Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Morten Hallgren had been making the wines at Carl Fribolin’s White Springs Vineyard in Geneva before he purchased the 42-acre property in 2012 and made its winery the base for Ravines. He is getting the hang of this gently sloped block of riesling, producing a softly assertive wine with tension between delicate lemon-lime fruit and tangy, salt-flecked, mineral persistence. It would benefit from some cellar time to serve with grilled barramundi.
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James Suckling
Another excellent dry riesling from Ravine's estate vineyard that's attained even more concentrated and supple levels than the excellent 2014, which it at least matches. Better in 2018 and capable of long ageing.
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Wine Spectator
Intense, featuring a jasmine oil note followed by pure yellow apple, star fruit and chamomile flavors. The finish is seriously long, with rapier cut and a lingering talc hint. Drink now through 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Dry Riesling White Springs comes in with 12.4% alcohol and just three grams per liter of residual sugar and over eight of total acidity, which makes it quite dry. For all of its mouth pucker and tartness, it also beautifully expresses its fruit, showing some stones and steel under the acidity. The regular Dry Riesling is also a bit tart, but lacks that complexity on the finish. Focused, elegant and precise, this should age pretty well, too. It will probably be a bit better at the end of the year than it is now.
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.