Up to 97 Points for Impressive New Releases from Apollo's Praise!

One of the most talked about new American wineries isn’t in California. This exciting, tiny producer isn’t in Oregon either. Washington, you might be thinking? Nope.

Apollo’s Praise, the thrilling new project from husband and wife winemakers Kelby James Russell and Julia Rose Hoyle, is in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Named after a musical piece Kelby performed while studying orchestra management at Harvard, Apollo’s Praise is the most complete and exciting Finger Lakes project we’ve ever tasted. 

Their first vintage was just two years ago, where they made 1800 cases and sold out immediately. Today, we bring you three HIGHLY RATED bottlings from their second vintage, leading off with a vibrant 96-point, $21.99 Chardonnay!

We bring this outstanding Chardonnay to you along with an even more highly rated Riesling and a charming Seneca Lake Cabernet Franc that sells for a song. Read on for the tasty details, then hit the Big Green Button to be one of the first to get in on this very exciting new project.

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2024 Apollo’s Praise "Lahoma Vineyard" Chardonnay
Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes, New York
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What an impressive wine! This vibrant, lifted and long estate grown Chardonnay is pleasure-giving in the mouth with a serious palate-coating voluminosity and a velvety feel.

From Kelby and Julia's property in Seneca Lake, this single vineyard bottling boasts concentrated orchard and citrus fruits, hints of almond, white rocks and mineral tension. Drinking like an unoaked Burgundy from Saint-Aubin, it’s remarkably balanced and delicious, earning 92+ points from our tasters and this 96-point review from James Suckling...

“Joyful and juicy but also concentrated and very precise, this is a stunning cool-climate chardonnay. Brimming with sliced pear, white peach and white flower aromas. The delicate oak is already beautifully integrated on the mouth-filling yet only medium-bodied palate. Then comes a wave of toasted hazelnut flavor in the very long and super-silky finish. Drink from release.”
          - 96 Points, James Suckling (6/23/2025)

Offering density without heaviness, our sample bottle of this newly released Chardonnay was even better the day after we opened it. If you are a fan of white Burgundy, unoaked American Chardonnay or any high quality European-style white, you do not want to miss this!

Vin Chicago Price: 21.99

2024 Apollo’s Praise "Picardie" Cabernet Franc
Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes, New York
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When we tasted with Kelby last month at our Elston Avenue store a few weeks ago, this authentic, old-world style red really grabbed our attention.

Drinking like a legit Loire Valley Cabernet Franc, this dense and rich bottling from the Nutt Road Vineyard is gutsy and gritty with a lovely collection of dark red fruits, bell pepper, earth and a classic structure.

“For a fresh, unoaked style, this has beautiful aromas of redcurrants and blackcurrants plus a touch of summer flowers. Healthy tannins are unusually forthright for this category. Impressive structure and midpalate density before the lively licorice finish. Still very young with excellent aging potential. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
          - 93 Points, James Suckling (6/21/2025) 

Medium-plus acidity and medium tannins give a load of punch and pop. As with all the wines today, it is a crazy good value. Good by itself and even better with grilled autumn meats, we grabbed as much of this 720 case production wine as we could!

Vin Chicago Price: 19.99

2024 Apollo’s Praise “Pentecostal Block" Riesling
Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes, New York
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Also from Kelby and Julia's Lahoma Vineyard is this Seneca Lake Riesling, a wine we’re confident in calling the best off-dry American Riesling we’ve ever tasted. That's a bold statement, but this Kabinett-style bottling is remarkable.

At a modest 8.5% ABV and a RS of 72 grams per liter, this wine is incredibly pure, with fantastic acidity on the finish. We’re a solid 93+ points. Here are the 97-point tasting notes form James Suckling...

“The combination of grapefruit, peanut and white blossom aromas sucks you into this extraordinarily vibrant and concentrated off-dry Finger Lakes riesling. Medium-bodied with terrific concentration and energy. The wet-stone freshness in the super-long finish is totally breathtaking. Drink from release. Screw cap.”
          - 97 Points, James Suckling (7/6/2025) 

As with the Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc, supply of this beautiful Finger Lakes Riesling is VERY limited.

Vin Chicago Price: 32.99