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

 

 

2013 Villa Bellangelo Riesling Dry

2013 Fox Run Vineyards Riesling Dry

2013 Lamoreaux Landing Riesling Red Oak Vineyard

 

 

New York’s Finger Lakes

North America’s premier cool-climate winegrowing region

 

 

It was my good fortune to be able to participate in an online tasting of Riesling wines from the Finger Lakes region of New York.  The event was the final online event celebrating the release of the 2013 Rieslings from the area.  The event was dubbed “Riesling Hour”, even though the event lasted for a couple of 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 two dry Rieslings and one “medium dry”.

 

 

 

2013 Villa Bellangelo Riesling Dry

 

The Winery

Villa Bellangelo was founded in 2002 by Michael Litterio as a Finger Lakes winery with a vision of the future.  The Missick family recently acquired Villa Bellangelo from Mr. Litterio and looks forward to continuing to offer Finger Lakes wine country visitors and customers premier service and a perfect product for many years to come.

 

Villa Bellangelo is situated in a magnificent location atop a hill overlooking central Seneca Lake.  Our tasting room has offered visitors breathtaking views for decades, but these historic landshave been a part of the heart of Finger Lakes agriculture and grape growing for centuries.

 

Much more information on the winery and their wines is available by clicking here.

 

The Wine

This 100% Riesling uses grapes from (Gibson Vineyard (63%), Morris Vineyard (30%) and Tuller Vineyard (7%).    The wine was fermented in stainless steel (93%) and neutral oak (7%).  After fermentation, the wine was aged for 3 months in 100% French oak barrels that were 4 to 10 years old.

 

The wine has 11.3% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a very light straw color.  The appealing nose has apples, honey, orange blossoms, lemon zest, flint and white peaches.  This has medium body with crisp acidity and just a hint of lingering sweetness.  On the palate ripe apples and flinty minerals jump out first with orange blossoms and lemon zest coming in later.  The finish has good length with mouthwatering citrus balancing out the sweetness.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Fox Run Vineyards Riesling Dry

 

The Winery

The winery is located high on Torrey Ridge, overlooking one of the deepest parts of Seneca Lake.  Fox Run owns 55 acres of vineyards.  For over a century the land was a dairy farm.  Grapes were first planted in 1984 and the Civil War era dairy barn was converted into a modern wine making facility in 1993.  A new facility was built in 1996 with a picturesque view of Seneca Lake.

 

More information about the winery, their wines and their online store is available on their site by clicking here.

 

The Wine

This 100% Riesling comes from three blocks in the estate vineyard.  The blocks were established between 1989 and 1998 at elevations between 590 and 660 feet.  The wine was fermented at moderate temperatures using three different yeast strains.  The wines were chilled to stop fermentation just before reaching total dryness to leave a small amount of residual sugar in the finished wine.

 

The wine has 11.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light golden straw color.  The very inviting nose has apples, petrol, orange zest, flinty minerals, honey and white flowers.  This has medium body with decent acidity and a fair amount of lingering sweetness.  On the palate ripe apples and orange zest initially grab hold with minerals and a floral note coming in on the back end.  The finish has decent length with the citrusy acidity to hold the sweetness in check.  (86 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Lamoreaux Landing Riesling Red Oak Vineyard

 

The Winery

For three generations our family has been growing wine grapes on the shores of Seneca Lake using only sustainable viticultural practices.  So it’s not just a fad for us, it’s who we are.  These “green” decisions not only protect the health of our employees, consumers, and neighbors, but also insure our continued ability to grow and deliver the best possible wine for generations to come.

 

Much more about the winery, their wines and their commitment to the planet is available by clicking here.

 

The Wine

This wine is 100% Riesling from the estate’s sustainably farmed Red Oak Vineyard.  The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks and is considered to be “Medium dry”.

 

This wine has 12.8% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a very light, clear straw color.  The slightly shy nose has apples, honey, candied orange zest, flinty minerals and white flowers.  This has medium body with decent acidity and some lingering sweetness.  On the palate, apples and orange zest jump out first with a nice lime note coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with ripe apples and lime closing the show.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

Conclusion

This was another very nice showing of the quality wines being produced in New York’s Finger Lakes region.  Even though this tasting was centered around the release of the new Riesling vintage, many other varietals are being used and are worthy of your attention.

 

 

 

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Cheers!

 

 

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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.

 

 

 

Cheers!