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Posts Tagged“standing stone vineyards”

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

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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…

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The Joy of Going Vertical: Older Wines are Worth Pursuing

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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…

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Standing Stone Vineyards 2011 Riesling

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Darker in the glass than expected (two bottles were opened) there are signs of oxidation here. The nose shows cider-y apple notes with some bruised peach and dried pineapple. The palate is cider-y too with a yeast note and a squirt of grapefruit. Not flabby, but lacks focus and has a short, somewhat bitter, oxidized finish. Producer: Standing Stone Vineyards AVA: Finger Lakes ABV: 11.4% Price: $14*     (Not Recommended to Average)

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Standing Stone Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

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You just don’t see cabernet sauvignon labeled 12.2% abv very often. In fact, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen one — even from the cooler climes of the Finger Lakes. But that was truthfully the first thing I noticed upon pulling this Standing Stone Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ($24) for tasting recently. The first thing that popped into my head — fair or not — was “Is this going to taste underripe?” No, but it’s also probably not what most customers expect from cabernet either. Fruity on the nose, it offers a melange of cherry, blackberry and blueberry fruit…

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New York Cork Report Tasting Table — November 16, 2012

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It has been my goal for some time to retire the “Tasting Table” posts. I prefer to give every wine an individual post — even a short one — but unique circumstances have brought the Table back again. Though NYCR headquarters didn’t suffer any flooding or tree-falling-on-house damage, we were without power for 11 days in Hurricane Sandy’s wake. That meant only sporadic Internet access (primarily on my iPhone) and while there was plenty of wine drinking (what else can one do in the dark, by candlelight… wait, don’t answer that) there wasn’t much opportunity for writing. Add to that…

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Ice Wine: I’m Really Trying To Like It

A large amount of residual sugar makes me dizzy. Dessert wine tends to remind me of childhood cough syrup albeit with new and improved flavors. I hated that god awful faux cherry elixir. When the New York Cork Report gets together once a year to taste the best New York State has to offer, I sit the sweet flight out. On tasting menus in fancy pants restaurants, I bargain away my last wine pairing in the name of ‘something sparkling.” The nuance of late harvest anything is generally lost on me. Is the aversion in my head? Bias left over…

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Standing Stone Vineyards Vertical Gewurztraminer Tasting: As Unique as the Grape

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The wine tastings at Standing Stone Vineyards are hardly typical, but then again, owner and winemaker Marti Macinski isn’t your average wine industry professional. A former lawyer with a degree in piano performance and philosophy, Macinski purchased the winery with her husband Tom in 1991; they’ve been making wine since 1993. On April 1, Standing Stone conducted a vertical gewurztraminer tasting, featuring six wines from their library: 1995, 1996, 1997, 2006, 2008 and the recently-released 2009. With 9 of us seated in the main tasting room around a low picnic table outfitted in a white tablecloth, it felt more like…

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Standing Stone Vineyards: Ice Wine in the Banana Belt

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent Standing Stone Vineyards is located on the southeastern shore of Seneca Lake in the so-called "banana belt" of the Finger Lakes. This stretch of lakefront, which encompasses several major and well-known wineries, is said by some winemakers to have temperatures that can sometimes range a few degrees warmer than the surrounding area, either enhancing ripening or staving off killer cold. During a recent visit, I was surprised to learn that Standing Stone is at the every epicenter of this warm area. Tucked away in a barn sits an old sign that signifies a very rich history: "Gold Seal Seneca Lake Vinifera Vineyards." "Yes, this was…

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Standing Stone Vineyards 2005 Pinnacle

2005 Finger Lakes reds continue to show well in my weekly tastings. Of course, no one expects the region's reds to push the aromatic whites into the background, but it is clear that, in hot years anyway, elegant, balanced reds are possible. Standing Stone Vineyards' 2005 Pinnacle ($23) is a Bordeaux-style blend (or Meritage if you will) made with 89% cabernet sauvignon, 8% cabernet franc and 3% merlot. In the glass, it shows nice extraction and is a rich crimson-violet color. The nose is intense with Bing cherries, caramel-vanilla and hints of oak. The palate is lush with bright cherry…

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