2020 Peconic Bay Vineyards Riesling

Variety: Riesling
Region: North Fork, Long Island, New York
Cost: $28 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes: A melange of grapefruit, sage, and butterscotch. Generous pallet weight leads to a clean and crisp finish. Inviting aromas of honey, pear, and citrus blossom. The beautiful balance of this Riesling provides great versatility with food pairings. From cheese spreads to Asian dishes and traditional desserts, this wine complements them all.

My Review: Of all the wines from the North Fork that were sent to me some months back, this was probably the one I was the most interested to try. I’ve had Riesling from New York before, but that was the Finger Lakes region; so I was curious to see if this wine took after some of the bracing, dry Rieslings off that part of the state, or if they carved their own path.

So–how did it show?

In the glass the wine was a light yellow color; more straw than lemon color, but not the deep golden color that I associate with heavily oaked Chardonnay either. On the nose I got aromas of citrus and butterscotch. In the mouth the wine was bright and zippy, with a good balance of acid and sweetness. Flavors of grapefruit, honey, and lime were most prominent to me, but some white flower came out as well as the wine warmed in the glass.

This Riesling walked the line between sweet and dry. Between the butterscotch aromas and honey notes it definitely had a hint of sweetness to it, but it wasn’t anything close to being cloying or overpowering, thanks to the tart citrus notes of grapefruit and lime.

My wife and I paired the wine with some chicken tikka masala, and the wine paired well enough; the subtle sweet notes of the wine were a good foil to the spices of the food. That being said, I think pairing it with more Asian cuisine would have been a better call–I think the wine’s profile would have been a good complement to something like a General Tso’s chicken, with its blend of spicy and sweet.

Disclaimer: I received this wine as a free sample for review.

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