Over a relatively short period of time, Heart & Hands Wine Company has almost become synonymous with New York pinot noir. There are other wineries making good versions of course, but on a consistent basis, there isn’t a producer I can recommend more for pinot.
Co-owner and winemaker Tom Higgins carefully sources fruit from dependable growers and his passion for the grape manifests itself in meticulous cellar work.
Heart & Hands Wine Company 2009 Pinot Noir ($20) — which is closed under Vino-Seal by the way — offers aromas of red cherries and cranberries sprinkled with brown spice, star anise and a bit of black pepper.
Light bodied — there isn’t any syrah in this pinot — the palate is juicy with red fruit flavors and layers of toasty oak, spice and tea leaf. Fresh acidity and well-incorporate, soft tannins bring structure and lengthen the finish.
Producer: Heart & Hands Wine Company
AVA: Finger Lakes
ABV: 12.6%
Price: $20
(3.5 out of 5 | Very Good, Recommended to Outstanding and Delicious, Highly Recommended)