The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance provided me with 6 new releases, all Riesling, from the Finger Lakes region in New York State. I complemented the Finger Lakes Riesling wines with 6 German Rieslings from my cellar, which I thought would fit in terms of quality level and price point. We tasted the wines blind during a dinner at our house in McLean, Virginia, with a group of wine friends.
Annette Schiller, wine tours by ombiasy, prepared the dinner (6 courses) and also prepared tasting notes (see below).
Celebrating Finger Lakes Wines in Washington DC
This was the fifth such tasting at our house in McLean, Virginia. Here are postings on schiller-wine about earlier events.
Celebrating the Rieslings of the Finger Lakes Region, New York State, US East Coast
Celebrating the Arrival of the Finger Lakes 2010 Riesling in Washington DC, USA
Celebrating the Release of the Finger Lakes 2011 Riesling in Washington DC, USA
Riesling in the World
Worldwide, there are about 34.000 hectares planted with Riesling. Germany – with 22.400 hectares – accounts for 2/3 of the total. The second largest Riesling producer is Australia, with 4500 hectares. But this is only about 1/10 of the total. Nevertheless, Australia was a bit underrepresented at the 1st International Riesling Symposium. Alsace follows with 3500 hectares. Austria, the US with Washington State and New York State as well as New Zealand make up the remainder. But overall Riesling is really a niche wine, accounting for only less than 1 percent of total wine production in the world - but a very special niche wine.
Finger Lakes AVA
The Finger Lakes AVA in upstate New York State encompasses seven glacial lakes, although the majority of plantings are around Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga Lakes. Most vineyards are planted on hillsides overlooking the lakes. These deep lakes help to moderate the climate, as stored heat is released from the lakes during the winter, keeping the weather mild (relative to surrounding areas) and preventing early frosts. The reflection of the sun off the lakes during summer extends the growing season. This cool-climate region is often compared to the wine-growing region of Germany, and like Germany, has had special success with Riesling.
The Finger Lakes include 4,452 hectares of vineyards, making it New York State's largest wine growing region. New York State is with Washington State the second largest wine producer in the US, with a bit more than 10.000 hectares. Of this, 400 hectares are accounted for by Riesling.
Annette Schiller’s Tasting Notes
See:
Germany Wine and Culture Tour August 2013
Here are Annette Schiller’s tasting notes.
Overall Conclusion
This tasting was a very interesting show off between Finger Lake and German Rieslings with the result that the Finger Lake wines were on par with the German wines.
All 12 wines tasted were very different with regard to level of sweetness and style, but all were on a surprisingly high level of quality, regardless of the different vintages and of their origins. All wines showed the Riesling’s flinty and fruity aromas, with the Finger Lake Rieslings much heavier on the floral/fruity side whereas the German Rieslings exhibited more minerality.
We tasted the 12 Rieslings in the following order.
12 Rieslings: Tasting Notes
Swedish Hill Winery 2011 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
Distinctive floral aromas on the nose, elegant interplay of fruitiness and acidity on the palate, well-structured lean body, and fresh, lingering finish.
Winzergenossenschaft Bornich, Loreley 2009, Riesling trocken, Mittelrhein, Germany
Nice bouquet of honey and yellow fruits with a hint of citrus on the nose, pronounced minerality, a mouth feel of stone and gravel is reminiscent of the Loreley rock, where the vines grow, round, firm finish.
See also:
The Wines of Loreley , Germany
Balthasar Ress 2011, Von Unserm, Riesling, Rheingau, Germany
Perfect Riesling aroma on the nose: citrus, ripe apple, peach with just a faint hint of tropical fruits, concentrated fruit, minerality, and a spirited yet stable acidity make this bone dry wine the ultimate summer wine, crisp and lingering finish.
See also:
Hanging out with Rheingau Winemakers: Dirk Wuertz, Desiree Eser, Alexander Jakob Jung, Hansi Bausch and Christian Ress in Hattenheim, Rheingau, Germany
Glenora Wine Cellars 2012 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
Exotic tropical and citrus flavors on the nose, pronounced sweetness with a hint if acidity, considerable minerality adds to the balance on the palate, medium bodied with a good finish.
Lakewood Vineyards 2012 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
A racy, beautiful Riesling, an attack of citrus on the nose and lots of yellow fruit flavors, a light to medium bodied, elegant wine with perfect acidity / sweetness balance, earthiness and minerality, and a crisp lingering finish.
Standing Stone Vineyards 2012 Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
A somewhat restraint bouquet of citrus, pear, and tropical fruits on the nose, considerable residual sugar on the palate, offset by a pronounced acidity, well balanced, medium bodied, mellow mouth feel and long finish.
Kuehling-Gillot 2010 Qvintera Riesling trocken, Rheinhessen, Germany
Beautiful bouquet of ripe apple and peach on the nose, lively acidity and just the right hint of sweetness on the palate paired with noticeable minerality, full bodied with a long finish.
See also:
The Wine Maker Couple H.O. Spanier and Carolin Spanier-Gillot, with Roland Gillot, Lead Wine Tasting of Kuehling-Gillot and Battenfeld-Spanier Wines at Weingut Kuehling-Gillot, Germany
Clemens Busch 2009, Vom roten Schiefer, Riesling, Mosel, Germany
Restrained bouquet of citrus, apple, peach flavors on the nose, concentrated fruit paired with a settled sweetness, spirited acidity and earthiness achieve elegance on the palate, light bodied with a broad finish.
See also:
With Wine Maker Clemens Busch in Puenderich at his Winery in the Mosel Valley, Germany
Red Newt Cellars 2011, Sawmill Creek Vineyards, Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
Pronounced yellow fruit aroma and a whiff of citrus and quince on the nose, distinctive sweetness on the palate, elegant combination of fruit and minerality, opulent finish.
Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars 2012 Red Oak Vineyard Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
Attack of honeysuckle, pear, floral aromas on the nose, pronounced sweetness and fruitiness combined with a restrained acidity on the palate leave a mellow mouth feel, exquisite finish.
Dr. Loosen 2011, Riesling Dry Red Slate, Mosel, Germany
Attack of tropical fruits, ripe peach, citrus, and also floral aromas on the nose, sweetness is elegantly balanced by a crisp acidity and minerality reflecting the wine’s slate origin, light bodied with a clean, everlasting finish.
For more on Ernst Loosen, see:
Riesling, Pinot Noir and Indian Cuisine: A tête-à-tête Dinner with Winemaker Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at Rasika in Washington DC, USA
Ernst Loosen and Dr. L. Riesling - His Hugely Popular Entry-level Wine Sold Throughout the World
A Riesling Guru and a Killer Guitarist cum Cult Winemaker: Ernst Loosen and Jay Somers and their J. Christopher Winery in Newberg, Oregon
Wine ratings: Two American/German wines - Eroica and Poet's Leap - on Top 100 Wines from Washington State list for 2009
August Kesseler 2011 Riesling Kabinett, Rheingau, Germany
Notes of ripe peach, apple, citrus, and spices on the nose, the residual sugar and concentrated fruit are perfectly balanced with a stable acidity, full bodied with a crisp, very fresh, broad finish.
See also:
A Pinot Noir Star: Visiting August Kesseler and his Weingut August Kesseler in Assmannshausen, Germany
Ranking
There were 10 of us. I asked all participants to rank the 12 wines and then aggregated the ranking. The best score could have been 12 and the worst score could have been 120. The actual scores ranged between 47 and 81.
1 (47) Lakewood Vineyards 2012 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
1 (47) Standing Stone Vineyards 2012 Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
3 (52) August Kesseler 2011 Riesling Kabinett, Rheingau, D
4 (54) Glenora Wine Cellars 2012 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
4 (54) Kuehling-Gillot 2010 Qvintera Riesling trocken, Rheinhessen, D
6 (56) Clemens Busch 2009 “vom roten schiefer” Riesling, Mosel, D
7 (70) Dr. Loosen 2011 Riesling Dry Red Slate, Mosel, D
8 (71) Swedish Hill Winery 2011 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
9 (72) Winzergenossenschaft Bornich 2009 Riesling trocken, Mittelrhein, D
10(73) Red Newt Cellars 2011 Sawmill Creek Vineyards Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
11(77) Balthasar Ress 2011 Riesling “Von Unserm”, Rheingau, D
12(81) Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars 2012 Red Oak Vineyard Riesling, Finger Lakes, USA
Dinner
Annette Schiller prepared a simple, but delicious 7-course dinner.
Cucumber with Cream on Slice of German Bratwurst
Spundekaes - A Specialty from Rheinhessen and the Rheingau
Salmon and Apple-Cucumber Salad
Green Asparagus with Prosciutto and Guacamole
German Potato Salate and Bratwurst
American Artisan Cheese Selection
Fresh Strawberries and Quark in a Crepe Cone
schiller-Wine: Related Postings
1st International Riesling Symposium, Rheingau, Germany
German Spaetlese Wines Can Come in Different Versions - I have Counted Five
How does a Sweet German Riesling Become Sweet?
Impressions from the Riesling & Co World Tour 2010 in New York
When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose
American and German Winemakers Among the 7 Winners of Trophies of Excellence of the Riesling Du Monde Competition 2010
German Winemakers in the World: Hermann J. Wiemer
German American Wines: (1) NV Two Worlds Pinot Noir, (2) Poet's Leap Riesling and (3) Herrmann J. Wiemer and his Finger Lakes Rieslings
German Wine Makers in the World: Dr. Konstantin Frank (USA)
Christian G.E. Schiller Leads Tasting of US-American Wines in Hochheim, Germany
Celebrating the Rieslings of the Finger Lakes Region, New York State, US East Coast
Dr. Frank Wines from Finger Lakes Featured at State Luncheon for Chancellor Merkel in Washington, D.C., USA
Kruger-Rumpf (Germany) and Dr. Frank (USA) Rieslings– The Wines I Brought to the 2011 European Wine Bloggers Conference (#EWBC) Opening BYOB Party
The Wines of Loreley , Germany
Celebrating the Arrival of the Finger Lakes 2010 Riesling in Washington DC, USA
Celebrating the Release of the Finger Lakes 2011 Riesling in Washington DC, USA