In 2009, Erik, a Buffalo, NY native took the opportunity to make wine under his own label and put his name on the bottle.  So Influence Wines was born.  I really liked Erik’s 2009 release and I was looking forward to the 2010 release.

In 2010 Erik continued to make wine, this time he purchased grapes from Dalrymple farms in the Finger Lakes on Seneca Lake.  His Influence was found for sure in the winemaking.  No added sugar, no added acid, it shows true essence of the Riesling grape and the region it was planted in, the Finger Lakes.

Here you can read from Influence Wines website what happened to the grapes at harvest and how they arrived on Long Island:

Once harvested, Influence Riesling is delivered to White Springs Winery in Geneva, NY on Seneca Lake, where the experienced staff led by Derek Wilber crush, press, and cold settle the juice, which is then shipped to Premium Wine Group on the North Fork of Long Island. Upon arrival, winemaker Erik P. Bilka begins the winemaking process. The juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks. Before completion fermentation is halted in order to maintain the natural residual sugars found in this semi-dry vintage. The refining process which involves separating natural occurring sediment from the final product is done delicately in order to preserve the fruits integrity.

On the nose aroma’s of fresh sliced peach, tropical pineapple and stoney minerality jump out at you.  Lime, more tropical fruit and some dried fruits rise up as the wine warms to room temperature.

On the palate lime, citrus, melon, pear and peach mix beautifully with bright acidity and just a hint of residual sugar.

On day two there were some tea leaf elements and some tropical notes with a hint of wet slate.

Related articles

• Influence Wines 2010 Riesling (lenndevours.com)

While there, be sure to taste through their lineup of white and red wines.  Sure most folk visit the finger lakes for the world-class Riesling, but at Heron Hill Vineyards, don’t over look their Chardonnay.

Heron Hill Vineyards makes two Chardonnay’s an Oaked one and this one, Heron Hill Vineyards Ingle Vineyards 2008 Unoaked Chardonnay ($16).   Both are delicious and distinctive.  I happen to like the Oaked Chardonnay, but that is where my palate is right now.

On the nose I was picking up what I would call classic Finger Lakes aroma, stoney minerality.  Notes of peach, apple and spice with hints of lemon and citrus.  Herbal with notes of fresh-cut lemon grass.  As the wine comes to room temperature it shows more spice with hints of apple skin.

On the palate it shows tangy lemon with lively bright acidity.  There is a hint of herbs on the back-end of the wine with some stony minerality.  A nice moderate finish with hints of apple and spice.

Sláinte!

I know Evan from The New York Cork Report.  I met him at last years TasteCamp in the Finger Lakes.  Evan takes being a wine enthusiast to another level, that level is this book. “Summer in a Glass – the Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes.”

If you have never been to the Finger Lakes wine region, you should go.  If you have, then this book will be a reminder of the region.  If you have ever met any of the people who make up the region, this book will help you remember those meetings.  If you never met those people, no problem, Evan will introduce you to them.  If you have never been to the Finger Lakes, than this book will make you want to go.

Yesterday on Facebook I asked you 3 questions, and if you answer yes to any one of them, you should buy this book.  Here are those questions again:

• Do you like wine?
• Do you like to read?
• Do you like to save 50%?

Right now, Barnes and Noble is selling this book for 50% off cover price.  For less than $10, you can pre-order this book which is set to be released on April 5th. Go here to get this great discount on this book.

And if you have any doubts about this book, read this excerpt from the book.

And if you are still not convinced, watch the trailer…

I knew the video would make you buy the book.

I have yet to read the book, but based on the trailer, the excerpt from the book and the reviews I read on Evan Dawson Writes, this book not just about wine or the Finger Lakes or about wine making.  In my opinion, it is about what goes into every single bottle of wine, the love, the passion, the pain, and the rewards of those people who make the wine we love; An element of wine enjoyment sometimes we take for granted.

I had my first Finger Lakes Riesling about a year ago, when I started to see some in my local shop.  I had a real education about Finger Lakes Riesling in May when I went there for TasteCamp 2010.

My memories of TasteCamp will last until the next one, but my thoughts and love for the Finger Lakes region will last forever.  And my my knowledge on Finger Lakes wine will always be tested, especially when it comes to Riesling.  Riesling from the Finger Lakes is world class –  I have been told that, heard that in conversation and I am slowly educating myself.

This  Heron Hill Winery Ingle Vineyard 2007 Riesling ($15.00) is an example of a delicious Finger Lakes Riesling.

Heron Hill Winery, founded in 1977, though some of the vines have been in the ground since 1972, by John and his wife Jo.  Ingle Vineyard, located on Canandaigua Lake is the vineyard that is maintained by John.  Heron Hill Vineyards is on the grounds of Heron Hill Winery which overlooks Keuka Lake.

On the nose, there was aromas of lemon, lime, grapefruit and a hint of tangerine peel.  Hints of melon and an intense mineral note that to me is unmistakable Finger Lakes.

The taste of the wine brought more of the citrus notes that I was picking up on the nose with a hint more of grapefruit pith.  An element of petrol rounded out the glass, it was faint at first but as it warmed, it was present.

The wine showed great acidity with great balance of the residual sugar.  It was clean and crisp and quite refreshing.

If you happen to find some Heron Hill Winery’s wine at a restaurant or a wine shop, to try some out yourself.  If you don’t than make sure that you plan a trip to the Finger Lakes and visit them.

Sláinte!

Heron Hill Vineyards was the first stop of our trip.  The prepared a wonderful luncheon for us as we had the opportunity to taste their wines along with other vineyards along Keuka Lake. I look forward to the opportunity to visit the finger lakes again, but until then, I have memories and a few bottles I took home to have over time.

I know — this is not from Long Island, but the Finger Lakes carved a little place in my heart.

Heron Hill Vineyards 2008 Chardonnay Ingle Vineyards ($15) is one bottle of chardonnay that I really enjoyed.  On the nose I was picking up some apple skin, yeast, roasted almonds, citrus pear and peach.  There was some baking spice on the nose, some nutmeg.  Buttery notes did not evolve until the second day of tasting.  The nose of this wine is what carried the wine, I found it hard to take my nose off the glass.

When I tasted the wine I was getting some apple, peach and more baking spice.  There was a hint of vanilla as well.

It was crisp and bright with a streak of minerality that was enjoyable and thirst quenching.  It tasted fresh which I think kept the typical creamy chardonnay down to a minimum.

Despite that this was oaked Chardonnay, the barrel fermented and ageing it did not beat the heck out of the fruit.  Hungarian and Russian Oak Barrels were used.  There is 30% of steel fermented chardonnay in this bottle, which I think helps keep the oak influence down and let the fruit shine through.

Sláinte!

Anthony Nappa Wines is Anthony’s solo side project.  Last year Anthony released his first Pinot Noir, Nemesis and a white Pinot Noir called Anomaly.  You can still get the 2007 Nemesis at Shinn Estate Vineyards and the 2009 Anomaly is also available.  The 2008 version was excellent and sold out almost immediately.  Anthony knows what he is doing.

So now Anthony is trying his hand at Riesling.  Anthony Nappa Wines 2009 Luminous ($18) is released and available to tasting and purchase in Shinn Estate Vineyards tasting room.  You can taste and buy all of his wine at Shinn Estate Vineyards.

Shinn Estate Vineyards does not grow Riesling. The Riesling that was used in this was purchased from the Finger Lakes of New York on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake from a grower.  Anthony gives the Finger Lakes full recognition, where the grapes were harvested and pressed – he used the Finger Lakes AVA, he could have simply used the New York State AVA.   The juice however, was fermented here on Long Island.

I asked Anthony about the process of how this wine was made since the grapes were grown off site.  Anthony told me via e-mail, that most of the time he uses wild fermentation processes, but for this Riesling he decided to use a yeast that would “eat” up the Malic Acid to lower the over all acidity of the wine and leave the residual sugar alone.  The residual sugar of the wine was low according the Anthony, but the acidity was very high.

Did it work — “I do believe conceptually it helped balance it a bit by removing some acid at the same time as converting sugar to alcohol.”

This yeast strain is also prone to getting stuck.  Which was fine for Anthony, he was going to stop fermentation anyway to keep the natural sugar in the wine.  “Natural sugar is also very important in my opinion for having true balance in the wine, I just can be difficult to stop and at the right timing.”

On the nose, I was picking up Granny Smith Apple and some Peach along with a tropical note and some wet rock minerality

Upon tasting, it was clean, bright and electric (a term used by some Finger Lakes Wine makers used to describe Riesling).  Great tropical lemon/lime zest with just the slightest hint of tangerine.

Ice cold, this wine is the perfect wine for your summer picnic and had a wonderful tropical feel to it with wonderful zippy acidity.

In my opinion, this wine is well-balanced, delicious and refreshing.

Anthony shed some light with me on his approach to Riesling in the e-mail.  I did include it here in the post because I think it helps you understand the process of making Riesling.  Here is what Anthony says: “The hardest part with Riesling is balancing so much acid with the residual sugar, if you go to far you have way too much acidity, or if you have too much residual it’s just sweet. Balancing the sugar and acid is the key to Riesling and not worrying about if it is dry, sweet, off dry, semi-sweet, based only on the RS to define the wine. The perception of acidity or sweetness on the palate is based on the relationship between the two. That is why I did not “define” the wine but merely put Riesling on the label as well as the Alcohol, pH, TA, and RS so the consumer can define it themselves or just enjoy the wine.”

“Just enjoy the wine.” — that’s what I did.  And you will too.

Sláinte!

Imagine Moore, located in the Naples Valley Region of the Finger Lakes Wine Country is a small winery that has something going on.  Tim Moore, who was there pouring that day, along with his wife Diane strive to make the vines talk.  They work with small family farms around the Finger Lakes and strive to produce fruit forward, vineyard driven wines.  They are a small producer – only about 2,500 cases.   Imagine Moore had some of the best looking bottles there.  Here is what stood out to me:

2009 Sauvignon Blanc (unreleased) Tim brought this to the event with out a label on the bottle.  It was a tank sample of their soon to be released wine.  I am glad he brought this for us to try.  It was the only Sauvignon Blanc I tasted that day and it was very refreshing and thirst quenching.  Bright, clean tropical notes dominated the glass.  It was an eye-opening nose; it truly awakened my senses.  On the palate I was picking up more of the tropical notes along with some melon and apple.  It was a bright and clean taste with great acidity and vibrant flavors.  I really wanted a second pour of this and I should have had this with my lunch.

The next wine from Imaging Moore was their 2008 Pinot Gris Peace.  When I saw the bottle and the word Pinot Gris, I thought to my self, no one else brought a Pinot Gris, lets see what this is like.  What I tasted was no where near what I thought it would be.  I was expecting a clean crisp traditional Pinto Gris.  But what I got was a soft lush wine that really grabbed my attention.  It was made with extended surlie contact and it is 100% Pinto Grigio.  I was getting Melon and pear with some toasty almond and some pineapple.  It was creamy and viscous.  It had a little oaked chardonnay element at first, that creamy buttery feel, but then it came on as an “orange wine”, thanks to extended skin contact.  Yes this was a geeky wine.  A real winner in my book and definitely one of the wines of the weekend for me.

The next time I visit the Finger Lakes, I will make it a point to visit Imagine Moore.  You should to.

My day at the grand tasting ended with the host winery, Heron Hill Vineyards pouring some of there current releases and a little something from their library.  First off, I have to say that Heron Hill Winery has a breathtaking view of Keuka Lake.  What a great place to kick off TasteCamp.  Heron Hill has been around for about 30 years and it’s owner John Ingle is a very engaging man.  His Blue Heron Cafe, which is part of the winery in Hammondsport, provided us the lunch to go along with our grand tasting.  On thing to point out, Heron Hill Winery is in the process of going green and trying the sustainable farming practices.  Something that was nice to see.

Here are some of the nice wines that I tasted from Heron Hill: Ingle Vineyards 2002 Riesling.  It is a library wine that was re-released.  It is labeled Johannesburg Riesling.  On the nose I was getting some white flower with some orange zest.  There was a nice aroma of petrol, something you find in a well made and aged Riesling.  There was crisp clean acidity that was bright after all these years.  The finish showed a bit of lemon zest.  This wine was a highlight of the day, not only by me but in conversations with other bloggers.

Two other wines they showcased was the 2006 Ingle Vineyards Pinot Noir and the 2007 Pinot Noir Reserve. Both Pinot Noir were excellent in my opinion and both very different, and both winners.  The 2007 Pinot was showing big cherry flavors with a subtle earthy note.  More juicy cherry and a touch of chocolate finished the palate with a bit of a dried herbal note at the end.  The 2006 Pinot may have been my favorite.  More earthy and dark cherry flavors with a subtle element of barnyard funk.  Great acidity and light body.  You could not go wrong with either of them.  Both of these kicked off my intrigue and admiration for Finger Lakes Pinot.

 I ended the tasting with perhaps may be the best late harvest desert wine I have had in a very long time.  The 2006 Late Harvest Ingle Vineyard Riesling Reserve.  Candied fruit dominated the nose.  Elements of sugared apricot and peach with some dried pineapple and mango.  The taste brought a wonderful citrus note up front followed by the dried fruit element I was getting on the nose.  Zinging acidity and well-balanced.  This wine was rocking.  A perfect way to end the first round of day one.

Special thanks to Heron Hill Winery, John and his staff.  Also to Morgan and the Finger Lakes Wine Country.  Both were able to assist in the lunch for us TasteCampers.  And a big Thanks to the Vineyards who came and poured for us on day one.  And TasteCamp would not have happened with out the work of Lenn and Evan.  Thank You!

Morton comes from a long history of winemaking and grape growing.  His family has made wine in Provence in south France at Domain de Castle Roubine.  Morton also spent time in other vineyards around the Finger Lakes, like at Dr. Frank’s.  He always knew that the Finger Lakes Region had and has the potential to become a world class wine region.

Ravines was established in 2000 when they purchased land on Keuka Lake.  The land is situated between to deep ravines, hence the name of the winery.  The mineral rich soil that is well-drained and well ventilated, thanks to the ravines, help the vines achieve their full potential and best possible wines.

Now, I just left the Grand Tasting at Heron Hill Winery to kick off TasteCamp and I had my share of wine.  Some good and some not so good.  However, I was excited to get to Ravines, I had their wine once before and really wanted to hear about them.  I knew they made some world-class wine, but I had no idea what I was awaiting me. 

If you are looking for an off dry Riesling, or a semi dry Riesling or even a late harvest Riesling, don’t consider Ravines, you will not find it.  But if you are looking for the best, thirst quenching, food friendly and dynamic Riesling, than make sure you stop and visit Lisa and Morton.  I am sure glad TasteCamp did.

We tasted a few of their releases, the first one was Ravines 20006 Dry Riesling.  So dry that there is only 0.3% residual sugar.  Floral fragrance filled the glass with hint of lime and rocky minerality.  The taste was loaded with zinging acidity and notes of grapefruit, lime and granny smith apple.  Puckeirng dry yet very enjoyable.  The first food that came to mind with this Riesling was fresh bay scallops and oysters, right from the shell.

Next up was Ravines 2007 Dry Riesling.  I found this more floral than the 2006 with a bit of an herbal note which could have also been a bit of a tea leaf element.  Again, this had 0.3% residual sugar, and the acidity was off the charts.  Lots of lemon and lime zest with great citrus flavors and great mineral notes.

We then went on the Ravines Dry 2008 Riesling, which was not released yet.  Citrus heaven with granny smith apple and juicy pear.  Bright lemony lime zest with a clean wet stone finish that had the slightest orange peel note.

We then tasted their wine club only release 2008 Dry Riesling Argetsinger Vineyard.  Argetsinger Vineyard is one of the oldest vineyards on the finger lakes farmed by Sam Argetsinger.  Some of the Tastecamp-ers would be visiting the Argetsinger Vineyard in the morning.  The wine showed a domination of lemon and lime citrus nose with a hint of floral .  The nose continues on the palate with a bit more of a grapefruit zest and racing acidity.  The minerality of the wine seems to be more present on the palate and finish.  I had tasted this wine before thanks to the New York Cork Club. 

We then tasted what could very well be my wine of the weekend.  This really brought me to my knees.   A Provençal style rosé, Ravines 2008 Rosé of Pinot Noir that was loaded with cranberry strawberry and watermelon and earthy funk.  This was my first rosé of Pinot Noir that I have ever tasted and after getting into Pinot Noir more recently, this had me savoring every sniff and swirl.  Again this wine was bone dry, about .3% residual sugar.  It was like a chilled Pinot noir; earthy, funky, cherry and a little strawberry that was thirst quenching.  I did not want to let this one go.

We the moved into the world-class red wine that Ravines Wince Cellars produces.  The white wines we tasted were exceptional, so I had a feeling we were not going to be let down by the reds.

First up was the Ravines 2007 Pinot Noir.  It smelled beautiful in the glass.  Aroma of Cherry and earth dominated with some spice and pepper.  Cherry and earth carried over on the palate with a hint of wood and exotic spice.  The finish was long and spicy.  There was great acidity and great balance.  I really wanted to have this with some food.  It was making me hungry.

Next we were poured their 2007 Cabernet Franc.  Looking back at my notes I put an asterisk next to this wine, and had I know what I know now, this was the best Cabernet Franc I had all weekend.  I am kicking myself that I did not pick up more than a bottle this while there.  Dark berry fruit dominate this fruit driven wine.  Blackberry, dark cherry and some cranberry fill the glass.  There is some dried herbal notes and a touch of spice on the nose.  In the glass, more of the dark fruit is showing very juicy.  Big acidity and a very nice finish of a minty herbal note.  For $18.95, this wine is pleasing not only on the palate but also in the wallet.  Might be the best bang for your buck in the Finger Lakes.

Lisa then poured us Ravines 2007 Meritage.  A blend of the three classic Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.  As Lisa was pouring, a discussion and debate ensued about the word Meritage.  It’s kinda like using the word Champagne on sparkling wine, Morten noted.  Lisa was in favor of keeping it, but Morten wanted to change it, but could not come up with a name.  As long as he does not change the ingredients, this was showing some ripe blackberry and raspberry and cranberry.  Spicy and woodsy.  It had some great acidity with a comfortable amount of tannins.  The tannins that were present were food tannins, the kind that get you at the back of the gums.  This was a well done fruit forward food friendly wine.

Our last tasting of the day was Ravine’s first Merlot release Ravine 2007 Merlot Glenn Eldridge Vineyard.  Glenn Eldridge is one of the oldest vineyards in the Finger Lakes, located on Seneca Lake.  This wine was showing some wonderful fruit characters of raspberry, cherry and blackberry.  There was some plum too.  Nice black pepper and spice appeared on the palate.  This was a very food friendly wine that has a long life ahead of it.

If TasteCamp would have ended now, I would not have been disappointed.  Ravines makes the dryest Riesling in the Finger Lakes and they are proud of it.  They also make some of the best red wines in the Finger Lakes.  Lisa and Morten make wine that goes best with food, they also happen to make wine that they like as well.  Old world european style wine in a new world wine country.  When you are in the Finger Lakes and you are staying a few days, make sure you visit and taste Ravines.  And if you happen to be around when they have wine pairing dinners, makes sure you make  reservation.  I know I would.

Note: The photos used in this piece (except for the bottles) are from the Ravines FaceBook Page.

It is called the Chardonnay Trio.  It is a trio of their estate grown chardonnay in three types of barrels.  American Oak, French Oak and Hungarian Oak.  Interesting concept and a great way to introduce people to the effects that barrel ageing have on the chardonnay grape.

The grapes were harvested at the same time, from the same site, sorted and pressed at the same time and then were place in to 3 different types of brand new oak barrels.  The juice was fermented sur lies style for 15 months.  To experience this educational piece you can visit the vineyard or you can order it on-line.  The three bottles cost $75.

Here are my tasting notes: 2007 American Oak Chardonnay: Butter and toasty with some apple.  Spice and wood.  Creamy.  The 2007 Hungarian Oak Chardonnay: More fruit than the last, more apple and melon, lighter body. woodsy.  The 2007 French Oak Chardonnay: Buttery and toasty.  Overwhelming.  Spice.  Some apple, not much else.  Seemed to have a bit more acidity.  A touch of herbaceousness.

In conclusion, I really give thumbs up to Casa Larga for doing this and offering this.  For those of you who don’t know the effects that barrel aging have on Chardonnay, this is a great tool to try out for yourself.  For those experienced tasters, like those at TasteCamp, I am not sure how this went over.  I know that some were not a fan of this and others were glad they missed this presentation.  But for first timers and for educational sessions and for those who like oaked chardonnay, than this is fantastic.

However, I do prefer my chardonnay to be in the style of little or no oak aging.  I would have loved to have seen Casa Larga add their Stainless Steel Fermented Chardonnay there to see what that was like and to taste the fruit instead of the oak.  By oaking chardonnay, you do run the risk of beating the fruit out of it.  As is the case here.  To show the versatility and the importance of the Chardonnay grape, to taste a completely unoaked chardonnay would have done wonders in my opinion and give folks the chance to really see how they like their chardonnay.

While most Finger Lakes Vineyards showcase Riesling, Casa Larga has decided to put their neck on the line and showcase chardonnay.  While they are showcasing chardonnay, they are showcasing the oak and the different types of oak, in my opinion.  The fruit is taking a backseat in this presentation.

Kudos for Casa Larga for taking this risk and investing time, money and effort to this program.  I just wish I had a sample of the steel fermented Chardonnay.  By the way, my choice of the oaked chardonnay was the Hungarian.

About 40 Bloggers, Writers and Enthusiasts headed for TasteCamp and this was the kick off…a grand tasting of Keuka Lake Wineries and a lunch sponsored by Heron Hill Winery and Finger Lakes Wine Country.

There was alot of wineries there, so many that I could not make it to every singe one.  I did my best and tasted alot of interesting wines and a few varietals and blends I have never had or heard of before.

I could list every singe wine I tasted, but that would be too much.  I could talk about every single vineyard that was there, again that would be too much.  So what I am going to talk to you about are different wines that stuck out and really impressed me most.  Wines that I would love to revisit and wineries that I and if I were you,  would consider visiting the next time you are up in the finger lakes.

There were a few vineyards or wineries that really made my day memorable.  The first being McGregor Vineyards.   Located on the eastern shore of Keuka Lake in the town of Dundee.  John McGregor was there to pour some wonderful and interesting wines that McGregor Vineyards produces.

The vineyard was established in 1980 by the McGregor family, but the grapes vines go back to 1971 when some of them were planted.  They have quite an array of Vinifera and Hybrids grapes planted including: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat Ottonel, Cayuga White, and Vignoles, Sereksiya Charni, Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, and Sereksiya Rose.

First up was their 2008 Dry Riesling Reserve.  Mineral and citrus notes come out first followed by some white peach.  Zinging acidity and zesty lime and grapefruit were very strong on the palate.  Really solid clean finish.  It has 1% Residual sugar and 11.5% alcohol.

Next up was their 2008 Dry Gewurztraminer Reserve.  Tropical notes were present in the glass along with some apricot.  When I tasted this, my mouth was electrified.  I was not expecting this wine to be so dry.  But at .25% residual sugar and 13% alcohol, it really opened up my eyes.  I was tasting some very good spice and stone fruit, like peach and apricot and a little mango.  There was ginger and a nice floral finish.  This might have been my wine of the day.

I was then poured their 2008 Rkatsiteli-Sereksiya.  Huh?  How do you say that.  Well to see and listen the John McGregor say it was a work of art.  It is pronounced like this, ur cots eh telle sir res se uh. Two grapes I have never had before, but would love to have again.  Aroma of tropical fruit with a hint of fresh herbs.  On the palate I was picking up some melon and kiwi.  Very refreshing.

Then I also had a very popular wine of theirs, maybe their signature blend.  It is 2007 Black Russian Red.  A blend of Saperavi and Sereksiya grapes, here is the information about the process for this wine:

On October 26, 2007 a total of 4.5 tons of estate grown Saperavi and Sereksiya grapes were harvested by
hand. At harvest the grapes had 23 brix natural sugar, 0.885 TA and 3.22 pH. The grapes were de-stemmed,
inoculated with yeast and fermented for six days at 69-82 degrees. The wine underwent a 100% malo-lactic
fermentation and was aged in Minnesota American oak barrels for 19 months. An additional 4.3 tons of estate
grown Saperavi and Sereksiya grapes were harvested by hand. This batch of Black Russian grapes had 22 brix
natural sugar, 1.01 TA and 3.34 pH. These grapes were de-stemmed, inoculated with yeast and fermented for
seven days at 70-84 degrees. After 100% malo-lactic fermentation, the wine was aged in Minnesota American
oak barrels for 18 months. On June 19, 2009 the two wines were blended together. Approximately half of the
blend was put back in oak barrels for further aging and the other half was used for this bottling. It was egg white
fined and cold stabilized. It was then filtered and bottled on August 20, 2009.

This wine packed a punch.  Loads of dark berries and grilled stone fruit.  Coca powder and woodsy, earthy notes were present on the nose.  There was also hints of licorice and leather too.  The taste was not for the faint of hearts.  Ultra strong tannins that gripped your palate with tones of spicy dark fruit.  There was some notes of eucalyptus and mint too.  The finish was a nice long black pepper spice.  Despite all of stuff that was happening with this wine, it was well balanced and smooth.  The tannins were big and griping but there was also a bit of acidity too.  The wine had alot of old world qualities.  A stand out for me on day one.

I wish I had to time to go and visit McGregor Vineyards.  They had alot more to offer in their tasting room and from the looks of it their website as well.

This post has run a bit longer than I though, so there will be another post about the Grand Tastings tomorrow featuring Imagine Moore and Heron Hill.

I have my full share of notes, and I need to go through them, some need to be filtered and fined.  Some will be unfiltered and unfined.  

I tasted some good wine, I tasted some bad wine and I tasted some unique and exquisite wine.  My palate is shot, so shot that I cannot taste coffee and water feels funny in my mouth.

I have alot of work ahead of me, spreading the word about the Finger Lakes wine region.  Some will be positive, some may not be.  But either way, it is important to let you know my thoughts of the Finger Lakes Region.

So, sorry Long Island, you will have a back seat in the next week or so.  But not to worry, my heart still beats for my local AVA’s!

What is it, you will have to find out at 8PM….here is the details:

To celebrate Riesling Month in Finger Lakes Wine Country, we are taking the traditional "happy hour", adding the Finger Lakes touch, and calling it "Riesling Hour." Join thousands of Riesling enthusiasts from around the globe for a live Riesling Twitter and Facebook Tasting  from your home or from Red Newt Cellars at 8 p.m. EST.

If celebrating from your home, simply open up a bottle (or two) of Finger Lakes Riesling with friends or family, enjoy the wine (hopefully with a bit of food as well), and then tweet or Facebook about the experience. Share your thoughts on your wine, post pictures of your wine and food pairing on Facebook, or tweet with others (use #flxwine in your tweets) about their Riesling experience.

OR join us live at Red Newt Cellars and Bistro on Seneca Lake in Finger Lakes Wine Country.  At 8 .p.m. EST, Red Newt will host a group of Riesling aficionados to taste Rieslings and tweet and Facebook about the wines. Bring a bottle of your favorite Finger Lakes Riesling (from any FLX producer and vintage) to share, your laptop, and $10 to help cover the cost of food.
If you are planning on attending at Red Newt send the winery a tweet AND RSVP on Facebook.

If you are planning on joining us at home, please RSVP on Facebook.
More about Riesling Month can be found at www.RieslingRocks.com.

So obviously, I will not be at Red Newt, but I will be hanging out at Chateau Gorton in Rocky Point.

Sláinte

Here is a brief description from the TasteCamp Website:

The concept for TasteCamp is a simple one: getting enthusiastic journalists and bloggers together in a region that is new to them to taste as much wine as possible and speak to as many winemakers as possible over the course of a weekend.

I remember reading tweets about TasteCamp last year.  Organizer Lenn Thompson of the New York Cork Report put this together last year, the inaugural year here on Long Island.  It was fun to follow along and see the great stuff that Long Island was offering the attendees, many of whom have never been here before.

This year TasteCamp will be up in the Finger Lakes region of New York.  It kicks off on Friday May 7th and concludes on Sunday, May 9th.  35+ wineries will be pouring their wine’s for us over the course of the weekend.  Alot of wine will be tasted.

I am  really looking forward to the chance to explore a new wine region and visit a breathtaking area like the Finger Lakes.  I cannot wait to taste some Gewürztraminer and some world-class Riesling. 

But more importantly, I cannot wait to meet the people behind the label, behind the wine;  the blood, sweat and cheer that goes into the bottles, and I hope that I can bring their stories to you.

I am also looking forward to meeting some of my favorite writers as well; Joe Roberts of 1 Wine Dude, Julia Burke of New York Cork Report and Stellenbauchery, Richard Auffrey of The Passionate Foodie, Tom Mansell of Ithacork, and Evan Dawson  and Bryan Calandrelli of New York Cork Report.  I am hoping to get some inspiration from you, since I read you on a regular basis. 

I also cannot wait to meet the rest of the 30+ attendees.  I hope to build relationships with you over the course of the weekend.

Lenn and John: I have already met you and you both inspire me already

The one event I am looking forward to is the BYOB dinner on Saturday….I wonder which wine I will bring from Long Island to show the quality and the future of Long Island Wine!  You can check out the rest of the whirl wind weekend here on the agenda page.

So, look for a number of posts following my adventures in the Finger Lakes.  But I have to finish a few Long Island Posts before I leave.

This time this happens to be my favorite white varietal, Gewürztraminer.

Last time I did not take notes and I gave up on tweeting, due to the host winery, Shinn Estate Vineyards, preparing a wonderful meal to so along with the very nice Pinot Noir’s we tasted through.  

This time, I will focus more on the wine and you can expect a post about it.

This time, just like the Bubbly in February, you can purchase the TasteLive pack and follow along with me and the rest of the country.

The wineries that are participating are:

• Keuka Spring Vineyards 2008 Gewürztraminer
• Lakewood Vineyards 2007 Gewürztraminer
• Red Newt Cellars 2007 Sawmill Creek Vineyards Gewürztraminer
• Sheldrake Point Vineyards 2008 Gewürztraminer

So, make sure you order the pack, or just open up your favorite Gewürztraminer and follow along on Twitter with the hastag #flxwine

I will be participating with other wine bloggers from around the country for the third installment of Finger Lakes Wine with Taste Live on Twitter.  This event is sponsored by Finger Lakes Wine Country and moderated by Lenn Thompson of The New York Cork Report.  And the host winery on Long Island will be Shinn Estate Vineyards.

In previous months we have tasted Cabernet Franc and Sparkling wine.  This month the topic of our tasting and tweeting will be Finger Lakes Pinot Noir.  There will be five Pinot Noir wines we will be tasting through, here is a run down:

• Atwater Estate Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir
• Damiani Wine Cellars 2008 Pinot Noir
• Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2008 Pinot Noir
• Heart & Hands Wine Company 2008 Pinot Noir
• Ravines Wine Cellars 2007 Pinot Noir

I am not too familiar with pinot noir, it is not something I have very often, mainly because it is not widely grown and bottled on Long Island.  This will be interesting for me.

Once again you can participate in this event by visiting the vineyards website to purchase the wine.  Of you can visit your wine shop and see if they have any.  Or just open your favorite Pinot and pour along with us.

The fun begins at 8:00 PM, so you can follow the action with me on Twitter or on Finger Lakes Wine Country’s own Taste Live Page.

Remember it dos not cost any thing to participate, just a twitter account and make sure your search and follow the hash tag #flxwine.

See you in Twitterville on Wednesday!

“Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!” ~ Dom Perignon, at the moment he discovered champagne

The other night, at Roanoke Vineyards, the Wine Adventurers or the Pour Boys or the Four Poursemen,  we are not sure what we  calling ourselves, yet, Lenn Thomson, from the New York Cork Report, Henry Powderly, II, From Work in Progress(who also took the pictures), Adam Ehmer from Roanoke Vineyards, and yours truly got in on some Finger Lake Wine, with Twitter Taste Live.  This month our tasting was Sparkling Wine. Last month we were soaking up some Cabernet Franc’s from the Finger Lakes.

The first one up this night was  Chateau Frank Blanc de Blancs 2002 $30.00.  This is made from 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Blanc, and made int the Methode Champenoise tradition.  On the nose, I was picking up some yummy yeast and doughy bread.  Something that I love in sparkling wine.  There was some citrus notes as well.

 On the palate, I was picking some lemony citrus and a hint of wet stone minerality.  Very nice acidity and a long finish to go along with it.  At the end of the finish I was picking up some nutty creaminess too, which is another favorite of mine.

We then went on to Goose Watch Pinot Noir Brut Rose ($18.00)  This sparkler was made with 79% Pinot Noir grapes and 21% Chardonnay.  It was bottled in the Charmat process where it undergoes a second fermentation in steel tanks.  It is then bottled under pressure.  It had a color that was reminiscent of salmon.

On the nose, I was picking up this scent of watermelon Jolly Rancher, which I was nice, but not a fan of candy coated wine.  This then led to some strawberry and cherry aroma.  I was also getting a scent of banana, along with others who were on suing the tagline #flxwine.

On the palate, the flavors of all the fruit were present along with this crisp acidity that was palate cleansing.  There was also a hint of minerality there at the finish, but the fruit dominated this sparkling wine.  The candy notes of the wine were not as prevalent as they were on the nose, but they were there in the background.  For those of you who enjoy mousse like quality in a sparkler, then you would really enjoy this one.

It was a fun wine, it was great for entertaining.  I could see this being popular with the women.  The nose was the best for me, but the palate was a bit too much.  I was really trying to figure out what to pair with this sparkling wine.

Next up was the Glenora Wine Cellars 2002 Brut ($25).  This wine is made up of 63% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and produced in the  Methode Champenoise.

On the nose, I was picking up something that I could not describe.  It was very intriguing and familiar.  Henry stated it was smoky on the nose, but not wood smoke.  I came to the conclusion that it was sun-baked rubber.

On the palate, it was a bit rough.  There was a citrus note that led to a tinny medicinal note.  I was also getting a sharp stinging sensation on the center of the tongue.  It tasted like something was missing.  Though, Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes correspondent at the New York Cork Report nailed it on Twitter with this delivery, “A bit tired, like a tired runner. Ran a rood race, but a bit done.”

The next bubbly of the night would happen to be the last.  And in a way it was a nice way of ending the night.  Lucas Vineyards NV Extra Dry ($19).  This, I believe was my very first Hybrid Grape, made of 100% Cayuga White grapes in the Méthode Champenoise way.

In my opinion, this sparkling wine had the best beads of the night, though thy may not have been the smallest, I will give that to Chateau Frank, they, the beads were really dancing.  Granted we also did not taste in Champagne flutes, because you just cannot get your nose into the glass to get a good whiff.

First up, on the nose, I was loving the yeasty bread note.  Just behind it was the aroma of lemon and citrus along with a mineral quality to it.  I was also picking up a subtle aroma of fermenting grapes, in a good way.  It is an aroma any wine lover loves.

On the palate, it was clean, crisp and refreshing.  The citrus was out in front ad behind it was a little apple too.  It was dry and had a pleaant finish, just maybe a bit short.

In conclusion,I would rank my bubbly this night as the following:

1. Chateau Frank Blanc de Blancs 2002
2. Lucas Vineyards NV Extra Dry
3. Goose Watch Pinot Noir Brut Rose
4. Glenora Wine Cellars 2002 Brut

Chateau Frank came out in front for the simple reason that I was getting a nutty finish at the end.  It was the only sparkling wine that had some of that “baking spice” element that I love in a sparkling wine.  In my opinion, when you make a sparkling wine, you must have yeasty, doughy, even sour dough notes with some baking spice mixed in.  Chateau Frank had it.

The surprise had to be Lucas VIneyards, and they were a very close second.  everyone was pleasantly surprised by the Cayuga grapes used and that a sparkling wine could be this good made with them, in the traditional method no less.

I am no expert here, and I have only tried a few sparkling wines on Long Island, but I would stick to my Long Island Sparklers.  The Finger Lakes were nice, I just like tasting the stars of Long Island.

I received this as part of my New York Cork Club Membership a while back.  I kept waiting to bring this out with friends or family to our local BYOB Thai place.  But that never happened.

So on Valentine’s day, my wife asked me what I wanted for dinner.  I told her surprise me.  She followed my orders, she asked me to pick one of the three recipes she suggested. One of them was a Thai pulled pork…I knew just what to serve with it!  This Anthony Road Wine Company 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling ($15).

On the nose I could smell the gold right away, as in golden sunshine.  That was the first thought that popped into my head.  There was elements of honeydew melon, pineapple and tropical coconut juice; not the milky kind, the cloudy juicy kind you find in Mexico.

When I tasted this, I was picking up the semi-dry aspect of this Riesling.  Meaning there was some sugar on the palate.  Just a small amount.  But along with the honey like sweetness, there was the zinging acidity you should find in a fine, well made Riesling, like this one.  There was some lime zest that was very prominent and recognizable. 

The mouth feel was what was really enjoyable.  It has a silky viscosity that was asking me to swirl this in my mouth a little longer than usual.

This went perfectly with the dinner that my wife made for me.  I was glad that she was able to take sip or two with dinner.  Assuring that our child will be far advanced in the world or Riesling than I was before.

Unfortunately, this wine is sold out, you may however find this in a wine shop online or near the finger lakes.  If you find it, grab it. 

This wine was deserving of the Governor’s Cup title as Best Wine in the State of NY.  This wine was also deserving of the meal we had on Valentines day.  And this wine was deserving of the wait in my cellar.

If you recall, last month I was tasting along with other bloggers across the country.  We were tasting some Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc.

This month we will be tasting Finger Lake Sparkling Wine. from the following vineyards:

• Chateau Frank 2002 Blanc de Blancs
• Goose Watch Winery NV Pinot Noir Brut Rosé 
• Glenora Wine Cellars 2002 Brut
• Lucas Vineyards NV Extra Dry Cayuga White

You can follow along if you are on twitter with the hash tag #FLXwine or on Finger Lakes Wine Country’s own TasteLive page.  If you are not on twitter, sign up today!

This time you can get in on the action and taste along by purchasing this Taste Live pack from Bacchus Wines.  The pack is discounted, so it makes it even more affordable and  enjoyable than just following along with the tweets.  Get together with a bunch of friends and enjoy the bubbly!

So join me on Twitter or on the Finger Lakes Wine Country TasteLive Site at 8:00 PM.

Just as the last time, a review of the bubbly will be posted after the tasting. 

I hope to see you on twitter on Wednesday, February 17th.

Thanks Passionate Foodie for the Picture

The event began promptly at 8PM with our host Lenn Thompson at Lieb Family Cellars. He promptly poured us our first wine of the night, Fox Run Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger. There was a bit more of the Lemberger in the bottle than the Franc, but none the less there was some Franc Qualities there. On the nose I was picking up a lot of Cherry and Cola. It was giving way to some great fruity berry aromas. There was some Raspberry and Black berry and blueberry in the glass. I could have dove right into this glass. The taste on the other hand was a bit of an issue. It was laden with puckering acidity. IT was overwhelming the wine, and made it difficult to pick up much, other than some very tart cherry. This was my first experience with Lemberger of any kind and due to the bouquet of this wine; I would love to try it alone as the varietal. As the time move on, the longer in the glass the acid was diminishing. I was getting the craving for a black & blue rib eye while tasting this wine. On the final sips I was picking up some plum, violets and strong blackberry notes. Later that night, while revisiting the wines, I was picking up some black pepper spice notes.

We then moved onto Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc. On the nose I was picking up some dried fruit. Some prune notes along with this intriguing and enticing barnyard note. It was quite funky. There may have been some old cheese rind in there as well. As I swirled the wine in my glass, the funk was at the back of the glass, faint yet distinct. The funk did leave the glass after awhile, and was enjoying the dried prune and dark fruit notes on the nose. There was a spicy note to the wine, that at first I had a hard time putting my finger on.  After some banter back and forth, between clove and other spice, it was pointed out by another tweeter, cardamom.  And I agreed.  But clove was still the common feeling in the tasting room.  At the end of the night when we retasted it, Henry got it right with clove, but really put it together when he said there was some sweet clove in there, reminiscent of a clove cigarette at the end.  There was and at the end, it was nice.

We then moved onto the Rooster Hill Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc.   This was very smoky.  There was some bacon, some berries, cherry and some fresh green mint.  There was a subtle note of eucalyptus at the end, but I kept returning to the smoky bacon.  I did not mind it, because it was not to overpowering, it did diminish over time.  On the palate, I was picking up some more of the bacon, with a hint of black tea.  It was enjoyable, but too much smoke was my problem with the wine, but I was impressed to this point with the quality of wine from the Finger Lake Region.

Then, my whole world changed, I made my reservations for TasteCamp 2010 right after I put my nose into the glass with Red Newt Wine Cellars 2007 “Sawmill Creek” Cabernet Franc, in it.  This Franc was fantastic!  Now, I may have wanted to dive into the Fox Run wine, but this I could have done laps in the glass.  Some fellow tweeters were nice enough to offer to throw me a life preserver.  One blogger, Richard over at The Passionate Foodie states that it, “brings back memories of Shinn (Estate Vineyards) Cabernet Franc (2007).”  I whole hardly agreed.  There were elements of eucalyptus, and fresh turned earth, some black cherry and raspberry and blackberries.  There was some exotic spice in the glass.  The taste was even better.  All of the fruit was up front with a wonderful exotic spice.  The wine was in perfect balance and harmony.   I could drink this for hours among friends or some duck breast for dinner would be perfect.  This wine was the best of the night in my opinion.  It had everything you look for in a Cabernet Franc, and then some.

The winning wine that night was, Red Newt Wine Cellars 2007 “Sawmill Creek” Cabernet Franc.  It was also the most expensive of the night at $39.00.  The runner up was Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc, which is retailing at $22.00 probably would offer you the best value, while offering you decent quality.  Fox Run Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger took the bronze medal, despite the fact that this was more Lemberger than Cabernet Franc in the bottle.  It is not released yet and the 2006 vintage is selling for $15.  This could be my new everyday table wine though.  And last on the list was the Rooster Hill Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc.  This too is not released yet, but, will sell for about $20.00.  It was a nice wine, I just could not get past the smoky bacon.

Henry, Gary, Lenn and I finished off the night at Lieb Family Cellars with a tasting of Bridge Land 2006 Cabernet Franc and a sampling of the recently released 2007 Syrah, named after Garry’s late winery dog Syrah, where 20% of the proceeds of this wine will be donated to The Animal Medical Center in New York City.

But I really enjoyed this night was a sparkling wine from Lieb, their 2005 Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine.  It goes for $35.00 and as I sat that night, I could drink this everyday.  So it goes to show you I truly do have Champagne Taste on a beer budget.

Many thanks to Finger Lakes Wine Country for getting these great Cabernet Franc’s out to us.  To Lenn Thompson for moderating this Twitter Taste Live Event, to Gary at Lieb Family Cellars for allowing us to stand around and use the tasting room for the night. And a big thanks to those who participated across the country, hopefully on the next one there will be more of us and more of you on Twitter Taste Live, rumor has it that the wines will be available for purchase…Keep your eyes glued to this blog for more information.

Oh, and yes, I promise not to leave Long Island too often.

Here is a little information about Taste Live:

TasteLive! is the worlds premiere online wine and beer tasting community. Our platform leverages the increasingly powerful social media tools of Twitter, Facebook, Posterous and other services to create a community that brings together consumers, bloggers, press, suppliers, brewers and winemakers across the world together to share in their favorite beverage. TasteLive! is a direct link between consumers and winemakers, no filter, no middle man. Never before have consumers had the ability to directly interact with the producers making the wine and beer no matter where they are in the world.

With the introduction of custom winery pages, Wineries, suppliers and trade groups will now have the ability to fully customize their online wine tasting activities and interact with their fans directly through their own TasteLive page. Never before have users had so many options to interact and taste wine with their favorite estates!

 

Ok so now what?  Well follow this little graph, again from the TTL people:

After you have done that graph thing above, then you can take part in this or any event here:

Taking part in a TasteLive event is simple. Begin simply by logging into TasteLive.com or creating a new account using your Facebook or Twitter account. From their surf to the Wineries directory or the event calendar to see what your favorite estates are up to. From there, get some "tweeps" together for an informal evening of tasting, grab a laptop and go to the Tastelive.com and enjoy!

 

Ok, so here is the information about tonight’s Taste Live Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc with Lenn Thompson.  Please be sure to go to http://tastelive.com/fingerlakewinecountry at 8PM when the fun begins.

 "I’m exited to announce today that I’ll be co-hosting a live Twitter tasting of four cabernet franc-based Finger Lakes wines as a part of TasteLive. My co-hosts are the folks from Finger Lakes Wine Country (FLWC), who have definitely embraced new and social media more than any other New York wine organization.

FLWC launched a TasteLive page a month or so ago, and this will be the first event to really kick off the page. There will be many more, so stay tuned for more announcements.

For this edition, we’ll be tasting these four wines:

Fox Run Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger

Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc

Red Newt Wine Cellars 2007 “Sawmill Creek” Cabernet Franc

Rooster Hill Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc

Too often, people dismiss red wines from the Finger Lakes, but I think participants are in for some surprises with these wines, even though I’ve only tasted two of the four myself.

We’ll kick off the tasting at 8:00 p.m. ET, and we hope that you’ll join us on Twitter and on the Finger Lakes Wine Country TasteLive Site."

~Lenn Thompson

If you are on twitter feel free to follow the action.  If you are not, then please go here and sign up.

Our host, Lenn Thompson, from the New York Cork Report is our host.  It will be held at Lieb Family Cellars.  I will be joined by Henry Powderly of Work in Progress. 

Once you sign on to twitter you can follow us by searching for the hash tag #flxwine.

I am looking forward to this event mainly because it will be my introduction to Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc.  I have only had one, and it was enjoyable.  These wines are all Cabernet Franc from the 2007 Vintage which was very similar to the unprecedented 2007 vintage we had here on Long Island.  It will be fun to compare as there will be a Long Island 2007 Cabernet Franc review here next week.

So, I hope that some of you will follow, and if you are lucky enough to have a bottle or two of these, then follow along.  And if you don’t have one to open, don’t worry, just open something else and enjoy.  When there are future events that I will be participating in and the wine is available for purchase, I will keep you posted with that information as it is available.