Freedom Run Winery 2008 Estate Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief
The first time I tasted this wine was at TasteCamp EAST 2009 and it was poured into my empty glass by our Niagara Escarpment editor, Bryan at some point during the wine-soaked weekend.
I came away impressed with the effort and enjoyed a bottle that he gave me a few days later with some friends. Again, I liked it, enough to make this the first Niagara Escarpment wine to be a the New York Cork Club selection.
Bryan reminded me a few weeks ago that I still hadn't given it a formal review, so I pulled one of my last few bottles and put it in my tasting over the weekend.
Compared to the other rieslings in the tasting, the nose was a bit understated and led by a burn matchstick aroma that blew off after a few minutes. Once it did, aromas of pineapple, peach and pear were accented by a lightly floral note.
On the medium-bodied palate, clean pineapple and papaya fruit flavors are framed by firm, crunchy acdity that makes the 1% residual sugar barely noticeable. The finish is medium-length, dry and absolutely mouthwatering with a lingering pear note at the very end.
In some ways, this riesling is a bit Austrian in it's heft, acidity and austere qualities. This is Freedom Run Winery's first estate riesling and while few talk about riesling from the Niagara Escarpment, there is clear potential. Just a bit more fruit would really elevate this wine.
Producer: Freedom Run Winery
AVA: Niagara Escarpment
ABV: 11%
RS: 1%
Cases Produced: 220
Closure: Synthetic
Price: $16
Rating: (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)
Just noticed the review!
I agree that the heft is greater than what people expect from FL or some German styles. It’s just not as perfumed as them as well.
With heavier soils (clay and limestone) I think it adds concentration and doesn’t lead to the same delicate aromas you’d get from lighter soils.
I’ve seen several reviews of FL riesling getting high scores with a disclaimer in the description mentioned a thinness, this escarpment style certainly is not thin.
Wineries like FRW, Eveningside, Leonard Oakes, and Spring Lake all have riesling planted in the same AVA, so it’ll be fun to look for similarities down the line.
Being bound to work restricts freedom. Don’t you sometimes feel like running away from the hassles of work? Does marriage also restrict freedom? I think many married people feel that their freedom has been restricted.
Is it not possible to not to be bound to anyone or anything and live life on day to day basis and do whatever, whenever and wherever you feel like doing (here I am not talking about insane things). Do you feel sometimes trapped by modern forms of slavery like mortgage etc?