These reviews are based on samples provided by the winery or organization acting on their behalf.

New York’s Finger Lakes

North America’s premier cool-climate winegrowing region

2012 Knapp Vineyards Riesling Dry Finger Lakes

2012 Lakewood Vineyards Riesling Dry Riesling Seneca Lake

2012 Lucas Vineyards Riesling Semi-Dry Cayuga Lake

2012 Fulkerson Riesling Ice Wine Finger Lakes

It was my good fortune to be able to participate in an online tasting of wines from the Finger Lakes region of New York. The event was the final online event celebrating the release of the 2012 Rieslings from the area. The event was dubbed “Riesling Hour”, even though the event lasted for hours.

To follow ongoing conversations on the wines from the Finger Lakes region, check out the hashtag #FLXWine or follow @FLXwine on Twitter or give a “Like” to Finger Lakes Wine on Facebook.

I want to thank the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance and the wineries for providing these wines for me to sample.

About the region

The Finger Lakes became an official American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1982 but its history goes back much further. The first vineyard in the region was planted by Reverend William Bostwick in his rectory garden in Hammondsport, NY in 1829.

The region is now home to over 115 wineries with about 9,200 acres of vineyards. The region produces about 220,000 cases of Riesling wine from the 848 acres of Riesling grapes.

In 1998 the region was brought to the forefront in the wine world when Semi-Dry Rieslings from Dr. Konstantin Frank’s and Fox Run Vineyards each won a Gold medal in Strasbourg’s Rieslings of the World Competition in Alsace.

The major varieties of grapes planted in the region are Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer. Each of these has over 100 acres of vines in the AVA.

Much more information about the region is available on the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance website.

My Line Up

There were a lot of different wines opened for the event; my line up included everything from dry wines through a very sweet Iced wine.

2012 Knapp Vineyards Riesling Dry Finger Lakes – SRP $15.95

The Winery

Knapp Winery’s 40 acre estate is about a mile west of the shores of Cayuga Lake. Besides Riesling, the winery also grows Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Lemberger, and Vignoles.

The winery was started in 1984 and sold to the current owners Gene Pierce and Scott Welliver in 2000.

The winery was the first one in the Finger Lakes to plant and vinify Cabernet Franc.

For more information on Knapp Winery & Vineyard Restaurant, visit their website by clicking here.

The Wine

This 100% Riesling is classified as Dry but does have a touch of residual sugar, 1.1%. There were 401 cases produced. The final alcohol is 12% and this is closed with a synthetic cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light, pale straw color. The crisp and clean nose has apples, lemon zest, minerals, white peaches and lime. This has light body, crisp acidity, and just a touch of sweetness. There is nice fruit on the front end on the palate with minerals and a slight saline element coming in on the back end and medium length finish. This is a solid and very food friendly Riesling. (Rated B+)

2012 Lakewood Vineyards Riesling Dry Riesling Seneca Lake – SRP $12.99

The Winery

Lakewood Vineyards is on the west side of Seneca Lake. The winery has 75 acres of grapes planted, which includes 10 acres of Riesling. Besides Riesling, the winery has 13 other varieties of grapes planted.

The Stamp family has owned Lakewood Farm since 1952 when Frank Stamp bought the run down peach and apple orchard. Over time, the family planted some grapes before opening the winery in 1989.

For more information on the winery, visit their website by clicking here.

The Wine

This wine is 100% estate grown Riesling. The wine is dry, with just a hint of sweetness from the .78% residual sugar. There were 810 cases produced and the wine has a final alcohol level of 11.7%. The bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light golden yellow color. The fresh smelling nose has apples, citrus, minerals and lemongrass. This has a light body and is dry with mouth watering, citrusy acidity. This is bright and lively on the palate with nice citrus and minerality. The finish has decent length shows nice key limes and minerals. This is a nice wine that is very tasty but lacks a bit in the complexity department. (Rated B+)

2012 Lucas Vineyards Riesling Semi-Dry Cayuga Lake – SRP $13.99

The Winery

The Lucas Vineyards history began in 1974 when Ruth Lucas and her family made the move out of the Bronx to a 60 acre farm in Interlaken, New York. After selling their grapes to another winery for a few years, the family decided to start making their own wine. Their first vintage was 1980 and consisted of under 500 cases of Cayuga White and Estate Red.

Today the winery produces 25 different wines with a total production of 26,000 cases a year from the 14 grapes varieties they grow.

For more information on the winery, please click here.

The Wine

This 100% Riesling has 2.2% residual sugar which earns it the classification of Semi-Dry.

This wine has 11.4% alcohol and is closed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a yellow to straw color. The rich and juicy smelling nose is full of apples, peaches, flinty minerals, citrus, and some spice. This has light to medium body, good acidity, and nice lingering sweetness. Apples, minerals, juicy peaches and citrus zest coat the palate with some slow building spice coming in on the back end. The finish has good length and is crisp and clean with lingering citrus and ripe apple sweetness. I’d love to try this with a few years in the cellar. (Rated B)

2012 Fulkerson Riesling Ice Wine Finger Lakes – SRP $29.99

The Winery

The Fulkerson family has been farming this land, on the west side of Seneca Lake, since 1805. Caleb Fulkerson, a veteran of the Revolutionary War settled in the area. The land has stayed in the family’s hands by being passed down through the generations.

Some grapes were planted in the 1830s but in the 1970s the family greatly expanded the vineyards. The winery currently has over 100 acres cultivated with Riesling occupying 22 acres. The winery has grown from 1,000 cases produced in 1989 to 30,000 cases a year.

For much more information on the winery, please visit their website by clicking here.

The Wine

Due to forecasted heavy rain, the winery decided to harvest the optimally ripened grapes and freeze them prior to pressing. After fermentation the wine was aged 6 months in new oak barrels.

There were 127 cases of this 375ml bottle produced. The final alcohol is 11% with 19.7% residual sugar. The bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork closure.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a golden yellow color. The extremely rich smelling nose is full of honey, apples, petrol, ripe peaches, spice and orange zest. This has a full body, good acidity, and a “boat load” of residual sweetness. This is very rich and luscious on the palate. The long and lingering finish is loaded with juicy peaches, honey, and citrus. Even though this could be paired with something for dessert, I think it would be best to simply savor this on its’ own instead of dessert. (Rated A-)

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

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