The Wines of New York State
24th May 2007

New York State straddles the 43rd and 44th parallels, putting it between the same latitudes as Tuscany and Bordeaux, though it is, on the whole, cooler than the vineyards on the equivalent latitudes in Europe.  There are significant bodies of water (lakes, rivers and the Atlantic Ocean) which exert a calming influence on the climate, cooling in the summer, warming in the winter. 

With 32,000 acres of vineyards and an annual production of around 160,000 tons of grapes, 28% of which is turned into 200 million bottles of wine, New York is America’s third largest wine-producing state (and the second largest grape juice producing state) with over 240 wineries in five main regions (Long Island, Hudson River, Finger Lakes, Lake Erie and the Niagara Escarpment) covering nine official appellations (American Viticultural Areas).  Across the state more than 35 different varieties are grown including European vitis vinifera varieties such as riesling, the cabernets and chardonnay, some European-American crosses, such as Baco Noir, Cayuga White and Chancellor, along with a number of native American varieties such as Catawba, Concord, and Niagara.

The first vines were planted in New York State around 400 years ago, when Dutch settlers planted vitis vinifera vines on Manhattan island.  There are still a handful of wineries in the New York City area, but this is not where the main interest lies.

East of New York City lies New York State’s youngest wine region (dating back around 35 years), Long Island, which has almost 2,000 acres of vineyards and includes two AVAs either side of the Great Peconic Bay: North Fork of Long Island and The Hamptons (effectively the south fork of Long Island).  Long Island’s forte is its Bordeaux blends, also known as Meritage wines.

North West of Long Island lies the Hudson River region, one of the oldest wine areas in America, though with only a quarter of the vineyard area and production of Long Island.

Further west again, lies New York’s largest and most important wine production region, the Finger Lakes, where the wine region centres around the four main lakes: Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga.  There are over 9,000 acres of vineyards in the Finger Lakes and the 90 wineries mainly produce sparkling wines, riesling, pinot noir and ice wine, together with chardonnay, cabernet france and some of the American varietals.

On the westernmost edge of New York state are the final two regions, which, at the moment at least, are less important: the Niagara Escarpment, New York’s newest AVA, being officially recognised only in October 2005; and Lake Erie, also known as Chautauqua.  Lake Erie is actually the largest grape growing area outside California, with some 20,000 acres of vineyards, though there is currently little of interest here for wine-lovers, as 95% of the grapes are Concord, grown for grape juice.

 

2006 Dry Riesling, Lakewood Vineyards, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.  87/100

2006 Riesling, Lakewood Vineyards, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.  89/100

2006 Gewurztraminer, Lakewood Vineyards, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.

2002 Pinot Noir, Lakewood Vineyards, Finger Lakes, New York, 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. 89/100

2005 Cabernet Franc, Lakewood Vineyards, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.  88/100

2006 Riesling, Lamoreaux Landing, Finger Lakes, New York, 12.3%
This comes from the other side of Seneca Lake, from west-facing vineyards.  It has a riper nose that the Lakewood.  The palate is very precise and pure with good balance.  There’s a very nice acidity to this.  Very Good.  87/100

2006 Riesling Semi Dry, Lamoreaux Landing, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.  87/100

2005 Chardonnay, Lamoreaux Landing, Finger Lakes, New York, 12.5%
A rich dusty nose.  Clean palate, with a rich, full finish.  Ok, but not worth searching out.  Good.  82/100

2005 Gewürztraminer, Lamoreaux Landing, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.  83/100

2006 Dry Riesling, Cayuga Lake, King Ferry Winery, Finger Lakes, New York, 10.9%
Lake Cayuga is the most easterly of the Finger Lakes and at the lowest elevation.  This wine has a nice minerally, rather limey nose.  Good palate, but less focussed than the first two rieslings.  Good.  82/100

2006 Treleaven Riesling, King Ferry Winery, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.  86/100

2005 Dry Riesling, Rooster Hill, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.  87/100

2005 Dry Riesling, Sheldrake Point, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.  86/100

2004 Johannisberg Riesling, Ingle Vineyard, Heron Hill, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.  87/100

2005 Riesling, Peconic Bay Winery, North Fork of Long Island, New York, 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.  87/100

2005 Chardonnay Steel Fermented, Peconic Bay Winery, North Fork of Long Island, New York
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.  80/100

2004 Chardonnay ‘La Barrique’, Peconic Bay Winery, North Fork of Long Island, New York, 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.  85/100

2001 Merlot, Peconic Bay Winery, North Fork of Long Island, New York, 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.  90/100

2004 Cabernet Franc, Peconic Bay Winery, North Fork of Long Island, New York, 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.  86/100.

NV Polaris Riesling Dessert Wine, Peconic Bay Winery, North Fork of Long Island, New York, 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.  83/100

2006 Riesling Semi-Dry, Wagner Vineyards, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.  81/100

2005 Chardonnay, Wagner Vineyards, Finger Lakes, New York, 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.  78/100

2006 Rosé Table Wine, Wölffer Estate, The Hamptons, Long Island, New York, 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.  85/100

2003 Reserve Chardonnay, Wölffer Estate, The Hamptons, Long Island, New York, 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.  87/100

2004 La Ferme Martin Chardonnay, Wölffer Estate, The Hamptons, Long Island, New York, 12.5%
A simple, moderately crisp, gently buttery chardonnay nose.  A simple, unexceptional palate.  A nice easy wine.  Good.  84/100

2004 Reserve Merlot, Wölffer Estate, The Hamptons, Long Island, New York, 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.  89/100

2003 Cabernet Franc, Wölffer Estate, The Hamptons, Long Island, New York, 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.  87/100

2004 Mountain Road Pinot Noir, Warm Lake Estate, Niagara Escarpment, New York, 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.  86/100

2005 Merlot, Bedell Cellars, North Fork of Long Island, New York, 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.  85/100

2004 Merlot Unfiltered Reserve, Macari Vineyards, North Fork of Long Island, New York, 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.  86/100

2002 Bergen Road, Macari Vineyards, North Fork of Long Island, New York, 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.  88/100

2004 Block E White Table Wine, Macari Vineyards, North Fork of Long Island, 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.  90/100

For further notes on New York State wines, see my notes from a similar tasting in 2008.


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Last updated: 12 July 2007