Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The grapes for this wine are partially sourced from the winery's Keuka Lake estate vineyards that were planted in 1958, with the remainder coming from an estate vineyard on Seneca Lake. There's an earthy, woodsy element to the nose, like a fresh whiff of rooibos tea, but plenty of fruit rides underneath. Crunchy cranberry and blueberry flavors revolve around tightly coiled acidity, with a pleasing clench of tannins providing solid structure.
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Wine & Spirits
The pinot noir vines for this bottling include some of the oldest in the country, planted in 1957. In 2016, they produced a woodsy, brambly pinot, the crunchy wild-strawberry flavors scented with a hint of tobacco. It’s lean and light, with a composure and a tart freshness that would pair well with smoked trout.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Increasingly garnering widespread and well-deserved attention, New York ranks third in wine production in the United States (after California and Washington). Divided into six AVAs—the Finger Lakes, Lake Erie, Hudson River, Long Island, Champlain Valley of New York and the Niagara Escarpment, which crosses over into Michigan as well as Ontario, Canada—the state experiences varied climates, but in general summers are warm and humid while winters are very cold and can carry the risk of frost well into the growing season.
The Finger Lakes region has long been responsible for some of the country’s finest Riesling, and is gaining traction with elegant, light-bodied Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Experimentation with cold-hardy European varieties is common, and recent years have seen the successful planting of grapes like Grüner Veltliner and Saperavi (from the Eastern European country of Georgia). Long Island, on the other hand, has a more maritime climate influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, and shares some viticultural characteristics with Bordeaux. Accordingly, the best wines here are made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Niagara Escarpment is responsible for excellent ice wines, usually made from the hybrid variety, Vidal.