The 2020 Dry Riesling Eugenia comes in with three grams of residual sugar against 6.9 of total acidity and 12.9% alcohol. This is a single-vineyard selection from 1968 vines on soils with high slate content. The winery calls it their best Riesling plot. This is a surprisingly friendly wine this year, perhaps typical of the vintage. Maybe one day it will close down, but not today. It is splendid, showing off fine depth, a fruity demeanor and respectable power. As fruity as it is, it shows off a little tension on the finish too. This is very accessible this year, but it's still likely to improve in the cellar. The winery is a strong proponent of the 2020 vintage (and they aren't the only ones), but as impressive as this is, and granting that both are not here together, I'd take the 2019 just now. That may be slower-developing, but in a few years, a comparison will be intriguing. They are both very fine.

The 2019 Dry Riesling Eugenia comes in with 5.94 grams of residual sugar against 8.52 of total acidity and 12.6% alcohol. This, says the winery, is a single-vineyard selection from one of their "best and one of the oldest" sites, planted in 1968 on soils with high slate content. I don't want to call the Margrit, the winery's other specialty Riesling this issue, "fruity," so take that as a relative term, as they are both pretty steely; however, this Eugenia is not quite as fruity as the Margrit. It doesn't mitigate the lemons and acidity as well, yet. The juicy and tense finish, however, has a bright and precise combination of power and delicacy to it that makes it simply special. This should have the opportunity to continue improving for a decade or more. As it comes into better balance, it should become even more interesting.

The 2017 Dry Riesling Eugenia comes in with three grams of residual sugar against 6.9 of total acidity and 12.9% alcohol. Tasted a few months before release, it made me wonder why it was scheduled to be released so late—in the spring of 2019. (I was about to find out.) It certainly seemed concentrated, round and easy to drink on opening, surprisingly lush when contrasted with the last vintage I saw. It started out with a rich and full-bodied feel. The underlying acidity and tension are there, though, even if not overly aggressive in the wine's youth. As this aired out, it became more transparent, the overall concentration notwithstanding, but remained very approachable. Then, retasted the next day, it changed notably. Suddenly, it was all about the structure again. As it warmed, it added classic flavors and a touch of petrol, something to watch. It took another hour for the wine to come back into balance. This Riesling can indeed use the extra time the winery is giving it. Sourced from some of the winery's original 1957 vines, there will be 380 cases released in a few months.

The 2014 Dry Riesling Eugenia is a new label, a single vineyard, old vines (35-40 years) Riesling named for Dr. Frank's wife. It comes in with just three grams per liter of residual sugar and 12.6% alcohol. The winery said that this "is made from the oldest section of Riesling at the winery’s estate vineyards on Keuka Lake. This is one of the steepest and most shale-laden sections of the vineyard, contributing to a very distinctive minerality in the wine." It is potentially special, but ridiculously backward just now. Fresh, clean and transparent, this features big acidity and bright flavors on the end, with a touch of grapefruit. The big acidity makes it austere, lean and pointed on first tastes and that doesn't entirely go away, at least not now and not in its youth. Loaded with potential it has not yet achieved, this should be in a much better place in three or four years. It has a long life ahead. Don't rush, don't worry. I'm going to be just a bit conservative now, but it may yet be entitled to an uptick.