Boundary Breaks Vineyard Riesling Ice Wine 2018 / 375 ml.

Stunning papaya nose, then a very concentrated and succulent palate with a very vibrant finish that whips you along at a terrific clip. Drink or hold.

The 2018 Riesling Ice Wine, made by winemaker David Breeden, was picked on January 14, 2018, and bottled on July 1, 2018. It comes in with 11.8% alcohol, 184 grams of residual sugar and 7.4 of total acidity. This, the winery is proud to point out, is a “true” ice wine — frozen on the vine, not cryogenically. The difference, they say, “is the level of concentration… prior to fermentation,” which they described as 27.29 Brix for cryogenic versus close to 40 for this wine frozen on the vine. “Additionally, grapes left out in the elements turn brown and have a raisin-like quality… the ‘Maillard Reaction’… converts sugars and amino acids into new compounds which are responsible for new and distinctive flavors…” After that buildup, you expect me to tell you this is dense and concentrated and all that? Sort of. It has plenty of concentration, but we are still in the Finger Lakes. Ice Wine, actually, is often surprisingly fresh and elegant, and not just in the Finger Lakes. It does not seem either thick or cloying, but it has a perfect expression of Riesling that doesn’t fade. It has all the complexity the winery mentioned. It is all about the fruit and character, although it could use a bit more depth. After two days in the fridge, it was brighter, livelier and better, every grape, seemingly, defined and expressive as it sat on the tongue. I bet this ages well, perhaps better than anticipated, but you can enjoy this incarnation right now if you must. It will be better in a couple of years and very different in ten — they are often more interesting with age and gentle oxidation. There were 400 six-packs produced (375-milliliter bottles, to which the price refers).