Posts Tagged“2008”

Sherwood House Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay

Sherwood House Vineyards has built its reputation largely on the back of its Old World-styled, barrel-fermented chardonnay. Some call it Burgundian, but I don’t think there is any chardonnay in the world that truly tastes like good Burgundy — and besides, why not carve out and try to describe your own region’s style? That’s another post for another time, though. The Sherwood House Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay ($30) isn’t quite as delicious as the stellar 2008, but it’s still a fine example of what oak-influenced chardonnay can be here on the North Fork. The nose shows scents of vanilla-roasted pears, buttery…

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Heron Hill Winery 2008 Blaufrankisch

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Though on the oakier — and pricier — end of the Finger Lakes Blaufrankisch spectrum, the Heron Hill Winery 2008 Blaufrankisch ($35) is worthy of a taste when you visit their tasting room with stunning views of Keuka Lake. Not content making a juicy, fruity, peppery wine, the folks at Heron Hill always push the envelope with this grape. At first, the nose seems like it will be dominated by chocolate and smoky oak, but those aromas don't completely obscure those of red cherry, cranberry, black pepper, clove, tarragon and mint. Hefty on the palate,…

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One Woman Wines 2008 Merlot

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Because of the diminutive size of its tasting room and location at the far eastern end of the unofficial Route 48 wine trail, One Woman Wines is still under the radar for many visitors to North Fork wine country. The one woman behind One Woman Wines is Claudia Purita, who grew up on her family's farm in Calabria, Italy, where she learned farming and viticulture. After moving to Long Island as an adult and working in the restaurant industry, she decided it was time to "return to her roots" in 2004 planting much of the…

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Heron Hill Winery 2008 Ingle Vineyard Cabernet Franc

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor The image of Finger Lakes red wines as typically underwhelming — especially compared to the regions often outstanding white wines — has begun to evolve in recent years — mostly thanks to two warm vintages (2005 and 2007) and a handful of producers really pushing the quality envelope. The region is getting its due for its red wines too now — at least here and there. Here's a wine from the more "normal" 2008 vintage that further proves how silly it is to generalize when it comes to wine. Heron Hill Winery 2008 Cabernet Franc…

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Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Dry Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Hermann J. Wiemer is what I call an "any vintage" winery. What I mean is that, regardless of the conditions throughout the growing season, this is a winery that can be counted on for good wines. They truly do the best with what Mother Nature gives, even if she doesn't give much. Making good wines even in lesser years is a testament to co-owner and winemaker Fred Merwarth's talents and attention to detail.  So what happens in good years, like 2008 for Finger Lakes rieslings? Wines like this one happen. This Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Dry…

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Corey Creek Vineyards 2008 Domaines CC Rose

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief For some reason, we haven't been drinking as much rose around the house this summer as we normally do. I'm not sure why, exactly, but this wine was a nice reminder of why we should drink it more often, with and without our meals. I should also mention that year in and year out, this is always one of my wife's favorite local roses. Corey Creek Vineyards' 2008 Domaines CC Rose ($18) is made using the saignee method where juice is bled off early in the red wine process and fermented separately. It's mostly…

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Windham Vineyards 2008 Estate Select Frontenac Gris

Earlier this week, I introduced you to Windham Vineyards and the unique hybrid grape St. Pepin. Today, I've got another new-to-me grape to talk about: Frontenac Gris. Wikipedia doesn't have a specific listing for Frontenac Gris (just Frontenac), but I was able to dig up a little information about it on the University of Minnesota site (where it was developed): Frontenac gris, the white wine version of Frontenac, started as a single bud mutation yielding gray (thus named gris) fruit and amber-colored juice. The vine exhibits the same optimum growth characteristics as Frontenac, and requires the same cultural practices. Arching…

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Windham Vineyards 2008 St. Pepin

Never heard of the St. Pepin grape? I hadn't either until James Bateman, owner, vineyard manager and winemaker at Windham Vineyards in Windham, NY sent me a couple of his wines — including this Windham Vineyards 2008 Estate Select St. Pepin ($15). Windham is perhaps best known as a skiing town and not surprisingly Bateman, an Englishman, presides over the highest elevation vineyards in the east — at 2000 and 2200 feet above sea level. As you can probably guess, it gets cold up there in his vineyards, which is why he is growing varieties like St. Pepin, which is…

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The LENNDEVOURS 2008 Wines of the Year

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor This is a post that I look forward to writing every year. I dread it too. On one hand, it's fun to look back at all of the New York wines I've tasted over the past 12 months. On the other, how can I possibly choose a handful of the "best" wines, especially when I wasn't tasting them with this post in mind? For 2009, I have already promised myself that I'll come up with a formal process for the LENNDEVOURS wines of the year, but that doesn't do me any good for 2008…

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2008 Harvest Report: Finger Lakes

By Melissa Dobson, Finger Lakes News Correspondent This fall, I was given the opportunity to pack up my cameras and notebook to get out to some of the wineries here in the Finger Lakes to compile a report on the 2008 Harvest for Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association. I wish it had been possible for me to get out to all of the wineries in the region in person, and want to thank those who submitted their photos for our Flickr photostream. The report was compiled and observations made during the height of harvest season and the following…

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