By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief

As Evan hinted in his post last week, he'll be investigating the challenges involved in making truly exceptional dry rieslings. The story idea grew out of some conversations he and I have had about some of the "acid water" dry rieslings we've both tasted of late — meaning wines that have the lively acidity that we both look for, but not much else.

More on that soon though. Today, I wanted to review this Lucas Vineyards 2008 Dry Riesling ($14) a dry Finger Lakes riesling that sucessfully dodges the pitfalls of dry riesling and delivers solid balance of fruit, sugar and acidity.

Green apple aromas dominate the nose, but there is some lime here too, with a bit of that wet river rock that I like in many Finger Lakes rieslings. As it warms, a subtle citrus blossom note emerges a bit as well.

The palate shows good-not-great balance, with linear lime, apricot and green apple flavors — again with just a little of that rocky minerality — framed by citrusy acidity.

The finish is medium-long and ends with a citrus zest-meets-stone note.

Producer: Lucas Vineyards
AVA: Finger Lakes
Residual Sugar: 1%
ABV: 11.5%
Production: 600 cases
Price: $14*
Rating:  (3 out of 5 | Recommended)

(Ratings Guide)