My Half Full Glass - November 15th, 2012

A new weekly column. The first one posted way beyond the initial self-imposed deadline. Who knows that the hell this means!

Italian Wines from Zonin

The folks at Zonin shared several selections of their collection with me and I recently took a white and a red for a test drive. On its own the red paired best with the simple pasta & sauce I was eating, but overall both wines performed acceptably the night I opened them.

The Rocca di MonteMassi Le Focaie Maremma Toscana 2012 is a bright, assertively tart red wine that is would be best when paired with light Italian fare or even a cheese plate. The acidity is cleansing keeping the wine focused and sharp. With cheese the wine expressed savory herbal notes that were quite pleasing.

The Principi di Butera Insolia Sicilia 2011 is a straightforward dry, white wine with a slight salinity to it. This wine was not a match for red sauce, trending better with cheese. The salinity might make this a good match with shellfish, which I did not try.

Peconic Bay Hard Cider

I've haven't met (yet) the people at Peconic Bay Winery and Empire State Cellars, but I do know that they are doing a fantastic job representing and promoting wines made in New York State. During a chat with James Silver, General Manager at Peconic Bay Winery, he asked if I was interested in cider. Those were words I have heard before, and thankfully I have always said yes! As a result I was lucky enough try the two styles of Long Island hard cider Peconic Bay Winery is currently producing.  Cider doesn't resonate with everyone and one of the revelations I have had about what makes a cider more likely to please is that the clarity matters. In this case clarity is both visual and on the palate; a finesse if you will.

Both of the Peconic Bay ciders have that finesse. The True Companion was the first one I tried and it immediately reminded of another cider made in a similar style that  I've really enjoyed, The Saint by Crispin Cider. True Companion is made with a five apple blend and also has orange zest, ginger and molasses added. The cider pours an amber color and comes off spicy and sweet making for a killer drink on its own. Paired with cheese this cider owned the tasting. Like The Saint from Crispin, this cider is fruity, spicy, a bit yeasty with a sweet finish. This complexity when it is well polished makes for exceptional drinking.

True Believer is a drier cider made with the same apple blend as True Companion minus the spice/sugar additions. This cider is lighter in color with a much more apple focused nose. True Believer's asset is how smooth it is. Tart apple is all over the place, there is a stripe of acidity, but the finish is just a hint sweet and round. This cider tastes more like an heirloom or cider-type apple drink more than the dessert apple blend it is made from might suggest. A very nice surprise.

Both ciders would be good on their own, with cheeses & snacks or with white meat-based main dishes.

Cheers!

Jason

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Sheldrake Point Winery - Ovid, NY

( The view east from Sheldrake's vineyards. Another no-so-hot day for photos. Beautiful nonetheless. )

Dave Breeden, the winemaker for Sheldrake Point Winery in Ovid, NY is a wine-maker’s winemaker. Not knowing what that is could render this post elusive, so I’ll explain what I mean in examples as I guide you through our visit to Sheldrake in early February.

Thank you very much to Antoinette DiCiaccio and Dave Breeden for their hospitality and time with Margot and I on our recent visit. This was our first visit of the weekend. Antoinette met us in the tasting room and we set about introducing ourselves and the exploration we were on. When the WineMaker Magazine Conference hits the ground in June there are so many places that folks with even a little time will be able go to experience what the region has to offer. I didn’t know this firsthand until recently however. Since last summer I have made two trips and personally tasted over 250 wines from the region to find out. If you linked through to here from the WineMaker Magazine blog section you’ve likely already read some part of that story in my trip reports from the region.

For this point I’m going to share observations and thoughts on my time with just one of the wineries I visited and a tasting of their unfinished wines.

Dave Breeden joined our small group in the tasting room during a funny story about how a friend of ours decides when to taste the homemade wines. If it is in a small bottle, typically a fortified, dessert or specialty wine, cider or mead, he drinks it. That’s knowing what you like in a very specific way!

Antoinette bid us farewell, and Dave, Margot and I set off to the winery, a short walk up the hill behind the tasting room. When we arrived we had to quickly check on the bottling equipment to make sure it was ready for an early week bottling run. Check. We picked up glasses in the lab on the way to the tank and barrel rooms.

( Margot remarked that I always take her to the nicest places! )

Right off the bat Dave shared a glimpse of who he is with an example of the one-liners that would easily be kitchsy if they weren’t delivered contextually and authentically. In explaining the barrel regimen he has in operation he use the quip “If I wanted my products to taste like oak, I’d make furniture”. Hey wait, he sounds like my dad! No offense, and my dad can be funny. We laughed, but it was the whole group, experiencing the truth of the statement and the connection to the moment we were in that made the difference. Dave further explained that used barrels are bought when they need to rotate something out, but the neutral barrels seasoned in-house are actively used to keep the oak influence under control. When I share my feedback on the reds below you will note that I agreed with the balanced influence of oak in the pre-release wines we tasted. Most of Sheldrake’s barrel aged wines see no more than 8-9 months of oak.

The 2011 harvest was challenging for the region, and Dave confirmed that staggered and late harvests were the end to one of the worst years in memory for the active winemakers in the area. After the quantity of the fruit was determined the overall quality of the grapes was quite good, albeit a bit low in sugar. This isn’t an uncommon problem in cold-climate growing areas and one of the dynamics of an agricultural business. Tasting the wines however, it is hard for me to say that the weather alone will be any reason to judge them.

We started off with two Chardonnay’s one with, and one without oak; the oak being administered using staves of NY State oak. The oaked version is big on the lemon, with a good deal of peach and not much other than a hint of spice to make you think it was oaked. The un-oaked version was fruitier, but with a reduced lemon punch. Its acidity was a little more pronounced, making the truth of the oak influence in the first sample much clearer. It was more mellow, smoother and a tad creamy, perhaps?

Next up were a Pinot Gris blend and the Lucky Stone White. The Pinot Gris was dry and dominated by lime for me. Margot gave it her “hot day wine” designation. I agreed. The Lucky Stone White is a Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer blend. The nose gives away the Gewurztraminer, and really drew me in. It is a tart finishing wine with plenty of citrus and a small streak of sweetness. Here’s to the next hot day and I have these wines to try!

I asked Dave if Sheldrake grew any hybrid grapes for their wines. He said that they don’t and they luckily don’t have to because of the micro-climate and local geography conducive to vinifera grapes. This idea was summed up in what I think was his leading quote. With regards to the Sheldrake vineyards, “it’s a really sexy property.” I get that, rock on!

Riesling and Gewurztraminer! As I have said in earlier writings on the region, these are the wines that make up the leading story. You’ll come here for the aromatic whites wines that project the natural acidity of the grapes to just the right place, and then you will find so much more.

The dry Gewurztraminer has a beautiful palate of sweet aromas, including ripe stone fruits, white flowers and citrus peel. The density of the wine coats the tongue a bit making it almost taste sweet, but then it speeds to a dry finish.

The dry Riesling smelled and taste like ripe peach with island fruits playing a big part as well. Margot called in “pineapple juice”, which seemed apt to all. This is another nearly dry and dry finishing wine. This is really no surprise given the harvest report.

To make a semi-dry Riesling from the 2011 harvest a batch of dry Riesling will be blended with some ice wine to provide additional sweetness and aromatics that will no doubt catch the fancy of many. We were lucky enough to taste a trial blend with a still fermenting ice wine in it! Still peachy but with additional exotic fruit notes and some hard candy leanings. It also had a more pronounced tartness from CO2 still likely trapped in the Riesling used as the based. It has plenty of potential and should be available soon I can’t see what the final decisions and process did to hone the blend.

( Dave Breeden retrieving a sample, this was for a "secret" blend. )

We also tasted the ice wine on its own. The nose emanated of tropical fruits, where the wine was still quite sweet and had the “wildness” I am familiar with in dessert offering made from Riesling grapes. A kit-based Riesling dessert wine I made a few years ago was a hit because of the more lively “green” or “wildness” it expressed. This wines needs time to finish and should come together nicely.

When we got on to the reds and the Cabernet Franc, there were three to try. The first two were from the same block harvested on different dates and aging in barrels, and the third was a different block aged in stainless with the NY oak staves mentioned above. My immediate impression was of dill pickle from the nose. That could be oak. The flavor didn’t trend that way and the aromas dissipated quickly as I tasted it. Tart cherries with moderate structural tannins and a dry finish. The second sample smelled and tasted like cherries and had a certain measure of dustiness as I call it, sort of a dry soil blown into the mouth. It was also quite tart, but without the nose of the first sample it felt more exciting. The third is the same wine as the first sample aged with oak staves instead of by barrel. It was cherry driven with a little heat and a big tart finish. There are at least two wines in there, I think the first two will develop further, and could make for great blends, but the full potential of them is beyond my experience. That’s what makes firsthand exposure to the process of making artisanal wine and other fermented products so exciting, it won’t be the “same thing” every time! None of the samples was over oaked or trending close. That restraint on cool climate red wines helps retain their delicate aspects that can’t be covered up by fruit and tannins.

( Some of the newest barrels in the house. )

We tasted Merlot from the barrel, but it isn’t expected to make it into the bottle in its current form. Re-enforcing a point about “picking what you do well” and putting “focus on it”, Dave shared that a varietal Merlot was no longer made because it wasn’t creating wine that returned for the time and investment, and the Merlot actually works great as an agent in their Meritage blend, the most recent from 2010.

The 2010 Meritage reminded me of freshly picked cherries and a touch of wild herbs. The tannins were already pretty mellow, but present, and the acidity helped keep things tart and dry along the finish. I’ve said a lot about these types of blends before and my tastings keep turning up evidence that these wines attract my attention the most. Complexity is more often amped up in blends. I’ll spend the time to think about my wine. I’m looking for a downside.

There are a lot of reasons to increase the production of a winery, and if it is to keep up with demand that is clearly growing, all the better. There are plenty of reasons not to make more wine and again Dave had the perfect quote. “Having grapes is a very bad reason to make wine; sales are the best reason to make wine.” This ethic is carried out in part by selling excess of varieties of grapes they don’t have production targets for each year to other producers, something that depends a lot on the weather. In 2011 Sheldrake Point Winery opened a second tasting room, placing the newest outlet on east side of Seneca Lake, not far from the main winery on the west side Cayuga Lake. In preparation for the opening, production of some wines from the 2010 harvest was doubled. What an exciting reason to make more wine!

I asked Dave what his noteworthy wines from 2011 were and was met with the same list I felt really imparted the most character, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Cabernet Franc. Despite the report of the challenging harvest I think the wines are expressing plenty of character and might all develop into focused aromatic and tart wines that have immense drinkability with and without food. One other thing Dave said he endeavored to do was “not to screw with the wine”. Minimal intervention in these wines certainly hasn’t hurt them!

We finished with and apple ice wine, something that caught both Margot and my eyes when we toured the tasting room. Made from Cornell apples and a blend of heirloom and vintage varieties it is full of flavors and “wild”. It is plenty sweet with a dose of acidity to clean up a bit. Margot knew she was taking this home before she even tasted it!

In June Dave Breeden will be presenting to the WineMaker Magazine conference attendees in a presentation about fining. I fully expect this presentation will be experience-based, informative, provocative and funny. I’m not going to miss it. I found a video interview with Dave during my research where he discusses the Art & Science of Winemaking. In the second to last paragraph of the accompanying article there is a very compelling point about the potential for variation in the shared taste genes from one human to another. Stay tuned for more content here and at WineMaker Magazine on sensory evaluation and the science of wine tasting.

Much thanks to Annette and Dave for hosting us. We also met and would like to thank Kit, the tasting room manager, and Victor, one of the two assistant winemakers for their time with us. SheldrakePoint Winery is located on the west side of Cayuga Lake about 40 minutes North of Ithaca, NY. There are daily tasting hours both during the on and off seasons. Unfortunately they no longer have a restaurant on site and if you expect to go with a group it was be smart planning to call ahead.

Cheers!

Jason

Wagner Vineyards – Lodi, NY

The agricultural and winemaking history of the Finger Lakes region of New York is full of all kinds of stories, and most often these stories chronicle the lives and times of a single family. These stories are a particular type of time capsule, history being written by one generation and narrated by another.

On a recent visit to Wagner Vineyards I had the pleasure to meet Laura Wager Lee and hear her recount stories of how her father, BillWagner, and the family he helped create literally raised the winery out of the ground, blood, sweat (and likely) tears and all. A sincerest thank you to Laura, and as well Katie Roller with whom I arranged our visit.

The initial part of our tour took us a down a hallway past the tank room. On the opposite side of the walls were family and winery photos broken into different decades/groups. Laura pointed to all sorts of pictures, black & white, color, Polaroid and high res, there are photos there of vines, grapes, vineyard work and all the messy tasks of winemaking. There are also so many pictures of digging, the erecting of walls and the construction of the winery buildings. There were so many smiles in the family and company photos I could feel the excitement behind the do-it-yourself stories presented.

Wagner Vineyards has 250 acres under vine and produces a full suite of white, red and blush estate grown wines. It is one of the oldest wineries in the region, opening in 1979. With the addition of a restaurant, brewery and event space Wagner has become a very popular Finger Lakes wine country destination. Visiting in the off-season affords the luxury of time to tour and taste, but after hearing stories and thinking you are missing out on pub nights on the deck, bands, special events and the buzz of the tasting room you promise yourself you’ll fix this real soon.

In the tasting room the talk immediately turned to Riesling. Hey, I’m a sucker for it so let’s just say I love the Finger Lakes. Objectively, I enjoy tasting aromatic white wines like Riesling and believe I have developed a decent palate for these wines. With 50 acres of Riesling vines Wagner produces six styles in most years. I tasted three during my visit.

The 2008 Dry Riesling is dry and focused with a balance of moderately potent fruit and mineral aromas. A crisp finisher with a decent run of fruit to the end. The 2009 Semi-Dry is driven with orange and melon and is yet again dry enough to be a dry wine to me. The citrus laden finish cleans out nicely. I am still preferential to the 2009 Finger Lakes Rieslings, but I need a few more years to really be sure. The 2011 Select Riesling is a young wine, but is luscious and sweet with plenty of potential for aging. It was the sweetest of the three with a much riper and fuller nose. To me peach initially dominated the palate, but additional sips produced a bevy of exotic and tropical fruits. The wine has a noticeable viscosity to it, and finishes sweet.

I teed up the 2010 Gewurztraminer next, filling in more of that story if you will. Orange and white flowers lit up the nose and the palate was a tart mix of exotic fruits and ginger. The spiciness is one of the things that initially drew me to Gewurztraminer, and although it isn’t present in all wines made from the grape, I still get excited when I find one.

Moving on to reds I selected the 2010 Reserve Pinot. Touches of raspberries and chocolate were present. Light bodied and smooth. The wine is dry with some soft tannins. It didn’t resonate with me to drink right now, and any mellowing couldn’t hurt such a subtle wine.

The Meritage 2007 caught my eye and I went in for it. A blend of 55% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot it is moderately darkly hued and projects lively aromas of cherry. I found it a little dusty, my word for dry earth minerality, and ever so lightly oaky. Adding this to my Meritage journey around the Other 46 (smaller winemaking states), I was happily impressed. This wine has aged gracefully and is drinking well.

I finished my tasting with the 2008 Vidal Ice Wine. The nose on this wine could make an honest person lie. Readers will know that I haven’t met many dessert wines that I didn’t like. Despite such experience I still find it hard not to be biased in favor of ice and dessert style wines. This wine was well built, with juicy dehydrated fruits and some wild streaks layered in honey. There is enough tartness to it to keep the sweetness manageable, something that might increase, to its benefit, with years of age.

Stepping out on the back deck Laura talked about the summer events and people spilling out onto the lawn to enjoy the natural beauty during the warm seasons. The view on our cloudy day was muted, but having been in the area on sunny warm days, I don’t need to imagine it. But that doesn’t mean Margot and I won’t be back!

Wagner Valley Brewing is the beer yang to the wine yin for the Wagner family, no wait, I made that up. Margot and I were both gunning to try some more New York state beer and Wagner didn’t disappoint. Our favorites were the Sled Dog dopple and trippel bocks, both exuded a dense malty sweetness and plenty of alcohol! Brewing these monster beers requires the complete brewing setup to be dedicated to processing the malt bill. That’s getting the job done! The Stout and the IPA are both solid beers, and my firsthand Superbowl drinking experience confirms their ability to pair with food, TV and friends. Life is good! Margot had a growler of the Sled Dog Dopplebock filled to go, don’t you just love her, and we finished our visit in the wine retail shop.

Picking a few favorites from the tasting (Select Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Meritage) Margot and I expressed our thanks and said our goodbyes. With kickoff looming we needed to get back to Ithaca, grab some sandwiches and settle in for the annual commercial entertainment. With the amount of wine and beer we hauled out to the car, we could have had a pretty big party! We’ll save that for the Spring and friends at home.

Wagner Vineyards is located on the East side of Seneca Lake, about 45 minutes from Ithaca. They have daily tasting hours, a full service restaurant and seasonal events. And don't forget the brewery. Call ahead for specific information on what’s happening when you plan to visit. Thank you Laura, Katie and the whole Wagner family and community for sharing your lives and stories with us.

Cheers!

Jason

Six from Six – Investigating Finger Lakes Wine

At the 2011 WineMaker Magazine Conference the location for the 2012 edition of the conference was announced. Much to my delight it would be in the Finger Lakes region, and specifically Ithaca, New York! The choice of an East Coast location provides a great opportunity for Margot and I to play “host” to our West Coast friends. Unfortunately we only have passing familiarity with wines from the Finger Lakes and have yet to make a visit. With time on our side this will be resolved and we will be able to safely recommend what to try and where to go while in the area next June.

Our initial reconnaissance was done with an order of 6 different styles of Finger Lakes wine from Six Mile Creek Vineyard, thus the post title “Six from Six”. Over the coming months we will increase our knowledge of the area with more wines and a trip in September that will include stops at wineries on both Seneca and Cayuga lakes.

When I searched for wineries in the Ithaca area the first one that came up was Six Mile Creek Vineyard. I looked around at some of the other links and didn’t find anything that resonated as well. A web page might not be the best first impression for wine, but this time it did a pretty good job. I ordered 2 bottles each of the 2006 Pinot Noir, 2008 Cabernet Franc, 2007 Reserve Riesling, 2006 Chardonnay Reserve, 2007 Semi-Sweet Riesling and finally a sweet white blend named Pasa Tiempo. The wine arrived within a few days of ordering it and I promptly got to work tasting and getting to know the region a little more.

Six Mile Creek 2006 Pinot Noir

Very light in color with aromas of cherry and strawberry. Low tannins with healthy but not overbearing acidity. Subtle hints of earth. This wine is lighter than I expected but is made well. This is an example of a red that would do well in the summer heat, however I didn’t find enough character in it for a strong appeal for me. I need to get more experience with this grape as it is grown and vinified in the Finger Lakes.

Six Mile Creek 2008 Cabernet Franc

Oak in the nose with both aromas and flavors of raspberry and cherry. Wet soil notes with a little cheese rind funk mixed in. The tannins were initially mild but became more pronounced on the finish. The acidity also rose up mid-taste and carried through the finish. I enjoyed this wine very much and am looking forward to a well designed pairing with the other bottle yet to be opened.

Six Mile Creek 2007 Reserve Riesling

Minerality and petrol aromas right from the first swirl and sniff. I also picked up white flowers, peach and hints of tropical fruit. The balance of tart and sweet was incredibly refreshing. The finish has a drying effect with citrus notes as it exits. This is a solid example of Riesling done right and why the Finger Lakes is known for Riesling.

Six Mile Creek 2006 Chardonnay Reserve

This wine surprised me with its elegance. The nose is nutty with baking spices and wood. The fruit is there, but is not hugely expressed. I did get some creamy peach flavors. This wine is very well balanced and incredibly smooth. I want to get to know more about Finger Lakes Chardonnay for sure!

Six Mile Creek 2007 Semi-Sweet Riesling

Minerailty and tropical aromas in the nose. The tropical notes with some peach came back on the palate. Medium sweet with acidity to match. This is a solid drinking Riesling, one that will appeal to a range of wine drinkers, except those that don’t like Riesling!

Six Mile Creek Pasa Tiempo

This is a sweet wine blended from several white grapes, although unspecified on the label or the web site. Citrus, honey and white flowers fill the nose. When served cold this wine is sweet enough to masquerade as a dessert wine, but not too sweet as to prevent casual sipping. More of the honey and white grape comes through on the palate. At $8.50 per bottle the price/performance factor of this wine is very high!

I am looking forward to our trip in September to gain more depth in the predominant styles. I can’t make any useful judgment on the Pinot Noir from my one experience so I hope to find others I can spend time with. I did find a 2009 post from the New York Cork Report blog about Finger Lakes Pinot Noir that helped me better understand what I have experienced so far.

When in the region I also plan to seek out wines made from Sevyal, Vidal, Vignoles and any of the hybrid red grapes I can find. I (and more so my wife) are also looking forward to trying the sweeter dessert wine and ice-wine style wines made by some of the wineries in the region. After a tour with those kind of highlights I will feel much more confident to say that I “know” the Finger Lakes wine region well enough to make recommendation for others.

Cheers!

Jason