We discovered this artifact when a friend had dinner at Bern’s in Tampa recently. The story of how they came into possession of something so rare will be told on the New York Cork Report later this week, but suffice to say we were stunned to know that it still existed. This was the first commercial vintage for a winery that is credited with bringing vinifera to the Finger Lakes in the 1950s.
I figured it would make for nice salad dressing. A friend was guessing it would be like “nauseating, bad old sherry.” The sommelier at Bern’s warned me that it would be much better than that.
Ullage was no more than to be expected for a wine so old. The cork came out in one solid piece, though the top was covered in black mold and it looked like a spent shell.
Now the shock: The wine poured a pale yellow, not even a hint of orange or brown. It absolutely looked like a wine that was bottled last month.
The nose was a delight: Baked apple pie, creamy almond, and a whiff of petrol. In other words, it carried the lines of aging and slowly evolving oxidation in an elegant manner. Over the course of eight hours that petrol note faded a bit, allowing for more of a zingy green apple to come forward.
The mouth was another story. It was extremely tart, almost shrill with its acid. Dr. Frank made a mistake by leaving no more than five grams or so of RS. And yet on the finish, that creamy almond note checked in and added a mellowing touch. Whew.
More than anything, this wine was like drinking history. It’s a lesson that the winemaking was rugged - and still has a ways to go - but the place is right for Riesling. If it can survive 44 years and show some elegance, eventually the Finger Lakes should be able to bottle the kind of Riesling that won’t just endure, but improve. And in the best cases I’d argue that it’s already happening.
Fascinating report, many thanks for sharing your experience of that wine. I think you were fortunate that it was in such good condition, but if there is any white grape variety that’ll live that long (or even longer) it is probably Riesling*. I certainly view Riesling as being the way forward when it comes to white varieties.
Cheers,
David.
*When I attended a tasting given by the great Egon Muller, of incredibly pricey yet brilliant Scharzhofberger Riesling fame, he commented on the ageing of Riesling. He said three things were required in Riesling for it to age for a long time. Firstly, it should have enough fruit. Secondly, plenty of acidity and finally plenty of sulphur. Nice when winemakers are candid.
Interesting parameters for aging, and they line up exactly with what a Finger Lakes winemaker told me after finding out we had tracked down that bottle. He said, “In 1966 they were probably hammering it with sulphur.” If that’s the case, perhaps it has paid dividends.
[quote=“Evan Dawson”]1966 Dr. Konstantin Frank Johannisberg Riesling
We discovered this artifact when a friend had dinner at Bern’s in Tampa recently. The story of how they came into possession of something so rare will be told on the New York Cork Report later this week, but suffice to say we were stunned to know that it still existed. This was the first commercial vintage for a winery that is credited with bringing vinifera to the Finger Lakes in the 1950s.
I figured it would make for nice salad dressing. A friend was guessing it would be like “nauseating, bad old sherry.” The sommelier at Bern’s warned me that it would be much better than that.
Ullage was no more than to be expected for a wine so old. The cork came out in one solid piece, though the top was covered in black mold and it looked like a spent shell.
Now the shock: The wine poured a pale yellow, not even a hint of orange or brown. It absolutely looked like a wine that was bottled last month.
The nose was a delight: Baked apple pie, creamy almond, and a whiff of petrol. In other words, it carried the lines of aging and slowly evolving oxidation in an elegant manner. Over the course of eight hours that petrol note faded a bit, allowing for more of a zingy green apple to come forward.
The mouth was another story. It was extremely tart, almost shrill with its acid. Dr. Frank made a mistake by leaving no more than five grams or so of RS. And yet on the finish, that creamy almond note checked in and added a mellowing touch. Whew.
More than anything, this wine was like drinking history. It’s a lesson that the winemaking was rugged - and still has a ways to go - but the place is right for Riesling. If it can survive 44 years and show some elegance, eventually the Finger Lakes should be able to bottle the kind of Riesling that won’t just endure, but improve. And in the best cases I’d argue that it’s already happening.
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Serge - It’s essentially gone now. Bern’s sold a bottle a month ago (the photo comes from a friend of a friend, hence the accompanying Chave). They agreed to sell what is almost certainly the last of this wine to us.
Again I’d caution that it’s rather severe; this is not a winemaking treasure, but rather a treasure of history and a validation of a regional strength.
I freaking love the label. I asked the current owner about it; actually, I told him their label sucks and this old one is the answer. He said that it “doesn’t display the winery name prominently enough for marketing purposes.” Fair enough. I urged him to consider doing a classic label in special releases.
Most labels are so, so bad. This is a lesson in simplicity.
I also had one of these at Berns and agree with your note and sentiment. I will have to check my notes but I recall some interesting facts on the label.
For me, the back label was the most entertaining. I have a feeling it was written in broken English by Konstantin Frank himself (the Ukrainian founder). Here it is in full:
“Natur Spaetlese”
The delicious, fruity wine in this bottle represents a break through in the wine industry in the eastern United States. The grapes for making this “Natur Spaetlese” wine have been harvested many days after the general picking of grapes was ended. Without amelioration or any other additions of ingredients. Only this over-ripeness is responsible that these wines developed their natural finest actual bouquet and the most noblest individuality. After years of painstaking research in our vineyards overlooking beautiful Lake Keuka, one of the picturesque Finger Lakes of New York State, we have finally achieved the impossible and proven that our “Natur Spaetlese” wines made continuous since 1957 exclusively from the European grape varieties of genuine wine grape can be the peers of some of the “GREAT GROWTHS” of Germany, France, and many another part of Europe.
From a coffee table book about US wines from the mid to late 70s. This is the cover. The Frank bottle is a 68 Cabernet and the Gold Seal is a 61 Riesling. Hope this isn’t too much of a bandwith hog but I thought some might be interested.
Wild stuff, Chris. Thanks for sharing. I shudder to think of what a 1963 Finger Lakes Cabernet Sauvignon would have ever been like. But Dr. Konstantin Frank planted some 60 varieties, including not just Cab but Ruby Cabernet. See, even the ground-breakers make big mistakes.
