Ravines Wine Cellars: a pioneer of dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes

Morten Hallgren, of Ravines Wine Cellars, was among the first to popularise dry or trocken-style Riesling in New York State’s Finger Lakes region 20 years ago.

Today, he and his team farm more than 50 hectares of vines and purchase the grapes of the renowned Argetsinger vineyard (see boxes below). The style of the Ravines wines is elegant and classic, and the level of quality competes with comparable cool-climate wine regions anywhere in the world.

Scroll down for 21 tasting notes and scores of Ravines Wine Cellars releases, including seven Argetsinger Vineyard Rieslings

Born in Denmark, Hallgren grew up in Provence at his family’s wine estate, Domaine de Castel Roubine. After earning his winemaking degree in Montpellier, he gained experience at a variety of places, from Cos d’Estournel in Bordeaux to West Texas.

In 1998, he went to work as head winemaker for Dr Konstantin Frank in New York’s Finger Lakes. He and his wife Lisa fell in love with the region and subsequently founded Ravines Wine Cellars in 2001.

‘The Finger Lakes is a roller-coaster ride of vintages,’ says Hallgren. But his breadth of winemaking experiences has prepared him well to deal with the tremendous variation. Some wines get skin contact in the press, others do not – a decision based on the condition of the grapes and the level of acidity at harvest.

Although Ravines is most well-known for its Riesling, this represents only half of Hallgren’s output. A further 35% is red and rosé wine from Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Blaufränkisch, and the balance is traditional-method sparkling wine and other whites such as Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc.

The Argetsinger Vineyard: what makes it so special?

The geology of New York State is complex, with the ancient bedrock of the Adirondack Mountains co-existing with a shallow inland sea during the Paleozoic Era. Despite these conditions, there is very little limestone near the surface, except the band that runs through the Argetsinger site.

As the seas drained, river valleys formed and, during the ice age, the Laurentide ice sheet scraped the river valleys of all looser sediments, forming bedrock valleys which filled with water to form the Finger Lakes.

Near the southeastern portion of Seneca Lake, the glacial contouring exposed a deep vein of hard limestone. The hills slope down over 300m to the surface of the lake, which is almost 200m deep. This forms a reservoir that holds in heat to create a unique microclimate.

The combination of limestone soils and the heat of the lake protects the grapes and helps them ripen. There is a thin, rocky, well-drained layer of topsoil that naturally limits the vigour of the vines, improving the concentration of the grapes grown here.

These conditions naturally limit yields in most vintages to well under 30 hl/ha. Argetsinger is one of the steepest sites in the Finger Lakes, with some of the oldest vinifera vines in the region.

The vineyard is just under 10ha, with nearly half of that planted to Riesling, 3.2ha of Pinot Noir and the balance divided between Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc, along with a few rows of Cabernet Sauvignon. The combination of these factors makes this a unique site.

How about Ravines’ other vineyards?

Hallgren’s first solo adventure was his purchase of two vineyards on Keuka Lake, located across two ravines carved into the landscape. The two sites harbour a diverse array of grapes: Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc share space with Gamay, Gewürztraminer, Muscat Ottonel, Savagnin and hybrids such as Cayuga, Vignoles and Noiret.

In addition to these first sites, Hallgren sourced grapes from Argetsinger and from another vineyard on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake called 16 Falls. Despite the proximity of these two vineyards, the soils are very different.

Like much of the Finger Lakes, 16 Falls features clay over a base of thin layers of brittle sedimentary shale. Because the soil here is deeper, Hallgren has trained the vines on the lyre system to reduce vigour and ensure ripeness and concentration.

Over time Ravines was able to purchase 16 Falls, and in 2010 Hallgren also began to make wine at the White Springs Winery on the other side of the lake near Geneva. The owner sold it to him in 2012. This site – now the main winery and tasting room – features steep slopes and east-facing vineyards, home to some of Ravines oldest vines.

These White Springs, 16 Falls and Keuka Lake estate vineyards, 53ha in total, have developed over the years into a great complement to the 10ha of Argetsinger grapes.

Finger Lakes Riesling: a hard sell?

Ravines today is esteemed by an ever-widening circle of connoisseurs and knowledgeable wine lovers. When the first dry Rieslings went on sale in 2003, however, they came as a bit of a shock to a public accustomed to a sweeter style of Riesling, both from Germany and from the Finger Lakes.

The very adaptability of Riesling to many styles – from sparkling to still and from bone dry to lusciously sweet and everything in between – was one of the difficulties in gaining acceptance of these wines. However, the drier styles lend themselves easily to pairing with food, and the lively restaurant scene in Manhattan proved fruitful hunting ground for clients.

The rage for Riesling in high-end New York restaurants began about 20 years ago, their wine lists serving as an attractive shop window to entice new consumers. Newcomers to the style may be surprised at a bone-dry Riesling with body and depth, but quickly become fans.

The Finger Lakes (which hosted the International Riesling Expo last year) developed its initial sales at the cellar door as with many lesser-known regions. Ravines, as with other Finger Lakes producers, has since cultivated a distribution network that spans 25 US states, plus Québec in Canada, Japan and Denmark.

Next big thing for the Finger Lakes?

With the natural conditions of the Finger Lakes giving wines high in acidity, with bright, expressive fruit aromas, light body and moderate alcohol, it’s easy to see why Riesling has a natural home here. But these conditions are also the classic parameters for making top-quality sparkling wines.

‘Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, introduced by Champagne-trained Charles Fournier at the Gold Seal Winery, were among the earliest planted grape varieties in the Finger Lakes for good reason,’ notes Hallgren. ‘With the relative abundance of Riesling too, sparkling wine has great potential.’

Hallgren has already developed a following for long-aged traditional-method wines from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and will launch a Sekt-style sparkling Riesling shortly.

However, it would be a mistake to overlook the potential for top red wine as well. The combination of the cool climate and limestone soils in the Argetsinger vineyard has produced some lovely Pinot Noir.

Elsewhere in the region, Cabernet Franc has made marvellous Loire-inflected wines, and the Blaufränkisch grape of Austria (sometimes called Lemberger in New York State) can be startlingly good.

Argetsinger Vineyard: the facts

Established 1982

Location Finger Lakes AVA, Burdett, New York (Seneca Lake)

Ownership Beren Argetsinger

Grapes planted Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Size 9.6ha

Ravines Wine Cellars: the facts

Founded 2001

Owners Morten & Lisa Hallgren

Winemaker Morten Hallgren

Average annual production 25,000-28,000 cases

Area under vine 63ha, including Argetsinger lease

Key wines Dry Riesling, vineyard-designate Rieslings from Argetsinger, 16 Falls and White Springs vineyards, Brut vintage sparkling wine, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir

Ravines Wine Cellars: current and museum releases of Argetsinger Riesling and more

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