LENNDEVOURS

In Memoriam: Robert Mondavi

We don't speak much of wine from the 'other' coast here on LENNDEVOURS, but today we have to look to California, saddened by the news that Robert Mondavi has died at the age of 94.

Whether you like the wines he was responsible for or his methods of promoting them doesn't matter. Without him, the American wine industry wouldn't be what it is today... and I mean that in a good way. He was a great popularizer of wine and a champion for California and the United States.

Those in the wine industry who try to appeal to the masses but still make high-end wines too can and probably should look to Mr. Mondavi for inspiration and as a model.

Cheers, Mr. Mondavi. Rest in peace. You will be missed.

Rendezvous with Riesling

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent

Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the Second Annual Rendezvous with Riesling event at the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, New York. As the name implies, this event brings together sampling of New York wineries, mostly from the Finger Lakes, to showcase their most recent riesling offerings.

I highlight some individual wines below.

This event also served as my first visit to the Wine and Culinary Center. While I had always assumed that it had something to offer, I'll admit that I was a bit dismissive of a centralized Finger Lakes venue. If I happened to be in the Finger Lakes, why not just spend my time visiting the wineries at their own locations?

Frankly, I was blown away by the overall quality of the Wine and Culinary Center. It was laid out wonderfully, the decor was inspiring, and the staff was friendly and courteous. This places simply exudes excellence in wine and showcases a regional pride. And, as this event demonstrated, the advantage of a centralized venue is that one can sample a variety of wines from different areas without the burden of extensive travel.

I highly recommend the Center to all LENNDEVOURS readers. If you are planning a Finger Lakes trip, make sure to check out the website and see what is being featured during your stay. The Center is a time-saver but it is just as beautiful and fun as many other tasting rooms in the Finger Lakes. Plus, some of the events add dimensions to wine education that most tasters cannot gather from a winery visit alone.

The Wines
The wineries brought their rieslings to be sure, but many also brought other wines as well. There were a lot of good wines, but I will highlight a few that grabbed my attention that night. 

But first, a general riesling observation: the 2006 dry rieslings are excellent almost across the board, while the 2007s seem to excel in the semi-dry style and falter a bit in the dry. A select few wineries pulled off a good dry 2007, but I think the semi-dry is a safer bet for a blind grab off the store shelf.

Some highlights:

Christiano Family Vineyards 2004 Merlot

The local wine scene is dominated by some of its biggest producers, which only makes sense, I guess. I'm talking aobut places like Wolffer Estate, Lenz Winery and the Ps -- Pindar, Palmer, Peconic Bay and Paumanok. Each has a wide range of wines in its portfolio, but merlot is a constant. Each makes at least two different versions each vintage, sometimes more.

Those are the big fish in the little pond that is Long Island wine country.

But there are little fish too. Every vintage, it seems, welcomes new wineries. In fact, I learned about a brand-spanking new one last night at Brooklyn Uncorked, but we'll get to them later. Today, we're going to talk about Christiano Family Vineyards, one of the North Fork's newest labels.

It's owned by Claude and Barbara Christiano, and currently the wine is only available at the co-op Tasting Room in Peconic. Claude is retired now, but during his career as Vice President and Assistant Treasurer of Pfizer Inc, he traveled extensively, sampling wines from wine regions the world over. Along the way, he learned a lot about differences and similarities in grape growing and winemaking techniques. He is also a founding partner in Monte De Oro Vineyards in southern California.

In much the same way that Medolla Vineyards' 2003 release tells the tale of that growing season, so too does Christiano's first release about the 2004 vintage. 2004 was a cooler, but relatively typical year and Christiano Family Vineyards' 2004 Merlot ($19) shows that with an understated nose with light black cherry, black plum and vanilla smoke aromas. The palate is medium bodied and elegantly textured with pleasing dark berry flavors accented by plum and just a little oak. Soft, integrated tannins bring just barely enough structure.

All in all, it's an approachable, nice wine at a decent price. Drink soon. I don't think this one will age long term.

 
Producer: Christiano Family Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $19
Rating:  (2 out of 5 | Average) 

Getting to Know New Yorks' Newest AVA: Ontario Lake Plain

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Correspondent

Last month, a giant step toward catapulting Niagara USA's Wine Trail into the future was taken by James Baker of Lockport, NY, when more than a year's worth of hard work and research finally came together in an official AVA (American Viticultural Area) proposal submitted to New York State's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau Regulations Division.

Baker is calling it the Ontario Lake Plain AVA, and it's an area that includes the northern parts of three western New York counties just south of Lake Ontario and north of the Niagara Escarpment. The boundaries include the Niagara River to the west, the Genesee River to the east, and includes the area from Ridge Road (Rt. 104) north to the southern shore of Lake Ontario (see map). This area lies on a glacial geological feature called the Lake Iroquois shoreline, a prehistoric lake formed 13,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age by melting glacial ice in the Lake Ontario basin. The AVA is still pending, as the official approval has yet to be granted, but this is big news for our area indeed.

Niagara County's first AVA was granted to the Niagara Escarpment in 2005 after Michael Von Heckler, winemaker and managing partner of Warm Lake Estate, submitted and gained approval. The Escarpment area is about 30 miles long and half a mile wide with a total of 400 acres planted, only a small fraction of which are vinifera vines. With soils of clay over limestone, this area has been compared to Burgundy, with a similar growing season to boot. While there are just five wineries technically in this AVA, the Niagara Wine Trail now boasts 12 wineries, leaving the majority of wineries on the trail actually outside boundaries of the Niagara Escarpment AVA.

The rapid growth of the wine trail in this area can be attributed to many factors. Simply put, soil, climate and grape growing conditions here come together with affordable land cost and generous federal/state agriculture funding to meet -- and take advantage of -- the increasing demand for wine across the country.  And anyone who reads Wine Spectator, especially in the last few months, has no doubt seen the ads and editorials featuring Ontario's Niagara Wine Trail. With similar soils, climate and strategic location, that area is a good indicator of where we can be in ten to twenty years from now. The area within the proposed AVA is large and virtually untapped in terms of vinifera production although it seems I hear about a new planting once a week as more and more people take advantage of its ideal conditions.

Medolla Vineyards 2003 Merlot (North Fork of Long Island)

Year-to-year weather differences affect every winery. But when you only make a single wine, like say merlot, each year, it has an even larger impact on your business.

Take Medolla Vineyards for example. Owned by John and Denise Medolla, this new procucer snuck up on me last spring their first release — a 2002 merlot.  2002 is considered by many to be an above average years for Long Island merlot and that wine is a classic North Fork merlot that, at $22, is one of the best deals in local vino. It straddles the line between Old and New World with a nose that offers tobacco aromas along with raspberry and cherry fruit. Medium bodied, the flavors are similar to the nose with some minty, eucalyptus nuances and well-incorporated, ripe tannins. Well balanced with a nicely long finish, it's still available and worth seeking out either online or at the co-op The Tasting Room in Peconic. 

Over the weekend, I got to taste a pre-release sample of Medolla Vineyards' 2003 Merlot ($15). If 2002 was a good year, 2003 was, generally, a bad one. There was a rainy period in October (after a good growing season) and two rounds of frost around harvest time. I've tasted a lot of downright bad 2003 wines, particularly reds, and while I wouldn't put this wine in that category, it definitely pales in comparison to the superb 2002.

A lighter, everyday-style red, this wine's nose shows lots of oak, which comes through as toasty vanilla aromas, with sweet red cherry fruit and tobacco as well. Medium-light on the palate, cherry is the primary fruit flavor here with tobacco, vanilla and some green pepper. It's no where near as rich or intense as the 2002. The fruit clearly just wasn't as good on its way into the winery. Overall, it's a bit of a let down, but with the lower price, the Medollas seem to have de-classified this wine in a way.

With relatively low tannins and nice acidity, it's best enjoyed with food.

Grape(s): 100% merlot
Producer: Medolla Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $15
Rating:  (2 out of 5 | Average)  

 

Announcing WBC3: To Cork or Not to Cork

I don't have a lot of time for reading these days. Between a busy day job, a burgeoning freelance career and the exhaustion that chasing a 16-month old around causes, reading has fallen down the priority list lately. I still have the best intentions. I try to go to bed a little early so I can read for an hour or so before actually going to sleep.

Of course that just leads to me waking up a couple hours later with the book on my chest and the lights still on.

This might seem like a weird way to announce that I'm hosting the third edition of Wine Book Club, but I'm hoping that WBC will serve as added motivation to get back to reading more.

The book I've chosen for WBC is George Taber's To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle.

The whole cork/Stelvin/Zork topic is one that I've found myself getting more and more interested in, so this is a good choice for me personally, and one that I hope you guys are interested in too.

So, join us on June 24 and post your review of To Cork or Not To Cork. And hey, if you don’t have a blog, you can sign up at our new Wine Book Club blog and post there.

Thanks to Dr. Debs for the original idea for WBC for allowing me to host. I'm looking forward to it.

The Wine Blogging Wednesday Logo Contest Semi-Finals

Before we get to the WBW Logo Contest semi-finalists or discuss the voting procedures, I just want to thank each and every person who submitted a logo or logos for consideration. There were dozens of great entries and it was difficult for the WBW advisors to narrow it down to the 6 you see below. I was planning to post all of the entries, but that would have been over whelming on many levels.

Take a look at the final 6 logos here or at Flickr account I've created for them.

Voting will take place over on the  Wine Blogging Wednesday website via the poll in the upper right corner. The semi-final round will run from today until May 31 at 11:59 p.m. Then, the top 3 vote getters will move into the finals. We'll update the poll and announce the final voting procedure in early June.

Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Chenin Blanc (North Fork of Long Island)

As we continue our look at Paumanok Vineyards' 2007 whites — all closed under screwcaps -- we get to a truly one-of-a-kind wine, Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Chenin Blanc ($28).

Chenin blanc is rare on the North Fork — no one else grows it actually — and this is a wine that can be difficult to get your hands on. They don't make much and it has a rabid following.   

The nose is complex and expressive, showing a fruit salad mélange of grapefruit, mango, pear, melon and orange blossom.

A medium-bodied palate starts off fresh and clean with melon, grapefruit and mineral flavors, but as the wine crosses over into the mid-palate, the flavors change a bit, becoming richer with pineapple and honey overtones. That honeyed fruit character carries through to the finish, which is long and delicious.

The texture of this wine is faintly oily but it remains lively and clean because there’s plenty of balancing acidity. In France, Chenin Blanc has shown the ability to age beautifully, and I think this one might be long-lived too. It will be interesting to see how the Stelvin closure will affect that over time.

Grape(s): 100% Chenin Blanc
Producer: Paumanok Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $28
Rating:    (3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious) 

"Green" is Not a Logical Prerequisite for Good Wine

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent

Sometimes, seems like we are in the midst of a green invasion, rather than a green revolution.

The term is used all over the place nowadays and has cropped up in several Finger Lakes stories lately:

• Democrat and Chronicle staff writer Karen Miltner discusses green grape growing here
• In a special report to the Democrat and Chronicle, freelance wine writer Thomas Pellachia outlines the effect of global warming on Finger Lakes vintages (Pellachia is also the author and publisher of the Vinofictions blog). 
• The Finger Lakes Weekend Wino has also unearthed this report on Finger Lakes green space from MPNnow's Bryan Roth.

My first attempt to gather some thoughts on this topic came off like an expository essay, which I quickly abandoned with the assumption that there is enough preaching going on in the green movement already. The crux of it, from my perspective, is that like many trends "green" is largely a good thing. But within the discourse there is plenty of bad as well.

The good is easily recognized, of course.

In terms of agriculture, the advent of the motor took farms that were previously run like artificial but efficient ecosystems and allowed for faster, less-expensive work, thereby producing more waste. Better transportation spurred the development and distribution of chemical treatments that could be delivered cheaply, creating a dependency on these methods.

Green, on some level, is the acknowledgment that efficiency has been lost from the system, and that farms of any kind can benefit from careful planning and a dedication to allowing the natural systems and by-products to work with one another to keep the farm clean, sound, efficient and sustainable. It just makes sense, doesn't it?

The bad part of green is a little more complex, but is also obvious to many observers. Those who espouse "green" the loudest run the risk of hypocrisy since the reality of what is possible with current technologies and market demands is never quite up to speed with the rhetoric.

In the wine industry, the wineries that have embraced "green" and market it like crazy sometimes seem to lose sight of their main purpose--creating the best wine possible. What if the best wine from a given year requires both conventional and green techniques? Those who want to buy wine based solely on whether it is green or not are not buying wine, but a concept that is emotionally satisfying. That is their right, but they are in the minority.

I am far more impressed with winery operations that go green because it makes sense but promote it as a secondary consideration. Green is not a logical prerequisite for good wine.  A sense of modesty about green indicates an acknowledgment of the challenges inherent in such a venture. Over-marketing of the term is simply tiring and serves to dilute the meaning of such a commitment.

Is It Any Wonder Why I Love Her?

Yesterday, I wrote about our visit to Hunt Country Vineyards, but I forgot to include one of my favorite pictures from the entire trip, the one of Mrs. LENNDEVOURS lugging our case of wine out to the Jeep.

I had the little guy on my back in our nifty new wine-tasting back pack at the time. Okay, it's not really for wine tasting, but it's perfect for visiting wineries.

Anyway, hands off guys, she's mine. You've gotta love a woman who will throw a case of wine up on her shoulder for you, no?

Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (North Fork of Long Island)

Someone has finally put the screws to Long Island wine—screwcap closures that is.

As I reported over the summer, Paumanok Vineyards has invested in the Stelvin closure equipment and bottled its 2007 whites without corks during January and February of 2008. I tasted the lot recently and will be writing about all of them over the next couple of weeks.

Today, we'll focus on the Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, a varietally correct rendition of a wine that is gaining momentum on the North Fork. I normally don't mention varietal correctness, but it was the first thing I thought of when I tasted this wine, even if it isn't exactly what I expect from Long Island sauvignon.

It has all of the aromas and flavors you’d expect from an American sauvignon though—grapefruit, kiwi and tropical fruit—along with nice acid structure and a faintly minerally finish that lingers just a bit.

I was amazed when I saw on the back label that this wine weighs in at a hefty 13.9% ABV. For lovers of California wines, that may seem typical, or low even, but it's the highest alcohol level ever for a Paumanok white. Don't worry though, it's all in balance and there isn't even a bit of alcohol heat on the finish.

While maybe not a great value at $28, it's still tasty.

Grape(s): 100% sauvignon blanc
Producer: Paumanok Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $28
Rating:  (3 out of 5 | Recommended)

 

A Visit to Hunt Country Vineyards

For our second day of wine touring around Keuka Lake, Nena, Jackson and I were joined by my parents. We headed for the western side of the lake, starting at Hunt Country Vineyards.

Yes, I know that I've only posted about one winery on the eastern side of the lake, but I'm going to switch it up a little bit. We'll get back to the eastern shore again soon

There's a little more off-the-main-road driving involved when touring some areas of  FInger Lakes wine country and Hunt Country is a little off the main drag. Still, after reading Jason's post a few weeks ago, I knew that I wanted to taste my way through their wines.

Even though the vineyards at Hunt Country don't offer the typical lake views, they are picturesque none the less. We were amazed at just how beautiful the entire region is throughout our trip. It really is absolutely beautiful.

The wines at Hunt Country, on the whole, were okay, but there were a few wines that stood out for me and my family.

I've downplayed Finger Lakes reds plenty in my time writing about New York wines, and those comments were backed up here. I didn't care for the reds much, though I picked up one bottle of their newly Alchemy ($14), a non-vintage blend of 45% cabernet franc, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 15% Noiret (a hybrid developed at nearby Cornell). It was medium bodied, smoky and a little peppery.

I was a little disappointed in the dry riesling, but Nena really enjoyed the newly released 2007 Semi-Dry Riesling ($14), which was decidedly sweet, but balanced with just enough acidity. The flavors were much more tropical and ripe than many Keuka Lake rieslings we tried with peach, pear and a little pineapple.
 

I also really enjoyed the wine that brought me to Hunt Country to begin with, the 2007 Valvin Muscat ($15). I'm a sucker for interesting, unique wines, and this floral, melony white with just a little residual sugar (and nice acidity) fall into that category. You'd think that more wineries in New York would grow and bottle muscat.

When we left Hunt Country, with a case of wine between us, we headed to perhaps New York's best-known winery, Dr. Konstantin Frank. But that's another post for another day.

 

Exploring Finger Lakes Riesling @ the Astor Center (May 8)

You'd think after almost a week in the Finger Lakes, I'd be ready for a break from their riesling. You'd be wrong though. This Thursday, I'm taking the train into Manhattan to attend a media and trade tasting hosted by the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance at the Astor Center.

Joshua Greene, editor of Wine & Spirits magazine will lead a guided tasting of 10 2006 Finger Lakes rieslings and discuss the effects slate, snow and deep-water lakes had on the wines. The 10 wines will be those from Buttonwood Grove, Treleaven/King Ferry, Dr. Konstantin Frank, Standing Stone, Chateau Lafayette Reneau, Red Newt Cellars, White Springs, Fox Run, Hermann J. Wiemer and Sheldrake Point.

There will also be a walk-around tasting of twenty-two Finger Lakes wineries showcasing their 2006 and 2007 Rieslings.

The 2007 harvest, which everyone's favorite wine magazine, Wine Spectator, scored an A-, is one of the best vintages in history for the Finger Lakes. The additional wineries featured in on Thursday include Ravines, Anthony Road, Lakewood, Wagner, Fulkerson's, Atwater, Rooster Hill, Casa Larga, Swedish Hill, Thirsty Owl, Hazlitt's, and Glenora. Four of the Finger Lakes top chefs from the Inn at Glenora Wine Cellars, Fox Run, Red Newt Bistro, and Simply Red Bistro will be preparing Riesling-friendly foods including locally raised pork, rabbit, venison, beef, ramps and cheese.

It should be a fun event. And yes, I know that I'm behind on my Finger Lakes postings...but they are coming. I promise.

Eric Asimov Enjoys Long Island Wine Too

Eric Asimov of the New York Times has written several times about how much he enjoys Long Island merlot. And who can blame him -- at least if you're talking about the North Fork's best bottles.

But as he says today on The Pour, Long Island white wines don't get nearly as much attention. Specifically, he focuses on Paumanok Vineyards' chenin blanc, the only such wine (I think) in all of New York. As coincidence would have it, I tasted the new 2007 vintage of this wine last week and will be writing about it soon here.

Let's get back to Long Island white wines, though. That's why we're here today.

There is an ocean's worth of chardonnay made out here, from steel-fermented wines with crackling acidity all the way to rich, buttery barrel-fermented ones...and every style in between. Most are just okay, some are good and there are a few that transcend. In general though, they aren't very exciting.

Riesling, my favorite of all white grapes, can be good here too. But again, these aren't wines that I'm typically excited about. The same is true for Gewürztraminer, unless we're talking about the one from Corey Creek Vineyards. That's a wine I always enjoy.

The white wines that get me going the most fall into two categories: sauvignon blanc and those made by Chris Tracy at Channing Daughters Winery.

My affection for local sauvignon blanc is well documented on this blog, so I won't go into it too much. I'll just list some of my favorite producers: Shinn Estate, Raphael, Macari, Jamesport and Osprey's Dominion. And of course Channing Daughters too -- and they make two wines dominated by sauvignon blanc.

The folks at Channing Daughters do things a little differently, starting in the vineyard. They grow unique-to-the-Island grapes like Tocai Friulano, Aligote, malvasia bianca, and muscat ottonel. Take those grapes, add chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, pinot bianco, and put them in the able hands of Tracy and you end up some of the best, most food-friendly, whites you'll ever taste. Keep an eye out for more on some of his latest releases.

Now I want to know, what are some of your favorite local white wines? Leave them in the comments.