Winemaker Notes
The HJW Vineyard is where it all began. On a bench of land seven hundred feet above Seneca Lake, Hermann planted the estate's first Riesling vines in 1977. We spotlight this block each vintage in the limited release Riesling HJW Vineyard. The site's cooler mesoclimate shows through with racy acidity underpinned by a dense mineral backbone.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The tension between the orange blossom and peach aromas and the racy acidity makes this very exciting. Excellent concentration and purity on the medium-bodied palate. Great mineral freshness in the very long, filigreed finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From the site first planted by Hermann Wiemer back in the late 1970s, the 2022 Riesling HJW Vineyard is a fairly large-scaled offering, at 12.5% alcohol and carrying seven grams per liter of residual sugar. It comes across as fairly dry, with scents of crushed stone, fern bracken, lime, green apple and hints of peach or nectarine on the nose, while the medium-bodied palate reveals a lovely silky texture, capped off by a crystalline quality on the lingering finish.
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Vinous
The 2022 Riesling HJW Vineyard explodes from the glass with lime zest, tangerine peel, white pepper and a subtle undercurrent of floral notes. Tart and energetic, it has a nervous energy that feels almost electric. The finish pulls up a hair short, likely due to the early picking necessary to maintain acidity in this warm vintage. The 2022 has 7 grams of residual sugar per liter, only perceptible in a slight roundness on the 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.