Wine & Spirits - August 2017 - 60

YEAR'S BEST US RIESLINGS
Our blind panels tasted 171 US rieslings over the past 12 months. Our critics rated 15 as exceptional (90+) and 12 as Best Buys.
Luke Sykora covers California; Patrick J. Comiskey covers New York State, Oregon and Washington State.
Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

CA LI FO RN I A

more refined, brightened by a light spritz of
lime. This needs time to settle, and it should
be interesting to see where it goes. (99 cases)
448127

449947

91 | Dutton-Goldfield

$30

2016 Marin County Chileno Valley Vineyard Riesling ^ As clean and brisk as it is substantial, this grows in the cool rolling hills
north of San Francisco. Its flavors of ripe
apricot and orange peel play against savory
coriander spice and frisky pea-tendril greenness, refreshing acidity bringing clarity to its
mouthfilling abundance. Pour it with sweetand-sour pork. (327 cases)

92 | Tierce

93 | Ravines

$30

2014 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling ^ Tierce is
the joint project of three winemakers based
around Seneca Lake: Peter Bell (Fox Run),
Peter Becraft (Anthony Road) and Kelby
Russell (Red Newt). Like other recent vintages, this 2014 is austere, dry and flinty,
with scents of lime zest and pith. Give it time
and a beguiling white-peach scent emerges,
while the flavors pull together in a taut mineral frame, the wine stone-dry, for roasted
mussels. (200 cases)
449831

91 | Atwater

450165

$23

2015 Finger Lakes Dry White Springs
Vineyard Riesling ^ Morten Hallgren had
been making the wines at Carl Fribolin's
White Springs Vineyard in Geneva before
he purchased the 42-acre property in 2012
and made its winery the base for Ravines.
He is getting the hang of this gently sloped
block of riesling, producing a softly assertive
wine with tension between delicate lemonlime fruit and tangy, salt-flecked, mineral
persistence. It would benefit from some cellar time to serve with grilled barramundi.
(1,191 cases)

$15

90 | Millbrook

$20

90 | Treleaven

$15

2015 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling (Best
Buy) ^ This dry white has an intriguing pinetip freshness to its scent, and a breadth of
wheaty lees and sweet apple flavor that's
firm on the back end, tightened by a splash
of lime. (W&S 4/17; 3,100 cases) §
445484
449641

N EW YO RK

91 | Dr. Konstantin Frank

$18

2014 Finger Lakes Dry East-West Block
Riesling (Best Buy) ^ From the east-west
rows of Atwater's vineyards on Seneca Lake,
this riesling has warmth and maturity to its
flavors-notes of honey and pineapple, ripe
heady apple that contrast the wheaty, airy
crispness of the texture. It grows more linear as it lengthens with air, suggesting it has
a long life ahead. Buy a case and enjoy its progression every six months. (365 cases)

2015 Hudson River Region Proprietor's
Special Reserve Riesling ^ This structured,
well-made riesling gives off an initial sweet
impression of candied apple, but the flavors
become crisp, wheaty and savory with air, finishing with a bit of warmth and a zesty citrus
note. (W&S 10/16; 540 cases) §
445164
2013 Finger Lakes Semi-Dry Riesling
(Best Buy) ^ This riesling is drier than you
might expect from the designation: It leads
with a sweet brown-sugar scent but the flavors are driven by lime and passion fruit, as
clean as a knife's edge, with the freshness and
lift for Massaman shrimp curry. (W&S 10/16;
2,529 cases) §

450182

89 | Wagner
450217

91 | Bellangelo

$20

2015 Finger Lakes Gibson Vineyard Riesling ^ This wine starts out with humid scents
of peach and saffron, and yet the flavors are
citrusy and fine, with the tang of lime marmalade. After a day, the peach flavors are

60

WINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2017

$13

2016 Finger Lakes Select Riesling (Best
Buy) ^ Youthfully sweet, this has a fruit- blossom scent and flavors of ripe pear and apple,
cushioned by leesy, bready savor. It needs
time to settle in the cellar; then serve with
khao soi noodles. (1,013 cases)
449922

http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com http://www.anthonyroadwine.com/ http://www.ravineswine.com/product/Dry-Riesling-2014--White-Springs-Vineyard?pageID=D275C46C-064C-C2AE-F1D3-DB65CFDEBD60&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=10& https://shop.wagnervineyards.com/product/riesling-select?_ga=2.188793890.842097857.1496343621-1522555997.1496343605 https://www.bellangelo.com/collections/frontpage/products/2015-gibson-vineyard-riesling

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