The New York Finger Lakes Riesling Shootout

So, there's this guy Lenn who, for the last couple of months, has been encouraging my friend Joe Roberts (aka, 1 Wine Dude) and I to get together and taste a bunch of Rieslings from the Finger Lakes. It's all part of a program called Taste NY – Lenn Thompson is its founder, prime champion and chief sample sender – that's designed to get wines from New York state in front of a select group of wine/food bloggers and, thenceforth goes the hope, into the public eye.

The stars and schedules having finally aligned, last night was to be the night. Joe and I, along with our significant others, descended on Teikoku, a member of the Win Signature Restaurants group, where the owners and staff had graciously allowed us to BYO6B (that's "bring your own six bottles," y'all). Rather than just conducting a quick sip, swish and spit routine, we'd decided to taste and imbibe along with a table full of sushi in order to get the complete picture of how the wines work both on their own and with food.

I half expected to walk into the restaurant and find Joe, who was the recipient and caretaker of the bottles in question, with the wines already bagged and lined up for blind tasting. But nope, he'd opted to keep things open and easy, simply taking a best guess at the appropriate tasting order. In keeping with that approach, there was no doling out of points – just tasting, consideration, discussion and a modicum of note taking. Below you'll find my own take on the six Finger Lakes Rieslings we tasted, listed according to my order of preference.

1. Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Riesling 2007 (12% alcohol, $18):
   With a snoot full of slate and diesel oriented aromas, the Wiemer had the most precise nose of the bunch. Though labeled as dry, the wine felt to me like what the Germans would call halbtrocken or medium dry, not because of a high concentration of sugars but rather due to the gentle attack of its acidity. With our food, I wouldn't have minded just a touch more cut but then I am a bit of an acid freak.... It still worked admirably and, in fact, was both finely balanced and very persistent on the finish, marred only slightly by a just noticeable dash of sulfur. Unquestionably the most Mosel-like of the line-up and, for me, the most complete wine and the best overall value of the night. I'm pretty sure it took top spot among the group consensus as well.
   
   
2. Red Newt Cellars Riesling "Reserve" 2006 (12% alcohol, $24):
   Like the Wiemer, Red Newt's Reserve Riesling was not terribly RS-rich (5 grams/liter, per the back label) but definitely showed a graceful kiss of up-front sweetness before resolving to a fairly dry finish. Delicacy was the word here. Very clean and polished wine, with a pretty nose of yellow grapefruit and elderflower. A slightly bitter finish – think of the pith from that same yellow grapefruit – worked with the wine's medium acidity to make it a solid pairing with our sushi assortment.
   
   
   
3. Fox Run Vineyards Riesling 2008 (12% alcohol, $14):
   This was the first wine we tasted and I was quite surprised by the ferocity and grippiness of its acids. Though labeled as just left of center on the wine's rear label "sweetometer" (with all due credit to Mrs. Wine Dude for her coinage), this was actually quite dry both up front and on the finish, showing its hint of sweetness only on the mid-palate. (Its slight off-dry character became more obvious when revisiting it later in the evening at a slightly warmer serving temperature.) Green apple and yellow apple skin flavors dominated on the palate, along with hints of baked lemon and mace. A touch of volatile acidity (VA) in the wine's top-notes and a slight vegetal hint kept this from moving higher up the ladder. Nonetheless, a pretty solid wine, especially at its sub-$15 price point.
   
   
4. Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling 2007 (12% alcohol, $17):
   Soft and by a good shot the lowest acid of the evening's lineup, this was also the most disappointing wine of the night for me because I know that Dr. Frank can do better. It places fourth only because I found greater flaws in the following two wines. Very gentle and round, with a faintly floral nose followed up by apricot nectar on the palate, where the wine otherwise lacked focus and washed out, particularly when tasted with food.
   
   
5. Heron Hill Winery Riesling "Old Vines" 2005 (13% alcohol, $24):
   At 13%, this was the biggest wine of the night. That extra dose of power resulted in an aggressive finish, with the wine's flavors not able to stand up to the intensity of its structure. There was some interest here. In fact, the wine reminded me a little of one of the old white Riojas from Lopez de Heredia; however, it didn't have the fruit, the balance or the nuance to carry things off. Very truffly and a touch oxidative, this also showed a touch of VA. My biggest complaint, though, is that I found this to be much more developed than I'd expect at only four years of age; it was nearly bereft of fruit. I can't help but wonder if the wine wouldn't have survived and worked better if finished at a slightly lower alcohol level (higher RS level).
   
   
6. Sheldrake Point Vineyard Riesling "Reserve" 2006 (12.1% alcohol, $26):
   If anything, this was even more intensely vinous and powerful on the palate than the Heron Hill. Though showing the darker fruited flavors of its bit of age, the wine was still quite yeasty on the nose and lacked aromatic vibrancy. Hot on the finish, overtly muscular and unbalanced, this was definitely an example of a wine marked by over-extraction at the expense of fruit. Though arguably less flawed than the wine I slotted into fifth place, it was also less compelling.

If there's a lesson to be learned here, it's that the importance of balance in a wine should always come before the achievement of dryness (or any other stylistic expression), no matter what the market and prevailing tastes dictate. I'd absolutely purchase Wiemer's Riesling for my own drinking pleasure and would definitely consider doing the same with the wines from Red Newt and Fox Run. But I can't say the same for wines four through six.

All in all, even though my results were pretty clearly split right down the middle, I found the tasting persuasive enough that a trip up the Finger Lakes might just be in order for sometime in the impending New Year.

Intro only...

Cochon BYOB: First Porcine Impressions

I finally paid a long overdue visit to Cochon last week, along with a friendly pack of rabid food geeks. Between the number of people, the number of plates being passed rapid fire around the table and the social focus of the evening, there’s no way I could do the meal justice with a full restaurant profile. So I figured I’d just write up some basic impressions, post some pictures (which were tough in Cochon’s low light) and save a more focused look for another day.

As its name suggests, Cochon – French for “pig” – is not safe haven for vegetarians. It’s clearly a carnivore’s delight, focusing on robust, French bistro cuisine and occasionally venturing into the realms of offal and the unusual. One could safely say it’s stepped into the once local shoes of now defunct Pif even more clearly than has Pif’s reincarnation as Ansill Food & Wine.


Our appetites were kindled by a couple of surprises from the kitchen: a fried terrine and grilled pâté combo (at left) and fried frog legs.
The food at Cochon is not subtle. Flavors are not delicate. Portions are not dainty. Yet, aside from one slightly overcooked slice of pork belly, just about everything we ate last week was well executed, cooked to perfection and loaded with hardy, soulful flavor. Service was tight, casual and well paced, befitting the clean lines and open, easy feel of the room as well as the good-value menu. First courses are priced between $8-12 with mains all sitting in a narrow band between $20-24, very fair prices for the quality of cooking and ingredients as well as for the generous quantities being served.



First courses included (clockwise, from top left) fried oysters; frisée salad with blood sausages; sweetbreads; and seared scallops. There was another salad course, featuring pork belly and garlic sausages, but my photo stunk so you'll have to use your imagination.


A pair of Rieslings, the "Reserve" from New York State's Red Newt Cellars along with the "Tradition" (not pictured) of Alsace producer Domaine Barmès-Buecher, stole the show for the evening. As good as are Heidi Schröck's wines, her 1999 Cabernet rosé was definitely past it. The Faiveley was over-extracted and over-oaked and the Clos du Val just plain dull, while Latour's "Morgeot" lived to see another day.



Portion control may have been an issue for a less zealous crowd. Second courses included (clockwise, from top left): the veal chop special; baby rack of lamb; pork shoulder over lentils du Puy; and duck breast.


Non red meat eaters need not despair as the daily fish special – sea bass on our visit – was up to the standard set by the rest of the offerings.

Between the five of us, we ordered just about everything on the menu, enjoyed a couple of off-menu surprises and pulled a few corks. Based on the descriptions of the few options, sweets sounded like they might be a bit of an afterthought. I can’t say though, as we never made it to dessert. That too will have to wait for a more restrained (or hungrier) return visit, one I’ll be sure to make based on the quality of my first.

Cochon BYOB 801 E. Passyunk Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19147 (215) 923-7675

Intro only...