By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor For years, Comtesse Therese and its owner-winemaker Theresa Dilworth produced mostly red wines, with a chardonnay made in Russian oak the lone white. In 2009 that changed when Dilworth added sauvignon blanc to the portfolio. That first wine was a bit underwhelming, but the Comtesse Therese 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($28) is a completely different story and wine. Two-thirds of the fruit that went into this wine was grown at Palmer Vineyards, with the remaining third coming from Dilworth's own vineyard. Only 95 cases were made. Melon rind and citrus — white grapefruit and lemon —…
Posts Tagged“2010”
Corey Creek Vineyards 2010 Gewurztraminer
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Though once near-sister wineries, the Corey Creek Vineyards label has been almost entirely absorbed by the mother Bedell Cellars label over the past several years. The chardonnays, cabernet francs and roses all wear the Bedell label now, but one holdout — at least for now — is the Corey Creek Vineyards 2010 Gewurztraminer ($35), a wine that is often one of my favorite Long Island gewurztraminers. Pretty honeysuckle and rose petal aromas are backed by lemon-grapefruit citrus, gingery spice and a hint of classic lychee nut. The lychee and spice qualities are a bit more…
Inspire Moore Winery 2010 “Change” Blaufrankisch
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Here is yet another delicious Blaufrankisch from the Finger Lakes, with ripe, juicy aromas of blackberry and black raspberry with hints of cassis and a black pepper edge. Showing off the warmth of the 2010 growing season, the medium-to-full bodied palate displays intense red and fruit flavors that remain bright and crunchy because of the fresh acidity. Add a sprinkling of black pepper and you have a wine well suited to the dinner table or your picnic table next to burgers and barbeque. The finish is long shows a certain floral-herbal quality that brings complexity.…
Tousey Winery 2010 Pinot Noir
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Why do I explore every corner of New York wine country? Wines like this one. Yes, I taste a lot of mediocre (or worse) wine, but discovering a hidden gem of a wine like this one is what energizes and inspires me. Tousey Winery, located in Clermont, NY in the Hudson River valley, is owned by Ben and Kimberly Peacock. Ben makes the wines but he's quick to point out that he is "merely a student." "I find the term 'winemaker' hard to wear because that would put me in the same category l as…
Bedell Cellars 2010 Viognier
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor I have fond memories of Bedell Cellars' viognier. Back when my wife and I were dating and exploring North Fork wine country nearly every weekend, it was a favorite in all of its melon and honeysuckle glory. Then it was gone, removed from the portfolio… because the winery introduced and began to focus on white wine blends like Taste White and Gallery. That's where all of the viognier went. It remains an important component in those blends, but starting with this wine it's back as a varietal wine — permanently. According to winemaker Rich Olsen-Harbich…
Lamoreaux Landing 2010 Yellow Dog Vineyard Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor There are other single-vineyard riesling programs in the Finger Lakes, but Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars was among the first wineries to enact one. It's a part of their portfolio that I always find fun and educational to explore and topping at out at $20 per bottle, it's probably the most affordable site-to-site exploration available. Lamoreaux makes three labeled single-vineyard rieslings and their reserve riesling comes from another single vineyard. Lamoreaux Landing 2010 Yellow Dog Riesling ($20) comes from one of the winery's youngest vineyards, planted in 2007, and opens with aromas of grapefruit, peach and…
Bedell Cellars 2010 Chardonnay
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor I appreciate the direction that winemaker Rich Olsen-Harbich is taking the white wine program at Bedell Cellars. I’ve now tasted a handful of his 2010 wines — his first vintage at Bedell — and a few things are clear. First, there is a distinct focus on expressing the vintage over a house style. Second, there is a much more judicious use of new oak. This Bedell Cellars 2010 Chardonnay ($20) illustrates both points well. In some previous vintages, there’s been a sameness to the regular chardonnay bottling and the reserve. That sameness was oak —…
The 2010 Growing Seasons Starts Early in New York
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Photo courtesy of Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery Is this picture bud break? I'm not sure — I always think of bud break as when full, immature leaves separate from the bud and unfurl. By that definition, this would be bud swell, but it barely matters — the 2010 growing season is underway in New York. Yesterday, I stopped at Roanoke Vineyards on the North Fork and their vines looked much the same… the buds were extremely swollen but I didn't see any separation. I've heard that Shinn Estate Vineyards and Benmarl Winery have experienced official break,…