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 has enough, well-balanced (or even bracing) acidity, I tend to like it better then rounder, softer, perhaps more overtly fruity rieslings.
And that's why for me, this Lucas Vineyards 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling ($14) is a near-miss.
The nose is fruity but not sweetly so, showing bright green apple and subtle peach aromas and faint floral-herbal notes.
On the palate the apple and peach change places, with ripe peach the dominant flavor with the apple beneath. At 3% RS, it shows some juicy sweetness and is surprisingly soft for riesling, really needing a bit more acidity for balance.
Producer: Lucas Vineyards
AVA: Finger Lakes
Residual Sugar: 3%
ABV: 11.5%
Production: 800 cases
Price: $14*
Rating: (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)
(Ratings Guide)