Winemaker Notes
Bone dry with an intense aromatic profile of lilac and lime, this wine was bottled under screwcap in July of 2014 and has been allowed to mature for a year in bottle prior to release.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Dry Riesling was sourced from Lahoma Vineyard on Seneca Lake. Bone dry—Kelby loves his acidity, as always—it comes in with just one gram per liter of residual sugar and seven of total acidity. It also has 12% alcohol. This late release is the second vintage of this bottling. It is, he said, "a homage to the dry Riesling styles of Australia" that he encountered while there (and the back label says "Aussie"). Rather concentrated for the crisp style, this is not quite as teeth-shattering as I feared, the good fruit easily balancing some of the acidity. It is not shy, of course. Very crisp, it has a little bit of mouth pucker on the long finish. Tasted the next day, it was gorgeous, in shockingly good balance for something so young and dry. Everything fell into place. It has silky texture and a sophisticated demeanor. It is very focused and very precise. I liked it a lot more than on the first day tasted—it was suddenly drinking very well. This is closed, without that two-day span for drinking, and not particularly aromatic just now, but it will easily become more expressive in another year or two. It can certainly be approached now but remember that this is a food wine, not a simple sipper. It should age well, too. If you are into dry Riesling this is a fine value. It may yet be entitled to an uptick if it develops as well as I think that it might. There were 120 cases produced.
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.