Winemaker Notes
Delicate at first then tropically ripe, brimming with apricot, nectarine and a touch of pineapple. Lemon citrus and acacia blossom balance the sweetness effortlessly.
Pair with Middle Eastern, Moroccan, Thai, and Asian cuisines. Pairs well with spicy and aromatic ingredients like pepper, ginger, curry, sesame, and soy. Also great with Spicy BBQ and wings.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lime, elderflower, peach and stone on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with sharp acidity and a citrusy palate. Rounded and semi-dry, but tangy. Drink now. Screw cap.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Semi-Dry Riesling comes in with 11.5% alcohol, 22 grams per liter of residual sugar and seven grams of total acidity. Not quite as aggressive as the Dry Riesling, this nonetheless shows off its nice acidity early and often. Focused, precise and pure, it has fine balance. At this price level, this (like its sibling) is a no-brainer purchase. The Dry Riesling has a lot more energy, while this is predictably lusher. Reasonable minds and personal preferences might differ as to which is better. I'd give the nod to the Dry Riesling just now, but it might depend on my mood and how I would use it.
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Wine Enthusiast
Rich aromas of tangerine and apricot meld with sharper tones of lime and thyme on the nose. There’s nice weight and depth to the medium-bodied palate, where juicy yet pithy orchard fruit flavors are propped up by zesty acidity. While fruity in nature, the balance is there, making this easy to enjoy as an aperitif.
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.