Decanter 96
"The Argetsinger cuvée is a tour de force in this vintage, with the abundant aromas of nectarine and green apple of the 'regular' dry Riesling. Yet, the limestone soil of the mild slopes in this southeast corner of Lake Seneca shines through in the verdant and saline minerality that sets this wine apart. Piercingly lovely acidity but more than enough exuberant peachy fruit shot through with floral notes to bring this exciting wine into dynamic balance and carry it to an immensely satisfying finish. Its tightly wound structure and silky finesse ensures it should age for decades. Perhaps America's preeminent Riesling."

New York Times
"The Finger Lakes is the best source for riesling in the United States. Of all the Finger Lakes rieslings I know and like, I cant think of a better one than the Ravines Argetsinger Vineyard cuve. This is not the only riesling made by the husband-and-wife team of Morten and Lisa Hallgren. Their basic dry riesling, at 18 or so, is a great deal. But the limestone slope of the Argetsinger Vineyard, on the southeastern shore of Seneca Lake, produces grapes with extra length, depth and resonance. If you can find a bottle, treat yourself. Eric Asimov, New York Times."

NY TIMES 10 New York State Wines to Drink Now
The Finger Lakes is the best source for riesling in the United States. Of all the Finger Lakes rieslings I know and like, I cant think of a better one than the Ravines Argetsinger Vineyard cuve. This is not the only riesling made by the husband-and-wife team of Morten and Lisa Hallgren. Their basic dry riesling, at 18 or so, is a great deal. But the limestone slope of the Argetsinger Vineyard, on the southeastern shore of Seneca Lake, produces grapes with extra length, depth and resonance. If you can find a bottle, treat yourself.

"One of the most thrilling, complex Rieslings I tasted in the Finger Lakes. Pretty nose of fresh white flowers, nuttiness and talc. In the mouth, its juicy, lively and balanced, revealing great underlying salinity. The super-long finish brings lots of white pepper. 3 grams per liter residual sugar, and 68 months on the lees. "

The Wine
Dry Riesling produced from a single vineyard, the Argetsinger Vineyard on Seneca Lake, one of the oldest Riesling vineyards in the Finger Lakes. The Argetsinger Vineyards limestone soils produce a grape of lean minerality and complex floral aromatics.

The Estate
Ravines is the culmination of the dreams and passions of Morten Hallgren, a European oenologist/winemaker and his wife Lisa, a patron of the culinary arts. Having long been convinced of the great potential that exists in the Finger Lakes of New York, the Hallgrens decided to purchase a 17-acre parcel of land on a glacier-carved hillside of Seneca Lake in 2000, and never looked back. Together, they have created a distinctive family-owned winery that has no doubt elevated the level and quality of Finger Lakes winemaking as a whole.

Mortens long and winding road to the Finger Lakes was nothing short of ambitious. Born in Denmark, Morten spent his formative years in Provence in the South of France where he was witness to and participant in the processes by which fine wines of the Old World were made. His family owned and operated Domaine de Castel Roubine, a 270-acre estate with 170 acres of vineyards a true ethereal paradise surrounded by vines and fruit trees.

With an insatiable thirst for knowledge, Morten studied physics and astrophysics for eight years, received an advanced degree in Enology and Viticulture from one of the worlds top winemaking schools, and worked on several projects from Bordeaux, to Texas, to North Carolina. When he was offered a job as chief winemaker for Dr. Konstantin Frank, a true pioneer in the Finger Lakes, he and Lisa were intrigued. Here was an emerging region with great potential as well as great challenges, where they could really make an impact and push an entire wine region forward.

And they were right. Over the last two decades, Ravines has won critical acclaim as a quality-driven winery dedicated to crafting elegant wines with a true sense of place. Today, they produce Dry Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewrztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and a Bordeaux Blend, among other bottlings, using Old World winemaking traditions and New World innovation. Their wines are truly alluring in their vibrancy, precision, and minerality and representative of their unique glacial terroir.