Hermann J. Wiemer Magdalena Vineyard Riesling 2016

Professional Ratings

• 94 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  he 2016 Riesling Magdalena Vineyard comes in with nine grams of residual sugar and 12.5% alcohol. It's fruity, dry, very aromatic and focused. Showing beautiful purity of fruit and sensual texture, this is what a lot of folks will want in a Riesling. Although nine grams of sugar isn't typically all that much in the Finger Lakes, this doesn't show a hint of austerity, at least not early on. It is also nicely concentrated. Some in the Finger Lakes focus more on that zing and zest from acidity. (Diversity in style is a great thing for a region, and I love those, too, so don't misunderstand.) Wiemer, though, has the concentration that provides a different and more accessible balance. There is still plenty of acidity here, which becomes very much clearer when you retaste it the next day. As it warms, the finish becomes far more intense on the second day tasted as this becomes drier and zippier. As with all of Wiemer's gems this issue, this only begins to show all it has with a lot of time and air. (For the record, after three days, I liked this better than the regular HJW.) The fruit still easily matches the acidity, however, and makes this perfectly harmonious. If this is fruitier and sexier on opening than most of the upper-level this issue, those are merely relative adjectives, because there is plenty of power here too. That's ultimately what will make it special.
• 93 Wine & Spirits
  In 2016, the Magdalena Vineyard’s proximity to Seneca Lake provided a cooling effect, contributing to this wine’s exceptional depth of flavor (eight separate picks through the vineyard helped, too). Starting off with scents of peach and ripe apple, the wine has a lanolin richness, a weight that feels wholly satisfying and effortless. Though it has plenty of fine acidity, it’s not a wine of energy so much as completeness, with a cradling palate presence, an ideal foil for something rich and spicy, like a Japanese curry.
• 93 James Suckling

  Apricot, pineapple and hibiscus aromas pour from the glass of this concentrated and very succulent riesling that’s just off-dry. Long, complex finish in which ripe and mineral components are beautifully integrated. This will slowly turn in a drier direction as it ages. Drink or hold.