The Reds of the Finger Lakes

If you’ve been reading along over the last week or so you’d be sure I enjoyed my first trip to the Finger Lakes region earlier this month. The beauty of the lakes and the surrounding countryside is like few places I have ever been. All of the local folks we met were as casual and nice as those we often meet in Vermont and at home in New Hampshire. My wife and I didn’t specifically quest for food, but we did find excellent fare at the Red New Bistro, tasty & well prepared dishes at the Blue Pointe Grille and the House of Hong in Watkins Glen, as well as the Village Tavern in Hammondsport. But of course, we came for the wine!

I gave the Finger Lakes Rieslings specific treatment based on finding them to standout all their own. I followed that with a post containing a roundup of the Other White Wines from the Finger Lakes I found interesting, recommending whites from several producers and in several styles that tell more of the Finger Lakes story.

That leaves me to share my thoughts on the reds. I tried not to color my views of the Finger Lakes wines too much with research ahead of time, but there was only so much I could do. The Rieslings were not new to me, and the debate over which reds, if any, are really worthy of the effort in the region was also hard to miss. That said, I confidently expected that I would find red wines of interest to me and would have a firsthand opportunity to explore what was being made; drawing any conclusions that I could.

Best of the Best

Rooster Hill 2009 Estate Cabernet Franc – This wine is another solid youthful drinker. The nose came off as average in intensity with a nice mix of earth and greens. I picked up tart cherries, baking spices and a bit of vanilla on the palate. The tannins were coarse but not too aggressive. I bought a bought of this to specifically let it age to see how it mellows and improves.

Ravines 2008 Cabernet Franc – This wine is drinking good young, but should improve with age. I base this on the healthy acidity and softening tannins that wrap the cherries, greens and earthy notes of this wine. The oak is restrained and I picked up some cured meats or bacon essence as I continued to sip this wine.

Ravines 2007 Meritage – This wine is a delicate blend with red berries, spices and just enough oak to create the structure needed for it to please. The aromatics are mellow, but a good combination of fruit, earth and oak. The tannins are present and softening, hinting at solid aging potential. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

Red New 2008 Glacier Ridge Merlot – The first thing that grabbed me about this wine was the intensity of the color, it is deep and concentrated. The aromas followed on with lots of raspberry, cherry and whiffs of oak. The intensity of the color was matched by an incredible body. The mouth is rich with berries, a little meaty and finishes with velvety tannins. This wine is full bodied and bold in the friendliest of ways.

Heart & Hands 2009 Pinot Noir – We didn’t actually get to Heart & Hands on this trip, but I spotted the Pinot on the menu at the Red Newt Bistro and knew I had to try it. This is one of the smoothest Pinot Noirs I have ever tasted. The nose is pretty big, full of cherries, rose petal (maybe some other flowers too) and hints of a smoky camp fire. The mouth presents cherries, dried fruits and a little earth. The tannins are mild and very soft. I ordered several bottles of the available Pinots as soon as I got home.

Other Notable Juice

Six Mile Creek Quintessence 2009 – This wine presents warm oak in the nose, a deep, concentrated color and healthy aromas of red fruits. The flavors of black cherry, plum and blackberry are very pleasing, following with smooth tannins and a dry finish. This wine is drinking well young, but will likely benefit from cellar time. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Keuka Lake Vineyards 2009 Leon Millot – I’ve had Millot more than a couple of times at tastings of wines from Vermont and New Hampshire. The cold-weather hardiness of the grape makes it a great option in those locations. The thing that grabbed me about this wine was the color. Dark, dark, dark is what I wrote in my notes. The second thing that grabbed me was the strength of the aromas. There was plum, dark cherry and blackberry bursting out of the glass. These flavors followed through in the mouth and were accented with currants and a dry, moderate length finish. This wine is immensely drinkable and coming from a less-than-standard grape helps with the diversity of the Finger Lakes wine story.

Heron Hill 2008 Reserve Blaufrankish – Blaufrankish, Lemberger, you pick the name. It really only matters if you identify with Austria or Germany more when it comes to this type of wine, but since I wasn’t in either place the style it is made in is subjective and in the hands of the producer for naming. The nose offered baking spices, violets and what I would say was unripe plum. In the mouth it was smooth and tasted of red fruits and a bit of earth.  It is well put together and interesting for the left hand turn it makes off the usual red wine road.

Dr. Frank Salmon Run 2002 Meritage – I picked this off the menu at the Village Tavern looking to see what a nearly ten year old red from the region had going on. This comes from the value label of Dr Frank and something that folks might scoff at, but it performed admirably and was worth the taste. It is still reasonably concentrated with aromas and flavors of cherry, and a touch of dry soil. There were perceptible flavors of grape leaves or greens and manageable oak. It wasn’t stunning and I don’t think it is as delicate at this point as similar blends that are made with age mind. I don’t have a lot of experience with wines that are 10 years or older (sad, but true) so I can’t really say how much longer this wine could go, but it does feel like is on the other side of peak.

Lamoreaux Landing 2008 76 West Meritage – This blend is one where I think time is needed for it to reach more of its inherent potential. It is a bit tight with subtle fruit and oak aromas, and clear understatement of the berries and cherries in the mouth. It is balanced with softening tannins and good acidity, thus my conclusion regarding the need for aging. Had I had the time I might have let this breath a bit to see how that helped.

Damiani 2009 Pinot Noir – I had this twice in the span of about an hour on the last day of my trip. I found it in a flight of Pinot Noirs at the Red Newt Bistro and it intrigued me. Unfiltered and unfined it had some wild and earthy aromas that made this wine geek giddy. Daminani was my very next visit and I figured if this wine was my first impression there would be other interesting wines to try. This is definitely a funky and unrefined Pinot with lots of aromas and flavors that take some time to process. The tannins are present and equally off the typical expectations.

Damiani Cabernet Blend – This wine is notable because when opposed on both the varietal Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Francs, the blend of both makes a lot of sense.  The blend is rounder, fruitier and more nuanced than either wine on its own. Red fruits and some leafiness are finished dry.  A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc. I don’t know what the vintage is or whether it is a cuvee blend, but I would suggest some cellar time to see what happens nonetheless.

Hermann Wiemer 2008 Reserve Cabernet Franc – I tasted both the 2008 and 2008 Reserve, finding the Reserve to be better balanced and softer on the palate. The color was also a bit more concentrated as well. A combination of blackberry, greens and earth composed the palate on this wine, finished with some warmth and spice from the oak. The tannins are noticeable, but softening. The finish is moderate and cleans up with a nice touch of acidity.

( Ravines Wine Cellars )

Casual Drinkers / Sweet Reds

These reds are a different breed, either because they are sweet and highly drinkable and/or because they are promoted with casual drinking in mind. At between $9 and $11 these wines have a good price/performance ratio for a range of everyday consumption scenarios.

Six Mile Creek Dolce Vita – Leon Millot makes a second appearance in the post, this time barrel aged and a bit sweet. This wine has dehydrated fruit on the nose and in the mouth, a bit like raisins and dried raspberries. The oak is present and helps bring it all together.

Dr. Frank Salmon Run Coho Red – This is a sweet Gamay blend, something to get the conversation going and then not distract from it. The wine isn’t refined or snooty, but pleasant and fruity with a clean finish.

Ravines Keuka Village Red – A blend of Cabernet Franc and Noiret. This wine has a light nose, cherry and pepper in the mouth with a light body and a clean finish. I wrote in my notes I wrote that this wine has range and would be excellent with a variety of foods and friendly conversation.

Lamoreaux Landing Estate Red – Like the Ravines wine above, this wine is dry but smooth and fruity with just enough acidity and tannins to be pleasant to drink without requiring a lot of time for consideration.

What Else?

I didn’t find a plethora of varietal Cabernets that rocked my world, and I hadn’t expected to. And in my opinion, neither should you. Not as the rule anyway. Note that I didn’t highlight any in this post, but of course I haven’t tried them all. There are exceptions, check for the reviews on Shaw Vineyard, and when I ultimately have one that grabs me I’ll be sure to review it. In the US we’ve grown so used to a particular style of Cabernet from California and because of that we are woefully biased. Based on what I know that type of Cabernet isn’t going to get made by wineries throughout the Finger Lakes. If you have to have it you’ll have to look a bit, and that might just mean you’ll appreciate it more when you do find it.

Experimentation with different varietals is ongoing in the region. The Glenora Sangiovese was a surprise, and while the 2010 is young it was drinking reasonably well. I wouldn’t compare it to a Chianti (which for the record I DID NOT hear them say) but that is likely to be the comparison made to the average tasting room visitor. I’m not sure where this experiment is going to go, and I wonder if the grape and the wines made from it will survive as the fish-out-of-water I perceive them to be in the Finger Lakes.

Glenora also gets a mention for their alternative packaging in the form of the Astrapouch. Containing the equivalent of two standard bottles of wine in a plastic pouch, this wine is mobile and doesn’t require an opener. Once opened the wine will stay fresh for a short period of time (days to a week is a safe bet), and is a great solution for taking your wine out by the pool without worrying about broken glass! Current varieties include Chardonnay, a sweet Riesling and a sweet red.

The Final Analysis

There is enough going on in the Finger Lakes to satisfy all but the most finicky of wine lovers, but a sense of adventure and a desire to try new things is a requirement. Coming to the region with visions of comparing the wines to those you might enjoy from France, Spain, Italy, Germany or California is a bad idea, but many people will do it anyway. Some of the wines will match up well, but it just isn’t the right approach. I sincerely hope folks with that attitude don’t miss the exciting wines that you can find in many of the places available to visit while in the region.

For me the whites were the star of the show, but the reds and wines made from the hybrid grapes (both red and white) complete a picture of a place that only needs time to become widely known for world-class wines all on its own.

Cheers!

Jason

Mixing Up the Virginia Reds

After my small and incomplete survey of red wines from Virginia for #WBC11 I was left with the impression that some the varietal offerings were one dimensional and not significantly interesting or complex on their own. I certainly didn’t taste wines from a huge number of Virginia wineries, but I did have wines from several regions in the state and from different years making my impressions workable, but not comprehensive. Contrasting my conclusions with my impressions of the Bordeaux and Meritage blends I tasted I couldn’t stop thinking that more of the blends would be a better application for these red wines. Supporting this idea beyond the tasting notes previously published is the subject of this post.

Historically the blending of wines has been taken for granted as the path to exceptional wines. The Oxford Companion to Wine states “Almost all of the world’s finest wines are made by blending the contents of different vats and different barrels” in the first paragraph of the entry entitled “blending.” The opening sentence of that same entry infers that the practice is “more distrusted than understood”, which is clear from the share of mystery and myth I’ve experienced surrounding the method. 

I won’t get into how you blend wine, I am assuming folks have blended liquids before and get the mechanical concepts, but rather stick with my experiences with the blends I tasted and what the outcome might be if the varietals I tasted were pressed more into blending. If you are interested there are wine blending classes, some in Virginia, that explain much more about the process and provide hands on experimentation. Having these types of experiences for the sensory feedback is a must do. There is a link at the bottom that contains information on the process and places that offer opportunities for curious wine lovers to try it first-hand.

From Principles and Practices of Winemaking (a text book that has been used in the UC Davis Winemaking Certificate program) we get a simple definition of the objectives for blending. “Of course, the objective of blending is to make the final wine better. This may be to standardize it, balance it, achieve complexity, achieve a certain style, or optimize it under specific economic conditions.” That’s a mouthful! And it is written very optimistically. Here’s why that makes sense. Anybody who makes wine knows (or should) that you can rarely fix a flawed wine and blending to improve flawed wines drags down the other wines in the blend. Bad idea. The textbook excerpt above is written the way it is because first and foremost we are talking about taking unflawed, drinkable wines and blending them to produce a final wine that through the combination of the varietal attributes is more complex and more interesting to drink

In my last #WBC11 post, Life’s Too Short Not To Be Badass, I wrote the following about my overall impression of the Virginia reds I tasted:

“I’ve been pulling together my ideas about the red wines from Virginia. My premise after tasting a bunch of them is that a focus on the blends will be their key to success. Why do I say this? Because most of the Bordeaux varietals on their own were boring and lacking in distinction. I found many of them to be one dimensional and where some of them had good character, I think they should be matched with worthy peers to great more dimension in a blend. There are examples of that, and I think more would be a good thing. The least interesting wines, those with very subtle aromas and flavors, might not good candidates for rescue, what can I say?”

My overarching thought was that some the varietal Cabs, Cab Francs, Petit Verdots and Merlots didn’t have enough character on their own to captivate me. I did a rough blending experiment at Ducard and not having enough wine or time to really conclude anything; but the results were different and more nuanced adding weight to the argument. I did a few minor experiments elsewhere, but again did not have a sufficient quantity to produce several blends to evaluate from the same components.

First I will review the blends I did have so my thoughts on what was at work there can be on display up against my suggestions for blends, process changes, and collaborations.

Barboursville Octagon - I had this at least 3 times and in vintages 2002 and 2006 (that I found from my notes, but thinking one more). The nose on the 2006 was what got me. The richness of the 2002 in comparison was one of my motivations to think blends was a key story. It is Merlot driven but still not fooling around. (my exact notes from my original review) This wine is a blend driven with Merlot and in different years differing amounts of Cab Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Clearly the wines made from those grapes at Barboursville bring the right balance of elements together in very good years.

Boxwood  - Boxwood poured two different blends over the weekend, the Topiary and the Boxwood. I had both on two different occasions. Both wines are well made but didn’t distinguish themselves to me. My optimistic opinion is that more aging time of these wines might be a worthwhile change in process. Both were from 2007 and saw 1 year in oak. These wines drive their small (and growing?) portfolio and with continued attention and experimentation could be the key to significant exposure in the coming years.

Tarara CasaNoVA and TerraNoVA – both of these wines come with a list of interesting features right on the outside of the bottle! Not really, but the metaphor of wearing oneself on your sleeve is what I was going for. These wines are accessible AND interesting. The addition of the Tannat to the TerraNoVA gives it a richness that is different but consuming. The CasaNoVA is a Bordeaux-style blend that definitely gets the sum of its parts right. They both saw 18 months in new Virginia Oak which could be an important difference here. I’m not an oak expert but if VA oak is wine-worthy then 18 months of time in new barrels made from it worked phenomenally well!  A good example here of using what you have to make it more than it might otherwise be.

Sweeely 1867 Meritage 2006 – this wine is still developing and will likely be a better drinker in a few years time. The nose was very light when I first tested it. The wine was tight overall and opened up a bit with some time, but I still didn’t get much. It feels like it will have density to the flavors, but with the moderate to high tannins that are still a little chewy those flavors didn’t grab me. A straightforward blend of Merlot and Cab Franc, this wine’s potential is not yet achieved in my opinion.

Ducard Popham Run Red 2009 – The taste I got of this was amazingly acidic and I didn’t finish it. I didn’t get the details on what is in the blend, but nevertheless I’ll be suggesting a blend based on other wines tasted at Ducard.

Barren Ridge Meritage 2008 – This is a well made wine with subtle and elusive complexity. If I had to guess I would say it needs to rest a few more years. This is one of two wines that were not tasted well on the count of heat. A blend of Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot.

Jefferson Vineyard Meritage 2008 – I picked up spicy red fruits with moderate and softening tannins. It was due the warmth of the outside event that I wasn’t able get as much from this wine as I would have liked. A blend of Cab Franc driven with Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

I had a couple opportunities to try varietal bottlings of some of the same components of the above wines, and others that might make great additions to a blend or expand a line of blends available.

Ducard had both a Petit Verdot and a Cab Franc that were good on their own. A quick swirl together proved promising. The Cab Franc easily stands on its own and warrants a single bottling. That wine brings the greens & mint, a little cherry and fine tannins. The PV added cherries and dark chocolate and a strong nose. The PV at Ducard can see two years in oak before release. The aging duration here again might be significant. I’d drive a blend of these two with Merlot, say 65% (M), 25% (CF) and 10% (PV), go with the extended aging and some of the blended wine in new oak. I could also see doing a Merlot and Cab Franc blend with some healthy aging time. Both of these wines would offer similar complexity in the mouth with distinct noses.

Both the Sweely Merlot and Cab Franc wines are essentially blends with 22% or less of other Bordeaux varietals in the finished wines. The Merlot presented tightness and restraint when I first tasted it, and just like the 1867 Meritage, didn’t open up enough to really get a feel for. The Cab Franc didn’t feel like it was doing much with the additional air and time, and likewise didn’t offer me much. A simple read here is that Sweely is already operating in the blend mindset. Fair enough. For me I might suggest a softening of the initial blend so that they express some youthfulness from both early on until a peak age somewhere in the 5-10 year range. If the resulting wines open up a little better (the need to open less?) and express a functional polish of both the oak treatment and the overall aging more easily they would be more exciting drinkers.

Afton Mountain Cabernet – I found this wine to be singular but solid. It had the cherry & dark fruits I expected with whisps of mint. Afton Mountain does use it in a Super Tuscan blend and after looking at their lineup of wines would suggest a Cabernet blend (CS &CF) with maybe some Merlot or Petit Verdot thrown in. The addition of the herbal and earth components from the Cab Franc could really amp up the breadth of the finished wine. The CF or PV would need to have some additional aromatics for the final wine to present well, but there’s potential there for sure.

As I got to thinking about some of the blending ideas I considered what blends of particularly good varietal wines from different VA producers might result in. One idea stuck with me.

Both the Barboursville and Ducard Cab Francs had different herbal and green components, solid fruit flavors, earthy tendencies and moderate finishes. A blend of each of their wines from a good year with some time in a barrel could produce some killer juice. These types of partnerships are common and without researching it I am going to guess collaborations like this are not unusual in Virginia.

Another area to consider would be cuvee blends, and specifically taking wines needing different aging times and blending them together later in their lives. I didn’t try any that I know so I have no firsthand experience to report.

As I continued to look through the winery directory I found more and more blends that broadly fit into the blend category I am kicking around here. Unfortunately I didn’t try that many of them! Clearly I have many more bottles to try before I can elaborate the argument that more of the red wine grapes grown in Virginia should be destined for outright blends rather than varietal bottling. A worthy counterpoint if I may. If the future growth of the wine industry in Virginia sees an upswing in the quality of some of varietals would that change the thesis here? It certainly could.

There are definitely economic and logistical issues with any of the suggestions above. Recognizing that I am not issuing demands so much as extrapolating different futures under different conditions, my thoughts can nonetheless be used to drive creative consideration or new business opportunities. I enjoyed my time in Virginia and was lucky enough to meet many of the faces behind the wines I tasted and reviewed. These business owners and winemakers are serious folks with lots of passion and energy invested in their products. I hope all the attention and feedback is useful to them as they continue to put their passion in the bottle.

Cheers!

Jason

References & Links

The Oxford Companion to Wine Third Edition, Jancis Robinson , 2006

Principles and Practices of Winemaking, Boulton, Singleton, Bisson, Kunkee, 2004

Blending Makes Perfect - http://www.virginiawinetime.com/2010/05/05/blending-makes-perfect/