By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Don't let Vinny Aliperti, co-owner and winemaker at Billsboro Winery, fool you with his humble, laid back personality. He makes serious wines, both at Billsboro and at his 'day job' as winemaker at Atwater Estate Vineyards. Maybe its that laid-back personality that somehow keeps him and his wines just under the radar, but his are wines worth drinking and keeping an eye on. Of the half dozen 2007 Finger Lakes pinot noirs that I tasted recently, none showed a balance of fruit, oak, tannin and acid the that his Billsboro Winery 2007 Pinot Noir ($22) did.…
Posts Written OnNovember 05, 2009
Technological Innovations at Red Tail Ridge
By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent Standing in Red Tail Ridge Winery's new facility recently, it occurred to me: The entire geothermal machine area looks like something out of a Star Wars movie. Can it get any cooler (or hotter) than that? I stopped by Red Tail Ridge on Seneca Lake the other day with the primary goal of getting a harvest report. I was also excited about the winery's new production facility, which I assumed would have some interesting features. The facility and its winemaking innovations blew my mind. While I knew that owners Mike Schnelle and Nancy Irelan…
2009 Harvest Update: Peconic Bay Winery’ Rose Components are In
Vineyard manager Charlie Hargrave brings rose-bound 2009 cabernet franc to the Peconic Bay Winery crush pad. By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief "It’s barely ripe. It’ll be awesome rose, or mid-line quality red. We went with rose." That's why, according to Peconic Bay Winery's general manager Jim Silver, the 2009 edition of their second-label Nautique Esprit de Rose will be 60% cabernet franc. He added "The cabernet franc was beautiful and clean, but not ripe enough for red wines." Yesterday, they sorted 16 tons of cabernet franc (just under 4 tons per acre) that came in at 20 brix from a neighboring…
Thoughts on the Final Niagara Harvest Report of ’09
By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Escarpment Editor The harvest season in Niagara has just about come to a close, and I’ve spent the last two days harvesting, crushing, and pressing grapes that hung into November. I’m exhausted and I can tell there is a sense of relief in the air that the wineries in our area don’t have to constantly fuss over weather forecasts anymore. I’ve personally seen the whole spectrum of diseased grapes this year — underripe one, fragile one and damn-near perfect ones.. So it’s become increasingly frustrating to me to read any sweeping speculation — including my own…