The warm vintage of 2007 has produced some outstanding whites and reds from Finger Lakes Wine Country. While the reds are aging now in barrels and bottles, the 2007 whites are starting to be released. Make sure you plan your trip to Finger Lakes Wine Country soon to get these wines before they sell out. Wine Spectator recently reviewed many of the 2007Rieslings and here is a recap of the some best reviewed wines:
RAVINES Riesling Finger Lakes Dry Argetsinger Vineyard 2007 Score: 89 | $25
Focused and pure, with tangy fennel, anise and apple notes allied to a bright, pure frame. Nice drive on the finish. Drink now through 2009. 150 cases made. —J.M.
ANTHONY ROAD Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2007 Score: 88 | $15
Plump up front, with fennel and anise hints, before the dry edge emerges on the bright, minerally finish. Very solid. Drink now through 2009. 700 cases made. —J.M.
ANTHONY ROAD Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2007 Score: 88 | $16
Broad and forward, with quince, dried pineapple and green almond notes followed by a rich, creamy finish. Drink now. 750 cases made. —J.M.
ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2007 Score: 88 | $18
Fresh and nicely defined, with a mouthwatering edge driving the apple, fennel seed and lime notes through the lengthy finish. Drink now through 2009. 500 cases made. —J.M.
DR. KONSTANTIN FRANK Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2007 Score: 88 | $17
Quite taut, despite a marzipan edge running through the tangy green apple and lime notes, which linger on the petrol-tinged finish. Has some mature hints already, but it's fresh and long, and should age nicely. Drink now through 2009. 4,500 cases made. —J.M.
STANDING STONE Riesling Finger Lakes 2007 Score: 88 | $14
Ripe and juicy, with a solid core of anise, melon and fig flavors backed by a nice mouthwatering MacIntosh apple note on the finish. Drink now through 2009. 1,124 cases made. —J.M.
BELHURST ESTATE Riesling Seneca Lake Semi-Dry 2007 Score: 87 | $18
Tangy for an off-dry style, with lively quince and lime notes leading the way for apple and pear hints on the juicy finish. Quite tasty. Drink now. 200 cases made. —J.M.
KING FERRY Riesling Cayuga Lake Treleaven Dry 2007 Score: 87 | $15
Quite dry and bony, with a slate-driven spine leading the taut green apple and lime notes. Tangy, chalk-tinged finish. Drink now through 2009. 1,320 cases made. —J.M.
KNAPP Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2007 Score: 87 | $15
Nice purity, with a crisp lime edge backed by slate and green apple notes that linger on the chiseled finish. Drink now. 307 cases made. —J.M.
LAKEWOOD Riesling Finger Lakes 2007 Score: 87 | $13
Quite crunchy, with a tangy lime streak running through the Pippen apple and green almond notes. Lively finish. Drink now through 2009. 800 cases made. —J.M.
SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes 2007 Score: 87 | $16
Good focus, with a nice slatey edge to the apple and fig flavors. Good drive on the finish too. Drink now through 2009. 743 cases made. —J.M.
SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2007 Score: 87 | $16
Juicy and open, with quince, pippen apple and braised fennel notes that stay fresh on the finish. Drink now. 987 cases made. —J.M.
FOX RUN Riesling Finger Lakes 2007 Score: 86 | $14
Fresh, with a bracing edge to the lime, green apple and chamomile hints. Good cut on the finish. Drink now. 2,500 cases made. —J.M.
DR. KONSTANTIN FRANK Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2007 Score: 86 | $15
Fresh, with off-dry apple, pear and quince notes followed by a round, generous finish. Drink now. 3,900 cases made. —J.M.
SWEDISH HILL Riesling Finger Lakes 2007 Score: 86 | $15
Plump and forward, with good apple, green melon and anise notes. Round, juicy finish. Drink now. 1,500 cases made. —J.M.
Here's a look at some of the top Finger Lakes Rieslings to come out of the just-released 2007 vintage. The vintage featured hot and dry weather, which cost the wines some of the crackling definition that Riesling is known for (and which was apparent in the solid set of 2006 Finger Lakes Rieslings that I reviewed earlier this year). There are some standouts, however, including those from Anthony Road and Atwater Estate, two wineries that are quietly building up a consistent track record for very good quality.
"I decided to pick earlier than most, so not to repeat what happened in 2005, where similar vintage conditions made for some cooked and washed-out flavors," noted Vinny Aliperti, winemaker at Atwater Estate, whose 2007 dry Riesling is among the top wines listed here.
In fact, you'll note quite a few bottlings labeled as "dry" among the top scorers here, as the wines made in this style helped to offset the blowsy edge of the vintage. In particular, the Ravines Argetsinger Vineyard, the winery's first single-vineyard bottling, shows excellent focus and length. Ravines winemaker and co-owner Morten Hallgren has been sourcing Riesling from the vineyard since 1999, where Riesling was grafted over on to old Ives vines (a local grape variety). The vineyard itself is planted on limestone soils, uncommon for the Finger Lakes.
"I'm convinced the combination of the soil type and an older root system, together with good vineyard management practices, result in an unusually interesting wine," said Hallgren.
While most of the top wines from the Finger Lakes are typically made in can-only-get-it-at-the-winery amounts, there are some good values with good production levels here as well, including those from Fox Run and Dr. Konstantin Frank.
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