Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From Wiemer's original block of now 45-year-old vines, this is a concentrated, opulent Riesling, with class and harmony. Aromas of citrus peel, honeyed apple and floral aromas are backed by mineral, warm stone nuances. The tangy acidity is what's first noticeable on the palate. It beautifully juxtaposes the mouthfilling texture. There's intensity, purity and a long finish. Drink now and over the next several years.
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Wine & Spirits
Dramatically lean and dry, this leads with a gorgeous peach-blossom scent following a line of petrol and leafy herb. The lean pear and herb flavors have a pleasing phenolic edge. Young still; cellar.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Riesling HJW Vineyard comes in with six grams of residual sugar and 12.4% alcohol. A small (12%) part of the juice was aged for seven months in new, large-format Austrian foudres (2,000 liters). This was sourced from HJW vines planted in 1977 and 1978. It is the only one of the single vineyards bottled in this rainy vintage where the others were declassified. I expected that this would show well since it was the only one here of the typical single-vineyard wines from older vines. It will not be a monument to greatness in the winery's long history, but it is very good and hardly a slacker. Moderately expressive and mostly open, even in its youth, it has a fresh feel and a friendly finish. It's not particularly intense, but it lingers nicely and tastes great in a relatively dry-but-not-lean presentation. With aeration, the structure comes out to play and proves that this does also have some support for the fruit. It will age relatively well.
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.