Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Stunning concentration and ripeness with a cornucopia of peach, nectarine and tangerine aromas that don't want to stop. The acidity precisely holds the wine's curvaceous body in form and gives the long finish great elegance and clarity. This too will be even better in 2018 and has at least a full decade of ageing potential. The greatest dry Riesling ever from Wiemer?
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Wine Enthusiast
Despite a savory backbone of slate and tart, tangerine acidity, sun-kissed cantaloupe, pineapple and citrus take center stage in this full-bodied Riesling. It's fresh and dry yet lusciously mouthfilling, clinging on the palate through a long, meandering finish. It's gorgeous already but should develop well through 2028.
Editors' Choice. -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Riesling Magdalena Vineyard is a dry, single-vineyard Riesling planted in 1999-2000. This comes in with 10 grams per liter of residual sugar and 12.5% alcohol. Although it is certainly dry, the sugar (on paper, not much in the Finger Lakes) shows a bit more here than on some of the others and there are hints of richness early on. In the dry tasting, it stood out just a little–not like a sore thumb, but nonetheless. Everything's relative. As it sat in the glass, however, it gradually turned fresher and became steelier. Two days later, the sugar had faded notably. As this ages, that will be the trend. With a long, tasty finish, this has classic Riesling nuances everywhere. It gets better with air and warmth. It should have a very long life ahead of it. The only problem now is that this is just too young. It needs to shed some baby fat. Last year, I liked the HJW better, but I might lean to this one among the dry Rieslings in 2015. Of course, as noted, the longer race is just beginning for Wiemer's long-lived Rieslings in this vintage.
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Wine Spectator
Shows a mature edge, with anise, bitter almond, nectarine and white peach notes mixed together. Ends with good zip amid a persistent waxy hint through the finish. Drink now through 2019.
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.