Hillick & Hobbs had the best Riesling flight of my 3-day Finger Lakes experience.
This would be high praise under normal circumstances. But when you consider my trip included greatest including Apollo’s Praise, Hermann J, Kemmeter, Forge, and Trestle Thirty One, it becomes even more striking.
To understand why I rated Hillick & Hobbs so highly, you need to understand the site it comes from, and the people who make it.
Brothers Paul and David Hobbs selected the vineyard site of Hillick & Hobbs (named after their parents) because of the combination of an exceptionally steep slope and its slate/shale soil composition. In many ways the vineyard is reminiscent of the soil and topography of the Mosel, the spiritual home of Riesling.
The vineyard’s design and how its farmed also play important roles. The vines are oriented east-to-west towards Seneca Lake, a format that prioritizes airflow over ripeness.
Even the trellis system is different, using the more labor-intensive Guyot system (where the year’s previous cane arms pruned, to be refreshed with new growth) rather than a more traditional spur-pruned VSP system (which leaves cordons in place).
While most Finger Lakes wineries use fruit from multiple vineyards in the region, Paul and David had a different vision. All of their wine is sourced from this single 26-acre vineyard (25 acres Riesling, plus a newer acre of Grüner Veltliner).
This collectively means these wines are extremely expressive of the site they are grown on, with an emphasis on small quantity but high-quality wine.
Two flights were offered during my visit.
- The “NY Roots & Global Story” flight combined a vertical of their estate Rieslings alongside a pair of California wines (Paul helped launch Opus One and still makes wines in California).
- The “Vineyard Expression” flight included a horizontal of their ‘regular’ 2024 Estate Riesling, alongside wines from their 2024 “Lower Terrace” block and 2024 “North Ravine” block.
Needless to say, I ordered both. My server skipped the California wines and added the 2021 Estate Riesling to complete the lineup.
This means my tasting was essentially both a vertical (different years, same vineyard) and a horizontal (sampling wines from the same location & vintage but were made or grown differently).
What I tried:
- 2021 Estate Riesling: The most different of the lineup; probably because it was a wet year in the FLX. More fruit forward.
- 2022 Estate Riesling: Made in steel. Super balanced and delicious.
- 2023 Estate Riesling: Used 5% oak fermentation but otherwise done in steel. A close contender with 2022.
- 2024 Estate Riesling: 100% steel. Amazingly concentrated.
- 2024 North Ravine (made in neutral French oak): No notes…but wow! Bought a bottle.
- 2024 Lower Terrace (also made in neutral French oak): Super complex. Easily one of the best of my trip.
I have to admit, choosing a favorite was a challenge. If my tasting notes are rather thin, it’s because when I taste great wine, I tend to forget to write down my tasting notes.
The 2022-2024 Estate Rieslings were easily cousins, in terms of their shared minerality and precise balance. The 2022 had a slight edge over the others.
The North Ravine as my runner-up, since I did enjoy the extra weight the oak gave the wine.
Until a few months ago, I’d never even heard of Hillick & Hobbs. Now, this location is going to be on *every* trip itinerary. Easily a “Top 3” for the entire region.
