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

2017 Billsboro Albariño Sawmill Creek Vineyard, USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Grade: 
Current Price: 
$17.00USD

Pretty cool to be able to try a Finger Lakes Albariño.  Unfortunately, this bottle seemed very off.  That said, a couple of people (with respected palates) at the tasting quite enjoyed the wine.  Light green/gold in color.  The nose has wet rocks, hay and plenty of plastic band-aid notes.  Typically, that is a sign of a brettanomyces yeast infection.  That is not always a bad thing, but it is a bit rare to be found in a white wine.  On the palate, the plastic note continues along with a bitter grapefruit juice finish.  I am curious if this was an off bottle or typical from the winery.  It w

2017 Boundry Breaks Riesling Reserve 198, USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$20.00USD

198 refers to the clone type that was used for this wine.  8.3% Alcohol.  It is very much in the Spatlese style of Riesling and at a tasting, was my favorite wine.  Pale, silvery gold in color.  The nose is nice with petrol and minerals.  It is curious why it shows petrol a such a young age but the wine is otherwise young and fresh.  On the palate, this is sweet and approaches cloying but falls short of that.  A pineapple juice quality to it.  Enough acidity to carry it off.  Long finish.  This would be great with Thai or other spicy Asian cuisines.  It is fairly priced and is likely to dri

2017 Hector Wine Company Pinot Blanc, USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
86
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$18.00USD

Light golden in color.  The nose has a crushed shell aspect to it along with some slight lemon peel.  Interesting.  On the palate, this is light bodied and a bit thin.  It has a tart lemon candy aspect.  A bit sweet and a bit sour.  Short finish.  It is solid and fairly priced.  It will work with lighter foods and salads.  Tasted as apart of my tasting group's exploration of this area, in general, the group liked this one a bit more than I did.  

2008 Ravines Wine Cellars Flor, USA, New York, Finger Lakes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2008
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$30.00USD

What an interesting wine.  This is basically a Finger Lakes take on a Fino Sherry or Fortified Jura, France wine.  It comes in a squat bottle.  Although first made in 2008 (the only vintage so far), it was just released in January, 2019.  It is a fortified and oxidized style of wine.  It is very dry.  Deep golden in color with a slight orange hue.  The nose shows oxidation along with a nuttiness (almonds?) and slight orange/citrus.  On the palate, this is tart in a way that Fino Sherry is not.  It is dry and oxidized but a much fatter wine than its Euro counterparts.  The orange notes carry

2008 Château Pontet-Canet, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2008
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$90.00USD

Thrown into a tasting of First Growths from this vintage, that probably wasn't fair, but it held it's own even if not one of the top wines.  And, to top it off Inky purple in color.  The nose is very nice with liqueur-like notes of cassis and cherries along with some cedar and spice.  On the palate, this has a lot of cassis fruit with firm tannins.  It will need another five to ten year to maturity.  It is delicious as pop and pour right now.  Considering this is available for around $90 right now, it is hard to justify the prices of some of the other "better" wines.  

2008 Chateau Palmer, France, Bordeaux, Margaux, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2008
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$225.00USD

Consumed after a tasting of First Growths from 2008, this more than held its own.  It is 51% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot.  The definition of a sexy wine.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has cassis, floral notes and slight plums.  On the palate, this has a wonderful texture.  Juicy yet velvety.  Lots of cassis and some raspberries over a slight spice/earth.  Long finish.  There are medium to firm tannins but they are more silky in style.  A delicious wine right now, it should improve for a decade and last another couple (at least) after that.  

1990 Château d'Yquem, France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1990
Score: 
99
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$380.00USD

Wow.  Served alongside the 2008 Yquem, it just wasn't fair.  An amazing wine.  Deeper (not too deep) gold in color with just a bit of orange/bronze.  The nose is mazing.  Apricots and honey, slight burnt orange peel and just a whiff of vanilla.  On the palate, this has that great acidity to balance the sweetness.  Tons of apricots, slight peach and a bit of orange.  Layered and complex, it is both fascinating and delicious.  A combination of candy and fruit.  The finish goes on forever.  It will work with the right dessert but really needs none.  It seems to be both mature and will probably

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