Posts Tagged“Review”

Macari Vineyards 2013 “Early Wine” Chardonnay

With all of the chardonnay grown on Long Island, it is unthinkable to me that no one else is making wines like this one. Macari Vineyards 2013 “Early Wine” Chardonnay ($17) isn’t complex. It isn’t the best wine on the North Fork. It isn’t a world changer. What it is, is delicious. And fun. And too many wines forget to be both of those things. The grapes were picked in September 7, and not long after a short fermentation, the finished was bottled right after Halloween. The wine was released on winemaker Kelly Urbanik’s birthday, November 8. Notes of citrus —…

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Channing Daughters Winery 2012 Ribolla Gialla

Orange wine — that is white wines made in the style of red wines with extended skin contact — isn’t for everyone. Me, I find them fascinating and like them, though I’ll admit that my affection for them sometimes resides in my head instead of my heart. Intellectual stimulation over visceral enjoyment. Teasing apart the layers of flavor and texture that define James Christopher Tracy’s lineup of orange wines at Channing Daughters Winery is a fun parlor game among wine geeks — but I’ve poured them for non-geeks and the reaction is typically mixed. My wife doesn’t like them at…

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Kemmeter Wines 2012 Sonero

The entry-level offering from winemaker Johannes Reindhardt’s recently launched Kemmeter Wines label, the Kemmeter Wines 2012 Sonero ($14) is a friendly, fruity expression of riesling with intense aromas of juicy pear, hard lemon candies and something vaguely soapy. Medium-light bodied with subtle mid-palate richness, the palate shows similar flavors –candied citrus and pear — with a faint gravelly mineral note. Though not flabby or cloying, there isn’t enough acidity to balance the residual sugar here, leaving the palate a bit flat and lacking verve. Producer: Kemmeter Wines AVA: New York Price: $14 | Buy now from Empire State Cellars (2.5 out of 5, Average-to-Very…

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Red Tail Ridge Winery 2012 “RTR Estate Vineyard” Riesling

With each set of new releases, Nancy Irelan and Mike Schnelle — the husband-and-wife team behind Red Tail Ridge Winery — cement their place as one of the top wineries in the Finger Lakes.  The wine geek in me is drawn to Nancy’s (she’s the winemaker) Obscure Varietal Series, which includes things like dornfelder, teroldego and blaufrankisch, but those are small production and may never be anything more. To be a top-tier Finger Lakes winery, you need to do riesling well. Nancy does that consistently and Red Tail Ridge Winery 2012 “RTR Estate Vineyard” Riesling ($16) is just another example…

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Waters Crest Winery 2012 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc

Despite the warm growing season and 2 months in French oak, the nose on Waters Crest Winery 2012 Reserve Sauvigon Blanc ($30) is surprisingly tame, offering light aromas of roasted apples, honey and lemons. Soft and mouth-filling, the palate combines candied green apple (think Jolly Rancher) and Golden Delicious apple flavors accented by light citrus, grassy herb and nutty notes. Good acidity balances the weight nicely and the finish lingers with citrus and candied apple flavors. Producer: Waters Crest Winery AVA: North Fork of Long Island ABV: 13% Price: $30* (2.5 out of 5, Average-to-Very Good)

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Hudson-Chatham Winery 2011 Chelois

Hudson-Chatham Winery,  located in Ghent, NY, has assumed a leadership position in the Hudson River Region AVA when it comes to focusing on quality versus tourism. There are other too, of course — places like Tousey Winery, Whitecliff Vineyard and Millbrook Winery — but what makes Hudson-Chatham unique is that owner Carlo DeVito and winemaker Steve Casscles are leading the region in quality primarily with hybrid grapes. Hudson-Chatham is probably best known for its delicious and surprisingly age-worthy baco noir-based wines but one of the grape (and wine) that I find most interesting in the portfolio is chelois — a…

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Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2010 Arrowhead Red

Some New York restaurant owners, when confronted about a lack of local wines on their lists, point to price point as the main reason. “There just aren’t any good $15 reds!” they might say. Now, one could argue that the cheap reds they are pouring aren’t very good either, but that’s another discussion for another day. Today, let me introduce you to the latest vintage of one of New York’s great red wine values — Arrowhead Spring Vineyard 2010 Arrowhead Red ($15) — an incredibly well-priced wine that should be served by the glass in every western New York restaurant that…

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Sheldrake Point Vineyards 2012 Gewurztraminer

A lot of wine drinkers buy they same — often big-production, commercial — wines because they want to know what they are going to get. They find comfort in knowing the wine buy is going to taste good to them every time they buy it. Cool-climate regions like the Finger Lakes don’t always offer that invariability. Cloudy, cool summers, poorly timed rain and potentially harmful frost are realities. Some years they all happen. Year-to-year consistency is difficult under these conditions… but it’s not impossible. Take Sheldrake Point Vineyards 2012 Gewurztraminer $18) — one of the most consistently delicious wines in the…

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Red Tail Ridge Winery 2012 Good Karma

It is a pleasure to write about wines like Red Tail Ridge Winery 2012 Good Karma ($14). Created in 2009 by winemaker and co-owner Nancy Irelan, Good Karma benefits regional food banks, with 10% of gross profit per bottle donated. Originally, the money went to Foodlink, a regional food bank that serves a ten-county area in the Genesee Valley and the Finger Lakes region. Starting with the 2012 vintage, however, that’s changed a bit. In an email, Irelan said “Wee have expanded our reach with Good Karma. Foodlink has agreed to redistribute the funds to the state in which it is…

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Roanoke Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Franc

When it comes to cabernet franc, Roanoke Vineyards is the rare Long Island producer that can be counted on — almost without fail — from year to year. Cabernet franc can be tricky. If it doesn’t get ripe enough, it can taste like green bell pepper. Too ripe and it loses varietal character. It can be a fine line to toe, but owner and vineyard manager Richie Pisacno deftly walks it. And winemaker Roman Roth carries it through in the cellar. Roanoke Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Franc ($34) delivers aromas of dark-roast coffee, roasted nuts, blackberry, black cherry and cola. On…

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