Posts Written OnNovember 2010

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor As I mentioned in my review of Russ McCall's non-reserve 2007 pinot noir, you've probably driven right past the McCall family's Corchaug Estate for years — without even knowing it — because it's right across the street from Pellegrini Vineyards. The tasting room is closed for the winter now, but it's worth a visit in the spring. That lithe, table-ready non-reserve bottling is made with fruit from McCall's Pommard clone vines. This McCall Wines 2007 Pinot Noir Reserve ($45) comes from his 777 Dijon clone vines, and tasted side-by-side the differences are obvious. Fruit forward,…

By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor Last night my wife and I had dinner at the Next Door Bar & Grill in Pittsford - a Wegmans creation that has become a popular spot in the Rochester area. Walking through the door I nearly knocked shoulders with Steve Shaw, owner and winemaker of Shaw Vineyard on Seneca Lake. During dinner, Steve was nice enough to send over a glass of the Shaw 2005 Cabernet Franc. It's a recent release for him; Shaw holds red wines back, allowing more time for maturing in bottle.  This is not a good idea for all winemakers…

Pinot Noir from Leland's Vineyard being pressed at Arrowhead Spring Vineyards. By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Editor As I make my way up the steps of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards with Leland Mote, the local vineyard owner compliments me on a recent story I wrote for this site about Warm Lake Estate. But before I have a chance to thank him he adds, “Oh yeah, but you left out a few things.” When I first met Mote three years ago I knew him as the guy from California who bought prime Escarpment property and made a deal with Warm Lake to plant,…

The judges tasting and scoring reds from Long Island, France and California By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor I walked in to Saturday night's "Judgment of Riverhead" tasting at Roanoke Vineyards with an intoxicating blend of excitement, curiosity and nervousness. The wine lover in me was near-giddy about tasting so many top wines blind. Blind tasting is one of my favorite things to do — especially when I get to taste with winemakers and other industry folks. I wish I got to do it more often. The local wine enthusiast in me wondered what Long Island wines would be poured and…

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Five years ago, my wife and I wanted to know which winery was the best-kept secret in the Finger Lakes. We were touring the east side of Seneca Lake to celebrate our one-year anniversary, and after a tasting at Lamoreaux Landing we asked if there were any largely undiscovered wunderkinds. "Yes," our server told us. "There is one. Damiani." We drove south to find a winery following the kind of ascetic practices that few want to endure in the nascent stages: Small tasting room, small production, patience with young vines, moderate yields. It seems…

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Maybe I'm not being fair with this post's title; maybe you are, in fact, reading the Fox Run Vineyards blog. But most blogs take a long time to build a following, so more than likely, you haven't checked it out.  You should. Winemaker Peter Bell's stellar command of the language is well worth your time, even if he were writing about shoe polish. Consider that at one stop on Seneca Lake, a winery staff member told me, "The fruit flies are an absolute bitch right now." Direct, yes, but not nearly as artful as…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Our series "What New York Wine Needs Now" was conceived with the intent of getting thoughts and insights on the past, present and future of New York wine from those in and around the New York wine industry. So far, we've heard from two winery owners and a retailer but this week, we turn our ears to hyper-competitive restaurant industry. And we went right to the top of New York City dining. Juliette Pope is the beverage director at one of New York's top restaurants, Gramercy Tavern and has been since 2004. As such, her…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Almost from the second that last year's inaugural New York Cork Report Wines of the Year tasting ended, we've been discussing how we want to evolve  the program moving forward. That desire to improve the WoTY has led us to make several changes — some small, some larger — for this year's edition. The basics are still the same though. Our regional editors — Evan Dawson (Finger Lakes), Bryan Calandrelli (Niagara) and me (Long Island and Hudson River Region) — will choose the finalists, which will be tasted and discussed by the group in January.…