Winemaker Notes
The unique traits of Wiemer’s Magdalena Vineyard are featured in this lush Riesling. A beneficial air exchange with Seneca Lake moderates the temperatures, creating a warmer and more protective site in the colder months and a cooling effect throughout the summer. The airflow keeps the vineyard dry, and deep soil provides room for spreading root growth. The lime silt loam soil that the site is celebrated for is crucial to the development of flavor intensity in the grapes. Magdalena wines are striking and powerful, and develop very well over time– whether in the glass or in the cellar.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The ripe mirabelle, plum and melon aromas pour from the glass, but they remain delicate rather than lush. Quite powerful and succulent, but the crisp acidity structure keeps it on track on the very clean and subtly mineral finish, where the apricot note expands as it rolls off into the distance.
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Wine Enthusiast
A stunner year over year, this single-vineyard Riesling delves into earthy aromas of fennel pollen and sunbaked field flowers, with a solid core of yellow apple, and white peach. It's rounded and full in feel, filling out by broad pome- and stone-fruit flavors underscored by white tea and blossoms. A gentle honeycomb-wax note lends delightful grip to the dry finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Riesling Magdalena Vineyard comes in with seven grams of residual sugar and 12.4% alcohol. A little lighter and brighter, this doesn't have the concentrated mouthfeel of, say, the Riesling Reserve in this report, but it is more transparent, more expressive and just seems sunnier. I could make an argument that this is the best of the group, at least today.
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and engaging, with peach, pear and mirabelle plum notes bouncing playfully off each other, while honeysuckle and anise hints peek in. Long, zingy finish. Drink now through 2030. 800 cases made.
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.