11.1% This comes from east facing vineyards on the west side of Seneca Lake and has a nice sherbetty riesling nose and a good palate. There’s quite a sweet richness and this feels quite Germanic in style, though more Pfalz than Mosel. Very Good.
10.9% Again from vineyards on the west side of Seneca Lake, which hence get the morning sun. The nose is very Germanic, very Mosel like. But it’s a bit simple on the palate (though suffering from being served at a bit too warm a temperature). There’s a nice acidity and it has good balance. Very nice finish. It grows in complexity as it’s held in the mouth. Very Good Indeed.
13.3% This has a very gentle lychee nose. A lovely, caressing attack with very delicate gewurztraminer flavours. It then opens out a bit on the palate and becomes a touch hard with a curious tingling acidity on the finish and it almost has a slightly tannic feel after. Good. 83/100, probably more with food.
13.1% Quite a pale colour. Very nice cherry and raspberry fruit on the nose. This is a fresh, clean pinot noir with nice layers of good flavours and some subtle depth. A very elegant wine. Very Good Indeed.
13.4% The nose has smoky licorice and hedgerow fruits. Ripe and forward on the palate, this is full and open with lots of interesting character. Good but gentle structure. This is an interesting cabernet franc in a nice ripe, easy style. Very Good.
15.3% There are ripe rich lychees on the nose. Nice smooth, rich mouthfeel. Somewhat tough on the finish and again a fairly high acidity, which unbalances it a bit on the finish. Good.
10.9% From the eastern side of Lake Cayuga. An attractive nose with creamy apples and a nice herbaceousness. Good palate: like a middle-weight German Auslese. Interesting stuff. Very Good.
12.5% This comes from higher and cooler vineyards on Lake Cuca. It has a very clean, precise, minerally nose with a nice gentle perfume. Softer and more open on the palate. It has nice balance with good Rhine riesling flavours. Very Good.
11.9% From the eastern side of Seneca Lake. This has an interesting nose with a fairly gentle riesling character. Nice palate, feeling somewhere between an Auslese and a Spätlese. Good balance. Very Good.
12% This is more reminiscent of a Pfalz riesling than the Rhine: it has a nice, rich Pfalz-style trocken nose with good minerality. Nice balance on the palate. Very Good.
12% A very minerally nose, starting to develop some petrol notes. In the mouth, there are very rich flavours, but it’s completely dry with very good acidity. Nice balance. Very Good.
12.3% Sandy soft white peaches on the nose. This is interesting: quite a different style of riesling. Ripe and full, and really quite strongly flavoured, with some very savoury notes, but also some gentle fruit behind. Very Good.
The nose has crisp pear drops and roast papaya. Straightforward and a bit simple on the palate. This is decent stuff, but very dull. Lots of acidity redeems it a bit. OK/Good.
13.6% On the nose, this has a rather more normal chardonnay profile than the other New York chardonnays: this is a full buttery chardonnay with decent mineratlity. Only the high acidity suggests that it couldn’t be from just anywhere. Not bad. Good.
11% A darker colour than the other New York merlots, this has ripe, floral plummy fruit dominating the attractive nose. Very attractive, very forward fruity palate. Fairly concentrated with some depth and complexity. A lovely open, expressive finish with fresh black fruits and some subtle cinnamon flavours. The low alcohol is particularly noteworthy. Very Good Indeed.
12% A rich, chocolatey nose. There’s ripe but restrained fruit on the palate and it has very good balance and a nice elegance. Quite tannic on the finish. Very Good.
12.5% Made by freezing the grapes, not from naturally frozen grapes. It has a clean, elegant nose and a precise pure palate. This is reasonable stuff, but it’s not in the top league. Good.
11.7% Wagner Vineyards are a significantly bigger company, making more industrial wines. This riesling comes from vineyards on the east side of Seneca Lake, exposed to the afternoon and evening sun. It has an attractive gentle nose, but lacking depth. There’s an immediate sweetness on the palate and it feels a bit confected, though there’s still fair acidity, which becomes a bit untamed on the finish. Good.
12.1% A very pale, orangey-salmon pink. There’s light strawberry fruit on the nose, together with some rose petal. It has a rather curious profile in the mouth: good balance, with lots of acidity. Interesting, but not great. Good/Very Good.
12.5% A good rich buttery chardonnay nose. Rich, full palate with a very creamy mouthfeel. Very nice balance with a good acidity on the finish. Very Good.
12.5% Very pleasant nose with floral blackberries and plums. Very clean palate. This is a very well made wine with very good character and poise. Very Good Indeed.
12.8% A tarry liquorice nose with black fruit and some violet fragrance. Sweet fruit palate: black fruit with some concentration. Big finish with significant tannins after. Very Good.
12.5% This is very pale – almost looking like a rosé. It has a fairly oaky, more evolved nose than the Lakewood pinot noir. It’s also a tiny bit high toned. Good palate, showing oak influence, but it has a nice balance. Very Good.
13% A dark, brooding nose with some black plummy fruit. Very ripe and full on the palate with sweet black fruit flavours. This is precise and focussed and a fairly pure merlot with a firm tannic structure. Good/Very Good.
13.5% There’s ripe, plummy fruit on the nose. Good open palate. It has nice fruit characters with a good structure behind. A bit unresolved on the finish. Very Good.
13.2% This is a blend of 70% merlot, 17% cabernet sauvignon, 7% malbec and 6% cabernet franc. It has a very pleasant integrated nose. Nice elegant palate. Full, ripe characters, but it’s very elegant. It has a nice structure with solid grippy tannins on the finish. Very Good.
12.5% This is an “iced wine”. It has a fragrant, rich tropical nose with some tropical fruit. Very elegant palate: precise but not searing. Very Good Indeed.
2006 Lakewood Vineyards Dry Riesling 87 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes
11.1%
This comes from east facing vineyards on the west side of Seneca Lake and has a nice sherbetty riesling nose and a good palate. There’s quite a sweet richness and this feels quite Germanic in style, though more Pfalz than Mosel. Very Good.
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2006 Lakewood Vineyards Riesling 89 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes
10.9%
Again from vineyards on the west side of Seneca Lake, which hence get the morning sun. The nose is very Germanic, very Mosel like. But it’s a bit simple on the palate (though suffering from being served at a bit too warm a temperature). There’s a nice acidity and it has good balance. Very nice finish. It grows in complexity as it’s held in the mouth. Very Good Indeed.
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2006 Lakewood Vineyards Gewürztraminer 83 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake
13.3%
This has a very gentle lychee nose. A lovely, caressing attack with very delicate gewurztraminer flavours. It then opens out a bit on the palate and becomes a touch hard with a curious tingling acidity on the finish and it almost has a slightly tannic feel after. Good. 83/100, probably more with food.
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2002 Lakewood Vineyards Pinot Noir 89 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes
13.1%
Quite a pale colour. Very nice cherry and raspberry fruit on the nose. This is a fresh, clean pinot noir with nice layers of good flavours and some subtle depth. A very elegant wine. Very Good Indeed.
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2005 Lakewood Vineyards Cabernet Franc 88 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes
13.4%
The nose has smoky licorice and hedgerow fruits. Ripe and forward on the palate, this is full and open with lots of interesting character. Good but gentle structure. This is an interesting cabernet franc in a nice ripe, easy style. Very Good.
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2005 Lamoreaux Landing Chardonnay 82 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake
12.5%
A rich dusty nose. Clean palate, with a rich, full finish. Ok, but not worth searching out. Good.
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2005 Lamoreaux Landing Gewürztraminer 83 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes
15.3%
There are ripe rich lychees on the nose. Nice smooth, rich mouthfeel. Somewhat tough on the finish and again a fairly high acidity, which unbalances it a bit on the finish. Good.
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2006 King Ferry Dry Riesling 82 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Cayuga Lake
10.9% This wine has a nice minerally, rather limey nose. Good palate, but less focussed than the first two rieslings. Good.
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2006 King Ferry Riesling Treleaven 86 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Cayuga Lake
10.9%
From the eastern side of Lake Cayuga. An attractive nose with creamy apples and a nice herbaceousness. Good palate: like a middle-weight German Auslese. Interesting stuff. Very Good.
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2005 Rooster Hill Dry Riesling 87 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes
12.5%
This comes from higher and cooler vineyards on Lake Cuca. It has a very clean, precise, minerally nose with a nice gentle perfume. Softer and more open on the palate. It has nice balance with good Rhine riesling flavours. Very Good.
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2006 Lamoreaux Landing Semi-Dry Riesling 87 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes
11.9%
From the eastern side of Seneca Lake. This has an interesting nose with a fairly gentle riesling character. Nice palate, feeling somewhere between an Auslese and a Spätlese. Good balance. Very Good.
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2005 Sheldrake Point Dry Riesling 86 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes
12%
This is more reminiscent of a Pfalz riesling than the Rhine: it has a nice, rich Pfalz-style trocken nose with good minerality. Nice balance on the palate. Very Good.
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2004 Heron Hill Vineyards Dry Johannisberg Riesling Ingle Vineyard 87 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes
12%
A very minerally nose, starting to develop some petrol notes. In the mouth, there are very rich flavours, but it’s completely dry with very good acidity. Nice balance. Very Good.
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2005 Peconic Bay Winery Riesling 87 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
12.3%
Sandy soft white peaches on the nose. This is interesting: quite a different style of riesling. Ripe and full, and really quite strongly flavoured, with some very savoury notes, but also some gentle fruit behind. Very Good.
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2005 Peconic Bay Winery Chardonnay Steel Fermented 80 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
The nose has crisp pear drops and roast papaya. Straightforward and a bit simple on the palate. This is decent stuff, but very dull. Lots of acidity redeems it a bit. OK/Good.
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2004 Peconic Bay Winery Chardonnay La Barrique 85 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
13.6%
On the nose, this has a rather more normal chardonnay profile than the other New York chardonnays: this is a full buttery chardonnay with decent mineratlity. Only the high acidity suggests that it couldn’t be from just anywhere. Not bad. Good.
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2001 Peconic Bay Winery Merlot 90 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
11%
A darker colour than the other New York merlots, this has ripe, floral plummy fruit dominating the attractive nose. Very attractive, very forward fruity palate. Fairly concentrated with some depth and complexity. A lovely open, expressive finish with fresh black fruits and some subtle cinnamon flavours. The low alcohol is particularly noteworthy. Very Good Indeed.
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2004 Peconic Bay Winery Cabernet Franc 86 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
12%
A rich, chocolatey nose. There’s ripe but restrained fruit on the palate and it has very good balance and a nice elegance. Quite tannic on the finish. Very Good.
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NV Peconic Bay Winery Riesling Polaris 83 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
12.5%
Made by freezing the grapes, not from naturally frozen grapes. It has a clean, elegant nose and a precise pure palate. This is reasonable stuff, but it’s not in the top league. Good.
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2006 Wagner Semi-Dry Riesling 81 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake
11.7%
Wagner Vineyards are a significantly bigger company, making more industrial wines. This riesling comes from vineyards on the east side of Seneca Lake, exposed to the afternoon and evening sun. It has an attractive gentle nose, but lacking depth. There’s an immediate sweetness on the palate and it feels a bit confected, though there’s still fair acidity, which becomes a bit untamed on the finish. Good.
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2005 Wagner Chardonnay Unoaked 78 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake
12.9%
A concentrated, rather tropical fruit nose. Not at all impressive on the palate: it feels a bit watery and has some coarse harshness. OK.
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2006 Wölffer Estate Rosé 85 Points
USA, New York, Long Island
12.1%
A very pale, orangey-salmon pink. There’s light strawberry fruit on the nose, together with some rose petal. It has a rather curious profile in the mouth: good balance, with lots of acidity. Interesting, but not great. Good/Very Good.
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2003 Wölffer Estate Chardonnay Reserve 87 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, The Hamptons
12.5%
A good rich buttery chardonnay nose. Rich, full palate with a very creamy mouthfeel. Very nice balance with a good acidity on the finish. Very Good.
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2004 Wölffer Estate Chardonnay La Ferme Martin 84 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, The Hamptons
12.5%
A simple, moderately crisp, gently buttery chardonnay nose. A simple, unexceptional palate. A nice easy wine. Good.
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2004 Wölffer Estate Merlot Reserve 89 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, The Hamptons
12.5%
Very pleasant nose with floral blackberries and plums. Very clean palate. This is a very well made wine with very good character and poise. Very Good Indeed.
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2003 Wölffer Estate Cabernet Franc 87 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, The Hamptons
12.8%
A tarry liquorice nose with black fruit and some violet fragrance. Sweet fruit palate: black fruit with some concentration. Big finish with significant tannins after. Very Good.
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2004 Warm Lake Estate Pinot Noir Mountain Road 86 Points
USA, New York, Niagara Escarpment
12.5%
This is very pale – almost looking like a rosé. It has a fairly oaky, more evolved nose than the Lakewood pinot noir. It’s also a tiny bit high toned. Good palate, showing oak influence, but it has a nice balance. Very Good.
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2005 Bedell Merlot 85 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
13%
A dark, brooding nose with some black plummy fruit. Very ripe and full on the palate with sweet black fruit flavours. This is precise and focussed and a fairly pure merlot with a firm tannic structure. Good/Very Good.
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2004 Macari Vineyards Merlot Unfiltered Reserve 86 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
13.5%
There’s ripe, plummy fruit on the nose. Good open palate. It has nice fruit characters with a good structure behind. A bit unresolved on the finish. Very Good.
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2002 Macari Vineyards "Bergen Road" 88 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
13.2%
This is a blend of 70% merlot, 17% cabernet sauvignon, 7% malbec and 6% cabernet franc. It has a very pleasant integrated nose. Nice elegant palate. Full, ripe characters, but it’s very elegant. It has a nice structure with solid grippy tannins on the finish. Very Good.
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2004 Macari Vineyards Block E 90 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
12.5%
This is an “iced wine”. It has a fragrant, rich tropical nose with some tropical fruit. Very elegant palate: precise but not searing. Very Good Indeed.
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