2016 Harry & David Vineyards Royal Crest Red, USA, Oregon, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$20.00USD

This is from the Food and Gift purveyor Harry & David and made with Oregon fruit.  It is a "Bordeaux Styled" wine though the exact blend is unclear.  These wines sell as part of gift packages that one can order online or at a store.  It is quite good and was a real crowd pleaser.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  The nose is dusty with black cherries and a nice earthiness to it.  On the palate, this has a nice acidity.  Tart cherry fruit over a forest floor base.  Silky tannins.  Nice finish.  This is food friendly and should go well with medium and heavier foods but especially meat a

2018 Harry & David Vineyards Pinot Noir Rose, USA, Oregon, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$20.00USD

Another wine from Food and Gift purveyors Harry & David.  These are available from their web site and stores and sold as packages and gift sets along with their other products.  The label touts that the grapes were picked early in the season which seemed a bit counter intuitive although they likely are trying to achieve a crispness.  Given Oregon's climate, that was a bit puzzling.  In any event, not the first wine label I didn't understand.  The wine itself is very nice.  Very pale pink in color with some light lavender and silver hues.  The nose is very nice with peaches, strawberries

2015 Harry & David Vineyards Riesling, USA, Southern Oregon, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$20.00USD

This is from Food and Gift purveyor Harry & David and made in Southern Oregon.  This is a very interesting and different take on Riesling.  Light yellow/white/gold in color with a bit of a green tinge to it.  The nose has a fresh cantaloupe quality to it which is very interesting.  On the palate, this has a bit of a tingling acidity.  The cantaloupe /melon quality comes thru.

2013 Firelands Winery Lake Erie Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, USA, Ohio,

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-

From a winery in northwest Ohio along the Lake Erie shore.  Vidal Blanc, is a hybrid grape that does very well in this area and makes wonderful dessert wines.  This is a true Ice Wine and not artificially produced.  Deep golden in color.  The nose is pretty with a canned peaches in heavy syrup quality to it.  On the palate, there are more peaches along with a bit of orange peel and slight bitter honey.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This would go with anything that a Sauternes would go with.  It should last another five years for sure and maybe ten.  It is one of the styles of wine that is m

2015 Ravines Wine Cellars Riesling Dry Argetsinger Vineyard, USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$30.00USD

Apparently, this is one of the highest rated wines from the Finger Lakes region.  it is quite good and fairly priced at $30.Light yellow in color.  The nose has a slight petrol note and nice minerality.  A bit of lemon oil as well.  On the palate, this has nice acidity.  Fresh lemon fruit.  Some depth with underlying minerality.  Good finish.  It would work with a wide variety of foods including Thai and spicy foods.  It seems like it is starting to just show some age but should easily last a decade or more.  

2016 M Cellars Pinot Gris, USA, Ohio, Grand River Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
85
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$16.00USD

This had been purchased from retail so it may have been sitting on the supermarket shelves for a while.  Fairly priced at $16.  It was solid but not as good as most of the wines from this producer.  In our tasting it was one of two wines that got no first, second or third place votes.  Light silvery gold in color.  The nose has little to offer.  On the palate it shows more of a grapefruit juice turning a bit bitter on the finish.  It has a nice mouthfeel.  This was likely much better in its youth or from a pristine bottle.  Drink up if you have one.  

2017 M Cellars Riesling Grand River Valley, USA, Ohio, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$28.00USD

These days, I think that M Cellars is making some of the best wines in Ohio.  They are nestled in the northeast corner of Ohio not too far from the Lake Erie shore.  There are actually quite a few wineries in that part of the state.  Most utilize a "tourist" model for selling their wine.  M Cellars is one of the few attempting to make world class wines and more often than not, they achieve that goal.  This bottle was recently purchased at their tasting room.  It was one of my favorites in a tasting of Ohio and New York wines.  Light silvery green in color.  The nose has a lemony quality whi

2017 Keuka Lake Vineyards Riesling Dry Falling Man Vineyard, USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
87
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$40.00USD

This is one of the priciest Finger Lakes region Rieslings.  It is a nice wine, but there isn't really any value here.  Light silvery gold in color.  The nose is lemony with nice fruit.  It is holding onto its youth quite nicely.  On the palate, this has a candied quality that is nice.  While it is dry, there is a feeling of sweetness and perhaps just a hint of it on the palate.  The finish has a bit of a bitter grapefruit note that was noted in a few of the Finger Lakes Rieslings.  Food friendly.  This should be good for ten years or so but its unclear if it will improve or just hold.  

2016 Shaw Vineyard Riesling Road Block Reserve Finger Lakes, USA, New York, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
86
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$27.00USD

10.5% ABV.  Light green gold in color.  The nose is already showing some light diesel along with a bit of peach.  On the palate, this has a nice oily texture.  It is better on the palate with a lemon candy note.  Slightly bitter on the finish.  This has good acidity and is off dry.  The two seem to balance each other out well.  It will work with a wide variety of foods but certainly Thai would be at the top of the list.    

2017 Kelley's Island Wine Company Inscription White, USA, Ohio, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
80
Grade: 
B-
Current Price: 
$20.00USD

Back in the days before Prohibition, the wines from the Lake Erie Islands far outsold the wines from Sonoma.  Peruse and older text and you will see that these islands produced some of the top wines this country produced.  Nowadays, the islands mostly serve as a summer weekend destination for fun and cheap beer, but there is still some wine being made in the area.  No doubt most of the wine is better enjoyed on a hit summer's day, listening to music in a bar.  Still, it is good to try the wines and see what is being produced.  This is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Vidal Blanc.  It is uncle

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