Full Review

Adirondack Winery

Adirondack Winery
2018 Stargazer, Lemberger, New York State

Pair this wine with:
Beef Pork

Category: Lemberger

Date Tasted:
Country: USA
Alcohol: 11.5%
93 Points
Gold Medal
Exceptional
$20
Best Buy
2021 Best Lemberger

Adirondack Winery
2018 Stargazer, Lemberger, New York State

Pair this wine with:
Beef Pork

Category: Lemberger

Date Tasted:
Country: USA
Alcohol: 11.5%
Light ruby color. Aromas and flavors of earthy cherries, leather, vanilla cola, beets, and toast with a supple, bright, dryish light body and a smooth, captivating, medium-length finish imparting notes of dried figs and cocoa powder with a suggestion of oak flavor. A distinctive, somewhat earthy Lemberger with great balance and easy appeal to Pinot Noir drinkers.

Tasting Info

Wine Glass Style: Juicy & Smooth & Old World
Aroma Aroma: earthy cherries, leather, vanilla cola, beets, and toast
Taste Flavor: Same as aromas with notes of dried figs and cocoa powder
Sweetness Sweetness: Dryish
Enjoy Enjoy: Now with food
Recipes Pairing: Ribs, Beef Teriyaki, Steak Fajitas
Bottom Line Bottom Line: A distinctive, somewhat earthy Lemberger with great balance and easy appeal to Pinot Noir drinkers.

The Producer

Adirondack Winery

The Producer
285 Canada St
Lake George, NY 12845
USA
1 518-668-9463

Lemberger

Wine Glass Zinfandel.jpg
Serve in a Zinfandel Wine Glass
Lemberger is a varietal widely planted in Central Europe--particularly Austria, where it is known as blaufränkisch. The suffix "fränkisch" implies that the grape was originally of French origin; however, the varietal's true lineage is somewhat murky. Nonetheless, over the years, lemberger has become somewhat of a darling to a handful of vintners in Washington state, as it is quite winter-hardy and offers a measure of insurance against the state's periodic harsh winter conditions.

Washington lemberger tends to be quite dark, with a racy, grapey character. The wines are nearly devoid of tannins, but retain a nervy level of acidity. This leads to the inevitable comparisons with gamay, or perhaps more appropriately, dolcetto. In that it's an early-drinking, zesty red that lends itself to immediate gratification, there is more than a nugget of truth to the comparisons. They have flavors of blackberry and black cherry along with notes of dark chocolate. These wines are ripe and spicy and pair well with grilled meats or game.

John Rauner, the proprietor of Yakima River Winery and a fierce proponent of lemberger, claims that the varietal is one of few that don't contain histamines, a compound to which some people are allergic. Histamines or not, lemberger is an interesting wine in its own right, and one day may deserve to be called the "Nouveau of the Northwest."