Review: Old York Cellars NV Merlot and 2013 Sweet Riesling
Yes Virginia, they make wine in Virginia. Also New Jersey, where you’ll find Old York Cellars.
These wines make for an interesting introduction to the styles you’ll find on the other coast. We tasted along with the winery during a web-based event. Thoughts follow.
NV Old York Cellars Merlot – Nonvintage merlot, a distant cousin to anything you’d find coming from California. The curious nose seems vaguely eastern (or at least eastern European), with intense herbs, spearmint, and incense notes. The palate is fruitier than you’d expect, but very dry, its fresh fruits tempered with notes of bacon and barbecue. A bit of mothball comes along on the finish. Altogether, I can best describe it only as a very strange little wine. C / $18
2013 Old York Cellars Sweet Riesling – Some antiseptic notes kick things off in this semi-sweet riesling bottling, which eventually evokes some layers of orange blossoms and watery honey. The body is far less sweet than you might expect, coming across as herbal and sometimes vegetal. The very thin body cuts into what fruit is there — though the honey and apple notes at the core give it at least something to hold on to for a time. C / $17
NV Old York Cellars Merlot
$18
