By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief I had never heard of, let alone tasted, a wine made from the Rkatsiteli grape until I tasted a 2006 bottling from Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, on the western shore of Keuka Lake. I loved that wine and it's riesling-meets-gewruztraminer-meets-sauvignon blanc aromas and flavors, all wrapped up in great acidity and length. I still have a couple bottles in my cellar. I've heard that it ages beautifully, so we'll see. And so, it was with much excitement that I got to try the Dr. Konstantin Frank 2007 Rkatsiteli ($18). The nose is…
Posts Tagged“finger lakes”
Cabernet Franc: What We Learned From 656 Glasses of Wine
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photos by Morgan Dawson When the demonstration room at the New York Wine & Culinary Center filled up at 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning, 328 glasses of cabernet franc lit up the amphitheater like strands of single-color Christmas lights. It was a bit daunting for the 42 winemakers, winegrowers, industry professionals, newspaper writers, retailers and bloggers. And that was just the first flight. When the event (get some back story) finally ended three hours later we had tasted through 13 Finger Lakes 2007 cabernet francs, 3 Loire Valley cabernet francs, one Long Island cabernet franc,…
When it Rains it’s Poor: Challenging Weather, But a Silver Lining
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photography by Morgan Dawson Photography Harvest is coming, and if any winemaker or grape grower tells you that things are right where they need to be in the vineyard, they're spinning like crazy. In basic terms, most growers in the Finger Lakes are anywhere from 10 to 14 days behind ripening schedule. It's not just a lack of heat that has been a problem. The heavy and near-constant June rains put growers in a difficult spot, and July simply failed to dry it out and heat things up. In other words: No pressure, August,…
Heart & Hands Wine Company: Unique Focus (Pinot!) and a Unique Tasting Experience
By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent Editor's Note: Jason and I both visited this wine company in recent days and we both left with the impression that, at $10, the cellar tasting at Heart & Hands is the most unique tasting experience in the Finger Lakes, just made for wine enthusiasts. Jason details it below. Higgins is the winemaker who organized last week's industry tasting of Finger Lakes Pinot, which was detailed here. -Evan I recently paid a visit to Heart & Hands Wine Company, a new winery on the northeastern shore of Cayuga Lake, to scoop a story for…
Should More Long Island Wineries Submit to Wine Spectator? (Part 1)
By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief Last week on Twitter, Morgen McLaughlin of Finger Lakes Wine Country said, referring to a short piece by Wine Spectator's Thomas Matthews, "This is why Long Island wineries need to submit wines for review to Wine Spectator." As you can see, the story includes Matthews scoring at\ Lenz Winery 2005 Old Vines Chardonnay 90 points. Morgen has done a great job getting Finger Lakes producers editorial coverage in the Spectator over the last year or so — mostly by submitting a boatload of wine to the magazine (both current releases and library wines). In…
Blind Tasting of Finger Lakes Pinot Noir Reveals Progress, Challenges
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photos by Morgan Dawson Photography On Wednesday night, on a rain-soaked evening on the southeast side of Seneca Lake, a group of grape growers and winemakers met to taste through a line of 2007 pinot noirs. Many of the wines were made in the Finger Lakes; a few came from the American West Coast, and some from Burgundy. Tom Higgins, winemaker and owner of Heart & Hands Wine Company, organized the event because he wanted to know: Where does pinot noir stand in the Finger Lakes? Is it truly a recalcitrant mystery, yielding near-constant…
Evan Dawson Becomes LENNDEVOURS’ Finger Lakes Editor
By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief Long-time readers of this blog will remember the days when there was one lone voice represented here — mine. When this blog was founded over 5 years ago, that was the intent, the goal really — somewhere for me to share my passion for wine, particularly New York wine. What once was a solo performance has become a bit of a chorus with new voices bringing texture and layers to my coverage of New York wines. LENNDEVOURS has evolved and grown to become the premier source for real, unbiased news, commentary and reviews of…
Video: Lemberger vs. Blaufrankisch — Members of Finger Lakes Wine Community Chime In
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent Following up on my earlier post today, here is some video where several in the Finger Lakes wine industry chime in with their thoughts on Lemberger vs. Blaufrankisch and the variety's future in the Finger Lakes.
What’s In a Name? If It’s Blaufrankisch, More Than You Think
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent When you meet Heron Hill's winemaker, do not make the mistake of calling him "Tom." That is not his name, and he'll correct you. Before I spoke recently with Thomas Laszlo, I was warned by a writer friend not to call him by the wrong name. "He's pretty serious about it," I was warned. To Thomas' credit, he acknowledges being a little edgy about his name. "My mother was very particular with names. She always pushed for Thomas, so it's Thomas!" he says with a subtle laugh. He's just as particular with names as…
Rooster Hill Vineyards 2007 Gewurztraminer
By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher Gewurztraminer is the sometimes-forgotten grape of the Finger Lakes, often playing a distant second fiddle to riesling. But if you find yourself touring any of the lakes' 100+ wineries, you will find a lot of good, and sometimes great, Gewurztraminer. Rooster Hill Vineyards 2007 Gewurztraminer ($16) shows why Gewurzt is one of the most aromatic grapes around. The nose is effusive with pineapple and apricot fruit aromas mingling with ginger, spice and white flowers. The palate is medium-bodied with apricot, pineapple and spice flavors. The acidity is fresh, balancing the light residual sugar well.…