Winemaker Notes
The Red Newt Cellars ‘Cream Label’ Gewurztraminer is internally referred to as “the every night Gewurztraminer.” As beautiful as the single vineyard Gewurztraminers we bottle are, they are opulent wines with a very loud personality. The Cream Label version is made and blended in such a way that it is lighter, more refreshing, and with more fruit aromas as compared to rose perfume. A friendlier Gewurztraminer.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Gewürztraminer, a wine Red Newt has made since the 1980s, was sourced from Curry Creek vineyard on Seneca Lake. It comes in with six grams of sugar, 6.45 of total acidity and 13.9% alcohol. This, says winemaker Kelby Russell, is known at the winery as the "cream label," a Gewürz for every day. You should be so lucky. In a tough year, this seems quite normal, fairly deep and fairly classic. It doesn't seem at all diluted, and those lychee flavors come through strongly on the slightly bitter finish typical of drier Gewürztraminers. Add a reasonable price point, and there's not much to argue with here. There were 228 cases produced.
Gewürztraminer, an expressive and aromatically distinctive white grape variety, is considered a noble variety in the Alsace region of France, and produces wonderful wines in the mountainous Alto Adige region of NE Italy. Generally this grape grows well in cooler regions and its natural intensity makes it a great ally for flavorful cuisine such as Indian, Middle Eastern or Moroccan. Somm Secret—Because of a charming perfume and tendency towards slight sweetness, Gewürztraminer makes for an excellent gateway wine for those who love sweet wines but want to venture into the realm of drier whites.
As the most historic wine-producing region in New York state, winemaking in the Finger Lakes area dates back to the 1820s and today as a region, accounts for 90% of the state’s total wine production.
Its narrow and deep lakes created by the movement of Ice Age glaciers create an environment similar to the classic Riesling-loving regions of Europe, namely Germany and Austria. The Finger Lakes retain summer heat that incidentally warms up cold winter air, making it fall down from the lakes’ steep slopes. When spring comes, the lakes, already cooled by cold winter weather, stave off vine budding until the danger of frost has subsided. The main lakes of the zone, that is those big enough to moderate the climate in this way, are the focal points of prime vineyard areas. They include Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga.
While Riesling has fueled most of the region’s success, today Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc enjoy some attention.