By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief This is the last of the value whites I tried during a recent tasting, and guess what? Not only was it the unofficial winner, it's also the wine priced the lowest. Shinn Estate Vineyards 2009 Coalescence ($14) is a unique steel-fermented blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling and — get this — merlot blanc. The riesling that went into this wine comes from Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes, by the way. The nose is citrusy but showed a bit more nuance than the other two values whites in the lineup, delivering minerally seawater character and…
Posts Tagged“riesling”
Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Late Harvest Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief The first time I encountered a Hermann J. Wiemer "Late Harvest" Riesling — last summer in their tasting room on Seneca Lake — I was a bit confused. Aren't most dessert wines bottled in 375 ml bottles rather than 750? I think it was my wife Nena who actually asked "Is this a dessert wine?" as general manager Oskar Bynke poured the 2007 of this wine for us. No, it's not dessert wine. But the grapes that go into it are harvested later than most of their other riesling. "Late Harvest" is more akin to Spatlese…
Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Dry Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Hermann J. Wiemer is what I call an "any vintage" winery. What I mean is that, regardless of the conditions throughout the growing season, this is a winery that can be counted on for good wines. They truly do the best with what Mother Nature gives, even if she doesn't give much. Making good wines even in lesser years is a testament to co-owner and winemaker Fred Merwarth's talents and attention to detail. So what happens in good years, like 2008 for Finger Lakes rieslings? Wines like this one happen. This Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Dry…
Building on Success at Eveningside Vineyards
Eveningside Vineyards owner Randy Biehl stands in front of his new production facility in Cambria, NY by Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor Randy Biehl doesn’t tend to wax romantic when he talks about his new production building – the construction of which is close to completion – at Eveningside Vineyards, the winery he owns on the Niagara Escarpment with his wife Karen. “I’m very aware we are in a critical time for our business,” he says. “Expansion is when many businesses end up failing.” Knowing Biehl, you don’t chalk this up as simple boilerplate pessimism, but rather to his meticulous…
Damiani Wine Cellars 2008 Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Damiani Wine Cellars, on the eastern shorts of Seneca Lake, has built a reputation around its red wines — a unique focus in a region known mostly for its aromatic whites. They do make white wines — and now bubbly — too though, and while most of them have underwhelmed, this Damiani Wine Cellars 2008 Riesling ($16) stood out during my tasting last weekend. The winery sourced the riesling for this wine from one of the region's most experienced and respected growers — Sam Argetsinger. I've tasted a couple other rieslings (1|2) made with Sam's grapes…
Finger Lakes Sparkling Wine: Looking for Room at the Dance
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor In the flickering glint of the strobe lights, amidst the pulsing beat and bodies, it was impossible to see the edges of the room. No matter. The party was in the middle, and it centered around Riesling. He was always the magnet, the draw, the energy. Tonight, like most nights, he had brought a few friends. The girls would wink and nod at his entourage, but ultimately they were fighting for the mysterious man who was known for being simultaneously acerbic and sweet. He always gets the girl. That's pretty much the story of…
Lucas Vineyards 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief I'm not sure if it can be attributed to Finger Lakes Editor Evan Dawson's Four Stages of Riesling or not, but most people I know strongly prefer either dry OR semi-dry styles of riesling. When Nena and I first visited the Finger Lakes a couple years ago we ended up taking a bottle of dry and a bottle of semi-dry from just about every tasting room we visited — one that I liked better (dry) and one that Nena preferred (semi-dry) For me though, it's not really about residual sugar, it's about acidity. If a wine…
Mini-Rieslings: Hazlitt Hopes To Take a Major Step With Customers
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photo courtesy of Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards has just released a new mini-format riesling and they believe it will provide more options for consumers and restaurants. As shown at right, the wine will be sold in packs of four, with each bottle containing 187 milliliters of wine (or exactly 1/4 a standard bottle of wine). "People want a single-serving bottle," Hazlitt's Director of Marketing, Brad Phillips, told me. "There are a lot of customers who don't want to have to get rid of a whole bottle of wine. So this format not…
Ravines Wine Cellars 2008 Argetsinger Vineyard Dry Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Often in the wine world certain wineries or vineyards are noticed by a writer or two and a huge mountain of hype ensues — sometimes warranted and sometimes not. If you've been paying attention to the Finger Lakes region for very long, you've heard the hype about Ravines Wine Cellars and winemaker Morten Hallgren. If you're a bit more of a geek, you've probably heard about Sam Argetsinger and his vineyard on Seneca Lake. In this case, the hype is warranted. If I were to start a winery in the Finger Lakes, Morten would be on…
2009 Harvest Update: Aromatic Whites Stand Out at Red Newt Wine Cellars
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photo courtesy of Red Newt Wine Cellars Why is David Whiting smiling? More importantly, why is he smiling while holding what appears to be a pitchfork? We might never know the answer to the second question, but he's happy to explain the first. Harvest has wrapped up at Red Newt — at least, the final grapes came in to Red Newt Wine Cellars one week ago. Crush has finished, and Whiting is already working with assistant winemaker Brandon Seager to assess the 2009 vintage. It will take time, but Whiting is fired up to…