Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
At once floral and juicy with fresh fruit-salad aromas, this is a striking and unusual expression of Finger Lakes dry riesling. Excellent ripeness and elegant acidity for the vintage, the finish long and delicately chalky. Drink or hold.
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Decanter
The White Springs Vineyard is one of the relatively rare limestone sites on Lake Seneca's northeast shore. The fruit for this 2017 bottling was picked in late October with little botrytis and cool-fermented in stainless-steel and aged on the lees in tank to deliver a startling concentration of ripe peach fruit with strong saline minerality to it. The wine is very crisp (8g/l of total acidity) but there is abundant extract to balance the freshness.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Dry Riesling White Springs comes in with just four grams of sugar, 8.3 of total acidity and 12.5% alcohol. At least in perception, this seems fruitier and a little sweeter, relatively speaking, than the regular Dry Riesling, although the statistics are almost identical. Not quite as focused, but more voluptuous in perception and far more expressive of its fruit, this also has ample acidity underneath to support it while it ages. That was my initial impression, but I would add that, as they both aired and warmed, they came much closer together, the Dry Riesling opening up and seeming a little more like this. This, however, seemed just a touch better in its own style. I suspect this will age very well, but it also tastes great now.
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Wine & Spirits
Dusty, wheaty, floral and mildly green, this has a lot going on. From Ravines’ limestone-inflected estate vineyard on the upper western shores of Seneca Lake, it’s just shy of bone dry, with plenty of lemon-lime flavor, and a dry mineral finish. Best Buy
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Wine Spectator
Gentle-edged, with alluring jasmine, lemon and honeysuckle notes flowing through, while a core of creamed yellow apple flavors lingers nicely on the lengthy finish.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
As the most historic wine-producing region in New York state, winemaking in the Finger Lakes area dates back to the 1820s and today as a region, accounts for 90% of the state’s total wine production.
Its narrow and deep lakes created by the movement of Ice Age glaciers create an environment similar to the classic Riesling-loving regions of Europe, namely Germany and Austria. The Finger Lakes retain summer heat that incidentally warms up cold winter air, making it fall down from the lakes’ steep slopes. When spring comes, the lakes, already cooled by cold winter weather, stave off vine budding until the danger of frost has subsided. The main lakes of the zone, that is those big enough to moderate the climate in this way, are the focal points of prime vineyard areas. They include Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga.
While Riesling has fueled most of the region’s success, today Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc enjoy some attention.