The Wines to Buy This Thanksgiving: A Guide to America’s Up-and-Coming Regions

From Maryland Syrah to Rock Mountain Riesling, exciting wines are turning up in unexpected places thanks to intrepid American producers. Raise a toast to our nations bounty with these off-the-beated-track bottles…

By Lettie Teague

VinePair Happy Hour

“I have to say the American wines I am loving a lot right now are the ones made by Nathan Kendall in the Finger Lakes. While he obviously makes a great Riesling — you sorta have to if this is where you have chosen to make wine — it’s his Pinot Noir that has really blown me away. For me, it’s the best Pinot being made on the East Coast, and gives the top Pinots coming out of Oregon and Cali a run for their money as well.” — Adam Teeter, CEO and co-founder VinePair

The 10 Best Rieslings for 2023

Finger Lakes native Nathan Kendall has traveled the world making wine. But his goal was always to return to the shores of Seneca Lake. His love for cool-climate wines can be seen in his travels in Mosel in Germany, Willamette Valley in Oregon, and Waipara in New Zealand. He also did stints in Australia and California’s Sonoma for good measure. He founded Nathan K. Wines in 2011 with a focus on crafting elegant and complex wines with sustainability in mind. This Riesling hits all the points Nathan is trying to make. The nose is reminiscent of a German-style wine, with a wet- stone minerality and notes of honeysuckle and white pepper. The palate is pleasantly austere, but has enough fruit depth that the acidity doesn’t slash through your palate. Good wine, Nathan! — VinePair Staff

The 50 Best Wines of 2023

Finger Lakes native Nathan Kendall studied winemaking in cool-climate regions around the world, including New Zealand, Germany, and Oregon, before returning home in 2011 to start his eponymous winery. Kendall took everything he learned and applied it to his wines, leading the Finger Lakes region into a new chapter of complex, savory reds and white wines with impressive texture. This Cabernet Franc features tart red fruit notes of red currant and strawberries, with an underlying herbaceousness. Among a wave of truly incredible Cab Francs coming out of the Finger Lakes, this is one of the best. VinePair Staff

Nathan Kendall – Winemaker of the Year

Nathan Kendall always knew he wanted to be a winemaker. Growing up in Dundee, N.Y., he was surrounded by the vineyards and tasting rooms of the region’s Finger Lakes. Kendall’s parents started their own winery, Hickory Hollow, in 2002 and he started pouring wine there when he was 18. He went on to earn a degree in business as well as study viticulture and enology, and spent years traveling between hemispheres learning the craft — working harvest in New Zealand, Germany, Australia, Oregon, and California. Through his experience working in different wineries, Kendall developed a unique vision for the wines he wanted to make when he returned home to New York. In 2011, he started his own label, Nathan K., and has been making captivating wines from the Empire State ever since. – VinePair

'Nathan K.' Dry Riesling 2021 Review

Finger Lakes native Nathan Kendall has traveled the world making wine, but returned to his home state to start his own winery in 2011. Kendall set out to bring what he learned from working in Germany, New Zealand, Oregon, and other renowned regions to his wines in the Finger Lakes. This Riesling is a great example of the skill Kendall has gained through his winemaking travels. The nose is reminiscent of a German-style wine, with a wet stone minerality and notes of honeysuckle and white pepper. The palate is pleasantly austere, but has enough fruit depth that the acidity isn't overwhelming. – VinePair

Nathan Kendall, Nathan K Chardonnay, Finger Lakes, New York State 2020

Produced by one of the Finger Lakes star producers Nathan K Chardonnay – Decantor

Wines of the Year 2023: The 35 Offbeat wines to seek out

Nathan Kendall, Extra Brut, Finger Lakes, New York State, USA 2018 – Decantor
Savoury, evolving, almost sweet herbs with a touch of wood. Toasty, creamy autolytic character, fresh acid gives a real zing. An elegant cool-climate sparkler with balance and a properly dry finish. Tart and tangy. Nominated by Anna Lee Iijima.

WineSearcher.com
Finger Lakes Point to a New Direction

Nathan Kendall, winemaker and founder of N. Kendall Wines, was born and raised in the Finger Lakes. Within his lifetime, Kendall has also seen a drastic change in the quality of regional wines. "There was always some good wine in the region but it wasn't available everywhere," he explains. "Wineries relied on critter labels, catchy product names, or gimmicks to get consumers interested. Now, you see far more attention taken in the vineyard, as well as the cellar." Kendall highlights that for regional wines to achieve the best quality possible, the focus must be on process, not packaging. "As we gain more attention, we have to continue to push quality."

By Vicki Denig

Nathan Kendall
40 Under 40 Tastemaker 2018

Owner/Winemaker, Nathan K.; Partner/Winemaker, Hickory Hollow; Partner, Chëpìka – Can’t stop, won’t stop

Kendall has been a leading figure in New York’s Finger Lakes wine region since he launched his namesake brand in 2011. Its lineup of small-lot, spontaneously fermented Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir gained attention quickly from top New York City sommeliers.
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– BY WINE ENTHUSIAST

3 American Rieslings to Drink Right Now

"Now, let’s look at dry American rieslings and see how they compare"

Ideally, we would focus tightly on a particular region: Finger Lakes rieslings, for example, or rieslings from the Old Mission Peninsula of Michigan. But such a narrow examination poses a fundamental problem: These wines are not distributed widely enough. I can’t find three Michigan rieslings in New York — good ones, at least — while few Finger Lakes rieslings are available in, say, California.
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– Eric Asimov, NY Times

New York’s Small Producers are Bringing Big Value

“Often priced under $20 at entry level, these wines represent a breed of painstakingly made, small-production pours that offer remarkable value.”

Whether the Finger Lakes, Long Island, Hudson Valley or beyond, the best wines in New York are still made by small, typically family-owned wineries with limited technological shortcuts and in minuscule volume.

To put production figures into perspective, rising stars in the Finger Lakes like Nathan Kendall make less than 4,000 cases a year.
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– Anna Lee C. IIjima, WineEnthusiast

New York State of Wine

“Here in the Finger Lakes, we can make a fresh, delicate Pinot with complexity and grace every year.”

The focus required to produce quality Pinot Noir in New York comes with sacrifices. Winemaker and Finger Lakes native Nathan Kendall is so devoted to the grape that it’s the only red variety he makes under his namesake label.

“It’s my only child,” he says. “Here in the Finger Lakes, we can make a fresh, delicate Pinot with complexity and grace every year.”
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– Anna Lee C. IIjima, WineEnthusiast

Cabernet Franc and the Finger Lakes: Made for Each Other

"an intriguing pétillant naturel"

“The sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier has recently teamed with Nathan Kendall, of N. Kendal to make Chëpìka, an intriguing pétillant naturel made of the native grapes Catawba and Delaware.

It’s the kind of experimentation that suggests a serious exploration of the region’s potential. It will only get better from here.”
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– Eric Asimov, NY Times