Peconic Bay Winery Riesling 2005

Pfalz like Riesling with grapefuit, lime, mineral and petrol aromas. The residual sugar left in the wine is balanced by racy acidity.

If you're looking for delicious Riesling within the boundaries of New York State, your best bet is the Finger Lakes Region. With its steel, well drained vineyards, cool growing season and deep, temperature-regulating lakes, the region is ideally suited to aromatic wines with bright acidity. <i>BUT,</i> that doesn't mean that other New York Rieslings can't be just as good. Only a handful of Long Island wineries bother with Riesling. Most prefer to focus on the easier-to-grow Chardonnay and, of course, the region's signature varieties Merlot and Cabernet read more...Franc. One of the most consistent local Riesling producers is Peconic Bay Winery. Even though the style of Riesling changes sometimes from year to year, winemaker Greg Gove always manages to coax the best out of the grape. I enjoyed the 2004 bottling, with its straightforward citrus flavors and fresh acid tingle. But it was more a Riesling for the masses – a light and refreshing summer sipper.The recently released 2005 bottling, however... this is a Riesling for those who truly love the Riesling grape. 2005 was one of Long Island's warmest growing years ever. The result was extremely ripe, flavorful fruit. I was worried that local Rieslings would suffer from lack of acidity in this oddly hot vintage, but Gove took super-ripe fruit and made a well balanced and bigger-than-usual wine of unexpected strength. This is still a young wine – taut and somewhat restrained – but the nose still offers nice lemon-lime aromas accented by desirable hints of minerals and petrol. Light residual sugar is barely noticeable because of vibrant acidity that brings structure and focus to lime-dominated flavors. The best Rieslings have a tension to them – fruit and sweetness vs. acidity. That tension lives in this bottle! The winery recommends this wine with local shellfish, squid and white fish, but it's versatile enough to serve with most any fish, fowl or pork dish.    (hide)

October 2008

If you're looking for delicious Riesling within the boundaries of New York State, your best bet is the Finger Lakes Region. With its steel, well drained vineyards, cool growing season and deep, temperature-regulating lakes, the region is ideally suited to aromatic wines with bright acidity. <i>BUT,</i> that doesn't mean that other New York Rieslings can't be just as good. Only a handful of Long Island wineries bother with Riesling. Most prefer to focus on the easier-to-grow Chardonnay and, of course, the region's signature varieties Merlot and Cabernet read more...Franc. One of the most consistent local Riesling producers is Peconic Bay Winery. Even though the style of Riesling changes sometimes from year to year, winemaker Greg Gove always manages to coax the best out of the grape. I enjoyed the 2004 bottling, with its straightforward citrus flavors and fresh acid tingle. But it was more a Riesling for the masses – a light and refreshing summer sipper. The recently released 2005 bottling, however... this is a Riesling for those who truly love the Riesling grape. 2005 was one of Long Island's warmest growing years ever. The result was extremely ripe, flavorful fruit. I was worried that local Rieslings would suffer from lack of acidity in this oddly hot vintage, but Gove took super-ripe fruit and made a well balanced and bigger-than-usual wine of unexpected strength. This is still a young wine – taut and somewhat restrained – but the nose still offers nice lemon-lime aromas accented by desirable hints of minerals and petrol. Light residual sugar is barely noticeable because of vibrant acidity that brings structure and focus to lime-dominated flavors. The best Rieslings have a tension to them – fruit and sweetness vs. acidity. That tension lives in this bottle! The winery recommends this wine with local shellfish, squid and white fish, but it's versatile enough to serve with most any fish, fowl or pork dish.    (hide)

Rating: Silver - As reviewed by Tasters Guild International on 5/1/2007