($23):  What a surprise!  Pinot Blanc can often be dilute and uninspired.  Not this one from Lieb Cellars, one of Long Island’s top producers.  Yes, Long Island makes wine and very good wine at that, as evidenced by this Pinot Blanc. … Read more

($35):  Paul Hobbs, who has made wines around the world, has chosen the Finger Lakes for his Riesling.  He and his younger brother, David, purchased a 78-acre piece of land on Lake Seneca in 2013.  Developed from scratch, they have now planted 21 acres of it will Riesling. … Read more

($35):  As one of California’s leading winemakers, Paul Hobbs needs no introduction.  The Finger Lakes should be thrilled to have him making wine there because his wines, at least based on these first two vintages, will bring widespread acclaim to the area. … Read more

($32):  Wölffer Estate, though best known for their Rosés (they list seven on their website) make a bevy of other top-notch wines, including this Malbec.  I am not a Malbec enthusiastic because all too often the wines are heavy, monotonic reds. … Read more

($33):  The Massoud family, who own Paumanok Vineyards on Long Island’s North Fork, recently acquired neighboring Palmer Vineyards, which means that the very talented Kareem Massoud made this wine.  Albariño, best known for Spain’s wonderfully fresh and lively wines from Rías Baixas region, has been planted on Long Island since at least 2007 when Miguel Martin, former general manager and winemaker at Palmer who had lived in Spain, planted it. … Read more

($30):  New York is the country’s third leading state (behind California and Washington) in terms of wine production.  The North Fork of Long Island is one of the state’s leading regions.  Cabernet Franc does especially well there.  Thankfully, over the last decade winemakers have transformed the character of their Cabernet Franc from a Cabernet Sauvignon-styled powerhouse to a lighter, Loire-style version. … Read more

($27):  RGNY stands for Rivero González New York.  The family started in the wine business in 1998 in Parras Coahuila Mexico.  Two decades later they acquired the Martha Clara Winery on the North Fork of Long Island.  They have made a brilliant 2020 Viognier, a difficult grape to turn into an elegant wine because it needs to be fairly ripe to exhibit its charms. … Read more

($26):  Paumanok Vineyards excels with Chenin Blanc.  It’s always a delight.  The 2020 is no exception.  Crisp with a delicate fruitiness, it conveys the barest hint of sweetness.  Its vibrant and balancing acidity, along with a modest 11 percent-stated alcohol, makes it an exciting wine to pair with sushi, spicy Asian fare, BBQ, or just sipping it as an aperitif. … Read more

($20):  Engaging hints of white flowers are immediately apparent and predict a lovely wine.  That prediction is correct.  This Pinot Blanc is charming, crisp and clean.  It may be lightweight in alcohol — 11.9 percent stated — but not in flavor or satisfaction. … Read more

($23):  Channing Daughters has always been an oddball on Long Island.  Firstly, the deceased Walter Channing founded the winery on Long Island’s South Fork, as opposed to the North Fork where 90 percent of Long Island’s wineries are located.  Secondly, he planted oddball grapes — at least for Long Island —  including Dorfelder and Lagrein, to name just two. … Read more

($28):  Move over Finger Lakes.  Here is a terrific Riesling from Long Island.  It delivers a masterful blend of delicate fruitiness — think subtle peaches — offset by zesty acidity.  Clean and pure, it gives the impression of sweetness, then it disappears. … Read more

($17):  Despite its northern location and frigid winters, the Finger Lakes region of New York State is well suited for Riesling and other European grape varieties.  The lakes are remarkably deep, so the water moderates the temperature of the surrounding shores, allowing Vitus Vinifera planted close by the waters’ edge to survive the winter. … Read more

($17):  The story of the founding of the Dr. Konstantin Frank winery is nothing short of phenomenal.  He went from arriving in the U.S. in 1951 as an emigrant from the Ukraine, speaking no English and with virtually no money, to making one of America’s finest Rieslings from a place where no one had thought of planting that grape. … Read more

($32):  Ravines may not have the storied history of Dr. Konstantin Frank, but they are making sensational Rieslings as well, as demonstrated by this single vineyard bottling and their “regular” one.  Morton Hallgren, winemaker and owner with his wife, Lisa, identified the Argetsinger Vineyard as a top spot for Riesling shortly after establishing their winery in 2001 and have produced a single-vineyard bottling every year.… Read more

($25):  Under the leadership of winemaker Kareem Massoud and his father Charles, before for him, Paumanok Vineyards has made consistently stunning dry Chenin Blanc.  The emphasis is on dry, because consumers often avoid Chenin Blanc because they can’t predict what’s in the bottle since the grapes can make a diverse range of wines from dry to gloriously sweet. … Read more

($17):  The problem for consumers with Riesling is knowing the level of sweetness since the grape is capable of producing superb bone-dry wines as well as gloriously sweet ones.  Raphael, one of top properties on Long Island’s North Fork, helps by indicating on the back that their Riesling is semi-sweet. … Read more

($21):  Bedell, one of the stars of the Long Island wine producers, has done a masterful job with this Viognier, a notoriously difficult grape to get right.  Normally Viognier needs full ripeness to deliver its characteristic floral flavors, often resulting in an alcoholic and heavy wine. … Read more

($24):  It’s a delight to taste Sauvignon Blanc with this kind of balance.  Bright and clean, it delivers a pleasant pungency.  It has energy without a teeth-rattling aggressiveness common to many producers’ Sauvignon Blanc.  There’s a refreshing grapefruit-like bitterness in the finish. … Read more

($28): Chenin Blanc is a tough grape to transform into a balanced wine in North America because a little extra ripeness from the warmth of the growing season translates into an overly fruity and flabby wine.  But when a winery hits it just right, as the team at Paumanok does on a regular basis, Chenin Blanc is an ideal summertime choice. … Read more

($18): As regular WineReviewOnline readers know well, I am not swept away by the tsunami of enthusiasm for rosé, often preferring to chill a light red wine, which makes my reaction to this one all the more startling.  Made from Cabernet Franc, this rosé is dry and crisp with lots of character. … Read more

($27): Macari, a top winery on Long Island, doesn’t rest on its laurels.  It, like many cutting edge wineries, is using large oval tanks made of concrete (“concrete eggs”) for fermentation.  The idea is that the porosity of these concrete eggs lies somewhere between stainless steel and wood and imparts finesse to the wine without wood flavors. … Read more

($22, T. Edward Wines): This Riesling shows why the Finger Lakes region is rapidly becoming known as THE place for Riesling in America.  Ryan William Vineyard’s 2012 delivers a zesty cutting edge seasoned with the barest hint of spice.  All the components come together seamlessly, adding to its appeal. … Read more

($34): Long Island wines do not command the respect they deserve.  Though many producers there believe Merlot to be the island’s signature grape, my vote goes to Cabernet Franc and Macari’s 2010 shows why.  To use a highly technical word, it’s yummy. … Read more

($15): I’ve had this wine twice in one week — and was impressed each time.  Tasted blind at the Critics Challenge International Wine Competition, I awarded it a platinum medal because of its grace, precision, minerality and riveting acidity.  Without realizing I had scored it so highly at the competition, I ordered a bottle at dinner in New York. … Read more

($28): As with many wines from Long Island, the retail availability of this one is limited since three-quarters of Long Island’s wineries’ production is sold at the wineries.  Nonetheless, this crisp and refreshing Chenin Blanc is widely available in restaurants and retail shops the New York City area and as far afield as Chicago. … Read more

($30): Good choice, Mr. President. Selected to be served at the celebration of the President’s inauguration, this Merlot shows how far the wines from Long Island have come. It fits the Long Island wine style of falling between the heavier and riper ones from California and the more reticent ones coming from Bordeaux.… Read more

($16):  Despite a relatively short history–the winery was established only in 1979–Hermann J. Wiemer makes some of this country’s best Rieslings.  This one’s serious stuff with a hint of floral elements gracefully intertwined with piercing minerality.  Perfectly dry, it’s long, balanced and precise. … Read more

($15):  Many people are surprised to hear that New York produces world-class wines.  But the Finger Lakes region is home to some of this country’s best Rieslings.  And Dr. Konstantin Frank’s rank among the top.  Dr. Frank, in the 1950s, figured out that vineyards planted on the shores of these deep-water lakes would benefit from the lakes’ moderating influences, which would prevent the vines from freezing during the harsh New York winter. … Read more

($22):  As Ed McCarthy, my colleague here at WRO, pointed out in a recent column, winemakers on Long Island’s East End are turning out some impressive wines.  And this is one of them.  Roman Roth, one of the area’s best winemakers and the brain behind winemaking at Wolffer Estate, also has his own label.  … Read more

($18): Dr. Frank succeeds with Riesling that retains a dollop of residual sugar because sufficient acidity keeps it fresh, not cloying.  It may lack the engaging minerality and length of Frank’s Dry Riesling, but it is an excellent choice for spicy Asian fare, where a touch of sweetness is welcome to cut the bite of the food. … Read more

($23): Although the Finger Lakes region of New York is known for stunning Riesling, this Pinot Gris shows the potential for that varietal in the region as well.  Bone dry, with nuances of spiced pear and good density, it is clearly a Pinot Gris–not a Pinot Grigio–style of wine and a very good one at that. … Read more

($28): The problem for consumers with Gewurztraminer, like Riesling, is the unknown and unpredictable level of sweetness.  Dr. Frank’s is a gorgeous example of dry Gewurztraminer that highlights the spice of the varietal.  Its prominent perfume suggests sweetness, but instead the wine delivers nuances of lychee nuts and spiced pears and finishes clean and dry. … Read more

($18): The Finger Lakes region of New York State produce this country’s best Rieslings and Dr. Frank is one of the region’s leading producers.  Truly dry with about only 0.8 percent of residual sugar and bracing acidity, it has flinty minerality and real length and depth of flavor.… Read more

($20): Rkatsiteli, a grape native to the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia and widely planted in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, has naturally very high acidity and is often used for sweet wines.  Although Dr. Frank’s version has 7.5 grams of residual sugar, it finishes bone dry, with an almost bitter almond note. … Read more

($50): Roman Roth, the winemaker at Wolffer Estate, one of Long Island’s best wineries, is making his own wine from purchased grapes.  This 2001 Merlot, his first vintage, is an outstanding wine and shows the potential for that region.  Not overblown — and barely over 13% alcohol — its succulent black fruit, earthy nuances, fine tannins and good structure are harmonious. … Read more

($15): Tired of heavy, out of balance New World Chardonnay? Try this delicious wine, not lean and green as some East Coast whites can be, but lush without being overdone. Its bright acidity keeps it lively during a meal. A great value.… Read more