WTN: My first New York wine (and Willi Schaefer)!

riesling tasting at BackRoom wines in Napa. Two stood out: n

1. Red Tail Ridge Dry Riesling (Seneca Lake). This was very light and elegant and almost etherial. Is it sacriligeous to note that I prefered it to many of the German Rieslings that night? Plus, the owner is an ex-Californian who rescured three dogs. From the shopowners' tasting notes, which I think are spot on.:

A) RED TAIL RIDGE Dry Riesling “Estate Grown” Finger Lakes, New York 2007 $21
This is Western New York State, and it’s the coolest major winegrowing region in the U.S.A.
11 lakes stretch like fingers through the region. They’re deep: deeper than the Great Lakes, thereby mitigating the cold winters and keeping vines happy. It’s still very cool, and natural acidity is not a problem. Exceptional area of the country for delicate, aromatic, very pretty, dry Riesling from their vines on Seneca Lake. This is lovely…citrus blossoms, lime zest, grapefruit, nectarine and a kiss of Riesling minerality. Sits very lightly yet intently. 192 cases made.

2. WILLI SCHAEFER Graacher “Domprobst” Kabinett Mosel 2007 $29

Quintessential German Rieslings come from the Mosel. The ridiculously steep vineyards, full of slate, make earth-driven wines unlike anyplace else (besides Burgundy). Willi Schaefer is one of the greats. The wine: Spicy! Bursts of citrus fruits (enough fruit to cure scurvy, I am told), ginger, mint, and Mosel Valley slate. Amazingly zingy, fruity and brilliant.

This wine was a REVELATION to me. It stood out dramatically from the other wines with this amazingly PUNGEANT minerality. As the description notes, there is plenty of fruit, too, but this was a WOW wine for me.

2. WILLI SCHAEFER Graacher “Domprobst” Kabinett Mosel 2007 $29

Quintessential German Rieslings come from the Mosel. The ridiculously steep vineyards, full of slate, make earth-driven wines unlike anyplace else (besides Burgundy). Willi Schaefer is one of the greats. The wine: Spicy! Bursts of citrus fruits (enough fruit to cure scurvy, I am told), ginger, mint, and Mosel Valley slate. Amazingly zingy, fruity and brilliant.

This wine was a REVELATION to me. It stood out dramatically from the other wines with this amazingly PUNGEANT minerality. As the description notes, there is plenty of fruit, too, but this was a WOW wine for me.

As you may know, there were two Schaefer Domprobst Kabinetts in 2007, do you know which one you had? My notes from earlier this year are below. I thought they were both fun, although in different ways.


2007 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett #16
This is fresh clear rocky riesling with delicate trembling shards of mineral slate. Great fun. And screwcap. Perfect for opening and drinking.

2007 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett #7
This is rounder and deeper with more material than in the #16. With some air it is plenty drinkable and is in the same salty slatey fruity vein as the #16, but always a bit rounder and deeper and not necessarily showing everything. Yet, I'm not sure if this one will have better development in the future because it is still a brisk kabinett? So for evolution I might look to a higher pradikat and for drinking now I might look to the #16. But I'm sure there is nothing wrong with any of these wines.

Not sure. I will check the bottle tonight.

A) RED TAIL RIDGE Dry Riesling “Estate Grown” Finger Lakes, New York 2007 $21
This is Western New York State, and it’s the coolest major winegrowing region in the U.S.A.
11 lakes stretch like fingers through the region. They’re deep: deeper than the Great Lakes, thereby mitigating the cold winters and keeping vines happy. It’s still very cool, and natural acidity is not a problem. Exceptional area of the country for delicate, aromatic, very pretty, dry Riesling from their vines on Seneca Lake. This is lovely…citrus blossoms, lime zest, grapefruit, nectarine and a kiss of Riesling minerality. Sits very lightly yet intently. 192 cases made.

Sorry, but I have a few nits to pick with this quote. Western New York and the Finger Lakes are two distinct regions in upstate NY. Monroe County (Rochester) is sometimes assigned to either of the regions, but usually Finger Lakes. The two grape growing regions in Western New York are the southeast shore of Lake Erie (home of Welch's and some small wineries) and the southern shore of Lake Ontario, including the Niagara Escarpment AVA, which is a geological and climatic extension of Ontario's Niagara Peninsula (Niagara County, NY now has about 10 wineries, all less than 12 years old). Also, 4 of the 5 Great Lakes are deeper than the deepest of the Finger Lakes (Seneca Lake). Only Lake Erie is shallower.
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/factsheet.html
http://www.fingerlakes.org/nature/nature_lakes.htm
BTW - I'll have to find a bottle of this wine and give it a try.

A) RED TAIL RIDGE Dry Riesling “Estate Grown” Finger Lakes, New York 2007 $21
This is Western New York State, and it’s the coolest major winegrowing region in the U.S.A.
11 lakes stretch like fingers through the region. They’re deep: deeper than the Great Lakes, thereby mitigating the cold winters and keeping vines happy. It’s still very cool, and natural acidity is not a problem. Exceptional area of the country for delicate, aromatic, very pretty, dry Riesling from their vines on Seneca Lake. This is lovely…citrus blossoms, lime zest, grapefruit, nectarine and a kiss of Riesling minerality. Sits very lightly yet intently. 192 cases made.

Sorry, but I have a few nits to pick with this quote. Western New York and the Finger Lakes are two distinct regions in upstate NY. Monroe County (Rochester) is sometimes assigned to either of the regions, but usually Finger Lakes. The two grape growing regions in Western New York are the southeast shore of Lake Erie (home of Welch's and some small wineries) and the southern shore of Lake Ontario, including the Niagara Escarpment AVA, which is a geological and climatic extension of Ontario's Niagara Peninsula (Niagara County, NY now has about 10 wineries, all less than 12 years old). Also, 4 of the 5 Great Lakes are deeper than the deepest of the Finger Lakes (Seneca Lake). Only Lake Erie is shallower.
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/factsheet.html
http://www.fingerlakes.org/nature/nature_lakes.htm
BTW - I'll have to find a bottle of this wine and give it a try.

LOL. I will let Dan (the shop owner) know. We are pretty California-centric out here, so...

It was good wine, though...and that's what mattered! But my only warning is that I am not a very experienced Riesling drinker, so you may have a different, more educated opinion.

Brian,

I stopped by the Red Tail Ridge tasting room sometime last year, not long after they opened. What they were tasting at that time was fairly limited, made mostly from purchased grapes. The riesling you had is probably their first release from estate grapes, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. In addition to riesling, they have some chardonnay, several clones of pinot noir and some oddities like teroldego and dornfelder. They must have spent quite a lot (by FL standards) planting the vineyards - it looks like a very professional job. Certainly one of the newer places in the FL to watch - I will try to stop by this summer for a visit.