New York Cork Report

Jamesport Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve

When I tasted this wine last week, I started a discussion on Twitter amongst the wine Twitterati about "varietal correctness." Feelings were mixed and a wide range of related topics were brought up, but most agreed that if a wine tastes good, that's the most important thing.

But, a few wise individuals brought up the idea that when one is pairing wine with a particular food, you should be able to predict, in a general sense, what a wine is going to taste like.

If you're eating fresh Long Island shellfish and open a Sancerre, you're not looking for an oaky, tropical fruit-dominated sauvignon blanc... which is a good segue into this review.

Long Island's style for sauvignon blanc is still developing, but I don't think that this wine, Jamesport Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve ($30) is where the future is. At least I hope not.

That's not to say that this wine is awful -- far from it. But, it's not what I've come to expect from North Fork sauvignon blanc or Jamesport Vineyard's sauvignon blanc program.

Fermented in puncheons rather than stainless steel, the nose is almost chardonnay-like in its tropical fruit and banana fruit aromas with oak-born spice and light floral qualities.

Medium-bodied and round, the palate tastes much like the nose smells -- ripe, tropical with plenty of spice and even a bit of noticeable oak flavors. To be bottled sauvignon blanc, it only has to be 75% that grape. Maybe there is some chardonnay in that other 25%?

There's good acidity, so it's pretty well balanced, it's just not what you'd expect from a Long Island sauvignon blanc. This wine is edging into Fume Blanc territory.

We can argue about the "varietal correctness" here all we want, but if I opened this with a meal, expecting bright citrus and subtle herbs, I'd be disappointed... and would probably open up another bottle of something else, especially given the $30 price point here.

Perhaps people are clamoring for a wine like this one, but I prefer very little-to-no oak in my sauvignon. That's the emerging style on Long Island and one that the region can do very very well.

Producer: Jamesport Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $30
ABV: 13.5%
Rating:    (2 out of 5 | Average)

(Ratings Guide)

Quick Q&A with Amy Cheatle, Tasting Room Manager, Damiani Wine Cellars

Today we re-start (again) the LENNDEVOURS Q&A project with Amy Cheatle, tasting room manager at Damiani Wine Cellars on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake. I first met Amy at my Atwater-Billsboro tasting a couple months ago when she came in to join the fray. But, I'll let her speak for herself as she answers our standard set of questions:
 
What (and where) was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking?
Its actually a very romantic story, really. Picture a crisp, fall, upstate New York day blasted in sunshine, and under all that warm sun is a vineyard on a hill in Naples, New York. Somewhere lost in those vines are two young people sharing a bottle of wine...I forgot his name, but the wine was Bully Hill's "Love my Goat" red. What the wine lacked in grandeur was more than made up for in the label's hand drawn charm.

What event/bottle/etc made you decide that you wanted to be in the wine industry?
I think it was mostly a decision that stemmed from my developing interest in the Local Foods movement that was blossoming in Manhattan while I was a doctoral student there. I had met some great food theorists whose work I really admired, and was at the same time moved by these visceral experiences of simple foods. A sun-ripened heirloom tomato, the aroma of freshly-ground flour, tangy, living homemade yogurt, hand-crafted beers...many of us were.

A friend lived in Hector, New York, and we would often make the get-away trek up to pitch our tent or sleep in the barns of farmers who lived around the area. I wanted my children to have some of that experience growing up. Wine seemed the best match for me as the field of study was at once incredibly local (down to the meso-climate) and potentially, endlessly, global -- as one learns the historical, regional and cultural differences of winegrowing and making.

Which of your current wines is your favorite and why?
Having the tasting room in the winery has been a great learning experience. Barrel and tank samples have really shown that wine changes day to day. A beautiful wine with all the potential of greatness on Monday can, by Wednesday, be an entirely different (and sometimes frightening) creature.

The point I'm trying to make is that both the wine and I are constantly changing, so to pick a favorite is close to impossible. Some days the sauvignon blanc is my favorite, or the cabernet franc, and then all of the sudden the lemberger will show off amazing earth or kiwi that suddenly intrigues or inspires me (then there is Gewurtz and the 08 Riesling still in the tank) -- wow.

What has surprised you most about being a member of the Finger Lakes wine community?
How amazingly cool everyone is, seriously.

Other than your own wines, what wine/beer/liquor most often fills your glass?
I am on a monster Prosecco, Cava, anything-with-bubbles kick. Or maybe a creamy Belgian triple...or a cask ale from Tap and Mallet in Rochester, NY...and I'm falling in love with the Central Coast Pinots

Is there a 'classic' wine or wine and food pairing that you just can't make yourself enjoy?
About 15 years ago I became a vegetarian, and now I am missing out on a lot of the "home-grown" meats that so often appear on the menus around here. Scott Signori's portfolio at Stonecat Cafe in Hector is slowly, deeply, making me question my meat-free diet, so, a lot of classic pairings I haven't yet tried.

Wine enjoyment is about more than just the wine itself. Describe the combination of wine, locations, food, company, etc. that would make (or has made) for the ultimate wine-drinking experience.
The social aspect of wine is what I'm all about. Meeting new people, catching up with old friends. Throw in some fresh-baked crusty bread, a local cheese (soon the fruits and veggies will be hitting the farm stands) and suddenly you have one of those elegantly legitimate moments created out of tiny, timeless enjoyments....I know all of this sounds fluffy, so to keep it real we'll blast some big hair 90's glam rock...or is that too obvious?

Red, With Envy: Assessing 2007 Finger Lakes Reds

Evan Dawson, our intrepid Finger Lakes wine guy, working the bottling line at Fox Run Winery

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent
Photo by Peter Bell

Men -- married men, especially -- are all too familiar with the unforeseen blunder, the deleterious effects, of saying something like this:

"Honey, you look really nice today!"

What begins as a compliment is quickly met with, "And what do I look like most days?"

This is essentially the problem facing Finger Lakes wineries regarding the 2007 reds. The palpable excitement is met with caution, especially from business owners and marketers. Many would love to say how they really feel, which is something along the lines of, "This could be the best vintage for Finger Lakes reds we've seen in our lifetimes." But those same folks are still trying to sell their 2006 reds, and eventually they'll be selling future vintages, and so they worry that the consumer, skilled at reading between the lines, will hear, "The '07 reds are special; other vintages are junk."

It's not true, of course. The best Finger Lakes winemakers have proven that cool-climate means elegant red wines, not thin and simple wines. And, as Fox Run Vineyards' winemaker Peter Bell loves to say, some of the world's best wines come from cool-climate regions in warm vintages. But the delicate game means celebrating the results of '07 without maligning every other vintage.

"I just speak in declaratives about 2007," Bell told me in his lab. "2007 features wonderful fruit, depth, and mouthfeel. I'm not disparaging other years. I'm speaking only about 2007, and I find nothing wrong with saying it's an outstanding vintage. It is." After spending some time on Fox Run's bottling line with Peter and assistant winemaker Tricia Renshaw, we tasted through a range of reds.

The unusually hot and dry weather from 2007 produced more concentrated grapes, and it's evident in the color of each wine. While color is hardly the best indicator of quality -- and it can be manipulated, after all -- color will help Finger Lakes wineries sell more bottles. Tasting rooms will reverberate with the surprised "oohs" of customers who tend to seek out west coast or European red wines.

What impressed me more than anything was the length of the reds I tasted at Fox Run, and that lines up with the reds I've tasted from other producers. The 07s are already showing intriguing layers and unfold on a patient palate. The Lemberger gives classic spices and blackberry, but for those who linger on the sip, it has more to say. Fox Run's Cabernet Franc was richer than I've ever tasted from them -- my only complaint was that it lacked the green flavors I love in the varietal, but that tends to be a function of ripeness, and the wider market won't share my disappointment.

This is not to say that the Finger Lakes '07 reds will resemble west coast wines; that is neither the goal nor the reality. The wines are richer and more structured than we often see from Finger Lakes reds, but they will never approach 15.5 ABV. That should come as a relief.

Wineries are releasing the '07 reds at varying times. Billsboro Winery, for one, has already released all of its '07 reds. Ravines has released the '07 Pinot Noir and '07 Cab Franc, but not the '07 Meritage (though I've gotten my hands on a bottle of their '07 Meritage, and as usual I poured it blind for several friends and family. They were blown away). Hermann Wiemer's '07 Cabernet Franc is much more evocative of Chinon than California, which is a welcome reminder that Finger Lakes reds don't need to be bathed in new oak. 

And yet I can't help but think of the words of Sheldrake Point's Bob Madill, who is less bullish on the '07 reds. "They're very nice," he told me. "But if we spend too much time talking about them, we lose focus on what really makes us special, and that is aromatic white wines." The last three words were delivered with a passionate staccato. Aromatic. White. Wines.

So perhaps the concern is not offending a significant other by saying, "Honey, you look really nice today!" Perhaps the concern should rest in saying, "Honey, that red dress looks amazing on you today!" when you know that she's much more interested in how you think she looks in the white dress.

Save the Date: Long Island Wine Event to Benefit Ben Sisson's Family (May 8)

Back in January, I was saddened to report that Ben Sisson had died unexpectedly. There have been a lot of emails going around about how the local wine industry could celebrate his life and also raise a bit of money to help out his family.

Details will be available soon, but for now just know that an event will take place on Friday, May 8 from 7-10 p.m. at Bedell Cellars. There will be food and a silent auction of local wines and other items, with all proceeds going to the Friends of the Sisson Family fund.

Organizers will have a website up and running soon where you can buy tickets (which will also be available at local wineries.

Aside from it being a very good cause, it will be a great opportunity for lovers of local wines to meet the people who make their favorites -- the vineyard managers and winemakers. Plus, something tells me that the silent auction is going include some great stuff.

Stay tuned for more information, but save the date. May 8.

Raphael 2008 Naturale (White Blend)

I'm not a "natural wine" disciple by any means. Just like I don't go out of my way to drink organic or biodynamic wines.

First and foremost, I want the wine in my glass to be balanced and to taste good.

I don't advocate over-manipulation mind you. We've all had those over-extracted, over-oaked wines. Parker likes them, but I tend not to. But, if your Gewurztraminer got a little too ripe and maybe lost a little too much acid before harvest, I don't begrudge you adding a little during the winemaking process. I'm not Parker, but I'm not Feiring either.

Balance. Deliciousness. Those are what matter to me.

If you make a balanced, delicious wine without the addition of sugar or acid, without filtration or fining, and using naturally occurring yeasts and with only the slightest bit of SO2 during bottling, that is worth talking about.

That leads me to Raphael's 2008 Naturale ($20), a blend of 60% chardonnay, 30% sauvignon blanc and 10% semillon that, as the name implies, was made in "natural" way.

Having attended The Art of Balance Symposium with Rich Olsen-Harbich, Raphael's winemaker, I thought I knew where at lleast some of the inspiration for this wine came from -- Pascal Jolivet, a staunch believer in natural winemaking who spoke at the conference.

After talking to Rich a bit, I found out that I was right, at least partially. In an email he told me:

"This was something I think was a slow evolution in my winemaking -- from being comfortable with the flavors and aromas that develop from wild yeast fermentation to the ability to be comfoftable with bottling a white wine with little sulfur, without filtration. It goes against everything that academia teaches us about winemaking but that's the whole point. It's kind of like kissing it up to God and making wine like it was done years ago. Having spent some time with Pascal Jolivet last summer and talking with him about how he goes about natural winemaking in the Loire -- that's what really inspired me to try it at Raphael."

Rich has also made a red blend employing the same techniques that will be released in 6 months or so.

Even if you don't care about the whole "natural winemaking" thing. You should care about this wine... because it's impressive regardless of how it's made.

This pale straw blend was bottled about two weeks ago and has a bit of residual C02 in it that tickles the nose and tingles the tongue. That slight frizzante is a remnant of fermenation and Rich think it will disipate within a couple months. 

The nose, especially once the froth subsides and the wine warms to cellar temperature, is complex and intricate with aromas of ripe Gala apples, apple blossom, roasted nuts, sweet herbs, lemon zest and toasty yeast.

Medium bodied, it's much more citrusy on the palate, with the apple taking a step back, and basil-like herbs, nuts and a subtle minerally note. This wine is impeccably balanced -- creamy on the mid-palate yet featuring lively acidity. The oak (20% was fermented in new oak, the rest in stainless) accents rather than dominates. And, the finish is long with a little yeasty-leesy spiciness.

At $20, it's one of the great values in local white wine. Some local wineries would charge twice that for a wine like this. Only 100 cases were made.

Producer: Raphael
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $20
Rating: (4 out of 5 | Delicious, Distinctive ) 

(Ratings Guide)

No Wine in New York Grocery Stores -- Now What?

According to Crain's, the proposal that would have allowed grocery stores, gas stations and anywhere else that sells beer to begin selling wine is dead in the water.

I don't think that this is a shocking development when you consider the power of lobby groups in Albany. Most everyone in the New York wine world has seen how active the Last Store on Main Street group has been. I've been getting near-daily press releases from them for weeks. But as fellow blogger (and frequent LENNDEVOURS commenter) Thomas Pellechia wrote on his blog earlier today, it may have been the New York beer lobby that ultimately wielded the most power in this situation. We may never know for sure.

In the end, regardless of why, the status quo prevailed. The winners are obvious: the wine shops of New York will continue without the stiff competition grocery stores would have posed. The fact is, the good wine shops were going to be fine and contiue to be good. The wine shops that peddle plonk will continue to sell those junk wines. They can continue to be lazy -- but at least they'll also be able to keep their businesses alive to support their families. If Thomas is right, the beer distributors are winners too.

And the losers? Yes, consumers lost out on this one, but I'm not worried about them too much. Wine lovers will find wine. And people interested in interesting wines, will find them. They do today.

But what happens to the wineries/winery owners and winemakers who bet big on the grocery store proposal? Fox Run Vineyards' owner Scott Osborn and Red New Winery's Dave Whiting were among the most vocal supporters of the proposal and, whether the boycott of their wines on the part of wine shops was formal or official, it has happened.

It remains to be seen if those wine shop bridges are burned permanently (I doubt it in the long term) but wineries like Fox Run and Red Newt, that were really just looking for another place to sell their wines, are now faced with the prospect of moving forward with even fewer outlets.These weren't the only wineries in favor of the proposal. Some were just much less vocal publicly.

I'm guessing that some wineries are going to have to change their businesses a bit to deal with the loss of wine shops. They'll have to build out their wine clubs, make hard pushes into restaurants and do whatever they can to move more wine in their tasting rooms.

Of course, it's important to remember that this is just one battle. This issue isn't going away. Not by a long shot.

Celebrating the Opening of Mirabelle Tavern With Eric Fry from Lenz Winery

When one of our favorite restaurants, Mirabelle, close a few months ago, Nena and I were really bummed. But, almost immediately, we heard that it was re-opening at the Three Village Inn in April.

Well, Mirabell itself will be opening soon, but next week they are celebrating the opening of Mirabell Tavern. Chef Guy Reuge is teaming with Eric Fry, winemaker at Lenz Winery on the celebration, which promises to be a fun one.

Both are at the top of their crafts on Long Island.

And, assuming we can get our babysitter situation worked out, Nena and I will be there toasting them both as Mirabelle returns to our lives.

The menu:

Mini farmers bread stuffed with escargots and mushrooms
2002 Cuvee, Methode Champenoise Sparkling

Thin-sliced salmon fillet with cucumber “spaghetti” and tomato
2005 White Label Chardonnay

Cream of roasted free-range chicken and almond soup with honey
2006 Gold Label Chardonnay

Roasted rack of lamb with potato tart and sweet garlic sauce
2001 Estate Selection Merlot

Tulipe pastry with mocha ice cream, hot chocolate sauce
1999 Late Harvest Gewurztraminer

Tickets are $85 and reservations are required. For reservations or further information, call Three Village Inn at (631) 751-0555.

Atwater Estate Vineyards 2007 Dry Riesling

I've mentioned before that Atwater Estate Vineyards is really the winery responsible for sparking my obsession with Finger Lakes wines, particularly riesling and other aromatic whites.

I first discovered winemaker Vinny Aliperti's delicious, well-priced whites when they were being poured at Roanoke Vineyards here on the North Fork. Roanoke co-owner Richie Pisacano only had a 2000 merlot of his own to sell upon opening and, because he worked with Vinny at Wolffer Estate, offered a handful of Atwater wines in the tasting room as well.

I picked up this bottle of Atwater Estate 2007 Dry Riesling ($18) after the tasting Vinny and I co-hosted a while back and I finally got around to tasting it last weekend.

Pale yellow in the glass, this dry riesling from the warm 2007 vintage has intense Godlen Delicious apple, peach and lime juice aromas with hints of something a bit more tropical, maybe pineapple?

Fresh and fruity, the medium-bodied palate is ripe with peach, apple and lime zest, with some interesting Thai basil flavor as well. The .9% residual sugar is barely perceptible because of well-integrated, citrusy acidity. The finish is medium-short and dry, with a distinct tart citrus zest note.

This seems like a great riesling for Easter ham. I'm glad I have a couple more bottles in the cellar.

Producer: Atwater Vineyard Estate
AVA: Finger Lakes
ABV: 12%
Price: $18
Rating: (3 out of 5 | Recommended)

(Ratings Guide)

Wine Blogging Wednesday #55, North vs. South: The Roundup

I'm a bad, bad founder of Wine Blogging Wednesday. Because the LENNDEVOURS household was plagued by a stomach virus last week, we weren't able to pitch in with our contribution for WBW #55.

But, I wanted to direct you over to host Remy Charest's roundup for those who did take part in one of the better themes we've had in a while: North vs. South. Remy asked participants to compare wines made from the same grape, but from different regions.

I had planned to taste riesling from the Finger Lakes, Long Island and Chile and also cabernet franc from the same regions. It would have been a fun comparision and I may still do it as a post-WBW endeavor.

Thanks for the great theme, Remy and sorry that I couldn't join the fray.

And keep an eye out for the announcement for WBW #56. It's going to be another interesting one that, I hope, will surprise some people.

Windham Vineyards 2008 Estate Select Frontenac Gris

Earlier this week, I introduced you to Windham Vineyards and the unique hybrid grape St. Pepin. Today, I've got another new-to-me grape to talk about: Frontenac Gris.

Wikipedia doesn't have a specific listing for Frontenac Gris (just Frontenac), but I was able to dig up a little information about it on the University of Minnesota site (where it was developed):

Frontenac gris, the white wine version of Frontenac, started as a single bud mutation yielding gray (thus named gris) fruit and amber-colored juice. The vine exhibits the same optimum growth characteristics as Frontenac, and requires the same cultural practices. Arching canes and minimal tendrils provide easy training and pruning to simplify vine management. In Minnesota, Frontenac and Frontenac gris ripen in late mid-season, and are good sugar producers with 24-25° Brix not uncommon.

Frontenac is a crossing of the Landot 4511 hybrid and a very cold hardy selection of Vitis riparia. It was released in 1996. Apparently, if you leave the juice on the skins for a while, you can make a rose with it.

This Windham Vineyards 2008 Estate Select Frontenac Gris ($15) wasn't made in that style. Instead, winemaker James Bateman made a medium-bodied, semi-sweet wine with good acidity.

The nose shows a lot of pineapple with a little bit of underripe peach. Like I said, it starts off a bit too sweet on the palate, but there is enough acidity to keep it from being syrupy. Simple pineapple and other tropical fruit flavors are a vaguely reminiscent of Vignoles (as is the acidity). The finish is surprisingly long and not as sweet as I expected.

This is another interesting wine made from an interesting grape. With that acid, sugar and the flavors, I think a late harvest/ice wine made from Frontenac Gris might be delicious.

Producer: Windham Vineyards
AVA: Hudson River Region
Price: $15
ABV: 11%
Rating:    (2 out of 5 | Average)

(Ratings Guide)

Book Review: The Billionaire's Vinegar

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent

The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace is, quite simply, the fastest and most enjoyable wine-themed book I've ever read. It is not, to use a rather nebulous term, the "best" book about wine I've read -- that distinction rests with Neal Rosenthal's Reflections of a Wine Merchant -- but it reads like fabulous and fabulist fiction, and that's a real credit to the author, considering it's not fiction at all.

The Billionaire's Vinegar tells the story of the most infamous bottle of wine ever sold, but it tells much more than that. In fact, I've spoken to several readers who found themselves let down initially that the story of the Thomas Jefferson bottle was wrapped up rather quickly. However, they all changed their minds after witnessing how Wallace employs the Jefferson bottle as a launch pad to take us deep into the world of the rarest and most avidly sought wine. Tasting a 1784 Yquem? You'll find not only the tasting notes, but the elaborate parties (some that lasted days) that were put together simply to affirm the majesty of such a bottle.

Wallace's sharpest skill is his tireless and proving research. He tells the stories of the wine world's most celebrated names -- Robert Parker, Michael Broadbent, Jancis Robinson -- drawn into the intoxicating chase for the rarest and most glamorous wines. The background, interviewing, and document digging alone must have consumed hundreds of hours for the author. Woven together, the story plays like The Da Vinci Code of wine, with one important exception: When you have finished reading you won't feel embarrassed to have been so captivted with the material.

Wallace's weakest moment as a writer comes when he strangely glosses over a hugely important point. The rare bottles were inscribed with the initials "Th. J.," but there were doubters out to prove that someone had faked the inscription -- that Thomas Jefferson himself had nothing to do with the bottles. There is a connection to the Finger Lakes here, and I was surprised to see it covered so loosely. Without giving anything away, I can mention that Wallace writes, "Elroy had the bottles examined by two experts, one an engraver who worked near the Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York." The subject gets a scant two paragraphs and is then dropped. Wallace should have identified the moment as the zenith of the investigation; the reader wonders from the beginning of the book whether those initials were legit or not. And as a bonus for New York state readers, the answer is revealed by local specialists!

Alas, not even the Corning Museum of Glass can provide more detail. A spokesperson told me that the expert cited in the book was not an employee of the museum: "The museum makes a point not to assess other people's objects," the spokesperson told me. "But we're happy to refer folks to other experts." Given that, I'm not sure why mentioning the museum was relevant to Wallace, but no doubt the folks in Corning are happy to have the free PR.

Hollywood is busy crafting a movie out of The Billionaire's Vinegar, but I'm not sure it will work. There is a delicious villain, but there is not a single "hero" worth cheering. Schadenfreude is not a lead character on the silver screen (though it plays gorgeously on the page).

In the end, ignoring the provenance of the wines, the reader has learned a great deal and enjoyed the lesson, thanks to sterling quotes uncoverd by Wallace -- this one from the dean of California winemakers, Andre Tchelistcheff: "Tasting old wine is like making love to an old lady. It is possible. It can even be enjoyable... But it requires a leetle bit of imagination."

Bedell Cellars: A Trip to the (Wine) Library

Four library reds at Bedell Cellars

Bedell Cellars is one of the true jewels of the North Fork wine industry. You have history — it was founded in 1980 by Kip Bedell who still serves as founding winemaker. You have an influx of new capital — the result of Michael Lynne purchasing the winery in 2000. And you have terrific wines coming out of a state-of-the-art winery and modern tasting room.

One thing seems to be a constant through the many changes Bedell Winery has gone through in recent years — quality wines that are among the region’s best.

On a recent visit that sleek, modern tasting room I tasted a bit of the winery's past — nine different reds from the 1993, 1994 and 1995 — and the winery's present, meaning current and new releases.

Out of the two dozen wines I tasted, there wasn’t a single wine that I’d call a clunker. Yes, some of the library wines are clearly past peak, and some of the current releases aren’t good matches to my palate stylistcally (aka barrel-fermented chardonnay and reds showing too much new oak). But none of these wines will make you head for the hills.

Today, we'll focus on the older wines, many of which seemed much younger than they are. The merlots in particular seems to be aging gracefully, taking on beautiful secondary flavors that are earthy and minerally. The 1995s in particuarlly really stood out, which is that surprising.

Before there were the celebrated vintages of 2001, 2005 and 2007, there was 1995 the best vintage ever for Long Island wine to that point.

As I tasted them, I found it hard believe that I was a junior in college when these wines were harvested. That just seems like a lifetime ago, and these wines were still lively. You already know that I don't do full reviews and scores based on at-winery tastings, but here are my notes on three reds from 1995.

The Bedell Cellars 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon ($N/A) is still showing lots of dark, ripe blackberry with sprinklings of black pepper and spice. Mouth-filling with a long, extremely earthy finish, this wine still has enough structure to last another few years. I wrote the word “wow” three separate times in my notes.

I also scribbled “wow” multiples as I tasted the Bedell Cellars 1995 Merlot Reserve ($N/A) a wine that really shows the cellar-worthiness of Long Island merlot with its dense plum, black cherry and black raspberry fruit character with layers of leather, minerally graphite and spice. Here's proof that Long Island merlot can age gracefully —improving rather than just surviving.

Bedell Cellars 1995 Cupola ($N/A) a blend of cabernet and merlot, is that last "wow" wine from the tasting. Tasted blind, I challenge you to guess that this wine is 13 years old. The nose brings a basket filled with berries — black and red ones — with a pretty floral quality. That fruit tastes almost sweet on the palate, and while the tannins have faded some, there is still acidity to provide structure.

It's not easy to get your hands on these wines, but if you can, I can't recommend it enough. 

Sometime soon, I'll post about some of the current releases that impressed, including a couple 2007 merlots that are going to surprise a few people. One just might be a new benchmark for Long Island merlot.

Note: This actually wasn't the first time that I had tasted some older Bedell wines. Way back in 2004 when my blog was just a few months old, I tasted 17 years of merlot with Kip Bedell.

Red Tail Ridge Winery: A Different Kind of Investment

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent

While the basic strategy for opening a functional winery differs from region to region, in the Finger Lakes the trend seems to follow a path that calls for the opening of the tasting room first with production facility and vineyard coming later.

While this might be a generalization of sorts, it makes sense in many respects. Nearly 75% of wine sales in the Finger Lakes occur on site; many larger wineries lease production space; and a vineyard takes quite a few years to produce grapes.

A winemaker or entrepreneur can purchase grapes, make wine at a different facility, and then sell it in a tasting room to raise capital for the eventual construction of the production facility and vineyard. I can think of several newer Finger Lakes wineries that have gone this route. Most importantly, the tasting rooms are placed prominently next to main roads so that wandering tourists will stop inside and spend their money.

Not so at Red Tail Ridge. When I visited this new winery last summer on the western shore of Seneca Lake, the progression of the operation struck me as unique. The well-marked entrance from Route 14 invites visitors up a long, winding dirt road, but there is no sign of a tasting room at all. In fact, all one can see up and over the rolling hill are acres and acres of vines.

These are impressive rows of young vines, well spaced and groomed with thick trellises anchored so securely that it looks like a raging tornado would leave the plants intact.

As the dirt road deposits you in the midst of this 30-plus acre vineyard, it's difficult not to be surprised by the small, temporary-looking building that serves as the tasting room. The building looks so out-of-place in the middle of the vast vineyard because it is indeed temporary. Red Tail's owner and winemaker, Nancy Irelan, has bigger and better plans for the facility. She and her co-owner and husband Michael Schnelle want to try something a little different.

A 15-year veteran of the California wine industry and a Ph.D.-holding geneticist specializing in oenology, Nancy Irelan did not invest first in her vineyard based on a whim. She believes that wines are made in the vineyard, and while this may be the ultimate winemaking cliché, Irelan is very specific about what she means. 

To find the fruit and aroma characteristics she is looking for, Irelan created the vineyard to be something akin to an experimental station, with several varieties under examination to gauge their promise in the region's cool growing climate. One such experiment is Teroldego, a rare red grape from northern Italy.

Irelan has planted many different clones of more popular varieties to see how to best find the flavor profiles she desires. The many rows of pinor noir are made up of several different clones, as Irelan feels that the right mixture of these clones might unlock the key to a wine that shows a lot of potential in the Finger Lakes at times, but in many instances falls a little flat.

The vineyard appears well-designed aesthetically, and this impression is not superficial. If prompted, Irelan can explain in detail all the decisions that were made concerning drainage (the property is extensively tiled), moisture control, erosion control, row spacing, etc. She emphasizes that the methodical nature of the design plan creates a sustainable vineyard that has a minimal environmental impact.

In this spirit, Red Tail Ridge has retained Edge Architecture PLLC to design a tasting room and production facility that carries the ultimate seal of environmental sustainability, LEED-platinum certification (Learn more about LEED certification). If built to the specification of its current conception (see the graphic at the top of this post), the Red Tail Ridge winery will be the only LEED-certified facility in the heart of the Finger Lakes and one of only a handful of environmentally advanced buildings in all of upstate New York.

Nancy Irelan and Michael Schnelle hope to break ground on the foundation of the new facility this spring.

So, does what does a unique building like this have to do with making good wine? Well, everything and nothing, as Irelan explains: "No, it will not have an effect on the wine, but that’s not why we are doing this. This may be 'just a building' to most folks, but it's probably the only winery that Michael and I will ever build, so it needs to be representative of us and our values.  Sustainability is a part of our mind set and something that we believe in."

Admittedly, Irelan came to the Finger Lakes with an extensive capital plan (she originally assumed she would be investing in California's expensive industry) but she has taken the opportunity to use the region's flexible market to enhance her business. I have yet to taste samples of Red Tail Ridge's newest vintage, but I am excited about the dedication the owners are making to the region as well as the spirit they exhibit in creating a unique sense of place.

Red Tail Ridge as a destination will be something to behold, and that's never a bad thing.

New York Cork Club: March Selections

The wines for the New York Cork Club's March 2009 shipment left Greene Grape today, so I wanted to tell you a bit about them.

I always have a lot of fun when I pick the wines that we send out to our members, but this month's selections are two that I'm particularly happy that we were able to get for the club. I wouldn't call them hard to find per se, but you have to go to the winery to get them when we did.

First is a wine from Anthony Road Wine Company, their 2007 Martini-Rienhardt Selection Riesling ($22), a wine that I tasted during my visit last month. The M-RS wines are only made from certain estate vineyard blocks in years when the fruit shows something truly special and unique. This isn't some bs alternative to "reserve" labeling. Trust me.

This riesling is just beautiful. It has floral, lime and pear aromas and flavors, amazing balance and has such great acidity that it tastes less sweet than the 2.1% residual sugar might indicate. Why was it kind of hard to get? Well, they don't make much of it and it isn't sold wholesale anywhere. To get it, we had to convince John Martini to bring a case down with him when he visited New York City last weekend.

I was lucky to taste our second wine, Bedell Cellars 2007 Merlot ($25) a couple weeks ago during a visit to the tasting room (post coming soon). It had actually just been shipped to their wine club as a pre-release. As you probably know if you read this blog very often, 2007 was a warm, dry and long growing season on Long Island and this wine shows amazing intensity in its mouth-filling dark fruit flavors, firm-but-ripe tannins, and long finish. If you want to drink it now, decant it for at least an hour. Or, hold it for up to 10 years I'd guess.

>> Learn about the New York Cork Club
>> Join today

Windham Vineyards 2008 St. Pepin

Never heard of the St. Pepin grape? I hadn't either until James Bateman, owner, vineyard manager and winemaker at Windham Vineyards in Windham, NY sent me a couple of his wines -- including this Windham Vineyards 2008 Estate Select St. Pepin ($15).

Windham is perhaps best known as a skiing town and not surprisingly Bateman, an Englishman, presides over the highest elevation vineyards in the east -- at 2000 and 2200 feet above sea level. As you can probably guess, it gets cold up there in his vineyards, which is why he is growing varieties like St. Pepin, which is a cold hardy hybrid.

There isn't a lot of information available online about the grape, but Wikipedia has some info:

St. Pepin is a modern hybrid variety of wine grape, mostly grown in North America. It produces grapes suitable for making fruity white wines similar to Riesling or as a base for blended wines. The grapes also make a good seeded table grape for eating. It has the benefits of early ripening and when hardened properly in the fall it is winter hardy to at least -25 F. As such it best suited to growing in more northern climates.

St. Pepin was produced and patented by Elmer Swenson circa 1970. It is a hybrid of the male Seyval blanc crossed to a seedling of Minnesota 78 by Seibel 1000 (aka Rosette). Unlike most modern grapes it is a pistillate female and so needs to be planted next to male vines from a close sibling variety to achieve pollination.

Windham's version, which is 11% ABV, has a fresh, somewhat riesling-like nose with notes of honeysuckle, citrus and underripe peach. There is a slightly musky, almost-foxy note too.

Feather light on the palate with crisp acidity, it's a simple white with bright citrus and citrus zest flavors. There is a little residual sugar on the attack, but it finishes dry with a citrus pith tartness. In some ways, it reminds me of an un-oaked seyval blanc blended with vidal blanc. 

I'm curious to get my hands on some other St. Pepin. There does seem to be some potential here.

Producer: Windham Vineyards
AVA: Hudson River Region
Price: $15
ABV: 11%
Rating:    (2 out of 5 | Average)

(Ratings Guide)

Heard Through the Grape Vine: Jim Silver Leaving Bedell Cellars for Peconic Bay Winery

For now, this qualifies for the "strong rumor" folder, but I've heard that Jim Silver, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Bedell Cellars, will be leaving soon to take over as the new general manager at Peconic Bay Winery.

Jean Partridge, currently Bedell's wholesale account executive, will become the VP of sales and owner Michael Lynne's son, Jonathan Lynne will join the team as Executive VP of Sales.

Peconic Bay Winery's current GM, Matt Gillies, is leaving on "great terms" and is planning his new future "quite enthusiastically." Matt brings a wide array of winery and vineyard experience to the table, so I have no doubt that he'll find himself back in the game very quickly. In an email, he told me that "A little more time for life is going to be the most appreciated element in my departure -- that's for sure."

Jim, who I met for the first time in person a couple weeks ago, has vast experience in selling wine, both as a sommelier and from the winery side. He's a man with great ideas for the region and where Long Island needs to go. I think he'll be good for Peconic Bay Winery as it looks to its future.

Channing Daughters Winery 2005 Mudd

Channing Daughters Winery's winemaker, Chris Tracy, is a magician with white wines. For the most part though, I find his reds a notch or (and sometimes two) below the level of those beautiful whites. He's no less creative with the reds though.

Take this Channing Daughters Winery 2005 MUDD ($40) a blend of 48% merlot (from Sam McCullough’s Vineyard in Aquebogue), 36% cabernet sauvignon (from Mudd Vineyard in Southold) and 16% Blaufrankisch (from CDW's estate in Bridgehampton).

I don't know many winemakers who would take a Bordeaux-styled blend of merlot and cabernet and throw 16% Blau, which is most commonly known as Lembeger in the U.S., into it, but Chris did. While this wine did spend 21 months in barrel, only 25% was new oak (50% in one-year oak and 25% in neutral oak). A combination of French, Hungarian and American oak was used.

The result is a smooth, supple wine with an interesting, complex nose with aromas of sugar plum, cherry, cinnamon, black pepper, cured meat and cocoa powder. Tasting this wine over the course of two days, it was interesting to see how each of those compoments stepped forward and then back at different times.

Medium-light in body, the tannins are low here, but food-friendly acidity brings just enough structure. The flavors closely match the nose -- plums, cherries and spice -- with a minerally, meaty note that appears right after the sweet cherry/raspberry mid-palate and carries through to the medium finish where just a little raw oak creeps in with all that spice.

There is a lot to like here, especially if you like what Blaufrankisch brings to the table like I do, but for $40 I think most people want a bit more structure and longevity. I'd recommend drinking this over the next year or three. 120 cases were made.

Producer: Channing Daughters Winery
AVA: Long Island
ABV: 12.5%
Price: $40
Rating:  (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)

(Ratings Guide)

Announcing TasteCamp EAST 2009 in Long Island Wine Country

After weeks (maybe months) of preparation (much more than I ever anticipated), I'm finally ready, willing and able to announce the newest endeavor I've undertaken -- TasteCamp EAST 2009, a wine blogger event that will bring more than a dozen wine bloggers to Long Island wine country May 1-3 this spring.

The concept for TasteCamp is a simple one: getting enthusiastic 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. Most smaller, lesser-known wine regions in the world would love to get their wines in front of bloggers, but with TasteCamp, the bloggers will go to them.

So, in partnership with the Wine Bloggers Conference folks, TasteCamp was created by yours truly and a small band of fellow bloggers, including Melissa, Erika, John and Becky.

With me at the helm, it should come as no surprise that we're doing the first one right here on Long Island, with plans to hold the event in the Finger Lakes and Virginia over the next couple of years.

The idea behind adding "EAST" to the end of the name is that if people want to take the concept and run with it in their respective locales, they should. I'd love to know that someone wants to plan TasteCamp NORTH up in Michigan wine country, or maybe TasteCamp SPAIN. Are you listening Catavino? These events are meant to be for wine bloggers, by wine bloggers. And to be about the wines.

Anyway, back to this year's event...

Clovis Point to Join the Long Island Merlot Alliance (LIMA)

The official announcement is coming later this week, but I've just learned that Clovis Point has decided to become the newest member of the Long Island Merlot Alliance (LIMA).

LIMA was formed in 2005 to develop quality standards in the production of classically-styled Long Island merlot and to establish Long Island as the leading region for merlot in the New World. To date, LIMA has been rather quite on the public scene, focusing on vineyard research and conducting tastings to identify the qualities that help define "typical" Long Island merlot.

The group, which includes Raphael, Pellegrini Vineyards, Sherwood House Vineyards, and Wolffer Estate Vineyard, also co-produces a 100% merlot wine each year, named Merliance.

I know that the group has been working to grow membership, but the going has been slow. Hopefully this is just the first of many new members.

Are Napa Winemakers Robert Parker's Bitches?

Robert Parker's Bitch from Josh Hermsmeyer on Vimeo.

Here in New York, we don't really need to worry about Robert Parker or James Laube -- they don't taste NY wines for their respective publications. For Parker's Wine Advocate, David Schildknecht covers New York and for the Wine Spectator, people like Thomas Matthews, Mitch Frank and James Molesworth taste and write about the wines of New York. 

Still, this video put together by Tina Caputo of  Vineyard and Winery Management should be of interest to anyone who drinks or makes wine. And of course I'd be remiss not to give my buddy Josh Hermsmeyer a shout out for his contribution. Love the t-shirt.

Maybe one day NY winemakers will have to get "Lenn Thompson's Bitch" t-shirts made?

No chance. Even if I did hold any weight in the industry, I like balance, elegance and terroir, the types of wines that I hope winemakers like to make for themselves, not for anyone else.

Keuka Lake Vineyards 2007 Reserve Vignoles

I think that Vignoles, a French-American hybrid grape, gets a bum rap. Sure maybe Ravat 51, as it is often called (J.F. Ravat was the creator), probably does its best work in late harvest/dessert-style wines. Take high sugar and natural acidity and add tight clusters that make it susceptible to noble rot and you have a grape well suited to sweet dessert wines that are well balanced and even complex. But Vignoles isn't a one-trick pony.

While it's true that Vignoles is never going to have the elegance, delicacy or grace of a well-made riesling, this Keuka Lake Vineyards 2007 Reserve Vignoles ($18) was the standout at a recent tasting of Finger Lakes whites.

It pours a pale yellow and the nose is rich and fruity with intense ripe (almost over-ripe) pear aromas mingling with those of musk melon and peach skin. A faint, distant note of gravelly minerals never really stepped forward, but really added to the complexity.

Medium-to-full bodied, the palate is similarly ripe and intense. The musk melon flavors come first, with the pear flavors emerging more on the mid-palate. The naturally bright acidity of Vignoles is there every step of the way, from the attack all the way through to a long, peachy finish that ends with a flavor that reminds me of the way my parents old gravel driveway smelled after a summer rain storm.

This is a wine that I'd love to pour for anybody who scoffs at the ability of crosses and hybrids to make delicious, balanced wines.

Producer: Keuka Lake Vineyards
AVA: Finger Lakes
Price: $18
ABV: 12.5%
Rating: (3 out of 5 | Recommended)

(Ratings Guide)

McGregor Vineyard 2007 Traminette

As much as I love the Gewurztraminer grape, I've never tasted a Traminette (a cross of Gewurzt with the French-American hybrid Joannes Seyve 23.416) that I cared for. Yes, there is a lot of Gewurztraminer character in most, but something is always missing for me.

This McGregor Vineyard 2007 Traminette ($16) showed great potential on the nose. It was floral, but reservedly so, with lychee and loads of spice character. Would this be the first Traminette to prove me wrong?

Sadly, no. The palate shows nice, ripe pear, apple and more of that delicious gingery-spice. The flavors, on the whole, are nice, even if the palate is a bit too floral.

But the mid-palate is just a bit flat, and would be almost flabby if not for decent acidity that keeps it near-clean. The finish is long and tropical, but a bit too sweet as well, which is a surprise given only 1% RS.

Producer: McGregor Vineyard
AVA: Finger Lakes
Price: $16
ABV: 11.8%
RS: 1.00%
Rating:    (2 out of 5 | Average)

(Ratings Guide)

Home Winemaking Course at Waters Crest Winery (April

April 4 and 5, Jim Waters, winemaker and co-owner of Waters Crest Winery will host two-session home wine making course.  

Jim started out as a home winemaker and he definitely knows his stuff. If you've ever thought about making wine at home, I can think of few better sources for knowledge and expertise.

The sessions run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days and the $400 cost (a spring discount from $450) includes everything you need to make 5 gallons of wine and a copy of The Art of Wine Making.

Jim's facilities are on the small side, so space is limited. Call 631-734-5065 or email [email protected] to save your seat.

LENNDEVOURS Turned 5 Yesterday

It snuck up on me and then past me yet again. LENNDEVOURS turned 5 yesterday.

When I think about this blog, what it started out as, and look at what it's become, I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was excited when someone (other than a friend or family member) commented on something I had written here.

Actually, it was just yesterday. I love when a winemaker chimes in to tell us more about how he or she made a wine and what framed the decisions. I love when someone tells me that they liked a wine that I didn't, or vice versa. And most of all, I still love when people challenge what I (or one of my contributors) have written.

If everyone agreed, would wine be any fun?

I just thanked everyone responsible for the success of this site
so I won't take up any more editorial space. But, thank you again. And here's to another 5, 10 or 50 years of LENNDEVOURS.

Cautiously Raising a Glass to Single-Vineyard Finger Lakes Wines

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent

Some of the best winemakers in the Finger Lakes are now making vineyard-specific wines, providing consumers with more information about what they're drinking, and allowing consumers to compare the different qualities delivered by different sites. Sounds like exactly what the Finger Lakes needs, right?

Well, to a point.

First, the good news: Many of the single-vineyard wines released from the 2007 vintage are intensely distinctive, and they stand as the model for what single-vineyard wines should be. They come from a perspicacious trio, three winemakers who prioritize site selection.

LENNDEVOURS readers already know about our high regard for the Ravines 2007 Argetsinger Vineyard Dry Riesling. Hot on the heels of that wine come a pair of single-vineyard gewurztraminers from Red Newt and a series of single-vineyard rieslings from Hermann Wiemer. If you're interested in magazine scores, it's worth noting that Red Newt's 2007 Sawmill Creek Gewurztraminer cracked the 89-point barrier in Wine Spectator with a score of 90, and the 2007 Curry Creek Gewurztraminer (which winemaker Dave Whiting says will ultimately be a better wine) grabbed 89 points. And I had the chance to not only taste the Wiemer 2007 wines, but winemaker Fred Merwarth tasted me through the 2008s in tank (and still fermenting). I was inspired by how much individuality each wine was already showing.

For Merwarth, this is a natural next step.

"Hermann sought out special places to grow grapes, and we want to show our customers what each site brings to the table," he says, noting that he and Wiemer spent the past decade separating the juice by vineyard in individual tanks. "Magdalena is one of the warmest mesoclimates in the Finger Lakes, and it makes a richer wine than the HJW Vineyard. Magdalena is always going to give you this juicy wine that is balanced with acidity. The HJW is almost cutting with its minerality. We think people will enjoy finding the differences, and it helps them identify which profile they might prefer."

Whiting has been thinking about taking this step for a while at Red Newt.

"I can stand in a vineyard, throw a stone fifty feet, and where it lands will give me an entirely different profile of wine," Whiting says. He's particularly excited about Curry Creek, which might end up with a kind of "Grand Cru" status for Finger Lakes gewurztraminer. "That wine should age really nicely. We think we've found quite a unique place for that grape."

At Ravines, Hallgren offers a cautionary note: "I don't want single-vineyard designation to lose its meaning through dilution," he says. "Right now it's heading in a good direction. Red Newt and Hermann Wiemer do things the right way. But I hope the entire region doesn't see it as a trend to make more money. If people start making single-vineyard wines simply to command a higher price, the concept will be as meaningless as 'reserve' wines. Single-vineyard should mean something. The winemaker should be able to explain to you why the site is special, and what sets it apart."

Merwarth points out that there are almost certainly special sites in the Finger Lakes that have yet to be discovered. "Morten's absolutely right. The search is far from over, but that doesn't mean we should see a bunch more every year. The baseline for a single-vineyard wine has to be a repeatable profile. You've got to know what you expect from that site, cause if it's always changing, there's no reason for your customers to trust you."

Single-vineyard wines offer an exciting glimpse into the intricacies of our sense of place, and that's because the people making them have patiently scoured the region for the best locations. For now, it is a slow-developing trend to be celebrated.

What single-vineyard wines am I missing? What single-vineyard wines have you tried? If you'll excuse me, I'm off to uncork the 2007 Hermann Wiemer Magdalena Dry Riesling and the 2007 Hermann Wiemer HJW Dry Riesling. I can't wait to discover and enjoy the difference over tonight's dinner.