Browsing CategoryFinger Lakes

Tasting the Past and Possible Future of Finger Lakes Saperavi at Standing Stone Vineyards

The titles on Marti Macinski’s business card read “Co-owner” and “Winemaker.” But it would be easy to understand if they included “Historian” and “Educator” as well. Ms. Macinski, who along with her husband Tom has owned and operated Standing Stone Vineyards in Hector , NY for more than twenty years, is well-versed in the modern history of winemaking in the Finger Lakes region. It is a subject that she has not only studiously researched, but has also helped to shape since the early nineteen-nineties. The Macinski’s are self-described “wine geeks” who have applied a scientific approach to their viticultural and…

At Stever Hill Vineyards, New Ownership Tries to Rebuild the Brand

How do you change a longstanding reputation? Don Tones is trying to answer that question. The name Stever Hill Vineyards may be unfamiliar to readers of this site. Located on the western side of Keuka Lake, the winery has a reputation for sweet, lower-quality wines. In 2012, though, the Tones family bought Stever Hill Vineyards with an eye toward turning things around. The Tones family has been growing grapes in the region for generations, and multiple generations of the family are currently involved in winery operations — owners Don, Harold, and Jim, Don’s daughter Liz Sprague and son Mike, and nephew…

Fox Run Vineyards 2013 “Doyle Family Vineyard” Chardonnay

I don’t like a lot of domestic chardonnay, but I like this one a lot — and, at $12 a bottle, Fox Run Vineyards 2013 “Doyle Family Vineyard” Chardonnay ($12) could be the state’s best bang-for-the-buck rendition. I’d certainly reach for it over many bottles that cost up to twice as much from other parts of the state. It really over-delivers and is made in a style that suits the Finger Lakes well. Pink grapefruit, tangerine and sweet floral notes dominate a nose that is fruity, but still somewhat lean and minerally. Medium-light bodied, the palate shows similar flavors, with the…

Bloomer Creek Vineyard 2011 Vin d’ete Cabernet Franc

  This isn’t a wine that everyone is going to appreciate. As some would say, this is a cab franc lover’s cab franc. You need to appreciate the earthiness of the grape — the herbal edges too. Bloomer Creek Vineyard 2011 Vin d’ete Cabernet Franc ($18) isn’t driven by bold fruit flavors. The cool, wet 2011 vintage saw to that. Instead, winemaker Kim Engle took what the season gave him, and the result is a unique, impressive wine that the franc lover in me greatly enjoyed. Aromas of Provencal herbs — especially thyme and lavender — float from the glass,…

Dancing in September: How 2014 Went from Potential Disaster to Potential Cool-Climate Classic

To say that the 2014 vintage was in crisis mode before September is not an understatement. “I’d say it was like 2009, but it was probably in worse shape,” one winemaker who asked not to be identified told me. “Way, way behind in the numbers, and way, way behind in flavor development.” The running joke was that the 2014 wines might be harvested in early 2015. That’s thanks to a snowballing (pardon the too-soon pun) of a brutal and costly winter, a late spring, a cool summer and a cold August. Veraison occurred nearly a month after it did in…

Hosmer Winery 2012 Single Wheel Riesling

You wouldn’t know it to look at the front label, but this wine is produced by winemaker Aaron Roisen at Hosmer Winery. It’s an interesting branding decision, which is another discussion for another day, but this is really just how Hosmer has decided to do a single-vineyard riesling — which are all the rage in the Finger Lakes these days. Actually, it’s a single three-acre section of Hosmer’s Patrician Verona Vineyard, which is located on the western side of Cayuga Lake. I really like the nose, which shows bright, fresh aromas of lime, rainwater, under-ripe honeydew and a lightly savory…

Heron Hill Winery 2012 Reserve Riesling

    You don’t see “reserve” on Finger Lakes wine labels as much as you used to (a topic that Evan will explore in an upcoming feature story). Heron Hill Winery, located high above the western shores of Keuka Lake, still uses the term on an entire line of wines. These wines, as I guess you should expect given the label, are often among their best, though I’m partial some of the Ingle Vineyard wines too. Heron Hill Winery 2012 Reserve Riesling ($25) starts off with aromas of green apple, peach, lime and citrus blossom — pretty classic Finger Lakes —…

Forge Cellars 2012 Les Allies Pinot Noir

When Forge Cellars burst onto the Finger Lakes wine scene with the 2011 vintage, it was with plenty of noise and fanfare. A famous French winemaker will do that for any New York wine project. The label’s first release — an oak-aged riesling — has inspired several other Finger Lakes winemakers to try it. But for all of the attention the Forge riesling garners, there are plenty of outstandingly delicious rieslings in the Finger Lakes, in a variety of styles. The Forge wines that have captured my attention most are the pinot noirs — in part because there simply aren’t many…

Hector Wine Company 2012 Dry Riesling

Hector Wine Company is a Finger Lakes winery on the rise. Still a relatively new producer, the wines seem to improve with each vintage and this Hector Wine Company 2012 Dry Riesling ($18) stood out in a recent tasting. Fresh and citrusy, the nose is dominated by lemon and lime peel with notes of lemon cookie, ripe apple and lemon verbena (especially as the wine warms). More citrus and apple greet the palate — which is dry but not harsh or austere. There is a breadth to the palate that is deftly balanced by well-integrated acidity.  It finishes with a lingering…

The Joy of Going Vertical: Older Wines are Worth Pursuing

The premise of a vertical tasting is simple – samples of the same wine are drawn from different vintages and are tasted in a side-by-side fashion to compare and contrast differences in the wine that can be attributed to variation in climatic and other growing conditions across various years of production. Of course, additional factors such as changes in winemaking styles, difference in fruit sourcing, and changes in blend composition can also play a major role in the flavor profile of a wine and need to be considered when choosing the wine and vintages for a vertical tasting. Assuming these…