2017 Ravines Dry Riesling ($17.95)
Ravines Wine Cellars is an artisanal winery in the flourishing, world-class wine region of the Finger Lakes, located in upstate New York. It is the passion of Morten & Lisa Hallgren, a European Winemaker/Oenologist and his Chef wife. Together, they have created a small, distinctive winery, crafting elegant and expressive wines using Old World winemaking practices.
This Ravines Dry Riesling is estate grown, 100% Riesling from the Finger Lakes AVA. Its grapes come from the White Springs Vineyard (52%), and the 16 Falls Vineyard (48%), with the vineyard on each side of Seneca Lake.
The hand-harvested grapes from both vineyards were whole cluster pressed. The machine harvested fraction from the White Springs vineyard were given substantial skin contact prior to fermentation. All were fermented at low temps (54-60 F) in stainless steel tanks to preserve the bright fruit flavors. After racking, this wine was aged on lighter lees throughout the winter until April and was bottled in June 2018.
While Rieslings may be pale straw in color, this Ravines Dry Riesling is golden - likely due to the extended skin contact. On the nose, it has lime and green apple along with apricot, melon and tropical fruits. On the palate, the bright fruit fools you into believing that it has sweet tendencies, but at 3 g/l residual sugar it is indeed a dry Riesling. The mouthfeel is soft and slightly oily. It has medium acidity and finishes light and refreshing.
This Ravines Wine Cellars Dry Riesling has received 90-point ratings from Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate. And, at this price, it perfect as a Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week.
Learn more about Ravines Wine Cellars at https://ravineswine.com
Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Sample Provided by Ravines Wine Cellars