardonnay locally, people wondered what German-born winemaker Roman Roth (Wolffer Estate, Roanoke Vineyards) would do with local riesling. When Roth introduced his private label, The Grapes of Roth, several years ago, he started with a merlot, but introduced his first riesling not long after. And of the three rieslings he’s made under the GoR label, Grapes of Roth 2009 Riesling ($22) might be his best yet. Roth purchases the fruit for this…
Red Newt Cellars 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Over the weekend, we reviewed Red Newt Cellars' entree into the $12 riesling market. Today, we review their Red Newt Cellars 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling ($14) which is only a couple bucks more. And I like it a bit better as well, and despite being labeled semi-dry I think the residual sugar (1%) and balancing acidity make this a wine that will appeal to those who prefer their riesling on the drier side. The nose effusive and shows ripe peach and apricot primary aromas with citrus blossom, vanilla-mint and anise notes beneath. Juicy peach and pear flavors…
Guest Post: Hermann J. Wiemer Stands Out at TasteCamp 2010 (Remy Charest, The Wine Case)
Hermann J. Wiemer winemaker Fred Merwarth discussing his winemaking philosophy By Remy Charest, The Wine Case This may not come as that much of a surprise to those familiar with the Finger Lakes, but the region does make really great riesling. For participants in the second edition of Tastecamp EAST, however, this three-day, three-lake stint in the region was a great opportunity to confirm that the region indeed lives up to its reputation in that respect: just like merlot in Long Island – Tastecamp’s first destination, last year – the Finger Lakes' flagship grape consistently delivers. Throughout the weekend, we…
Sheldrake Point Vineyards 2008 Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief During a tasting of Finger Lakes riesling last weekend, I thought a non-Finger Lakes ringer had worked its way into the lineup. Even though I pull the wines from the cellar myself (and knew I grabbed only Finger Lakes juice) this wine seemed almost an outlier, tasting a bit more Washington (state) to me than Finger Lakes. Sheldrake Point Vineyard 2008 Riesling ($15) obviously is a Finger Lakes riesling, but it is decidedly different than the other wines I tasted during this session. The nose is ripe, almost overripe with gobs of juicy, sweet peach backed…