Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This offers much in the way of juicy, succulent limes with a fresh, zipped-up palate. Neat, dry style here.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Dry Riesling is a blend of 16 Falls Vineyard on shale and White Springs Vineyard on limestone, unoaked, dry (just four grams of sugar) and coming in at 12.6% alcohol. Owner-winemaker Morton Hallgren called this "an unusually ripe vintage," allowing more time with skin contact. Although the statistics don't look very different than on its sibling this issue, this is a little friendlier, showing a bit more up-front fruit and less austerity as it airs and warms. I liked them both a lot, but I'd pick this if I had to choose today, a minor preference, which makes this an even better value than the White Springs single-vineyard wine this issue. Perhaps not quite as concentrated and not quite as age-worthy, this is still pretty close. It does everything beautifully, and then adds that extra touch of fruit. I won't be surprised if the answer is different in a few years in comparing the two—in fact, I suspect it will be—but the balance here is very good. Overall, this is a fine example of the value you can find in fairly basic FLX categories. This will go a bit better with food, I suspect, but it can do well on its own too.
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Wine Spectator
Very lively, with good cut from start to finish, as peach, yellow and green apple and honeysuckle notes stream through, backed by a lingering mineral hint. Drink now through 2020
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.