Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Smoke and slate extend from nose to finish on this intensely mineral dry Riesling. On the palate, flavors of pristine white grapefruit and waxy lemons penetrate deeply, finishing long with a bracing crush of lime and salt.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Dry Riesling is a blend of three vineyards. Dry, but not austere and just a touch fruity, this is round and ripe in the middle with bursts of acidity in the back. The character is muted in this wine's youth, but it is very intense, finishing with delicious fruit that lingers. Nicely balanced, it should hold well.
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Wine & Spirits
This dry white starts with a bright lemony scent and builds into richer flavors, touching on carmelized pineapple. It has the weight to pair with pork loin.
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.