Ravines Finger Lakes Dry Riesling 2013

Ravines Wine Cellars Finger Lakes Dry Riesling 2013

We went out of our way and made a point to stop at Ravines Wine Cellars on the south east shore of Keuka Lake in Central New York's Finger Lakes wine region during our 2012 Finger Lakes Wine Experience.  It was a priority visit for us since its one of the few Finger Lake producers and wines available in Chicagoland.

Ravines Wine Cellars (left) is run by the husband wife team, Morten, viticulturalist and winemaker & Lisa Hallgren, self proclaimed 'foodie'. Morten was raised in Provence region of Southern France where the Hallgren family owned Domaine de Castel Roubine, a 270 acre estate with 170 acres of vineyards and where he spent years in the vineyards learning viticulture - tending to the vines.

After earning an advanced degree in Enology and Viticulture at the renowned winemaking school, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Agronomie in Montpellier, he spent time working at the classic Bordeaux producer, Chateau Cos d’Estournel, under the legendary Bruno Pratts.

He came to America working for a French negociant, then at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina before he was recruited by Willy Frank to be chief winemaker for Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars on the opposite side of Keuka Lake, the early pioneer and most established brand, who is credited with establishing serious wine production in the Finger Lakes region.

After six years at Franks, the Hallgrens purchased the 17 acre Ravines estate in 2000, named for the ravines carved out of the glacier-sculpted hillside on the Eastern slope overlooking Keuka lake (left). They source grapes from three vineyards located on the East side of Seneca Lake.

While they offer a broad line of red and white wines, from many diverse varietals (shown left), like so many Finger Lakes producers, I feel too many Finger Lakes producers are over-extended with too many varietals and labels and should stick with what they do best, that which is most suited to their terroir - climate, soil, exposure, degree days, sun days, length of growing season, rainfall, and so on. Old World producers, after centuries of experimentation and refinements have perfected matching the most suitable wine grape varietals to their unique terroir or sense of place at their locale. Certainly, this is the case in France, Portugal, and Germany - (I don't know what to make of Italy with their 500+ grape varietals - perhaps this is a reason we don't collect and specialize in Italian wines). Several Finger Lakes producers offered more than two dozen different wines.

Several times, we walked into a Finger Lakes winery where they were serving a dozen plus different wines and I asked for simply their flagship signature wine, and they didn't have one, or didn't know which one to feature.

For most of the producer's we visited, they offered almost too broad a selection of as many as a dozen or more different wines, without a highlight or showcase feature label. Ravines seemed to be less guilty of this excess than most of the others. Even then, Ravines produce Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc and a properly licensed Meritage, as well as several white wines including Gewurtraminer and Chardonnay besides the Riesling.

From all the wines, we tasted during the several days traversing the area, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and perhaps Cabernet Franc for the reds, seemed to be the varietal (s) best suited to the cooler more moderate climate of the region. We continue to buy and enjoy Ravines Dry Riesling with each new vintage release.

Tonight, for snacking while watching NCAA March Madness, with crackers and chips, Linda prepared a creative, tasty artichoke dip with chopped spinach, jalapeno, parmigiana, Greek yogurt and garlic seasoned salt, when went very nicely with this tangy Dry Riesling. 

While not elegant or sophisticated, this is a pleasant easy drinking every day white that offers reasonable QPR - quality price ration - at under $14.

I've written a great deal in this blog about wine marketing and branding. I applaud Ravine in this area with their tasteful, creative and decorative label (label) depicting the chateau (pictured top) and terrain of the estate.

Straw colored, medium light bodied, full forward flavors of grapefruit and tones of lemon and mineral with a subtle note of garden hose rubber on the mid-palate through the tart tangy focused acidity on the citrus finish.

RM 86 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1820218

http://www.ravineswine.com/

Hahn Central Coast Meritage 2006

Hahn Central Coast Meritage 2006

I was recommending this as a special best buy back at the time, a complex full bodied fruit forward Meritage for under $20, a rare find indeed. Interestingly, they released it as a Meritage as opposed to a Cabernet or simply Red Wine. The reason this is notable and unique is that as I understand it, the term Meritage, is trademarked by the Meritage Alliance, a consortium of over 350 producers, and hence subject to licensing.

Meritage, oft mispronounced, rhymes with hermitage, and does not carry the 'ahh with a soft 'j''. Meritage is the term applied to a Bordeaux Blend, the combination of Bordeaux varietal grapes - Cabernet Sauvignon and or Merlot predominating with highlights of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot or some other lesser varietals in the blend. But, of course, only wines produced in the French Bordeaux region can carry the Bordeaux moniker, hence Meritage was coined for such wines produced in America (or elsewhere). And to maintain the exclusivity or distinction, the term is only available for use under license. Hence its rare to find a label at this price point since it doesn't allow the margin to carry the additional burden of the license fee. Indeed, even many high priced American Bordeaux Blends avoid the license fee and label their wines as simple 'Red Wine' or 'Red Wine Blend'. Some producers will use the historic term 'Claret' that dates back to the 1700's, the name used by the British for red wines from the Bordeaux region of France, or wines in the Bordeaux style.

According to the Meritage Alliance, "Meritage, pronounced like heritage, first appeared in the late 1980s after a group of American vintners joined forces to create a name for New World wines blended in the tradition of Bordeaux. In wine terms, the traditional historic wine regions such as Italy, France and Portugal, where they've been cultivating varietal grapes and crafting wines for centuries, are referred as the 'Old World', while the 'New World' refers to regions that have started and popularized the practice in the twentieth century, such as America, Australia, South Africa and South America.

The word Meritage was selected from more than 6,000 entries in an international contest. Meritage combines "merit," reflecting the quality of the grapes, with "heritage," which recognizes the centuries-old tradition of blending, long considered to be the highest form of the winemaker's art.

Meritage wines are growing in popularity and are currently the second fastest growing wine category in the industry. They are highly regarded for their aging potential, yet are completely approachable in their youth.
Many Meritage wines have proprietary names in addition to, or rather than, Meritage. In order to obtain a license and use the term Meritage on a label, a wine must meet certain criteria."

According to the Meritage Alliance in reference to the official designation, "A Red Meritage is a blend of two or more of the red "noble" Bordeaux varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and the rarer St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and Carmenère. If the blend includes any other grape variety, it is, by definition, not a Meritage. Also, to qualify as a Meritage, no single grape variety can make up more than 90% of the blend."

We bought a lot of this 2006 vintage release at the time and enjoyed it as our every day drinking red wine. Several friends adopted this wine as well. This is the last remaining bottle from that era and as such it was time to drink, showing its age and clearly being at the mature end of its drinking window. Still it was good tonight with pizza.

Hahn Central Coast Meritage 2006

Hahn Family wines produce a wide range of wines. Hahn is the German term for Rooster which adorns the label, named after the proprieter's ancestry. This is a high QPR - quality price ratio red wine blend of Bordeaux varietal grapes. Showing its age, the dark berry fruit is showing at over ripe with taste of raisins with hints of tobacco and leather as the fruit starts to subside. Still dark blackish purple, medium to full bodied with hints of oak, its time to drink up.

RM 87 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=462555

http://www.hahnwinery.com/