TasteCamp EAST 2010 Interview: Neil Miller | Stressing the Vine

  By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief

Neil Miller's blog Stressing the Vine is one that I've been a fan of for some time, so when he expressed interest in attending TasteCamp, I was excited.

It's always fun to meet fellow bloggers -- especially ones so focused on local wines and food -- and Neil did not disappoint. I found him to have a very well-tuned palate and to be both entusiastic but pragmatic about local wines. 

And now, our TasteCamp 2010 Q&A with Neil:

Was this your first visit to Finger Lakes wine country? No.

Had you ever had any Finger Lakes wines before? And if so, what was your impression of them? Yes. Very favorable.

After tasting a larger sampling of the wines being produced in the Finger Lakes, what is your impression now? I was glad to see that many of the 2009 rieslings were showing well, as this was the first opportunity I've had to taste examples of this difficult vintage. 

I also was very pleased by the quality of several Finger Lakes red wines, especially the 2005 Shaw Cabernet Franc, the 2007 Tierce, the 2005 Fox Run Reserve Cabernet Franc and the 2007 Ravines Pinot Noir. 

That having been said, however,  I also still found many of the reds, especially the cabernet sauvignons, merlots, meritages and syrahs, overly lean and tannic. I entirely get the unique characteristics of cool-climate red wines, which I particularly enjoy in comparison to Mediterranean-climate reds, but I am not persuaded, and I don't expect the general wine drinking public to be persuaded, by the often-heard refrain that these wines are made to pair with food, or require extended cellaring.

High acidity and lower alcohol levels are great, but I can't overlook the fact that many of the red wines I tasted lacked concentration and depth of fruit, were over oaked, displayed overly harsh tannins, and/or were generally unbalanced and unfriendly.

Food might mask or mitigate some these issues, but in general I find this claim about food friendliness to be a self-serving rationalization that benefits no one, especially not the winemaker. 

And I am equally skeptical that aging is going to significantly improve many of these red wines.

What, in general, impressed you the most? The remarkable generosity and willingness of the winemakers to share their best/rarest/most recent wines with the attendees, along with their candid views about winemaking.

I was truly overwhelmed by David and Debra Whiting's extraordinary generosity at Friday night's dinner at Red Newt Cellars and Bistro. Not only did David pour a lot of his library wines, along with Anthony Road and Fox Run, so that we could taste the entire history of the Tierce bottlings alongside the wines that went into them, while Debra served up an absolutely delicious dinner that paired beautifully with the 2007 Tierce, but they sent home each of the attendees with a surprise gift package of three Red Newt wines.  It was an extraordinary, singular display of generosity, and was for me the high point of the weekend.

What, in general, underwhelmed you the most? The dinner served at the Stone Cat Cafe (not the BYOB wine tasting or the enthusiasm and camaraderie of the attendees). The Stone Cat should be ashamed of themselves for charging $60.00 for that uninspired, mediocre meal, especially since we brought and uncorked our own wines.

What tasting or vineyard walk was and will be the most memorable for you? I'd have to say the Wiemer tasting, because it revealed how distinctive the wines were from the three designated vineyards. 

After listening to Peter Bell of Fox Run and Morten Hallgren of Ravines discuss their very hands-on approaches to winemaking, which gave me the impression that they viewed winemaking as taking place at least as much in the winery as in the vineyard, I was glad to hear Fred Merwarth describe the less-manipulative methods he employs at Wiemer.

After so much online interaction with the attendees, which person surprised you the most in person? Of the attendees, I was very impressed with the New York Cork Report's own Julia Burke, for someone so relatively young her depth of knowledge of wine and winemaking was impressive.

If you had to pick one, what would your wine of the weekend be? The Anthony Road 2008 TBA was the most memorable wine of the weekend, followed closely by the 2007 Tierce, the 2008 Weimer HJW Vineyard Riesling, 2005 Shaw Cabernet Franc, the 2006 Fox Run Riesling, the 2007 Fox Run Port, and the 2008 Ravines Argetsinger Vineyard Riesling, not necessarily in that order. 

Then again, I selectively sampled the Keuka Lake and Seneca Lake wines on Friday and Saturday, in part because I was already familiar with many of the wine/wineries, and because I had to drive back to Syracuse in the evening, and I wasn't able to attend Sunday's Cayuga Lake tastings, so I did not taste everything.

Comments

[Susan Guerra]

I spent a good bit of the weekend talking to Neil and we had some great discussions about the region. It is obvious from his answers that he really has a handle on the area and a vast amount of knowledge.

It's funny that he mentions Julia because I also got the same immediate impression from her that she is headed for a lifetime of total wine geekiness and I say that as a compliment!

Couldn't agree more about the dinner at Stonecat--very bland. But all of the other foods served (the dinner at Red Newt, those unbelievable crackers at Ravines, the best potato chips I have ever eaten at Fox Run, not to mention the aged gouda and Humbolt Fog Cheeses at Heart and Hands) made up for it.

Great to meet you Neil. Give me a call when you are next in Jersey!

Sue

[Bryan]

Your take on the reds you tasted is appreciated. I found that my favorite reds were from producers that didn't add tannin and abuse new oak.

It seems that Anthony Road, Wiemer, Heart and Hands and a few others are approaching reds in a more restrained manner that highlights the cool climate style.

[Evan Dawson]

Regarding tannins: I think this is the first time I can recall someone describing Finger Lakes reds as "tannic." Even with added tannin, that description does not show up very often. I imagine the reds you're referring to have clumsily added tannin, but I don't know offhand.

[Tom Mansell]

Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish between acidity and astringency. High acid is often perceived as astringent, so it may be less about tannin addition and more about the natural acidity.

Some harsher tannins can come from oak, though. Maybe a science post about this would clear things up a bit.

[Morten Hallgren]

It is very telling, that we are even discussing these issues pertaining to cool climate reds.
About the vineyard/winery importance issue, I can think of a very simple way to look at the relative importance( if this idea even makes sense). The vineyard(site,management, Harvest decision...) determines the quality potential of the grapes arriving at the winery. There is nothing a winemaker can do to improve, what he is given. There are many ways, he can make it something less. This does not mean, however, that there is nothing to be done in the cellar. As a winemaker, you have to make absolutely certain that every operation, every balance maximizes the quality potential. This means evaluating extraction levels, tannin levels ( qualitative and quantitative), use of barrels, acidity, alcohol...
Wine is an acidic beverage and in cool climates we expect the acidity to be noticeable. Barrel aging was actually invented for cool climate regions, not mediterranean regions. Our wines, if balanced right, have potential to age beautifully, softening in the process and develop interesting tertiary aromas. The reason we need to be careful with oak is that, combined with acidity, it creates an impression of sharpness, of imbalance. Tannins are a very useful tool in the Finger Lakes. Think of it as the skeleton of the wine to hang color, aromas and polysaccharides on. Too little and the wine will have little interest. Too bare and the wine will taste lean and astringent.

[Julia Burke]

Neil (and Sue), thanks for your kind words! It was a pleasure meeting you. Stressing the Vine is my favorite of the blogs I discovered through TasteCamp.

I have to say I too found many of the Finger Lakes reds to be heavy on oak tannin and light on "depth of fruit" (good way of putting it). When I taste a red that is new-oaky on the nose, thinly fruity and acidic on the palate, and all oak tannin on the finish, I find it unsatisfying - as if the wine has no unique voice. I did thoroughly enjoy the personality and character of the reds made by Anthony Road, Atwater, and Heart and Hands.

I don't get to taste many aged Finger Lakes reds, but I truly enjoyed the Sheldrake Point 2004 Cabernet Franc poured at the Sunday morning tasting.