Riesling might rule the Finger Lakes, but don't be fooled--it's not the only game in town.
What wines shine in central New York? When I think about it, I think about Alsace--riesling, gewurztraminer and pinot gris all do well. I've written about the riesling quite a bit and we'll tackle pinot gris another day.
Today we're focusing on Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars' 2006 Gewurztraminer, a fresh, spicy white from one of the regions best-respected producers.
Sometimes gewuztraminer can be over-the-top in its floral quality--to the point that it tastes more like perfume than wine. Not so with this terrific bottle.
The nose has faint rose petal and lychee notes, but it's the honeydew melon, ginger, and blood orange aromas that demand the most attention here.
Medium-to-full bodied and dry, the flavors closely match the nose with loads of melon and ginger with rose petals in the background.
At 13.9% ABV, this is a hefty wine for the region, but it's not heavy or disjointed.
It's terrific wine when you want to drink Finger Lakes wine, but don't want riesling.
Grape(s): Gewürztraminer
Producer: Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars
AVA: Finger Lakes
Price: $17.99
Great recommendation! I got a chance to taste this myself recently and was impressed.
When I've spoken to a couple of winemakers about gewurtztraminer there is a division of opinion about whether its growing (not wine quality) potential is perfectly suited for the Finger Lakes. Supposedly, the vines get hammered by cold before spring sets in!
I hope more wineries stick it out economically because a good FL gewurztraminer is often fairly impressive.
Posted by: Jason Feulner | August 07, 2007 at 04:30 PM
Yummy Gewurz! Did you have it alone, or with Asian food?
Lakewood just came out with a Pinot Gris, I also like Dr. Frank's Pinot Gris, my boyfriend brought a bottle home to Ft. Benning after our winery visit last week.
Kathleen
Posted by: Kathleen | August 08, 2007 at 10:12 AM