OUR PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

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OREGON 250 WINES RATE 90+

DISCOVER NEW YORKS FINGER LAKES

THE BEST RARE WHISKIES

CHOCOLATE FOR VALENTINES DAY

JAN 31 - FEB 28 2013

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V INTNERS IN NEW YORKS EMERGENT

Finger Lakes region have found a formula for

success based largely on Riesling and theyre

gaining experience quickly The latest evidence is

tmiddothe 2011 vintage when they proved

their expertise as heavy rains late in the season made for a tricky harvest

In general the 201ls are broader

and with(lut really bright acidity says

Bob Madill owner ofSheldrake Point Winery on Cayuga Lde But people

art more adept in the vineyards and winery

than they were even five years ago A vinshy

tage like 20 II-had it happened a few years ago-could have been a real disaster

The growers who didnt stay on top of their spray

program were shown no mercy says Morten Hallshy

gren ofRavines Wine Cellars which recently moved

imo a new facility on Seneca Lake Leaf-pulling for

better air flow around clusters ro reduce disease presshy

sure and reducing yields to fully ripen the grapes were other techniques critical to success in 20 II notes Hallgren

This is Vine Spectators first formal tasting repurt on the Finger

Lakes though I have covered the region for several years and regushylarly visit the area to meet

ith producers and growers

During the past 12 months

I have reviewed more than

325 Finger Lakes wines in blind tastings in uur New

RIESLING MAKES ITS MARK IN THIS NEW YORK WINE REGION BY JAMES MOLESWORTH

York office two-thirds of which received ratshy

ings of 85 points or higher on Wine Spectashycors 100-point scale including 28 wines that

earned outstanding ratings of 90 or more points (A free alphabetical list of scores and

prices for all wines tasted is available at www

winespectatoLcom022813 )

About a five-hour drive northwest from New York City the Finger Lakes region now

has 118 wineries up from 69 JUSt 10 years ago

The majority ring the three lakes of Cayuga Seneca and Keuka These deep lakes carved by glaciers provide a moderating influence

that allows vines to thrive during the growing

season and survive tough winters ifhile Finshy

ger Lakes producers have historically relied

on native and hybrid grapes the best continue

to focus on European vinifera varieties prishy

marily Riesling and other aromatic whites

along with promising reds such as Pinot Noir

Cabemet Franc and Lemberger

Among the vinifera varieties Riesling

leads with approximately 540 acres of vines

abollt one-third of the total acreage planted

to vinifera grapes though the region does

not have exact figures In addition producshy

ers are homing in on proper site selection for

new plantings reducing yields for quality and

showing a growing willingness to compete

for customers outside of their local base

IH[finest Finget Lakes Rieslings are dry

crisp taut and fresh-styled wines

with flavors ranging from slate and

lime to peach jasmine and green apple

There are very good to outstanding off-dry

and sweet versions as well though they are

in the minority Riesling is clearly the Finger

Lakes best hope at the moment for competshy

ing on the world stage Of the nearly 150

Rieslings reviewed in this report half are

from the 2011 vintage

The Hermann J Wiemer winery produced three of the top botshy

tlings including the late-release Riesling Finger Lakes Dry HJW Vineyard 2010 (92 points $39) (The winery has not yet released

its 2011s) The highest-rated 2011 bottlings are the debut Forge

Cellars Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 (91 $25) a gorgeous white

from Rhone vigneron Louis Barruol and the pure Silver Thread

Riesling Seneca Lake STY Estate Vineyard 2011 (91 $25) The

Forge a blend of fruit from several different vineyards was wholeshy

cluster fermented in oak an unusual technique for a region that

generally relies on the ease and safety of fermentations in stainlessshysteel tanks Other leading wineries include Anthony Road Bloomer

Creek Fox Run Keuka Lake Vineyards Ravines Red Newt Celshy

lars Sheldrake Point Standing Stone and Tierce

Many of the regions top Riesling producers now fashion mulshytiple bottlings focusing on single-vineyard sources as the hunt for

82 WINE SPECTATOR JAN 31 - FEB 28 2013

Since acquiring Silver Thread Vineyard two years ago the husband-and-wife team of Paul and Shannon Brock has found success at this Seneca Lake winery producing three outstanding Rieslings in 2011

distinctive tenoir has kicked into high gear in recent years

Really the only single vineyard prior to 2007 was Heron Hills

Ingle Vineyard says Fred Merwarth owner and winemaker at

Hermann J Wiemer on Seneca Lake But the natural evolution for a region is to figure out what varietal works Then the next step

is to really prove it belongs there and that it isnt something that

just works OK To do that the varietal needs to replicate a sense

of place based on specific sites And were now dedicated to doing Single-vineyard bottlings every year at Wiemer to demonstrate what

Finger Lakes Riesling can do-and how site-specific it can be

Noting that all three of his top Riesling vineyards were harvested

on the same day in October 20 II Merwarth thinks each provides a distinct flavor and acidity profile giving him the evidence he needs

to pursue single-vineyard bottlings But while the single-vineyard

concept is catching on there are still many wineries that produce

Rieslings by blending various sites

The single vineyards are the individual instruments

but the dry bottling is the orchestra says Paul Brock

who with his wife Shannon recently bought Silver

Thread Vineyard on Seneca Lake I like to show what

the single vineyards bring so I keep some separate but

I really like to put the components together and make

the best possible wine I can make that way

The Silver Thread Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011

(89 $16) which blends three vineyard sources is an

excellent value as are the Ravines Riesling Finger Lakes

Dry 2011 (89 $17) and Keuka Lake Vineyards Riesling

Finger Lakes Dry 2011 (89 $18)

These are only a few of the many well-priced wines on

offer from the Finger Lakes which teems with value

Overall there are 130 wines in this report that cost $20

or less while earning scores of 85 points or better includshy

ing many frontline Riesling bottlings Look for wines from

Atwater Estate Billsboro Damiani Dr Konstantin Frank

Rooster Hill and Wagner among others

addition to Riesling other white varietals such as

Gewlirztraminer and Chardonnay are the regions

most consistent But strides are being made with

red wines as well Cabernet Franc has often been conshy

sidered the Finger Lakes best bet yet Pinot Noir and

other cool-climate wines have caught up quickly in some

cases surpassing the best Cabernet Francs despite their

shorter track record

Pinot Noir lovers should start taking a closer look at

bottlings from the Finger Lakes Difficult to grow and

vinify the grape is being taken more seriollsly by proshy

ducers such as Tom Higgins owner and winemaker at

IN

The vineyards of Heart amp Hands on Cayuga Lake areHeart amp Hands on Cayuga Lake who are

willing to lower yields for quality and deal

with Pinots idiosyncrasies

If you look at benchmark places around

the globe the underlying current is that the

best wine grapes are found on limestoneshy

based soils says Higgins And given the

landscape of the wine world Pinot Noir is

the most notorious for demonstrating a sense

of place That combination means the Finshy

ger Lakes has a wonderful opportunity to

present itself as something unique and difshy

ferent in terms of wine

Higgins worked with Josh Jensen at Calishy

Skaneatls _

c~ndI~U G0jivo KO Lak ~t~

La

_

Penn va sbullbull lob

fro

planted primarily to Pinot Nair acool-climate grape showing significant promise across the Finger Lakes

in three years the couple started with Pinot

Noir while also including small parcels of

Teroldego Lemberger (also called Blaufranshy

kisch) Lagrein and Dornfelder

Teroldego was very intriguing given that

its grown ill alpine vineyards at the base of l $ j

the Dolomites Winters call be extreme in this tth)CO middot - location and Teroldego shares a parent with bull tImmondport Wlkl~s Glen jNEWYOR

Syrah an established cool-climate wine culshy

tivar says Irelan referring to the need forFINGER LAKES i o~ 1

fornias Calera winery and then moved to the Finger Lakes to stake

his claim founding his winery in 2006 After locating some spots

in the region with limestone soils he was convinced he could make

quality Pinot Noir today 1300 of the 2100 cases he produces are

Pinot The Heart amp Hands Pinot Noir Finger Lakes Elaines Vineshy

yard 2010 (87 $31) shows plum skill blackberry and black currant

fruit with flickers of cinnamon black tea and clove Billsboro

Damiani and Shales tone also made very good Pinots

Exploring the potential of other cool-climate red varietals is

Nancy Irelan who with her husband Michael Schnelle founded

Red Tail Ridge on Seneca Lake in 2004 Planting 20 acres of vines

vines to survive the cold upstate New York

winters As for Blaufrankisch I believe the variety has demonstrated

its fitness in the Finger Lakes Hopefully you will see more plantings

of this variety in the next few years Blaufrankisch has been such a

popular wine for us that this past spring we pulled out some Riesling

if you can you believe it and planted around 900 vines

As the regions steadily growing ranks of winemakers gain expeshy

rience homing ill on the best grapes and vineyard sites the Finger

Lakes is quickly becoming an excellent source for quality and value

Its time for serious wine consumers to take notice

Senior editor James Molesworth is Wine Spectators lead taster on the wines of the Finge-r Lakes

JAN 31 - FEB 28 2013 bull WINE SPECTATOR 83

James Molesworths Recommended Wines From the Finger Lakes More than 325 wines were reviewed for this report A free alphabetical list is available at wwwwinespectatorcom022813

WineSpectatorcom members can access complete reviews for all wines tasted using the online Wine Ratings search

TOP WINES WINE SCORE PRICE

ANTHONY ROAD Riesling Finger Lakes Martini Reinhardt Selection 2009

92 $30

Ripe and beautifully defined with ginger-infused apple honeysuckle and Quince flavors Offers a flash of sweetness but relies on minerality in the end Stands apart frolll the pack for its length and purity

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Ice Wine 2010 92 $60 Lusciously sweet but pure and racy with vibrant pear creamed apple green fig jasmine and Quince notes all woven together and gliding througll the lengthy finisll

HERMANN J_ WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 92 $39 HJW Vineyard 2010 This is ripe but Sl10WS excellent precision with gorgeous mouthfeel to the persimmon Jonagold apple anise and honeysuckle notes which flow througl1 the seamless lengthy finish

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes 92 $65 Late Harvest Select 2010 375ml SI10WSweight with creamed peach apricot and pear fruit flavors but stays pure and stylish with hints of heather orange blossom and Quince fi lling ill on the finish This should age nicely

FORGE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 91 $25 A persimmon nectarine and wl1ite peach core is flanked by lightly singed almond husk and lanolin notes in this pure piercing white

KEUKA LAKE VINEYARDS Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 91 $30 Falling Man Vineyard 2010 Mouthfilling and racy with fennel green almond and pear flavors carried by tense acidity that lends amplecut on the finish

SILVER THREAD Riesling Seneca Lake 91 $25 STV Estate Vineyard 2011 This pure White offers astrong chamomile and Quinine spine cutting through the kaffir lime green apple and green almond notes

STANDING STONE Gewiirztraminer Finger Lakes Ice 2010 91 $25 Bold and spicy with lively tangerine clementine orange zest 375ml and date flavors laced with ginger and green tea notes

STANDING STONE Vidal Finger Lakes Ice 2010 91 $25 Ripe sweet and viscous witl1 the acidity to match showing flavorsof 375mI date almond cream candied orange peel Quince paste and apricot

TO P WIN ES (continued) WINE SCORE PRICE

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 91 $36 Magdalena Vineyard 2010 This takes abolder stance with fleshy Quince persimmon and ginger notes backed by a long fig- and pear-filled finisll

TOP VALUES WINE SCORE PRICE

FOX RUN Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 89 $16 Offers nice depth for the vintage with good nerve to the green apple melon rind and chamomile notes

RAVINES Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 89 $17 Very lively with crunchy kaffir lime tarragon green apple and melon rind notes that bounce through the juicy finish

WAGNER Riesling Finger Lakes Select 2011 89 $13 This has surprising depth for the vintage with anise apple and bergamot notes driving along nicely

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2010 89 $17 Pure and creamy with pear eau-de-vie green almond and fig notes that glide through the lengthy finish

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes 2010 88 $16 This fresh white offers lively green and yellow apple fruit with pretty honeysuckle and white ginger notes that linger through the finish

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 88 $16 Shows impressive tension with amix of citrus oil bitter grapefruit green plum and chamomi le notes that drive along nicely

FOX RUN Lemberger Finger Lakes 2009 88 $18 Bright blueberry and loganberry fruit is framed by alight thread of sage and backed by lively acidity that carries the finish

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes 2011 88 $16 Offers a tangy feel with pippin apple fennel lime and pear skin notes

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 88 $16 Chamomile and apple notes mix with hints of plantain and Key lime

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2010 88 $18 Rather open-knit already with arounded feel to the lemon curd yellow apple and melon rind notes Plump and ready to drink

Rating Finger Lakes Vintages

2012 90-93 An early spring was followed by a warm dry season with an earlier-than-usual harvest some late rains helped vines finish ripening after the drought Consistent vintage with very high quality and excellent acidity

852011 Following a wet spring mid-season was warm and dry yet late season rains resulted in high disease pressure Riesling performed well but an inconsistent growing season overali

2010 90 Warm dry growing season with little to no disease pressure early-ripening varieties harvested under ideal conditions Late rains only blemish Riesling came through fine but reds more variable

2009 86 Wet growing season that lacked consistent warmth led to uneven ripening managing yields was key Rieslings are often brisk in style but with good length other aromatic whites good while reds far more inconsisten t

892008 Cool wet growing season saved by Indian summer in September Riesling excellent and other aromatic whites performed very well reds good

882007 Mild winter followed by unusually hot dry growing season only relief was scattered showers in August Rieslings are clean ripe and forward thougll some lack zip for balance reds benefited more from the warm season

A score range indicates a preliminary rating based on ba(rel samples andor a limited sampling

Vintage ratings 95-100 classic 90-94 outstanding 85-89 very good 80-84 good 75-79 mediocre

NYR

Drink

Drink or hold

Drink

Drink

Drink

50-74 not recommended Drlnkabllity NVR means the vintage has not yet been released drink means most of the wines of the vintage are ready to drink hold means most of the ageworthy wines have yet to fully mature

84 W INE SPECTATOR J A N 31 - FEB 28 2013

V INTNERS IN NEW YORKS EMERGENT

Finger Lakes region have found a formula for

success based largely on Riesling and theyre

gaining experience quickly The latest evidence is

tmiddothe 2011 vintage when they proved

their expertise as heavy rains late in the season made for a tricky harvest

In general the 201ls are broader

and with(lut really bright acidity says

Bob Madill owner ofSheldrake Point Winery on Cayuga Lde But people

art more adept in the vineyards and winery

than they were even five years ago A vinshy

tage like 20 II-had it happened a few years ago-could have been a real disaster

The growers who didnt stay on top of their spray

program were shown no mercy says Morten Hallshy

gren ofRavines Wine Cellars which recently moved

imo a new facility on Seneca Lake Leaf-pulling for

better air flow around clusters ro reduce disease presshy

sure and reducing yields to fully ripen the grapes were other techniques critical to success in 20 II notes Hallgren

This is Vine Spectators first formal tasting repurt on the Finger

Lakes though I have covered the region for several years and regushylarly visit the area to meet

ith producers and growers

During the past 12 months

I have reviewed more than

325 Finger Lakes wines in blind tastings in uur New

RIESLING MAKES ITS MARK IN THIS NEW YORK WINE REGION BY JAMES MOLESWORTH

York office two-thirds of which received ratshy

ings of 85 points or higher on Wine Spectashycors 100-point scale including 28 wines that

earned outstanding ratings of 90 or more points (A free alphabetical list of scores and

prices for all wines tasted is available at www

winespectatoLcom022813 )

About a five-hour drive northwest from New York City the Finger Lakes region now

has 118 wineries up from 69 JUSt 10 years ago

The majority ring the three lakes of Cayuga Seneca and Keuka These deep lakes carved by glaciers provide a moderating influence

that allows vines to thrive during the growing

season and survive tough winters ifhile Finshy

ger Lakes producers have historically relied

on native and hybrid grapes the best continue

to focus on European vinifera varieties prishy

marily Riesling and other aromatic whites

along with promising reds such as Pinot Noir

Cabemet Franc and Lemberger

Among the vinifera varieties Riesling

leads with approximately 540 acres of vines

abollt one-third of the total acreage planted

to vinifera grapes though the region does

not have exact figures In addition producshy

ers are homing in on proper site selection for

new plantings reducing yields for quality and

showing a growing willingness to compete

for customers outside of their local base

IH[finest Finget Lakes Rieslings are dry

crisp taut and fresh-styled wines

with flavors ranging from slate and

lime to peach jasmine and green apple

There are very good to outstanding off-dry

and sweet versions as well though they are

in the minority Riesling is clearly the Finger

Lakes best hope at the moment for competshy

ing on the world stage Of the nearly 150

Rieslings reviewed in this report half are

from the 2011 vintage

The Hermann J Wiemer winery produced three of the top botshy

tlings including the late-release Riesling Finger Lakes Dry HJW Vineyard 2010 (92 points $39) (The winery has not yet released

its 2011s) The highest-rated 2011 bottlings are the debut Forge

Cellars Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 (91 $25) a gorgeous white

from Rhone vigneron Louis Barruol and the pure Silver Thread

Riesling Seneca Lake STY Estate Vineyard 2011 (91 $25) The

Forge a blend of fruit from several different vineyards was wholeshy

cluster fermented in oak an unusual technique for a region that

generally relies on the ease and safety of fermentations in stainlessshysteel tanks Other leading wineries include Anthony Road Bloomer

Creek Fox Run Keuka Lake Vineyards Ravines Red Newt Celshy

lars Sheldrake Point Standing Stone and Tierce

Many of the regions top Riesling producers now fashion mulshytiple bottlings focusing on single-vineyard sources as the hunt for

82 WINE SPECTATOR JAN 31 - FEB 28 2013

Since acquiring Silver Thread Vineyard two years ago the husband-and-wife team of Paul and Shannon Brock has found success at this Seneca Lake winery producing three outstanding Rieslings in 2011

distinctive tenoir has kicked into high gear in recent years

Really the only single vineyard prior to 2007 was Heron Hills

Ingle Vineyard says Fred Merwarth owner and winemaker at

Hermann J Wiemer on Seneca Lake But the natural evolution for a region is to figure out what varietal works Then the next step

is to really prove it belongs there and that it isnt something that

just works OK To do that the varietal needs to replicate a sense

of place based on specific sites And were now dedicated to doing Single-vineyard bottlings every year at Wiemer to demonstrate what

Finger Lakes Riesling can do-and how site-specific it can be

Noting that all three of his top Riesling vineyards were harvested

on the same day in October 20 II Merwarth thinks each provides a distinct flavor and acidity profile giving him the evidence he needs

to pursue single-vineyard bottlings But while the single-vineyard

concept is catching on there are still many wineries that produce

Rieslings by blending various sites

The single vineyards are the individual instruments

but the dry bottling is the orchestra says Paul Brock

who with his wife Shannon recently bought Silver

Thread Vineyard on Seneca Lake I like to show what

the single vineyards bring so I keep some separate but

I really like to put the components together and make

the best possible wine I can make that way

The Silver Thread Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011

(89 $16) which blends three vineyard sources is an

excellent value as are the Ravines Riesling Finger Lakes

Dry 2011 (89 $17) and Keuka Lake Vineyards Riesling

Finger Lakes Dry 2011 (89 $18)

These are only a few of the many well-priced wines on

offer from the Finger Lakes which teems with value

Overall there are 130 wines in this report that cost $20

or less while earning scores of 85 points or better includshy

ing many frontline Riesling bottlings Look for wines from

Atwater Estate Billsboro Damiani Dr Konstantin Frank

Rooster Hill and Wagner among others

addition to Riesling other white varietals such as

Gewlirztraminer and Chardonnay are the regions

most consistent But strides are being made with

red wines as well Cabernet Franc has often been conshy

sidered the Finger Lakes best bet yet Pinot Noir and

other cool-climate wines have caught up quickly in some

cases surpassing the best Cabernet Francs despite their

shorter track record

Pinot Noir lovers should start taking a closer look at

bottlings from the Finger Lakes Difficult to grow and

vinify the grape is being taken more seriollsly by proshy

ducers such as Tom Higgins owner and winemaker at

IN

The vineyards of Heart amp Hands on Cayuga Lake areHeart amp Hands on Cayuga Lake who are

willing to lower yields for quality and deal

with Pinots idiosyncrasies

If you look at benchmark places around

the globe the underlying current is that the

best wine grapes are found on limestoneshy

based soils says Higgins And given the

landscape of the wine world Pinot Noir is

the most notorious for demonstrating a sense

of place That combination means the Finshy

ger Lakes has a wonderful opportunity to

present itself as something unique and difshy

ferent in terms of wine

Higgins worked with Josh Jensen at Calishy

Skaneatls _

c~ndI~U G0jivo KO Lak ~t~

La

_

Penn va sbullbull lob

fro

planted primarily to Pinot Nair acool-climate grape showing significant promise across the Finger Lakes

in three years the couple started with Pinot

Noir while also including small parcels of

Teroldego Lemberger (also called Blaufranshy

kisch) Lagrein and Dornfelder

Teroldego was very intriguing given that

its grown ill alpine vineyards at the base of l $ j

the Dolomites Winters call be extreme in this tth)CO middot - location and Teroldego shares a parent with bull tImmondport Wlkl~s Glen jNEWYOR

Syrah an established cool-climate wine culshy

tivar says Irelan referring to the need forFINGER LAKES i o~ 1

fornias Calera winery and then moved to the Finger Lakes to stake

his claim founding his winery in 2006 After locating some spots

in the region with limestone soils he was convinced he could make

quality Pinot Noir today 1300 of the 2100 cases he produces are

Pinot The Heart amp Hands Pinot Noir Finger Lakes Elaines Vineshy

yard 2010 (87 $31) shows plum skill blackberry and black currant

fruit with flickers of cinnamon black tea and clove Billsboro

Damiani and Shales tone also made very good Pinots

Exploring the potential of other cool-climate red varietals is

Nancy Irelan who with her husband Michael Schnelle founded

Red Tail Ridge on Seneca Lake in 2004 Planting 20 acres of vines

vines to survive the cold upstate New York

winters As for Blaufrankisch I believe the variety has demonstrated

its fitness in the Finger Lakes Hopefully you will see more plantings

of this variety in the next few years Blaufrankisch has been such a

popular wine for us that this past spring we pulled out some Riesling

if you can you believe it and planted around 900 vines

As the regions steadily growing ranks of winemakers gain expeshy

rience homing ill on the best grapes and vineyard sites the Finger

Lakes is quickly becoming an excellent source for quality and value

Its time for serious wine consumers to take notice

Senior editor James Molesworth is Wine Spectators lead taster on the wines of the Finge-r Lakes

JAN 31 - FEB 28 2013 bull WINE SPECTATOR 83

James Molesworths Recommended Wines From the Finger Lakes More than 325 wines were reviewed for this report A free alphabetical list is available at wwwwinespectatorcom022813

WineSpectatorcom members can access complete reviews for all wines tasted using the online Wine Ratings search

TOP WINES WINE SCORE PRICE

ANTHONY ROAD Riesling Finger Lakes Martini Reinhardt Selection 2009

92 $30

Ripe and beautifully defined with ginger-infused apple honeysuckle and Quince flavors Offers a flash of sweetness but relies on minerality in the end Stands apart frolll the pack for its length and purity

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Ice Wine 2010 92 $60 Lusciously sweet but pure and racy with vibrant pear creamed apple green fig jasmine and Quince notes all woven together and gliding througll the lengthy finisll

HERMANN J_ WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 92 $39 HJW Vineyard 2010 This is ripe but Sl10WS excellent precision with gorgeous mouthfeel to the persimmon Jonagold apple anise and honeysuckle notes which flow througl1 the seamless lengthy finish

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes 92 $65 Late Harvest Select 2010 375ml SI10WSweight with creamed peach apricot and pear fruit flavors but stays pure and stylish with hints of heather orange blossom and Quince fi lling ill on the finish This should age nicely

FORGE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 91 $25 A persimmon nectarine and wl1ite peach core is flanked by lightly singed almond husk and lanolin notes in this pure piercing white

KEUKA LAKE VINEYARDS Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 91 $30 Falling Man Vineyard 2010 Mouthfilling and racy with fennel green almond and pear flavors carried by tense acidity that lends amplecut on the finish

SILVER THREAD Riesling Seneca Lake 91 $25 STV Estate Vineyard 2011 This pure White offers astrong chamomile and Quinine spine cutting through the kaffir lime green apple and green almond notes

STANDING STONE Gewiirztraminer Finger Lakes Ice 2010 91 $25 Bold and spicy with lively tangerine clementine orange zest 375ml and date flavors laced with ginger and green tea notes

STANDING STONE Vidal Finger Lakes Ice 2010 91 $25 Ripe sweet and viscous witl1 the acidity to match showing flavorsof 375mI date almond cream candied orange peel Quince paste and apricot

TO P WIN ES (continued) WINE SCORE PRICE

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 91 $36 Magdalena Vineyard 2010 This takes abolder stance with fleshy Quince persimmon and ginger notes backed by a long fig- and pear-filled finisll

TOP VALUES WINE SCORE PRICE

FOX RUN Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 89 $16 Offers nice depth for the vintage with good nerve to the green apple melon rind and chamomile notes

RAVINES Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 89 $17 Very lively with crunchy kaffir lime tarragon green apple and melon rind notes that bounce through the juicy finish

WAGNER Riesling Finger Lakes Select 2011 89 $13 This has surprising depth for the vintage with anise apple and bergamot notes driving along nicely

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2010 89 $17 Pure and creamy with pear eau-de-vie green almond and fig notes that glide through the lengthy finish

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes 2010 88 $16 This fresh white offers lively green and yellow apple fruit with pretty honeysuckle and white ginger notes that linger through the finish

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 88 $16 Shows impressive tension with amix of citrus oil bitter grapefruit green plum and chamomi le notes that drive along nicely

FOX RUN Lemberger Finger Lakes 2009 88 $18 Bright blueberry and loganberry fruit is framed by alight thread of sage and backed by lively acidity that carries the finish

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes 2011 88 $16 Offers a tangy feel with pippin apple fennel lime and pear skin notes

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 88 $16 Chamomile and apple notes mix with hints of plantain and Key lime

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2010 88 $18 Rather open-knit already with arounded feel to the lemon curd yellow apple and melon rind notes Plump and ready to drink

Rating Finger Lakes Vintages

2012 90-93 An early spring was followed by a warm dry season with an earlier-than-usual harvest some late rains helped vines finish ripening after the drought Consistent vintage with very high quality and excellent acidity

852011 Following a wet spring mid-season was warm and dry yet late season rains resulted in high disease pressure Riesling performed well but an inconsistent growing season overali

2010 90 Warm dry growing season with little to no disease pressure early-ripening varieties harvested under ideal conditions Late rains only blemish Riesling came through fine but reds more variable

2009 86 Wet growing season that lacked consistent warmth led to uneven ripening managing yields was key Rieslings are often brisk in style but with good length other aromatic whites good while reds far more inconsisten t

892008 Cool wet growing season saved by Indian summer in September Riesling excellent and other aromatic whites performed very well reds good

882007 Mild winter followed by unusually hot dry growing season only relief was scattered showers in August Rieslings are clean ripe and forward thougll some lack zip for balance reds benefited more from the warm season

A score range indicates a preliminary rating based on ba(rel samples andor a limited sampling

Vintage ratings 95-100 classic 90-94 outstanding 85-89 very good 80-84 good 75-79 mediocre

NYR

Drink

Drink or hold

Drink

Drink

Drink

50-74 not recommended Drlnkabllity NVR means the vintage has not yet been released drink means most of the wines of the vintage are ready to drink hold means most of the ageworthy wines have yet to fully mature

84 W INE SPECTATOR J A N 31 - FEB 28 2013

York office two-thirds of which received ratshy

ings of 85 points or higher on Wine Spectashycors 100-point scale including 28 wines that

earned outstanding ratings of 90 or more points (A free alphabetical list of scores and

prices for all wines tasted is available at www

winespectatoLcom022813 )

About a five-hour drive northwest from New York City the Finger Lakes region now

has 118 wineries up from 69 JUSt 10 years ago

The majority ring the three lakes of Cayuga Seneca and Keuka These deep lakes carved by glaciers provide a moderating influence

that allows vines to thrive during the growing

season and survive tough winters ifhile Finshy

ger Lakes producers have historically relied

on native and hybrid grapes the best continue

to focus on European vinifera varieties prishy

marily Riesling and other aromatic whites

along with promising reds such as Pinot Noir

Cabemet Franc and Lemberger

Among the vinifera varieties Riesling

leads with approximately 540 acres of vines

abollt one-third of the total acreage planted

to vinifera grapes though the region does

not have exact figures In addition producshy

ers are homing in on proper site selection for

new plantings reducing yields for quality and

showing a growing willingness to compete

for customers outside of their local base

IH[finest Finget Lakes Rieslings are dry

crisp taut and fresh-styled wines

with flavors ranging from slate and

lime to peach jasmine and green apple

There are very good to outstanding off-dry

and sweet versions as well though they are

in the minority Riesling is clearly the Finger

Lakes best hope at the moment for competshy

ing on the world stage Of the nearly 150

Rieslings reviewed in this report half are

from the 2011 vintage

The Hermann J Wiemer winery produced three of the top botshy

tlings including the late-release Riesling Finger Lakes Dry HJW Vineyard 2010 (92 points $39) (The winery has not yet released

its 2011s) The highest-rated 2011 bottlings are the debut Forge

Cellars Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 (91 $25) a gorgeous white

from Rhone vigneron Louis Barruol and the pure Silver Thread

Riesling Seneca Lake STY Estate Vineyard 2011 (91 $25) The

Forge a blend of fruit from several different vineyards was wholeshy

cluster fermented in oak an unusual technique for a region that

generally relies on the ease and safety of fermentations in stainlessshysteel tanks Other leading wineries include Anthony Road Bloomer

Creek Fox Run Keuka Lake Vineyards Ravines Red Newt Celshy

lars Sheldrake Point Standing Stone and Tierce

Many of the regions top Riesling producers now fashion mulshytiple bottlings focusing on single-vineyard sources as the hunt for

82 WINE SPECTATOR JAN 31 - FEB 28 2013

Since acquiring Silver Thread Vineyard two years ago the husband-and-wife team of Paul and Shannon Brock has found success at this Seneca Lake winery producing three outstanding Rieslings in 2011

distinctive tenoir has kicked into high gear in recent years

Really the only single vineyard prior to 2007 was Heron Hills

Ingle Vineyard says Fred Merwarth owner and winemaker at

Hermann J Wiemer on Seneca Lake But the natural evolution for a region is to figure out what varietal works Then the next step

is to really prove it belongs there and that it isnt something that

just works OK To do that the varietal needs to replicate a sense

of place based on specific sites And were now dedicated to doing Single-vineyard bottlings every year at Wiemer to demonstrate what

Finger Lakes Riesling can do-and how site-specific it can be

Noting that all three of his top Riesling vineyards were harvested

on the same day in October 20 II Merwarth thinks each provides a distinct flavor and acidity profile giving him the evidence he needs

to pursue single-vineyard bottlings But while the single-vineyard

concept is catching on there are still many wineries that produce

Rieslings by blending various sites

The single vineyards are the individual instruments

but the dry bottling is the orchestra says Paul Brock

who with his wife Shannon recently bought Silver

Thread Vineyard on Seneca Lake I like to show what

the single vineyards bring so I keep some separate but

I really like to put the components together and make

the best possible wine I can make that way

The Silver Thread Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011

(89 $16) which blends three vineyard sources is an

excellent value as are the Ravines Riesling Finger Lakes

Dry 2011 (89 $17) and Keuka Lake Vineyards Riesling

Finger Lakes Dry 2011 (89 $18)

These are only a few of the many well-priced wines on

offer from the Finger Lakes which teems with value

Overall there are 130 wines in this report that cost $20

or less while earning scores of 85 points or better includshy

ing many frontline Riesling bottlings Look for wines from

Atwater Estate Billsboro Damiani Dr Konstantin Frank

Rooster Hill and Wagner among others

addition to Riesling other white varietals such as

Gewlirztraminer and Chardonnay are the regions

most consistent But strides are being made with

red wines as well Cabernet Franc has often been conshy

sidered the Finger Lakes best bet yet Pinot Noir and

other cool-climate wines have caught up quickly in some

cases surpassing the best Cabernet Francs despite their

shorter track record

Pinot Noir lovers should start taking a closer look at

bottlings from the Finger Lakes Difficult to grow and

vinify the grape is being taken more seriollsly by proshy

ducers such as Tom Higgins owner and winemaker at

IN

The vineyards of Heart amp Hands on Cayuga Lake areHeart amp Hands on Cayuga Lake who are

willing to lower yields for quality and deal

with Pinots idiosyncrasies

If you look at benchmark places around

the globe the underlying current is that the

best wine grapes are found on limestoneshy

based soils says Higgins And given the

landscape of the wine world Pinot Noir is

the most notorious for demonstrating a sense

of place That combination means the Finshy

ger Lakes has a wonderful opportunity to

present itself as something unique and difshy

ferent in terms of wine

Higgins worked with Josh Jensen at Calishy

Skaneatls _

c~ndI~U G0jivo KO Lak ~t~

La

_

Penn va sbullbull lob

fro

planted primarily to Pinot Nair acool-climate grape showing significant promise across the Finger Lakes

in three years the couple started with Pinot

Noir while also including small parcels of

Teroldego Lemberger (also called Blaufranshy

kisch) Lagrein and Dornfelder

Teroldego was very intriguing given that

its grown ill alpine vineyards at the base of l $ j

the Dolomites Winters call be extreme in this tth)CO middot - location and Teroldego shares a parent with bull tImmondport Wlkl~s Glen jNEWYOR

Syrah an established cool-climate wine culshy

tivar says Irelan referring to the need forFINGER LAKES i o~ 1

fornias Calera winery and then moved to the Finger Lakes to stake

his claim founding his winery in 2006 After locating some spots

in the region with limestone soils he was convinced he could make

quality Pinot Noir today 1300 of the 2100 cases he produces are

Pinot The Heart amp Hands Pinot Noir Finger Lakes Elaines Vineshy

yard 2010 (87 $31) shows plum skill blackberry and black currant

fruit with flickers of cinnamon black tea and clove Billsboro

Damiani and Shales tone also made very good Pinots

Exploring the potential of other cool-climate red varietals is

Nancy Irelan who with her husband Michael Schnelle founded

Red Tail Ridge on Seneca Lake in 2004 Planting 20 acres of vines

vines to survive the cold upstate New York

winters As for Blaufrankisch I believe the variety has demonstrated

its fitness in the Finger Lakes Hopefully you will see more plantings

of this variety in the next few years Blaufrankisch has been such a

popular wine for us that this past spring we pulled out some Riesling

if you can you believe it and planted around 900 vines

As the regions steadily growing ranks of winemakers gain expeshy

rience homing ill on the best grapes and vineyard sites the Finger

Lakes is quickly becoming an excellent source for quality and value

Its time for serious wine consumers to take notice

Senior editor James Molesworth is Wine Spectators lead taster on the wines of the Finge-r Lakes

JAN 31 - FEB 28 2013 bull WINE SPECTATOR 83

James Molesworths Recommended Wines From the Finger Lakes More than 325 wines were reviewed for this report A free alphabetical list is available at wwwwinespectatorcom022813

WineSpectatorcom members can access complete reviews for all wines tasted using the online Wine Ratings search

TOP WINES WINE SCORE PRICE

ANTHONY ROAD Riesling Finger Lakes Martini Reinhardt Selection 2009

92 $30

Ripe and beautifully defined with ginger-infused apple honeysuckle and Quince flavors Offers a flash of sweetness but relies on minerality in the end Stands apart frolll the pack for its length and purity

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Ice Wine 2010 92 $60 Lusciously sweet but pure and racy with vibrant pear creamed apple green fig jasmine and Quince notes all woven together and gliding througll the lengthy finisll

HERMANN J_ WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 92 $39 HJW Vineyard 2010 This is ripe but Sl10WS excellent precision with gorgeous mouthfeel to the persimmon Jonagold apple anise and honeysuckle notes which flow througl1 the seamless lengthy finish

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes 92 $65 Late Harvest Select 2010 375ml SI10WSweight with creamed peach apricot and pear fruit flavors but stays pure and stylish with hints of heather orange blossom and Quince fi lling ill on the finish This should age nicely

FORGE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 91 $25 A persimmon nectarine and wl1ite peach core is flanked by lightly singed almond husk and lanolin notes in this pure piercing white

KEUKA LAKE VINEYARDS Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 91 $30 Falling Man Vineyard 2010 Mouthfilling and racy with fennel green almond and pear flavors carried by tense acidity that lends amplecut on the finish

SILVER THREAD Riesling Seneca Lake 91 $25 STV Estate Vineyard 2011 This pure White offers astrong chamomile and Quinine spine cutting through the kaffir lime green apple and green almond notes

STANDING STONE Gewiirztraminer Finger Lakes Ice 2010 91 $25 Bold and spicy with lively tangerine clementine orange zest 375ml and date flavors laced with ginger and green tea notes

STANDING STONE Vidal Finger Lakes Ice 2010 91 $25 Ripe sweet and viscous witl1 the acidity to match showing flavorsof 375mI date almond cream candied orange peel Quince paste and apricot

TO P WIN ES (continued) WINE SCORE PRICE

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 91 $36 Magdalena Vineyard 2010 This takes abolder stance with fleshy Quince persimmon and ginger notes backed by a long fig- and pear-filled finisll

TOP VALUES WINE SCORE PRICE

FOX RUN Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 89 $16 Offers nice depth for the vintage with good nerve to the green apple melon rind and chamomile notes

RAVINES Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 89 $17 Very lively with crunchy kaffir lime tarragon green apple and melon rind notes that bounce through the juicy finish

WAGNER Riesling Finger Lakes Select 2011 89 $13 This has surprising depth for the vintage with anise apple and bergamot notes driving along nicely

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2010 89 $17 Pure and creamy with pear eau-de-vie green almond and fig notes that glide through the lengthy finish

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes 2010 88 $16 This fresh white offers lively green and yellow apple fruit with pretty honeysuckle and white ginger notes that linger through the finish

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 88 $16 Shows impressive tension with amix of citrus oil bitter grapefruit green plum and chamomi le notes that drive along nicely

FOX RUN Lemberger Finger Lakes 2009 88 $18 Bright blueberry and loganberry fruit is framed by alight thread of sage and backed by lively acidity that carries the finish

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes 2011 88 $16 Offers a tangy feel with pippin apple fennel lime and pear skin notes

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 88 $16 Chamomile and apple notes mix with hints of plantain and Key lime

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2010 88 $18 Rather open-knit already with arounded feel to the lemon curd yellow apple and melon rind notes Plump and ready to drink

Rating Finger Lakes Vintages

2012 90-93 An early spring was followed by a warm dry season with an earlier-than-usual harvest some late rains helped vines finish ripening after the drought Consistent vintage with very high quality and excellent acidity

852011 Following a wet spring mid-season was warm and dry yet late season rains resulted in high disease pressure Riesling performed well but an inconsistent growing season overali

2010 90 Warm dry growing season with little to no disease pressure early-ripening varieties harvested under ideal conditions Late rains only blemish Riesling came through fine but reds more variable

2009 86 Wet growing season that lacked consistent warmth led to uneven ripening managing yields was key Rieslings are often brisk in style but with good length other aromatic whites good while reds far more inconsisten t

892008 Cool wet growing season saved by Indian summer in September Riesling excellent and other aromatic whites performed very well reds good

882007 Mild winter followed by unusually hot dry growing season only relief was scattered showers in August Rieslings are clean ripe and forward thougll some lack zip for balance reds benefited more from the warm season

A score range indicates a preliminary rating based on ba(rel samples andor a limited sampling

Vintage ratings 95-100 classic 90-94 outstanding 85-89 very good 80-84 good 75-79 mediocre

NYR

Drink

Drink or hold

Drink

Drink

Drink

50-74 not recommended Drlnkabllity NVR means the vintage has not yet been released drink means most of the wines of the vintage are ready to drink hold means most of the ageworthy wines have yet to fully mature

84 W INE SPECTATOR J A N 31 - FEB 28 2013

The single vineyards are the individual instruments

but the dry bottling is the orchestra says Paul Brock

who with his wife Shannon recently bought Silver

Thread Vineyard on Seneca Lake I like to show what

the single vineyards bring so I keep some separate but

I really like to put the components together and make

the best possible wine I can make that way

The Silver Thread Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011

(89 $16) which blends three vineyard sources is an

excellent value as are the Ravines Riesling Finger Lakes

Dry 2011 (89 $17) and Keuka Lake Vineyards Riesling

Finger Lakes Dry 2011 (89 $18)

These are only a few of the many well-priced wines on

offer from the Finger Lakes which teems with value

Overall there are 130 wines in this report that cost $20

or less while earning scores of 85 points or better includshy

ing many frontline Riesling bottlings Look for wines from

Atwater Estate Billsboro Damiani Dr Konstantin Frank

Rooster Hill and Wagner among others

addition to Riesling other white varietals such as

Gewlirztraminer and Chardonnay are the regions

most consistent But strides are being made with

red wines as well Cabernet Franc has often been conshy

sidered the Finger Lakes best bet yet Pinot Noir and

other cool-climate wines have caught up quickly in some

cases surpassing the best Cabernet Francs despite their

shorter track record

Pinot Noir lovers should start taking a closer look at

bottlings from the Finger Lakes Difficult to grow and

vinify the grape is being taken more seriollsly by proshy

ducers such as Tom Higgins owner and winemaker at

IN

The vineyards of Heart amp Hands on Cayuga Lake areHeart amp Hands on Cayuga Lake who are

willing to lower yields for quality and deal

with Pinots idiosyncrasies

If you look at benchmark places around

the globe the underlying current is that the

best wine grapes are found on limestoneshy

based soils says Higgins And given the

landscape of the wine world Pinot Noir is

the most notorious for demonstrating a sense

of place That combination means the Finshy

ger Lakes has a wonderful opportunity to

present itself as something unique and difshy

ferent in terms of wine

Higgins worked with Josh Jensen at Calishy

Skaneatls _

c~ndI~U G0jivo KO Lak ~t~

La

_

Penn va sbullbull lob

fro

planted primarily to Pinot Nair acool-climate grape showing significant promise across the Finger Lakes

in three years the couple started with Pinot

Noir while also including small parcels of

Teroldego Lemberger (also called Blaufranshy

kisch) Lagrein and Dornfelder

Teroldego was very intriguing given that

its grown ill alpine vineyards at the base of l $ j

the Dolomites Winters call be extreme in this tth)CO middot - location and Teroldego shares a parent with bull tImmondport Wlkl~s Glen jNEWYOR

Syrah an established cool-climate wine culshy

tivar says Irelan referring to the need forFINGER LAKES i o~ 1

fornias Calera winery and then moved to the Finger Lakes to stake

his claim founding his winery in 2006 After locating some spots

in the region with limestone soils he was convinced he could make

quality Pinot Noir today 1300 of the 2100 cases he produces are

Pinot The Heart amp Hands Pinot Noir Finger Lakes Elaines Vineshy

yard 2010 (87 $31) shows plum skill blackberry and black currant

fruit with flickers of cinnamon black tea and clove Billsboro

Damiani and Shales tone also made very good Pinots

Exploring the potential of other cool-climate red varietals is

Nancy Irelan who with her husband Michael Schnelle founded

Red Tail Ridge on Seneca Lake in 2004 Planting 20 acres of vines

vines to survive the cold upstate New York

winters As for Blaufrankisch I believe the variety has demonstrated

its fitness in the Finger Lakes Hopefully you will see more plantings

of this variety in the next few years Blaufrankisch has been such a

popular wine for us that this past spring we pulled out some Riesling

if you can you believe it and planted around 900 vines

As the regions steadily growing ranks of winemakers gain expeshy

rience homing ill on the best grapes and vineyard sites the Finger

Lakes is quickly becoming an excellent source for quality and value

Its time for serious wine consumers to take notice

Senior editor James Molesworth is Wine Spectators lead taster on the wines of the Finge-r Lakes

JAN 31 - FEB 28 2013 bull WINE SPECTATOR 83

James Molesworths Recommended Wines From the Finger Lakes More than 325 wines were reviewed for this report A free alphabetical list is available at wwwwinespectatorcom022813

WineSpectatorcom members can access complete reviews for all wines tasted using the online Wine Ratings search

TOP WINES WINE SCORE PRICE

ANTHONY ROAD Riesling Finger Lakes Martini Reinhardt Selection 2009

92 $30

Ripe and beautifully defined with ginger-infused apple honeysuckle and Quince flavors Offers a flash of sweetness but relies on minerality in the end Stands apart frolll the pack for its length and purity

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Ice Wine 2010 92 $60 Lusciously sweet but pure and racy with vibrant pear creamed apple green fig jasmine and Quince notes all woven together and gliding througll the lengthy finisll

HERMANN J_ WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 92 $39 HJW Vineyard 2010 This is ripe but Sl10WS excellent precision with gorgeous mouthfeel to the persimmon Jonagold apple anise and honeysuckle notes which flow througl1 the seamless lengthy finish

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes 92 $65 Late Harvest Select 2010 375ml SI10WSweight with creamed peach apricot and pear fruit flavors but stays pure and stylish with hints of heather orange blossom and Quince fi lling ill on the finish This should age nicely

FORGE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 91 $25 A persimmon nectarine and wl1ite peach core is flanked by lightly singed almond husk and lanolin notes in this pure piercing white

KEUKA LAKE VINEYARDS Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 91 $30 Falling Man Vineyard 2010 Mouthfilling and racy with fennel green almond and pear flavors carried by tense acidity that lends amplecut on the finish

SILVER THREAD Riesling Seneca Lake 91 $25 STV Estate Vineyard 2011 This pure White offers astrong chamomile and Quinine spine cutting through the kaffir lime green apple and green almond notes

STANDING STONE Gewiirztraminer Finger Lakes Ice 2010 91 $25 Bold and spicy with lively tangerine clementine orange zest 375ml and date flavors laced with ginger and green tea notes

STANDING STONE Vidal Finger Lakes Ice 2010 91 $25 Ripe sweet and viscous witl1 the acidity to match showing flavorsof 375mI date almond cream candied orange peel Quince paste and apricot

TO P WIN ES (continued) WINE SCORE PRICE

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 91 $36 Magdalena Vineyard 2010 This takes abolder stance with fleshy Quince persimmon and ginger notes backed by a long fig- and pear-filled finisll

TOP VALUES WINE SCORE PRICE

FOX RUN Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 89 $16 Offers nice depth for the vintage with good nerve to the green apple melon rind and chamomile notes

RAVINES Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 89 $17 Very lively with crunchy kaffir lime tarragon green apple and melon rind notes that bounce through the juicy finish

WAGNER Riesling Finger Lakes Select 2011 89 $13 This has surprising depth for the vintage with anise apple and bergamot notes driving along nicely

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2010 89 $17 Pure and creamy with pear eau-de-vie green almond and fig notes that glide through the lengthy finish

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes 2010 88 $16 This fresh white offers lively green and yellow apple fruit with pretty honeysuckle and white ginger notes that linger through the finish

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 88 $16 Shows impressive tension with amix of citrus oil bitter grapefruit green plum and chamomi le notes that drive along nicely

FOX RUN Lemberger Finger Lakes 2009 88 $18 Bright blueberry and loganberry fruit is framed by alight thread of sage and backed by lively acidity that carries the finish

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes 2011 88 $16 Offers a tangy feel with pippin apple fennel lime and pear skin notes

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 88 $16 Chamomile and apple notes mix with hints of plantain and Key lime

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2010 88 $18 Rather open-knit already with arounded feel to the lemon curd yellow apple and melon rind notes Plump and ready to drink

Rating Finger Lakes Vintages

2012 90-93 An early spring was followed by a warm dry season with an earlier-than-usual harvest some late rains helped vines finish ripening after the drought Consistent vintage with very high quality and excellent acidity

852011 Following a wet spring mid-season was warm and dry yet late season rains resulted in high disease pressure Riesling performed well but an inconsistent growing season overali

2010 90 Warm dry growing season with little to no disease pressure early-ripening varieties harvested under ideal conditions Late rains only blemish Riesling came through fine but reds more variable

2009 86 Wet growing season that lacked consistent warmth led to uneven ripening managing yields was key Rieslings are often brisk in style but with good length other aromatic whites good while reds far more inconsisten t

892008 Cool wet growing season saved by Indian summer in September Riesling excellent and other aromatic whites performed very well reds good

882007 Mild winter followed by unusually hot dry growing season only relief was scattered showers in August Rieslings are clean ripe and forward thougll some lack zip for balance reds benefited more from the warm season

A score range indicates a preliminary rating based on ba(rel samples andor a limited sampling

Vintage ratings 95-100 classic 90-94 outstanding 85-89 very good 80-84 good 75-79 mediocre

NYR

Drink

Drink or hold

Drink

Drink

Drink

50-74 not recommended Drlnkabllity NVR means the vintage has not yet been released drink means most of the wines of the vintage are ready to drink hold means most of the ageworthy wines have yet to fully mature

84 W INE SPECTATOR J A N 31 - FEB 28 2013

James Molesworths Recommended Wines From the Finger Lakes More than 325 wines were reviewed for this report A free alphabetical list is available at wwwwinespectatorcom022813

WineSpectatorcom members can access complete reviews for all wines tasted using the online Wine Ratings search

TOP WINES WINE SCORE PRICE

ANTHONY ROAD Riesling Finger Lakes Martini Reinhardt Selection 2009

92 $30

Ripe and beautifully defined with ginger-infused apple honeysuckle and Quince flavors Offers a flash of sweetness but relies on minerality in the end Stands apart frolll the pack for its length and purity

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Ice Wine 2010 92 $60 Lusciously sweet but pure and racy with vibrant pear creamed apple green fig jasmine and Quince notes all woven together and gliding througll the lengthy finisll

HERMANN J_ WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 92 $39 HJW Vineyard 2010 This is ripe but Sl10WS excellent precision with gorgeous mouthfeel to the persimmon Jonagold apple anise and honeysuckle notes which flow througl1 the seamless lengthy finish

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes 92 $65 Late Harvest Select 2010 375ml SI10WSweight with creamed peach apricot and pear fruit flavors but stays pure and stylish with hints of heather orange blossom and Quince fi lling ill on the finish This should age nicely

FORGE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 91 $25 A persimmon nectarine and wl1ite peach core is flanked by lightly singed almond husk and lanolin notes in this pure piercing white

KEUKA LAKE VINEYARDS Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 91 $30 Falling Man Vineyard 2010 Mouthfilling and racy with fennel green almond and pear flavors carried by tense acidity that lends amplecut on the finish

SILVER THREAD Riesling Seneca Lake 91 $25 STV Estate Vineyard 2011 This pure White offers astrong chamomile and Quinine spine cutting through the kaffir lime green apple and green almond notes

STANDING STONE Gewiirztraminer Finger Lakes Ice 2010 91 $25 Bold and spicy with lively tangerine clementine orange zest 375ml and date flavors laced with ginger and green tea notes

STANDING STONE Vidal Finger Lakes Ice 2010 91 $25 Ripe sweet and viscous witl1 the acidity to match showing flavorsof 375mI date almond cream candied orange peel Quince paste and apricot

TO P WIN ES (continued) WINE SCORE PRICE

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 91 $36 Magdalena Vineyard 2010 This takes abolder stance with fleshy Quince persimmon and ginger notes backed by a long fig- and pear-filled finisll

TOP VALUES WINE SCORE PRICE

FOX RUN Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 89 $16 Offers nice depth for the vintage with good nerve to the green apple melon rind and chamomile notes

RAVINES Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 89 $17 Very lively with crunchy kaffir lime tarragon green apple and melon rind notes that bounce through the juicy finish

WAGNER Riesling Finger Lakes Select 2011 89 $13 This has surprising depth for the vintage with anise apple and bergamot notes driving along nicely

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2010 89 $17 Pure and creamy with pear eau-de-vie green almond and fig notes that glide through the lengthy finish

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes 2010 88 $16 This fresh white offers lively green and yellow apple fruit with pretty honeysuckle and white ginger notes that linger through the finish

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 88 $16 Shows impressive tension with amix of citrus oil bitter grapefruit green plum and chamomi le notes that drive along nicely

FOX RUN Lemberger Finger Lakes 2009 88 $18 Bright blueberry and loganberry fruit is framed by alight thread of sage and backed by lively acidity that carries the finish

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes 2011 88 $16 Offers a tangy feel with pippin apple fennel lime and pear skin notes

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2011 88 $16 Chamomile and apple notes mix with hints of plantain and Key lime

HERMANN J WIEMER Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2010 88 $18 Rather open-knit already with arounded feel to the lemon curd yellow apple and melon rind notes Plump and ready to drink

Rating Finger Lakes Vintages

2012 90-93 An early spring was followed by a warm dry season with an earlier-than-usual harvest some late rains helped vines finish ripening after the drought Consistent vintage with very high quality and excellent acidity

852011 Following a wet spring mid-season was warm and dry yet late season rains resulted in high disease pressure Riesling performed well but an inconsistent growing season overali

2010 90 Warm dry growing season with little to no disease pressure early-ripening varieties harvested under ideal conditions Late rains only blemish Riesling came through fine but reds more variable

2009 86 Wet growing season that lacked consistent warmth led to uneven ripening managing yields was key Rieslings are often brisk in style but with good length other aromatic whites good while reds far more inconsisten t

892008 Cool wet growing season saved by Indian summer in September Riesling excellent and other aromatic whites performed very well reds good

882007 Mild winter followed by unusually hot dry growing season only relief was scattered showers in August Rieslings are clean ripe and forward thougll some lack zip for balance reds benefited more from the warm season

A score range indicates a preliminary rating based on ba(rel samples andor a limited sampling

Vintage ratings 95-100 classic 90-94 outstanding 85-89 very good 80-84 good 75-79 mediocre

NYR

Drink

Drink or hold

Drink

Drink

Drink

50-74 not recommended Drlnkabllity NVR means the vintage has not yet been released drink means most of the wines of the vintage are ready to drink hold means most of the ageworthy wines have yet to fully mature

84 W INE SPECTATOR J A N 31 - FEB 28 2013