Posts Tagged“riesling”

Checking in on a Finger Lakes Legend: Good News if You Still Own Anthony Road 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling

It’s the rare wine that has everything lined up in its favor — stellar vintage, top producer, affordable. The Anthony Road Wine Company 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling was available for around $14 or $15 when it was released in 2009. Then it won the Governor’s Cup award, and that availability dried up, but to ARWC’s credit, the price did not go up. But here’s the one problem — so many Finger Lakes wines never see a year in the bottle, let alone two or three or five. The reviews came early and often for this Anthony Road wine, and consumers knew…

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Forge Riesling: The Most Debated Wine in the Finger Lakes, and Why Riesling Can Succeed in Oak

Before the final presidential debate, several members of the news media were accidentally emailed a debate recap by one of the campaigns. It described what an outstanding performance their candidate had just displayed. Of course, the review was written hours before anything, you know, actually happened. Spirited discussion is healthy, but prejudgment should be unacceptable, and that has affected the conversation about Forge Cellars‘ first vintage of riesling, the recently released 2011. So what’s the big deal? Well, this is the first Finger Lakes riesling (to our knowledge) aged entirely in oak, not stainless steel or some other container. Granted,…

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Why Don’t Finger Lakes Wineries Offer Riesling in Magnum?

The other day I picked up a magnum of Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Dry Riesling in magnum. It had me thinking: Magnums are so sexy. How come almost no one in the Finger Lakes offers riesling in magnum? I was going to say that no one in the Finger Lakes bottles their wine in larger formats, but of course that’s wrong. You can find Red Cat in magnum. Fox Run’s Ruby Vixen, , Arctic Fox, Chardonnay perhaps. Some of Bully Hill’s offerings, I’m sure. But why not riesling? After all, the world’s finest riesling ages gracefully for many years, and…

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Tousey Winery 2011 Riesling

It’s pretty easy to find riesling wines in the Hudson Valley. Many of the producers put the out every year. And most of those buy juice from the Finger Lakes to do it. Riesling grown in the region itself is rare, but Tousey Winery 2011 Riesling ($23) is one such wine. Not nearly as aromatic as you might expect, the nose offers light aromas of peach and grapefruit, along green almond and a faint earthiness. Punch grapefruit flavors lead the way on the palate, bolstered by just-under-ripe peach and juicy, mouth-watering acidity. As the wine warms to room temperature, the…

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Harvest 2012: Riesling at Peconic Bay Winery

Peconic Bay Winery general manager Jim Silver sent this harvest report yesterday: [quote]Harvest of old-vine riesling underway at PBW since 7:30 a.m., and will continue tomorrow (pickers welcome!) Yields not determined yet (about 2T/ac), brix above 19 degrees.  Nearly rot-free, hand sorted in the field by an experienced crew.  Very slight desiccation of some grapes. Top quality vintage similar in style to a blending of 2005, 2009 and 2010.”[/quote]

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Five Years After the Finger Lakes’ Worst Riesling Vintage in a Decade, Some Happy Surprises

What’s the worst riesling vintage of the past decade in the Finger Lakes? It’s an awkward question, given that winemakers in the Finger Lakes love to say that riesling performs beautifully in the regoin no matter the weather. That’s largely true, but it’s also a copout. I’m willing to say that 2007 is the worst riesling vintage of the decade. It was a year of heat and drought, and the result was a region dotted by stressed vines. For red wines, it was generally a success. But for riesling, the balance between ripe fruit and crackling acidity was much more…

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Vineyard Visuals Niagara: Riesling Down at Eveningside Vineyards

Eveningside Vineyards in Cambria saw a storm pass through last weekend that literally took down a row of riesling vines next to their tasting room. I arrived the next day to see it for myself and ask owner Randy Biehl how things looked. Bryan Calandrelli: So when did this happen? Randy Biehl: About 6:30 Saturday evening we were in the tasting room closing up and the building started rumbling. We looked outside and saw shingles in the yard and our lawn chairs flying around in front of the vineyard and then I saw our first row of riesling was down…

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Silver Thread Vineyard 2011 Dry Riesling

It’s impossible to over-state the impact the cooler 2011 growing season played, but I’m enjoying what new co-owner and winemaker Paul Brock is doing with the wines at Silver Thread Vineyard.  He is making fresh, clean wines that are delicious on their own but that perhaps shine brightest with food —  all at good price points. In other words, exactly the types of wines I reach for every day. With bright, fresh aromas of citrus blossom, lime, grapefruit and flinty slate,  Silver Thread Vineyard 2011 Dry Riesling ($16) showcases the winery’s apparent new direction quite well. Grapefruit flavor bursts on…

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Bloomer Creek: The Cult Winery of the Finger Lakes Continues to Take Chances

You can only be a cult winery for so long. Eventually, the secret-handshake nature of your clients’ fandom becomes widespread, and then you’re just a regional mainstay. That was true at Heart & Hands, it was true at Damiani, and eventually it will be true at Bloomer Creek Vineyard. Not yet. There is still a sense of excitement among those who have visited Bloomer Creek in the past two years. There is a kind of illicit knowledge, an ahead-of-the-curve edge. The critical drumbeat is growing, but owners Kim Engle and Debra Birmingham have not seen an explosion in the tasting…

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Hermann J. Wiemer 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling

Juicy pears and white flowers dominate an effusive nose, accented by subtle almond note. Off-dry but balanced, the palate shows not only pear fruit, but a distinct fig quality up front that leads into a long, floral finish that shows a light slate note. A bit more acidity would bring focus and elevate the wine a bit, but the residual sugar is still balanced enough to avoid being cloying. 2,200 cases produced. Producer: Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard AVA: Finger Lakes ABV: 11% Price: $17*   (3 out of 5, Very good/Recommended)

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