In late April I was tasting through the Finger Lakes, and decided I would stop at one of favorite producers - Silver Thread Vineyard. Paul and Shannon Brock own and operate the boutique winery in Lodi, New York near Seneca Lake. They purchased the 27-acre estate (with six acres under vine) in 2011 from founder Richard Figiel. The Brocks have built the estate's reputation around sustainability, generating 100% of their winery's energy on-site via solar arrays and practicing regenerative agriculture. Paul serves as the head winemaker and vineyard manager; Shannon handles estate management, operations, and sales.
While I was there I tasted two stunning white wines.
Silver Thread Dry Riesling 2024 is the winery's flagship wine. According to the winery's notes, "Made from 100% certified sustainably-grown grapes; a blend of estate grown and Doyle Fournier Vineyard fruit. IRF scale: dry with 0.6% residual sugar." The wine starts off with lemon, white peach peach, lovely floral notes, and tangerine. A terrific hit of petrol. Absolutely astounding. the palate reflects much of that as well with green apple and more subtle tropical fruit flavors. A big, juicy. mouthwatering wine that is elegant, sophisticated, complex and well balanced The finish is parts lemon zest and grapefruit.
I have always been a sucker for Gewurztraminer, and this one might be one of my favorites of the year. The Silver Thread Gewurztraminer 2024 is made from estate Gewurztraminer that was planted between 1999 and 2001 by Silver Thread founder Richard Figiel. They usually make between 100 to 175 cases per year. This wine exhibited a great big floral nose (rose petals?), complete with Granny Smith apple, mandarin oranges, lychee, and ginger. Terrific acidity. Lovely lemon zest and big grapefruit finish. Super mouthwatering. The flavors lingered and linger for a long, long time. And an absolutely impactful experience. And that's what this wine was - an experience. Delicate and robust at the same time. The perfect Gewurztraminer.
A pair of absolute stunners.