Winemaker Notes
An aromatic nose with slate, mineral and peach stone. Floral, mineral and tree fruit on the palate. Very attractive Finger Lakes Dry Riesling that is drinking well now and can cellar for 3-5 years. Riesling is the flagship variety of the Finger Lakes and produced in this dry and elegant style refreshing, intriguing and satisfying. Crisp, dry and aromatic, this wine shows classic Finger Lakes style. Flavors of orange peel, apricot and lemon curd fill the palate, while aromas reminiscent of pink grapefruit, key lime and ripe pineapple are present in the nose. This wine is an expression of the perfect climate for growing Riesling. Enjoy it today or for years to come as is ages elegantly in the bottle.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An extraordinarily expressive and exciting wine for this "regular" category with explosive grapefruit, orange and smoke aromas. Serious concentration and a citrusy acidity that lights up the wine like a flare and drives the super-mineral finish. Perfect now or in 2018, but this could easily age five more years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Dry Riesling, set for release in September, was sourced from Lahoma Vineyard on Seneca Lake. It comes in with just four grams per liter of residual sugar (which is very dry in the Finger Lakes with 6.6 grams of total acidity) and 13.2% alcohol. This is impressive, tightly-wound, very crisp and filled with energy. Reasonably concentrated, too, while maintaining its elegance, this is another example of how well Red Newt (and the Finger Lakes) does with this category for a reasonable price. This very serious, very precise Dry Riesling is a beauty, if you like them very dry. It should age well, but take that in stages and make sure you have good storage.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lime zest and white pepper notes are invigorating on the nose and palate of this piercing dry-style Riesling. Crisp green apple and white peach notes are pristine and pure, glazed by nuanced touches of honey and slate. It's full bodied but surprisingly light in texture with a long linear finish.
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.