Thursday, July 02, 2015

Finger Lakes Wines Scoring 90+ in Wine Enthusiast

Finger Lakes Wines Scoring 90+ recently in Wine Enthusiast. Go to http://www.winemag.com/ for more details (Subscription required for some content).

92 Points: Shaw 2012 Road Block Reserve Riesling $25.  Steve Shaw continues to impress. For a detailed article on his winemaking style, see my article on him at http://fingerlakesweekendwino.blogspot.com/2010/11/stalking-shaw-07-pinot-noir.html

92 Points: Shaw 2009 Reserve Pinot Noir $30. If you enjoy dry red wines and are visiting the Finger Lakes, I recommend taking some time to visit Shaw.

91 Points: Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2013 Ice Wine Vidal Blanc $43. Hazlitt is much more than just Red Cat. They make many exceptional wines, as is the case here.

91 Points: Shaw 2007 Reserve Merlot $30. 4 years aging on the lees, classic Shaw.

90 Points: Kelby James Russell 2014 Nutt Road Vineyard Dry Rosé $16. This is a joint project from Red Newt Cellars and its winemaker Kelby James Russell that allows Kelby to showcase his own small batch wines.

90 Points: Dr. Konstantin Frank 2013 Semi Dry Riesling $15. Dr. Frank is the most consistent top Riesling producer in the region and still reasonably priced. I can't wait to read the new biography by Tom Russ on Konstantin Frank, one of my wine heroes. You can hear my song about him here  http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=599730&songID=4482143
And read more about Dr. Frank Riesling in Holly Howell's new article at http://mountainhomemag.com/food-drink/king-riesling/

90 Points:  Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2013 Riesling $13. What a value!

90 Points: Boundary Breaks 2013 No. 239 Dry Riesling $20. This newer appointment-only and Riesling-only winery has been getting a lot of great press. One of the few I have not been to yet, but will soon.

90 Points: Castel Grisch 2013 Ice Riesling $30.

90 Points: Dr. Konstantin Frank 2013 Reserve Riesling $25.

90 Points:Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2013 Pinot Gris $18.

90 Points: Shaw 2013 Vin Rustique Gewurztraminer $35.

90 Points: Bloomer Creek 2012 Tanzen Dame Auten Vineyard 2nd Harvest Riesling $60

90 Points:Bloomer Creek 2012 Tanzen Dame Second Harvest Gewürztraminer $60

90 Points: Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2012 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay $20.

90 Points: Bloomer Creek 2010 White Horse Red Unfined & Unfiltered Cabernet Franc-Merlot $30.

90 Points: Shaw 2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon $35.

Finger Lakes Riesling Challenge Announces Winners

The Finger Lakes Riesling Challenge is a competition of only Finger Lakes Riesling, judged by Finger Lakes winemakers, so this is truly a peer-reviewed competition. These wines must be sourced only from vineyards in the Finger Lakes American Viticultural Area (AVA). 38 wineries submitted 123 wines for the competition. Wagner Vineyards and Sheldrake Point Winery both garnered 2 Best of Show awards, with Silver Thread Vineyard, Lakewood Vineyards and Lucas Vineyards each awarded 2 gold medals. Here are the Best of Show and Gold Medal winners:
 
Best in Class Trophy Winners
Dry Riesling: Wagner Vineyards, Dry Riesling 2013
Medium Dry Riesling:  Chateau LaFayette Reneau, Dry Riesling 2014
Medium Sweet Riesling: Wagner Vineyards, Riesling Semi Dry 2012
Sweet Riesling:  Sheldrake Point Winery, Luckystone Riesling 2014
Dessert Riesling:  Sheldrake Point Winery, Wild Ferment Riesling Ice Wine 2014

Gold Medal Winners
Dry Riesling:
Barnstormer Winery, Dry Riesling 2014
Hosmer Winery, Dry Riesling 2013
Lakewood Vineyards, 3Generations Riesling 2013
Lucas Vineyards, Dry Riesling 2012
Keuka Spring Vineyards, Humphreys Vineyard Riesling 2014
Penguin Bay Winery, Dry Riesling 2014
Thirsty Owl Wine Co., Dry Riesling 2014

Medium Dry Riesling: 
Damiani Wine Cellars, Davis Vineyard Dry Riesling 2012
Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, LLC, Red Oak Vineyard Riesling 2013
Lucas Vineyards, Dry Riesling 2013
Silver Thread Vineyard, Doyle Fournier Riesling 2014

Medium Sweet Riesling 
Anthony Road Wine Company, Semi-Dry Riesling 2013
Billsboro Winery, Sawmill Creek Vineyard Riesling 2013
Lakewood Vineyards, Riesling 2014
Silver Thread Vineyard, Semi-dry Riesling 2013

Sweet Riesling
Dr. Konstantin Frank, Riesling Reserve 2013
Rooster Hill Winery, Reserve Riesling 2013

Dessert Riesling 
Boundary Breaks Riesling, Late Harvest 90 2013
Glenora Wine Cellars, Riesling Ice Wine 2014
Sheldrake Point Winery, Riesling Ice Wine 2014
White Springs Winery, Late Harvest Riesling 2013