Posts Tagged“Review”

Channing Daughters Winery 2012 “Home Farm Vineyard” Refosco

Chris Tracy, partner and winemaker at Channing Daughters Winery, could put out a red refosco every year and sell it out based on its scarcity and uniqueness alone — it’s refosco afterall, no one else is doing this. Their adventurous, sizeable wine club would clean them out quickly. But he doesn’t and hasn’t, instead making rose with it. It just wasn’t up to his standards. Until 2012. Channing Daughters Winery 2012 Refosco isn’t released yet — look for it in the next couple of months — but even if it’s only made a couple times a decade, it’s worthwhile. It’s very aromatic,…

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Damiani Wine Cellars 2012 “Sunrise Hill Vineyard” Lemberger

If Finger Lakes producers could come together and agree to call these wines either lemberger or blaufrankisch (I vote for the latter), this could become an important category in the region. Either as a blender or bottled alone, these are some of the most consistently good and food-friendly red wines grown and made in the region. Damiani Wine Cellars’ 2012 “Sunrise Hill Vineyard” Lemberger ($22) is one of the more earthy renditions I’ve tasted. The nose leads with damp soil and wet leaves, with Chinese five spice, white pepper and bright, fresh red berries — cherry and raspberry — playing…

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Hector Wine Company 2012 Pinot Blanc

Don’t over-chill your white wine. That’s the lesson of Hector Wine Company 2012 Pinot Blanc ($20). Right out of the fridge, it’s neutral and nearly characterless. But as it warms the nose unfolds with notes of dried pineapple, lime peel, wet gravel and white pepper. Similarly, once a bit warmer, the medium-bodied palate shines with apple and pineapple flavors and a wonderful mid-palate mouthfeel that is somewhat is silky and fresh at the same time. White pepper and chalky earth flavors peek through toward the finish, which lingers just a bit and shows some bitterness at the end. If you…

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Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2011 Pinot Noir

A lot of cheap pinot — let’s use sub-$20 as our loose definition — has little pinot character. They can be gulplable, but they are typically strawberry-cherry juice with some alcohol. That fact is one reason that I appreciate Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2011 Pinot Noir ($18) so much. It has real pinot character for a great price. Is this the best pinot in the world or even Niagara? Of course, not. But it never lasts long when I open it. The nose starts with red cherries — ripe, tender ones — but some swirling teases earthy forest floor and raw…

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Red Tail Ridge Winery 2011 “RTR Vineyard” Pinot Noir

You don’t need to avoid Finger Lakes red wines from cooler, gray-er years like 2011. You just need to know where to look for consistent quality, nearly regardless of vintage. Red Tail Ridge Winery has proven to be one of those beacons of consistency. Winemaker Nancy Irelan’s Red Tail Ridge Winery 2011 “RTR Vineyard” Pinot Noir ($20) is fruity on the nose, with red cherry and red raspberry aromas accented by light notes of brown spice, lavender and earthy raw mushrooms. Though a bit dilute and not as complex as the nose, the light-bodied palate is driven by red fruits —…

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Bedell Cellars 2012 Cabernet Franc

Though a bit timid right after pulling the cork, Bedell Cellars 2012 Cabernet Franc ($40), unwinds steadily with aromas of crushed blackberries and currants. If you’ve ever tasted just-picked cabernet franc grapes, there is some of that here too. On the medium-bodied palate, this fresh, juicy red shows ample strawberry flavors to go with darker fruits like blackberries and black cherries. Though the tannins are soft, there is enough acidity to keep the palate lively.Woodsy spice and subtle grape stem flavors develop on the second day open, adding some complexity. Long Island needs more cabernet franc in this style —…

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Keuka Spring Vineyards 2012 “Pre-Emption Vineyard” Gewürztraminer

Part of winemaker August Deimel’s single-vineyard program, the Keuka Spring Vineyards 2012 “Pre-Emption Vineyard” Gewurztraminer offers a bright nose of sweet melon and pear with the floral notes you expect from the variety — but more white flower than rose petal. Mouth-filling but not overweight, the palate brings sweet, over-ripe honeydew and lemon drop candy flavors with floral undernotes. The midpalate steers toward cloying, but the combination of just-enough acidity and bitterness on the finish keeps it in check. The finish turns more floral but ripe, sweet fruit remains. Producer: Keuka Spring Vineyards AVA: Finger Lakes ABV: 12% RS: 1.25% pH: 3.52 Production:177 cases Release Date: May…

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Channing Daughters Winery 2011 “Sylvanus Vineyard” Tocai Friulano

You don’t see a lot of tocai friulano on the east coast — or even in the U.S. — but it seems well suited to Channing Daughters Winery’s home vineyard in Bridgehampton, NY. They make a second version from fruit grown on the North Fork, but I preferred the Sylvanus Vineyard bottling in a tasting last week. As with many of New York’s top white wines, texture and mouthfeel are what set Channing Daughters Winery 2011 “Sylvanus Vineyard” Tocai Friulano ($24) apart. Whole cluster pressed and fermented in both stainless steel (68%) and old oak (32%), the nose is pretty and…

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Shinn Estate Vineyards 2010 Wild Boar Doe

At their best, Long Island reds straddle the line between fruity and earthy.  Shinn Estate Vineyards 2010 Wild Boar Doe ($30) is on the fruitier side, but still hits the mark. This playfully named blend of 40% merlot, 23% cabernet sauvignon, 17% malbec, 15% petit verdot and 5% cabernet franc is effusively aromatic with ripe black and blue berry fruit, violets, peppery spice and a pleasant meaty note. Mouth filling and plump, the palate shows dark berries, violets, black pepper, Chinese five spice and earthy, nutty oak notes. Drinking well today, it should reward another few years in the cellar…

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Hector Wine Company 2011 Essence (Syrah Blend)

Hector Wine Company 2011 Essence ($25) is a blend of 40% syrah, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot. It shows many of the aromas you’d expect from a syrah blend made in cooler vintage. Aromas of black and white pepper, high-toned red fruits and just a bit of blueberry are joined by notes of American oak. Medium-light on the palate, more peppery spice notes and cran-raspberry flavors are overwhelmed a bit by barrel flavors — particularly on the finish. Tannins that I suspect are from barrel rather than skins/seeds are a bit rustic as well. Lacks fruit for balance. Producer: Hector…

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