Posts Written OnMarch 2009

Keuka Lake Vineyards 2007 Reserve Vignoles

I think that Vignoles, a French-American hybrid grape, gets a bum rap. Sure maybe Ravat 51, as it is often called (J.F. Ravat was the creator), probably does its best work in late harvest/dessert-style wines. Take high sugar and natural acidity and add tight clusters that make it susceptible to noble rot and you have a grape well suited to sweet dessert wines that are well balanced and even complex. But Vignoles isn't a one-trick pony. While it's true that Vignoles is never going to have the elegance, delicacy or grace of a well-made riesling, this Keuka Lake Vineyards 2007…

McGregor Vineyard 2007 Traminette

As much as I love the Gewurztraminer grape, I've never tasted a Traminette (a cross of Gewurzt with the French-American hybrid Joannes Seyve 23.416) that I cared for. Yes, there is a lot of Gewurztraminer character in most, but something is always missing for me. This McGregor Vineyard 2007 Traminette ($16) showed great potential on the nose. It was floral, but reservedly so, with lychee and loads of spice character. Would this be the first Traminette to prove me wrong? Sadly, no. The palate shows nice, ripe pear, apple and more of that delicious gingery-spice. The flavors, on the whole,…

Home Winemaking Course at Waters Crest Winery (April

April 4 and 5, Jim Waters, winemaker and co-owner of Waters Crest Winery will host two-session home wine making course.   Jim started out as a home winemaker and he definitely knows his stuff. If you've ever thought about making wine at home, I can think of few better sources for knowledge and expertise. The sessions run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days and the $400 cost (a spring discount from $450) includes everything you need to make 5 gallons of wine and a copy of The Art of Wine Making. Jim's facilities are on the small side, so…

LENNDEVOURS Turned 5 Yesterday

It snuck up on me and then past me yet again. LENNDEVOURS turned 5 yesterday. When I think about this blog, what it started out as, and look at what it's become, I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was excited when someone (other than a friend or family member) commented on something I had written here. Actually, it was just yesterday. I love when a winemaker chimes in to tell us more about how he or she made a wine and what framed the decisions. I love when someone tells me that they liked a wine…

Cautiously Raising a Glass to Single-Vineyard Finger Lakes Wines

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent Some of the best winemakers in the Finger Lakes are now making vineyard-specific wines, providing consumers with more information about what they're drinking, and allowing consumers to compare the different qualities delivered by different sites. Sounds like exactly what the Finger Lakes needs, right? Well, to a point. First, the good news: Many of the single-vineyard wines released from the 2007 vintage are intensely distinctive, and they stand as the model for what single-vineyard wines should be. They come from a perspicacious trio, three winemakers who prioritize site selection. LENNDEVOURS readers already know about…

Brooklyn Oenology Joines the Wine Blogosphere

Alie Shaper, proprietor of Brooklyn Oenology one of a couple wineries popping up in Brooklyn, sent me an email over the weekend letting me know that she's joined the wine blogosphere and is even posting some video to her blog. The one above is from the New York Wine Expo a few weeks ago.  By the way, Alie makes her wines out here in Mattituck at Premium Wine Group with fruit she buys from the North Fork. One of the coolest things about BOE is their wine labels, which feature artwork from Brooklyn artists and are printed as stickers that…

Beyond New York: Exploring Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

"Man, these California wines suck!" Last fall at the 2008 Wine Bloggers Conference, that quote could be attributed to me regularly. It was something I said out loud, in an exaggerated manner — mostly to make my fellow wine bloggers laugh. And it worked. Lots of laughs, eye rolls and comments about thin, underripe reds from New York. I mean, they know me as the New York wine guy, so why not play that up by putting down those overripe, overoaked high-alcohol cocktail wines from California? Oops, I did it again. All jokes aside, not all California wines suck. They…

McGregor Vineyard 2007 “Emery Vineyards” Seyval Blanc

I'm definitely not one of those wine writer-types who dismisses hybrid grapes. I've had some terrific wines made from Vidal. Have enjoyed several different styles of Vignoles. And, I even like Seyval Blanc when it's done well. Some winemakers treat Seyval a bit too much like chardonnay for my liking, aging it in oak, which just isn't a good idea. Others leave a significant amount of residual sugar in the finished wine, trying to appeal to the white zinfandel set. Jeff Dencenburg, winemaker at McGregor, did a little of both with this McGregor Vineyard 2007 "Emery Vineyards" Seyval Blanc ($16),…

Hosmer Winery 2007 Riesling

Is there anything better than driving through wine country, stopping off at a winery that you hadn't planned to visit, and discovering a gem? It's one of the wine world's great joys and it happened to me and Nena on our last day in the Finger Lakes a few weeks ago. As we drove up the western side of Cayuga Lake, we spotted a sign for Hosmer Winery. The winery we had planned to visit wasn't open yet, so we stopped in at Hosmer… and we're glad that we did. The wines impressed almost across the board. This was one…