Posts Written OnMarch 2010

New York Cork Report Tasting Table: March 12, 2010

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Here are some wines that have graced the NYCR tasting table over the past week but won't be reviewed as standalone posts. Alison Wines 2005 Reserve Merlot ($16): Minty, mouthwash-like nose with a little cherry and not much else. Short, low tannins with just a little acidity. Mint, mint, mint and a little cherry. Rating: (1 out of 5 | Not Recommended) Fox Run Vineyards 2008 Riesling ($14*): Super-ripe peach/apricot nose with a little dried pineapple. Big fruitiness on the palate with okay-not-great balance and hints of honey. Not precise, but a nice zesty finish helps.…

Fox Run Vineyards 2008 Reserve Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Even though I've never asked him directly, I know that Peter Bell, winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards, doesn't take putting the "reserve" designation on his wines lightly. How do I know? For one, he doesn't make "reserves" every year. That's smart and fair to his customers. But at the end of the day the proof is in the bottle. This Fox Run Vineyards 2008 Reserve Riesling ($30) deserves the designation. It is a top wine from what has already proven to be a classic vintage for riesling in the region. Exceptionally expressive on the nose, layers…

Finger Lakes Wine Country: There Is Now an App for That

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Considering that there is an app for almost anything these days – chess, push-ups, board games, restaurants, pro sports – it only makes sense that wine regions will roll out apps as well. By "app," we're referring to an application for our wonderful wireless technology.   This week, Finger Lakes Wine Country launched their own app, which can be downloaded for free. So how is it? I prefer to let readers check it out and answer that question in the comments section. But I'll start with some quick feedback: It looks very nice. A…

Making Progress at Victorianbourg: Q & A with Dan Hogue, Owner and Winemaker

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor Dan Hogue is apologetic as I get out of my car and approach his tasting room. “Sorry about the mud, I’m going to have lay some gravel down,” he says. A little mud at a winery doesn’t bother me though and I assure him that it’s not a big deal. The last time we visited Victorianbourg Wine Estate in December, Hogue was scrambling to get the tasting room ready for the public. In the final days before his opening, he got it together and handled the crowds that are indicative of a wine trail…

Taste Live on March 31: Finger Lakes Pinot Noir

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief We've had to reschedule it a couple times, but today I'm excited to announce the third in a series of Taste Live events I'll be moderating for Finger Lakes Wine Country (FLWC) in conjunction with their newly launched TasteLive page. We've already covered Finger Lakes cabernet franc and sparkling wines, so this time around — on Wendesday, March 31 — we're going to be tasting five pinot noirs: Atwater Estate Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir Damiani Wine Cellars 2008 Pinot Noir Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2008 Pinot Noir Heart & Hands Wine Company 2008 Pinot Noir Ravines Wine…

Q&A: Kitty Oliver, Marketing and PR Director, Heron Hill Winery

Heron Hill's Kitty Oliver with her son Augustus By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief This edition of NYCR Q&A focuses on someone I consider a leader in social media promotion on the New York Wine world — Kitty Oliver from Heron Hill Winery. Kitty joined the Winery in January 2009 after working in design, marketing and PR at one of the most esteemed architectural firms in Los Angeles as well as teaching graphic design at Finger Lakes Community College. Since joining Heron Hill, she has embraced social media as a way to get the word out about Heron Hill's wines and —…

Pinot Noir in New York: It Takes Location, Expression and Passion

3 Pinot Noirs and 1 Merlot: The New York Cork Report 2009 Red Wines of the Year By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Photos by Morgan Dawson Photography Is pinot noir the next great red for upstate New York? Given how difficult pinot noir is to work with in the vineyard — especially in cool-climate regions like New York — as well as in the cellar, it may seem a silly, easy-to-answer question. But the New York Cork Report Wines of the Year tasting back in January resulted in pinot noir winning three out of four regional flights. Merlot taking the Long…

Lieb Family Cellars 2007 Bridge Lane Cabernet Franc

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Many wineries have second labels — wines that tend to be branded differently, employ less oak in their making and cost less — but with its "Bridge Lane" line Lieb Family Cellars has done it better than most. The wines — a chardonnay, merlot, cabernet franc and sparkling wine — are consistently good and offer great value in a local market filled with over-priced wines. Cabernet franc is one of the newer additions to the line with this Lieb Family Cellars 2007 Bridge Lane Cabernet Franc ($18) representing only the second release. The first was a…

News and Notes (March 8, 2010)

A couple bits of news from the world of New York wine this week: Hudson Valley New Wine Trail Spans NY and MAIn establishing The Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail Carlo DeVito, owner of Hudson-Chatham Winery, has created a unique trail that brings together wine, cider, beer and spirits — as well as two states. Tucked between the Hudson River and the Berkshires, the Trail extends from southeast of Albany down to Germantown, New York, and out to Richmond, Massachusetts in the Berkshires. The trail's founding members are Brookview Station Winery(NY), Chatham Brewing (NY), Furnace Brook Winery (MA), Harvest Spirits (NY), Tousey…

Heron Hill Winery 2007 Old Vines Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Vintage variation is a fact of life in any cool-climate region, including the Finger Lakes. And now that I've tasted several vintages of Finger Lakes riesling, it never ceases to fascinate me how apparent those variations are in these wines. Riesling is a direct window into the vintage. I tasted this Heron Hill Winery 2007 Old Vines Riesling ($25) not long after tasting a set of 2008s from the region and the differences were almost jarring. This wine's nose still had significant citrus character, but it was overlaid with ripe, almost overripe, peach aromas with lemon…