Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Riesling Reserve "No. 198 Single Clone" is unoaked with 54 grams per liter of residual sugar and 10% alcohol. Late harvested, it is compared to a German Spatlese, says owner Bruce Murray. That's a lot of residual sugar, to be sure, but he's more or less right. It isn't really a dessert wine, even if off-dry. Avoiding the funk that the drier Riesling this issue showed, this is remarkably fresh, classic and delicious. It is hard to believe this operation is so new. They may yet do great things, but they are already doing nice things. If you like off-dry Riesling in that Mosel style, this is impossible to dislike and it comes in at a nice price. This should hold reasonably well, but since there is not a lot of track record there, let's take that in stages. It is great now, however long it theoretically lasts at peak. That's a hint.
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Wine Enthusiast
The floral spray and sweet nectar of fresh yellow cherries persist from start to finish on this penetrating semi-sweet wine. It’s rich and ripe with stone fruit flavors, but balanced with tart lime acidity and steely, honed minerality.
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.
Increasingly garnering widespread and well-deserved attention, New York ranks third in wine production in the United States (after California and Washington). Divided into six AVAs—the Finger Lakes, Lake Erie, Hudson River, Long Island, Champlain Valley of New York and the Niagara Escarpment, which crosses over into Michigan as well as Ontario, Canada—the state experiences varied climates, but in general summers are warm and humid while winters are very cold and can carry the risk of frost well into the growing season.
The Finger Lakes region has long been responsible for some of the country’s finest Riesling, and is gaining traction with elegant, light-bodied Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Experimentation with cold-hardy European varieties is common, and recent years have seen the successful planting of grapes like Grüner Veltliner and Saperavi (from the Eastern European country of Georgia). Long Island, on the other hand, has a more maritime climate influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, and shares some viticultural characteristics with Bordeaux. Accordingly, the best wines here are made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Niagara Escarpment is responsible for excellent ice wines, usually made from the hybrid variety, Vidal.