Red Newt Cellars Dry Riesling 2016
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Robert
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The 2016 Dry Riesling was sourced from Lahoma Vineyard on Seneca Lake. It comes in with just three grams per liter of residual sugar (a little less than the 2015) and 7.1 grams of total acidity (even higher than the 2015) and 13% alcohol. The winery said this was intentionally left a bit smoky on the nose during fermentation and via lees' aging to support the fullness of fruit.
It's steely and focused with precision that belies its category, yet there is also fine fruit to go with the mouthwatering finish. I'm a little warier of that smoky nuance, not my favorite aromatic characteristic, but it seemed minor even on opening to the point where I had to think about it. The next day, that was insignificant, and hopefully it stays that way. More importantly, the wine also blossomed in general. Actually, it exploded. It showed a crisper edge but a much better expression of fruit as well. It seems full in the mouth, intense and perfectly balanced. While it may not be quite as deep as a couple of the upper-level Rieslings from Red Newt this issue, it holds its own surprisingly well.
Overall, this is a beauty. It may age extremely well if well stored. Give it a year or two in the cellar if you can so that it fulfills its promise better. If you get smoky nuances when you open it at that point, hopefully not, here's a likely remedy: air will typically help, preferably recorked overnight in the fridge. At the moment, it is a super bargain. Let's lean up.
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David and Debra Whiting met in the late 1980s when David was working as cellar master at a Finger Lakes winery and Debra was supervising microbiology labs at Cornell University. David’s oenological career blossomed as he worked at three different vineyards in Finger Lakes and Debra’s passion for food led her to start a gourmet cheesecake business and then an upscale catering company. The couple founded Red Newt Cellars in 1998 and Debra opened the Red Newt Bistro alongside the first wine releases in June of 1999. In 2011 Debra’s life was sadly cut short, prompting David to delegate some of his duties and hire a winemaker. In 2014 Kelby Russell, a Finger Lakes native, joined the team as the head winemaker.
Today, the Red Newt Cellars winery and Bistro are located in the small town of Hector in the Finger Lakes region of New York, on the southeastern corner of Seneca Lake. At 600 meters below sea level, Seneca Lake is the deepest of the Finger Lakes and one of the deepest lakes in the United States. The effects of the lake and the resulting range of surrounding altitudes and soil types create a wide array of unique terroirs in a relatively small area.
All of the vineyards Red Newt work with for their vinifera program are located on and around the Lake. To the Northwest, Nut Road is comprised of limestone and sandstone and produces an aromatic, delicate Loire Valley-style Cabernet Franc used for Kelby’s rosé. To the west sits Lahoma Vineyard, Red Newt’s largest vineyard. This land is all sandstone and is one of the highest vineyards in the area. The Knoll, a parcel within Lahoma Vineyard that is used to grow the benchmark Riesling for Red Newt, is the highest point at 1,600 ft. Nearby, lower-lying vines provide grapes for some of the other wines including the Circle Riesling and the Dry Riesling. Near the bottom of the lake is Tango Oaks, a compelling site that is a flood plain offering a mix of silt and loam on top of the bedrock. This site features Riesling planted to Alsatian clones, as opposed to the more typical German style Geisenheim ones, which brings an interesting tropical fruit finish to wines from this spot. The east bank of the lake is called the “Banana Belt,” a reference to its warm climate that farmers used to joke was well situated for banana growing. This microclimate is where you’ll find Red Newt’s red varieties, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.