Hermann J. Wiemer Magdalena Vineyard Riesling 2018
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The unique traits of the Magdalena Vineyard are featured in this lush Riesling. A beneficial air exchange with Seneca Lake moderates the temperatures, creating a warmer and more protective site in the colder months and a cooling effect throughout the summer. The airflow keeps the vineyard dry, and deep soil provides room for spreading root growth. The lime silt loam soil that the site is celebrated for is crucial to the development of flavor intensity in the grapes. The resulting ripeness greets you in the nose with an intense, floral bouquet. This gives way to a fruit-driven, mouth-coating freshness that lingers for minutes after the first sip. Magdalena wines are striking and powerful, and develop very well over time – whether in the glass or in the cellar.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
This warm site often yields some of Wiemer’s most luxurious rieslings, and this feels rich at first. Then it immediately gathers itself with brisk, sneaky acids, the wine’s caramel-apple flavors reading as tart and nutty at once. It’s youthful, and will integrate with time. Lay it down for at least half a year; then decant it to let it unfurl for pork tenderloin.
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Wine Enthusiast
Zesty aromas of waxy lemon peels, crushed stone and fennel bulb carry the refreshing nose. The palate is more ripe in nature, showing creamy apricot and red apple flavors, with well-integrated acidity propping it up. Zesty tangerine and lemon peels give a textured quality to the rounded orchard fruit, while a pulsing mineral tone pervades throughout. A gentle pithiness lingers on the close to dry it up.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Riesling Magdalena Vineyard comes in with eight grams of residual sugar and 12.5% alcohol. Richer and fresher than, say, the Reserve Riesling this issue, there is a slightly sweet edge here that makes this seem a bit sweeter on opening than statistics would suggest. That's not to say there's a lot of sugar—there isn't. What this is, however, is simply far more expressive and vibrant than its siblings. Despite that 12.5% alcohol, it seems very elegant, and it is the only one of the group this issue that truly seems expressive of the grape. It's remarkably fruity in its youth, while some other 2018s (in general) that I've tasted have been steely and lean, or just plain dull. I'm not sure this is going to be one of their greatest, but it handles itself rather well. When Fred Merwath told me on my last visit that he preferred many of his 2018s to 2017s, I wasn't sure that made sense. But I'm beginning to get the point here.
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Hermann Wiemer was born in Bernkastel, Germany into a family with 300 years experience in making the distinguished vinifera wines of the Mosel Valley. He arrived in the United States in 1968 already well versed in the European tradition of fine winemaking. To this heritage he added the skill of grafting fragile vinifera vines onto sturdy American rootstock.
In 1973 he bought 140 acres on the west side of Seneca Lake, which he planted with a variety of European vinifera grapevines. Visitors who wish to see these vines, along with ponds and the six acre nursery, can take the popular Vineyard Walk through the property.
The Winery, which produces 12,000 cases each year, was designed in 1982 by an award winning team of Cornell architects. Enclosed within the shell of a seventy-year-old scissor-trussed barn, it accommodates a laboratory, tasting and retail sales, a wine production area and a private tasting room. Its unique white cathedral-like interior counterpoints the bare wooden walls and sleek Italian stainless steel tanks.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
As the most historic wine-producing region in New York state, winemaking in the Finger Lakes area dates back to the 1820s and today as a region, accounts for 90% of the state’s total wine production.
Its narrow and deep lakes created by the movement of Ice Age glaciers create an environment similar to the classic Riesling-loving regions of Europe, namely Germany and Austria. The Finger Lakes retain summer heat that incidentally warms up cold winter air, making it fall down from the lakes’ steep slopes. When spring comes, the lakes, already cooled by cold winter weather, stave off vine budding until the danger of frost has subsided. The main lakes of the zone, that is those big enough to moderate the climate in this way, are the focal points of prime vineyard areas. They include Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga.
While Riesling has fueled most of the region’s success, today Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc enjoy some attention.