Posts Tagged“2014 vintage”

For Peter Becraft, a Dream Winemaking Job Starts with a Challenging Vintage

In June, the head job was his. By the end of August, he might have been wondering why nature had served him such a cruel dish for his first solo vintage. But at Anthony Road Wine Company on Seneca Lake, Peter Becraft knew very well to stay patient. He could wait to see what September would bring. He had been waiting years for the chance at a head winemaking job, and he is not the type to stew. That’s probably framing the situation unfairly. Anthony Road has become one of the most significant names in the New York wine industry,…

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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…

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2014 Growing Season Check-In: McCall Wines

As we head into September and then the grape harvest season across New York, the NYCR team will be checking in with some of the state’s top wineries and vineyards to see how the growing season has been and where things stand today. I caught up with Brewster McCall of McCall Wines, who recently walked his family’s vineyard, Corchaug Estate, in Cutchogue and spoke with his father, Russ McCall, about the season. Like much of New York, the spring at McCall’s Corchaug Estate was cool, rainy and started late — a couple weeks later than average. Spring rain isn’t a problem, according to Brewster…

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