The Finger Lakes AVA lies five hours north of New York city, to the south of Lake Ontario & the Canadian border. The region sits on the extremity of many a wine convention:- this is seriously cool climate production made possible only by the tempering effect of the lakes and Vinifera only arrived here in the 1950s and still has to prove its worth to many farmers more used to selling hybrids to the tourist markets. Amongst the wineries and winemakers pushing to advance the region and craft wines of quality and distinction to match the best sites' potential is local Ben Riccardi.
Ben brings the sensibilities of a young gun who has worked in Sonoma, New Zealand and France along with Big Apple attitude from time honing his skills at Manhattan's City Winery. Using fruit from both Seneca and Cayuga Lakes - there are 11 Lakes in total with four considered the best for winemaking and these two with their own AVAs - Ben makes low-intervention, wild-yeast wines that revel in feshness and lower alcohol. We love the lightness of touch he brings to his Chardonnays (both unoaked and with some large barrel influence), Riesling and Cab Franc. The hybrids that can often lead the region astray- along with being freezing in the winter there can be considerable pressure on vines during hot and humid summers - are focussed and original.
Osmote Riesling Seneca Lake 2018
9.7% abv
Limpid clear wine with green glint. Beguiling aromas of stone fruit with creamy lees character plus slate minerality. Attack is bright and focused then midpalate creates depth while peach flavors develop. Finish is clean and dry. Residual 6g/l, 7.3 g/l TA
Hand harvested fruit very carefully selected during a rainy harvest season. Perfect fruit was whole cluster pressed in a horizontal bladder press. Some juice went straight from press to barrel to start natural fermentation while rest of juice sat in tank until signs of natural fermentation. No juice racking. Juice in tank was moved to barrel after signs of ferment, so all wine fermented in neutral 400 and 500L French oak barrels. Wine stayed on gross lees until 1 month before bottling. Bottled 4/22/19.
Two separate vineyards, each located on either the north or south side of Sawmill Creek which flows over a series of waterfalls into Seneca Lake. Sawmill Creek Vineyard- Hillside planting on east side of Seneca Lake with slopes as steep as 20%. Vineyard altitude ranges from 490-820ft above sea level.
Peach Orchard Vineyard- Flat planting on south side of the creek. Howard gravelly loam soils.
1700 bottles and 12 magnums produced.
- Reference #:
- 13088
- Strength
- 9.7 ABV
- Bottles per Case
- 6 bottles
- Grapes
- Riesling
- Organic
- No
- Biodynamic
- No
- Vegan
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- Yes
- Sparkling
- No
