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By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent

The other day I had a conversation with a friend and we tried to answer this question: If a winemaker can truly say that he or she focuses on quality, and carefully tends the grapes and makes the wine, how many cases (in terms of production) is realistic? Five thousand annually? Seven thousand? Ten thousand? Twenty? We went back and forth, as there isn't a concrete answer. But I can say without hesitation that 1.2 million cases of wine was not in the ballpark of "quality."

All of which is to say, reading the life story of the Mondavi family is like reading about a sect of aliens making wine on Saturn (which, if you listen to Michael Mondavi, might happen sooner than later at his family's urging). As a Finger Lakes wine writer, it is hard to imagine one operation making millions of cases of wine each year, and it is ludicrous to hear the Mondavis talk about making millions of cases of wine while still focusing on quality. But such is the story of an American wine dynasty in Julia Flynn Siler's "The House of Mondavi" (Gotham Books, New York).

At nearly 400 pages, the book reads surprisingly quickly thanks to Siler's deft handling of a wide range of subjects. She captures the drama of a self-destructive family, and she uses her skills as a Wall Street Journal reporter to convert banal financial details into a riveting plot. While occasionally lacking in her prose, Siler delivers the necessary pace to keep the reader hungry for the next plot turn. And there are a myriad of twists and turns, as the Mondavi family takes the brakes off their avarice-laced wine freight train.

The forced sale of Mondavi to Finger Lakes-based Constellation Brands is instructive. Siler writes that before acquiring Mondavi, Constellation was known for making "gutter wines" and used the sale to raise their profile in the fine wine business. Then, immediately after the sale goes through, we learn (or perhaps I should say our suspicions are confirmed) that Constellation immediately cuts staff and makes decisions aimed at improving the bottom line at the assumed expense of quality. Fine wine, indeed.

Given Siler's description of Constellation, consumers of New York state wines should be relieved that Constellation has declined to pursue the best producers in the local industry. And, given production volumes, why would they?

My biggest complaint is that Siler fails to capture the true desires of each Mondavi family member, with the exception of Timothy, who was the only one fighting for smaller production and higher quality. We're left to assume that Robert and Michael loved the venal thrill of global wine dominance, but we're never allowed to find out if they truly love wine. I kept waiting to hear Michael explain what kinds of wine inspired him, what individual wine experiences stayed with him. Perhaps there is not much to say in this regard; Siler portrays Michael as a narcissistic businessman who eschews quality for dollars, and I just wonder if he were always that way.

Cheers to Julia Flynn Siler for a thorough and enjoyable read. And cheers to our small producers who can say with straight faces that quality remains a driving force.

The view from inside Mark Snyder's new winery in Red Hook, Brooklyn

By Sasha Smith, New York City Correspondent

Technically, Brooklyn is part of Long Island, so it’s fair to call Red Hook home to one of Long Island’s newest wineries. The as-yet-unnamed winery is a joint project between distributor Mark Snyder, Napa winemakers Robert Foley and Abe Schoener, Michael Cinque from Amagansett Wines and Max Loubiere, a long-time friend of Snyder’s and Billy Joel’s tour director. (Snyder is a veteran of the music industry.) The project sources fruit from a number of Long Island growers/vineyards, including Macari Vineyards, Jamesport Vineayrds, Split Rock Vineyard, Ackerly Pond Vineyards and Anderson Vineyard.

Snyder kindly invited me to the winery last month where we tasted through the wines, still in barrel, and he told me about the philosophy behind the winery. He said that he had largely been disappointed with the quality of Long Island wines he had tasted, citing a “lack of style” for the entire region. For Snyder, Long Island producers too often try to emulate a particular style – taking either a typically New World or Bordeaux approach – rather than letting the vineyard speak for itself. Snyder also believes that because it’s relatively easy for wineries to sell most of their product straight from the cellar door, there’s little incentive to improve and try to compete in the global marketplace.

The winery’s goal is to bring some serious ambition to the region, largely at the hands of consulting winemakers Bob Foley and Abe Schoener. (On-site winemaker Christopher Nicolson, formerly of Littorai in Sonoma, does the day-to-day heavy lifting.) Foley, the former winemaker at Pride Mountain and now at his own eponymous winery, specializes in powerful reds, particularly those made with cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Schoener is the philosopher/winemaker behind The Scholium Project, a collection of iconoclastic wines (eg, Sauvignon Blanc fermented on its skins).

Snyder characterizes Foley as a fairly traditional, “clean” winemaker, whereas Schoener takes a more experimental approach – intentional oxidation of some whites, leaving the wine on its lees until bottling, and minimal use of sulfites. Working with the same batch of fruit, Foley and Schoener create two very different wines.

For example, in Foley’s hands, merlot from Bruce Schneider’s Anderson vineyard is coffee bean, smoke, chocolate and black fruit, whereas Abe Schoener’s interpretation has much more pronounced tannins and red fruit characteristics. When these wines are bottled, beginning this spring for the whites, they’ll provide an edifying experience for anyone who wants to understand how winemaking techniques affect the characteristics of the final product.

As for the work in the vineyard, the team advocates what Snyder calls “extreme farming.” They scouted promising plots and worked with the growers/producers to ensure that they’d have a big say in farming decisions. Most notably, they insisted on extensive hang time, in some cases picking long after most everyone else on Long Island. In the poor, rain-plagued 2008 vintage, this decision was not for the faint of heart. One of their blocks at Macari, which usually yields anywhere between 8-10 tons of fruit, ended up producing 1.1 tons of fruit after the rains (and birds) took their share.

It helps that apparently no one involved in this project is out to make big bucks. In fact, no one is in this to make bucks at all. According to Snyder, the partners went in on the project understanding that there might not be any financial return, which allows them to make risky decisions and think of quality first. Or, as he puts, it, “we can dismiss the easy temptation associated with having to make a profit.”

And the wines? Pretty eclectic. The Abe Schoener merlot and cabernet franc-based wines were very good, tasting recognizably Long Island to me, with clear and focused fruit. The Bob Foley chardonnays, sourced from several Jamesport plots, had a pretty lemon/melon/apple crispness to them. Schoener’s intensely aromatic botrytised/fermented dry Riesling, also from Jamesport fruit, was experimental winemaking at its best, while a Schoener sauvignon blanc, fermented on its skins over seven weeks, was off-putting and oddly medicinal.

Neither winemaker’s interpretation of gewurztraminer, sourced from Martha Clara Vineyards, had any of the typical characteristics associated with this incredibly distinctive varietal. Foley’s cabernet franc wines are fine, extracted and plush, but have little cab franc character. (Not particularly surprising, as Snyder says that Foley isn’t a big fan of the variety. Which makes him a bit of an odd choice for the project, if you ask me, despite his big name.)

They haven’t decided on pricing yet, but Snyder figures they will range from $30-$80. Given the decisions that went into making these wines, the people involved, and the scale – right now they’re sitting on about 500 cases worth of wine, but through evaporation and being selective, they’ll ultimately release even less – those numbers aren’t surprising. Also up in the air is the branding/marketing of the wine. Snyder says they’re thinking about releasing them under separate labels, one for each winemaker.

Which brings me to some of my issues with the enterprise. In short, too much attention on the winemakers, too little focus on the fruit. Call me old-fashioned, call me Eurocentric, but I think the way to greatness always runs through the vineyard. You can argue that Long Island may or may not have distinctive wine styles or has a ways to go before reaching its full potential, but I think that’s more a function of the region’s viticultural challenges – achieving ripeness and avoiding rot – than any deficiencies, real or perceived, in the skills and training of its winemakers.

Sure, if Foley and Schoener’s “extreme farming” (and let’s hope they come up with a better name for it) can encourage some growers to experiment with longer hang time for more ripeness in a way that’s economically feasible for them, that would be a huge plus for the region.

But even if one accepts the premise that Long Island needs more talented winemakers above all, are Foley and Schoener the guys to do it? I don’t doubt for a second Foley and Schoener’s talent or creativity. However, both of them work in and around Napa, where the climate, soil, and altitude bear little resemblance to those of Long Island. Why not team up with winemakers who have more experience working with cool climate fruit?

I asked Snyder for his thoughts on the issue and he provided an interesting analogy. As a student of classic guitar, he was struggling with a technically difficult piece. While his guitar instructor cut him some slack, knowing first-hand how tricky the piece was, Snyder’s mentor, a violinist, was much more demanding and pushed him to master the music. Snyder suggested that as outsiders used to working with warm climate fruit, Foley and Schoener can help push beyond the commonly accepted limitations.

It’s a fair point, although there are plenty of winemakers from more temperate regions (Burgundy and Bordeaux spring to mind) with more relevant skill sets who could help Long Island winemakers transcend their limits. I’m all for cross-pollination and I’ve got nothing against Napa – I visited Pride Mountain, Bob Foley’s alma mater, this summer and fell in love with a few of its wines. However, whether this group can help Long Island remedy its “lack of style” (or define its terroir, as I like to think of it) is an open question.

One of the wineries we were disappointed not to have to visit during our recent trip to Seneca Lake was Fulkerson Winery. They are a large producer in the region, making more than 50,000 cases annually. They are also one of the larger growers in the region and sell a significant amount of fruit and juice to home winemakers.

Their portfolio is large and varied. In addition to the expected varieties (riesling, Gewurztraminer, etc.) they also grow and bottle things like Vincent, Dornfelder, Delaware, Diamond and Noiret.

Some wineries struggled to make balanced, lively riesling from the hot 2007 vintage, and Fulkerson Winery's 2007 Riesling Reserve ($16) shows a bit of that difficulty. The nose is fruity and ripe, with apricot, pear and lime aromas along with a distinct lychee note that makes me wonder if some Traminette or Gewurztraminer wasn't part of the final blend.

The broad, soft, medium-bodied palate is very fruity with peach and pear flavors dominating and citrusy edge. The finish is dry but a bit flat. That clean vein of minerally acidity found in many Finger Lakes rieslings is less prominent here, resulting in a perhaps more approachable wine that is a near-miss for me. I'm left wanting a bit more structure and a little less weight on the palate.

Producer: Fulkerson Winery
AVA: Finger Lakes
ABV: 12%
RS: 0%
Price: $16.50
Rating:  (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)

(Ratings Guide)

I just received word that LENNDEVOURS has been named the winner as "Best Single-Subject Wine Blog" in the 2009 American Wine Blog awards.

This is obviously an honor and I'd like to thank each and every one of you reading this post for reading LENNDEVOURS. We'e coming up on the 5-year anniversary of its creation and I never expected my blog to become what it has today, but I'm certainly glad that is has. I've met so many great people, tasted so many great wines and had so many great experiences because of LENNDEVOURS that it is more than worth the time I put into it.

I'd also like to thank my contributors: Bryan Callandrelli, Jason Feulner, Sasha Smith, Evan Dawson, and Melissa Dobson for all of their important contributions to this blog, and for helping me shape the future of LENNDEVOURS.

To my patient, loving wife Nena -- thank you for always pushing me to follow my passion for wine and writing.

And to the members of the New York wine industry -- this wouldn't be possible without the great wines that you're crafting right in my own backyard. So thank you too.

I guess what I'm saying is that this isn't an award just for me. It's one for anyone who has read, written for or been written about in these pages. That community of folks is really what blogging is about after all, isn't it? Without all of those people, it's just boring mainstream media.

The rest of the winners haven't been posted yet, but keep an eye out for them over at Fermentation.

That didn't take long. Not even a week, in fact. The white wine that I bottled last weekend at Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard not only has a name, it also has a label, which you can see by looking just a few inches to your right.

By the way, if you don't know what 'Sonis Cellars is, you can learn about it in a previous post.

Back to the label, this is truly a family affair. The watercolor that adorns the label was painted by our little Picasso, Jackson sometime in the fall. When Nena brought it home with her from his school, I liked it enough that she framed it for me for Christmas. Fatherly pride? You've got that right.

I wanted to use it for a wine label too, but wasn't sure what to call the wine. Then Nena, the LENNDEVOURS resident muse, came through with a simple but terrific name: Watercolor White.

I still have four different red wines from the 2007 vintage sitting in my cellar, unlabeled and unnamed, but that can wait. I don't really want to start drinking those for at least another six-to-twelve months. You can bet that Jackson and Nena will be involved in the naming and artwork, however. They are my inspiration is most everything that I do.

I truly hate mucking up my blog with posts like this one, so I'll keep it short. Today is the last day of voting for the 2009 American Wine Blog Awards.

So please go vote for LENNDEVOURS and your other favorite wine blogs. Wouldn't it be great to see a non-pro from the East Coast win a couple of these things? I think it would.

Vote today!

It seems that just about everyone interested in Long Island wine knows Castello di Borghese, located on Route 48 in Cutchogue. You see, before the property was bought by Marco Borghese (an Italian prince) it was Hargrave Vineyard, where Alex and Louisa Hargrave founded the Long Island wine world back in 1973.

If you're visiting Long Island wine country, you really should stop by Borghese to get a taste of that history. Focus on the pinot noir and cabernet franc when you're there.

This Castello di Borghese 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Estate ($20) is a pale straw-yellow in the glass and while a little timid on the nose, offers candied lemon peel, honeyed citrus, jalapeno pepper and herbs aromas.

The medium-to-full bodied palate it citrusy, with more of that honey-fruity character up front with a field filled with herbs and jalapeno as well. The mid-palate is lush and fills the mouth with just barely enough acidity. The finish, which lingers nicely, is dry and features a lemon pith note.

Producer: Castello di Borghese
AVA: North Fork of Long ISland
ABV: 12.5%
Price: $20
Rating:  (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)

(Ratings Guide)

Roman Roth, winemaker at Wolffer Estate (along with Roanoke Vineyards and his own label, Grapes of Roth) makes some of my favorite Long Island chardonnay. His Wolffer Estate 2003 Estate Selection is one of my all-time favorites.

Though a bit less refined than the stellar 2003 bottling, the current release -- Wolffer Estate’s 2005 Estate Selection Chardonnay ($29) is still a fine example of barrel fermented chardonnay.

Extremely toasty on the nose, oak and vanilla scents dominate with juicy-ripe pear aromas peeking through.

Medium-to-full bodied with extremely lively acidity, the palate shows rich peach and pear fruit character with butterscotch, vanilla and oak. The finish is long, tongue-tingly with maybe a bit too much acidity (only 25% ML) and finishes on a citrusy note.

There was a lot of flabby chardonnay made in the unusually hot 2005 vintage. This isn't one of them. Still, I think this wine’s best days might be ahead of it. The acidity will integrate better and the flavors will even out a bit.

Producer: Wolffer Estate
AVA: The Hamptons, Long Island
ABV: 13.3%
Price: $29
Rating:  (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)

(Ratings Guide)

Two weeks ago, when Nena and I were in the Finger Lakes region to take part in the PALATE 2009 festivities, I wanted to keep our visits to tasting rooms casual and mostly as 'civilians' so we could taste at our leisure like we did years ago before LENNDEVOURS became what it is today.

There was one exception, however -- our visit to Anthony Road Wine Company the morning of our arrival. 

I don't remember when I first learned about Anthony Road, but assistant winemaker, Peter Becraft, used to live in Brooklyn and work at Greene Grape (the shop I partner with on the New York Cork Club) so there was a connection there. I also know that I've tasted winemaker Johannes Reinhardt's rieslings before and enjoyed them without exception. Anyway, I got in touch with Peter and set an appointment for us to meet in person and taste.

I'm glad that I did. The wines we tasted were terrific, but the real pleasure was meeting and talking with Peter (left) and Johannes (right). There is a certain realness, a down-to-earthness about people in the Finger Lakes that is palpable and infectious. Everyone is so passionate about what they are doing and they want nothing more than to share that passion with you. The folks at Anthony Road epitomize that attitude. These are real people with real passion doing real work.

We also met John and Ann Martini, who welcomed us with open arms and told us a bit about the history of the property, how the sub-zero temperatures affected their vineyard and about John's weekly trek to New York City to sell wine at the green market. The Martinis planted the first vines on the site in 1973. The vignoles vines planted way back then are still viable and have attained "honorary vinifera" status as Peter put it.

For more than 20 years, the grapes they grew were sold to wineries throughout the Finger Lakes and New York, but with the 1989 vintage, they decided to produce their own wines. In 2000, Johannes, a native of Franconia, Germany, joined Anthony Road as its new winemaker.

His winemaking philosophy comes through clearly in his wines. He makes his wines based on what Mother Nature gives him in the vineyard (a cliche, but true in this case) and there is a consistent minerally-citrusy freshness to his whites that we really enjoyed. He also only uses Finger Lakes fruit in his winemaking, something that seems obvious but can not be assumed in the region.

Johannes is also refreshingly honest and straight forward. That is no more apparent then when we talked about cabernet franc, one of my favorite grapes. He has clear lukewarm (or colder) feelings towards it, disliking the "dusty" aromas and flavors it can have in the Finger Lakes. Instead, he prefers to use it for rose or blend it with Lemberger -- a unique blend Anthony Road pioneered on Seneca Lake that has been since been adopted by a handful of local wineries. Johannes dislikes cab franc so much that he wants to reduce the percentage of it in this blend down to around 50% going forward.

He's also upfront about vineyard management in the region, saying that they unfortunately many growers "grow all grapes the same way."

We didn't taste the entire portfolio during our visit, skipping the "Tony's" line of entry-level blends with 3+% residual sugar. But we did taste much of the rest of the Anthony Road line.

Some quick notes straight from my notebook:

Devonian White ($10):  Non-vintage blend of Cayuga, chardonnay and pinot gris. Crisp and citrusy with light minerality. Great, bright acidity and a long, dry finish. Great value.

2007 Chardonnay No-Oak ($13): Lemony with an almost-nutty not. Clean and balanced. A little austere.

2007 Dry Riesling ($16): .6% RS. Faint pencil eraser on the nose with ripe, juicy lime and peach. Vibrant and alive on the palate. Peach, citrus and pineapple? Very very good. 

2007 Semi-Dry Riesling ($15): 1.9% RS. Overtly fruity and peachy. Plump, fruity, sweet mid-palate. Citrusy acidity slices through it. Well balanced. Nena's favorite.

2007 Martini-Riendhardt Selection Riesling ($22): 2.1% RS. Beautiful floral, lime and pear aromas and flavors. Amazing balance. Tastes less sweet than RS would indicate. Super-long finish. My favorite.

2007 Rose of Cabernet Franc ($13): .6% RS. 94% cabernet franc. 6% Lemberger. Simple strawberry. Hints of something smoky.

2006 Cabernet Franc-Lemberger ($18): Blackberry and smoke. A little green/underripe. Decent mid-palate. Green, thin finish.

We also tasted some spectacular 2008 late harvest wines from the tank, but I think they are deserving of their own post. Stay tuned.

For now, get your hands on the rieslings and the Devonian White, a wine that would be a terrific house white for the summer.

Freedom Run Winery is a winery in Lockport, NY that you have no-doubt heard of if you're a long-time reader of this blog. Our man on the ground in the Niagara Escarpment has written about them a few times and has even helped out at harvest, in the winery and in the tasting room there.

I, on the other hand, know much less about them. But, as we expand our reach to encompass all of the wines being made in New York, it's important that we include a region that shows such great promise. Maybe we'll even be able to convince Bryan to write more. Maybe?

Anyway, this Freedom Run Winery 2005 Chardonnay ($15) is labeled under the New York State AVA because it is made with fruit sourced from the Chautaqua Lake area in the Lake Erie AVA. As you've read before on this blog, the Escarpment is such a young region that many producers are still waitng for their vines to mature enough to make wine with estate-grown fruit.

The medium golden color of this wine tells you right away that it has spent some time in oak and the nose backs that up with aromas of roasted pear and apple, butter and vanilla.

This medium-bodied wine has nice spice flavors -- think baking spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. There is some of that pear-apple character, but not quite enough to stand up to the significant barrel-born flavors of vanilla, oak and buttered corn. The finish is medium-long and dry, with a light tingle of acidity, but also a raw oak note that was a bit off-putting.

Lovers of barrel chardonnay could do far worse because of this wine's acidity and delicious spice component, but it also shows many of the characteristics that card-carrying members of Anything But Chardonnay dislike so much.

Producer: Freedom Run Winery
AVA: New York
Price: $15
ABV: 12.4%
Rating:    (2 out of 5 | Average)

(Ratings Guide)

The last in the short series of videos I have from my PALATE 2009 Comparative Tasting at Atwater Estate Vineyards, co-hosted by winemaker Vinny Aliperti.

In this one, Vinny and assistant winemaker Justin Boyette pour two tank samples of 2008 dry riesling, talk a bit a out the sourcing and also the growing season.

Just a quick reminder that this blog is a finalist in two categories in the American Wine Blog Awards:"Best Single-Subject Wine Blog" and "Best Overall Wine Blog."

So, if you enjoy what read here on LENNDEVOURS, I'd encourage you to vote for us. Voting ends at the end of the day on March 4. And it appears that you can vote more than once (not sure if that's intended or not)

Vote today.

It's that time of year again in the wine blogosphere. Yes, the American Wine Blog Awards are back and this year I'm honored to learn that LENNDEVOURS has been named a finalist in 2 of the 7 categories, "Best Single-Subject Wine Blog" and "Best Overall Wine Blog."

Some of my favorite blogs have also made the final round, so congratulations to those bloggers as well.

As I said, it's an honor just to be nominated (not that I'd mind winning mind you) not only because it is great to be recognized by peers and wine blog readers, but also because it truly shows the power that wine blogs can have. To have a wine blog that focuses on New York wines be named a double finalist really shows how blogs can help level the playing field for lesser-known regions.

Personally, I'm proud that a blogger like me -- someone not from California (the enter of the U.S. wine world) and someone with a day job outside of the wine world -- has apparently earned a place alongside people who write about for a living. That's the power of blogs afterall, isn't it? Citizen journalism and all that.

I would also be remiss if I didn't give much of the credit for this blog's success to Nena, who has supported me and pushed me to post more and better throughout the years. And, in the last year or so, I've been able to bring several great writers on board to help bring new voices and perspectives to the blog.

So, if you enjoy what read here on LENNDEVOURS, I'd encourage you to vote for us. Voting ends  at the end of the day on March 4.

Vote today.

Saturday morning, 19 cases of 'Sonis Cellars 2008 white wine were bottled by yours truly and a small band of futures buyers. And by "futures buyers" I mean friends a family who went in on the batch with me. Fact is, I only came home with 3 cases to keep for myself.

The final blend is 60% viognier and 40% chardonnay, without a trace of oak or malolactic fermentation.

Right now, it's very citrusy with grapefruits and lemons the predominant aromas and flavors right now with some citrus zest there too. It's light, fresh and pretty tasty.

The labels remain un-labeled in the cellar because I haven't even come up with a name for this wine yet.  That's one of my goals for the week though.

When I sit down to one of the Sunday morning wine tastings I conduct here on our dining room table, I never quite know what I’m going to get. I taste wine from every corner of New York State and, frankly, sometimes it can be an extreme sport. There is a lot of bad wine being made in New York, people. There. I said it.

That’s one reason I appreciate Wolffer Estate so much. 99% of the time, I know what I’m going to get — elegance, balance and quality.

This Wolfer Estate 2006 Reserve Merlot ($20) is a fine example of that. And, it's a decent value in $20 local merlot from a cool vintage.

Medium-dark garnet in the glass, this red is 100% merlot and smells of of black cherries, thyme, oregano, dried leaves, subtle hints of flowers and sweet oak.

Lighter and elegant in style (lovers of California merlot may not even recognize this as merlot), the palate shows floral flavors with sweet cherries, more of those herbs and spice. Fine-grained tannins and acidity make this a nice "food wine" and I don't mean that in a bad way.

A wet stone note on the medium-length finish is also interesting too.

Producer: Wolffer Estate
AVA: The Hamptons, Long Island
ABV: 13%
Price: $20
Rating: (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good) 

(Ratings Guide)

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent

The eternal debate among those who follow Finger Lakes wines, and even among those who don't, is whether the red wines can hold their own. Critics point to numerous examples of flat, unripe wines and castigate the entire category, virtually ignoring any promise shown by a handful of outliers. Proponents of Finger Lakes reds cite improving quality and, in their promotion of cool-climate potential, take advantage of the growing sentiment among wine enthusiasts that many California and Australian reds are too ripe, too alcoholic, and just plain overpowering.

Whether or not Finger Lakes reds have yet to arrive as a clear alternative, cabernet franc is widely considered to be the variety that shows the best quality and consistency of the Vitis vinifera reds grown in the region. When I was asked recently to host a tasting for the PALATE 2009 event, it occurred to me that by focusing on what may be the region's best red grape, I could draw attention to the main variable -- vintage -- and perhaps draw some general conclusions.

 On Sunday, February 22, I, with a group of tasters descended, upon Glenora on Seneca Lake, guided through technical matters by Fox Run Vineyards winemaker Peter Bell and his assistant winemaker Tricia Renshaw. Our goal was to taste a flight of cabernet franc from six different wineries, tasting an '05, an '06, and an '07 from each.

The reason I selected those vintages is simple: 2005 was warm and hospitable, an ideal vintage overall; 2006 was cool and damp, good for riesling but leaving many other varieties with issues; and 2007 was hot and dry, and by hot and dry I mean darn hot and dry, a vintage made for reds in a way the Finger Lakes rarely sees.

The group tried wines from Damiani Wine Cellars, Fox Run, Glenora, Lamoreaux Landing, Ravines Wine Cellars, and Red Newt Cellars. During the three-hour event, I implored the group to share their impressions while Peter and Tricia graciously answered questions about varietals, vintages, closures, winemaking, and all kinds of general topics.

To cycle through every aspect we approached in the tasting of these 17 wines (Red Newt did not produce a 2006 cabernet franc) would require a very long post. Since the point of this exercise was to consider vintage and winemaking choices, I am not going to highlight what were, in my opinion, the best wines, although I can say with confidence that the majority of the wines were good to very good.

So, what did the group find?

First of all, the 2005 vintage was very kind to cabernet franc, allowing winemakers to flesh out a wide variety of flavors. Undoubtedly, the extra time in bottle showed itself with these wines as well. The 2006 wines were weaker across-the-board, although most of the winemakers purposely made a leaner, subtle wine that did not hit you over head but held its own in terms of balance and drinkability. The 2007s were extremely aromatic, with bright fruit, and showed a great deal of potential despite their youth. The youth of these wines and the variance in styles (Fox Run and Lamoreaux both made a Loire-style stainless steel version for '07) left more questions and answers at this point.

By all accounts, the 2006 vintage was the type of cool year that should outright ruin a Finger Lakes red and buoy the argument that the region is a risky place to produce such wines. This tasting certainly doesn't prove anything about long-term potential, but I believe it did demonstrate that good winemaking decisions can "save" a cool vintage. Sure, anyone would rather have an 2005 cabernet franc than its companion 2006, but in tasting both side-by-side, the 2006s held their own quite well. If made well, these wines can exhibit enough flavor and certainly enough balance to be enjoyed, especially with food.

Cool vintages will happen in the Finger Lakes, and those years will provide challenges in making good reds. Since consistency from vintage to vintage is important in assessing the overall potential of the region, cool years must be judged on how much they depart from the ideal vintages. This tasting demonstrated, to me at least, that good winemaking can allay some of the negative effects of cool vintage, allowing for a better profile of a particular winery's cabernet francs over a multi-vintage period.

Last Tuesday, as a part of PALATE 2009, Nena and I attended a wine and cheese seminar led by Shannon Brock from the New York Wine & Culinary Center. Shannon is someone that I've known in the virtual world for some time now, so it was a great pleasure to finally meet her in person. In it's-a-small-world style, Shannon is also the niece of good friend of my in-law's.

The seminar started with a little less on tasting wine -- you know, all the S's etc. It was actually very similar to a class Shannon teaches at the Center, the main difference being the wine and cheese selections. Typically she'll include wines and cheeses from throughout the state, but for PALATE, the three wines and the three cheeses were all Finger Lakes born.

The cheeses, seen here (from 10 o'clock and moving clockwise) were Red Buddy from Muranda Cheese House, Red Meck from Finger Lakes Farmstead Cheese and Cayuga Blue from Lively Run Goat Dairy.

Of the three, my favorite was probably the Red Buddy, which is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese that tastes mostly like Swiss cheese with a little cheddar character as well. But, all three cheeses were delicious.

The three wines that we tasted, first by themselves and then with the cheese, were Sheldrake Point Vineyards' 2006 Reserve Riesling, Red Newt Cellars 2005 Cabernet Franc and Arbor Hill Grapery 2007 Vergennes. Far and away, my favorite of the three was the Sheldrake riesling, a wine that I included in the New York Cork Club a few months ago and have several bottles of in my cellar.

Before I move on to the pairings themselves, let me tell you a bit about this Vergennes, which is actually a varietal wine made from the Vergennes grape, a vinifera-labrusca cross named for the town in Vermont with the same name, where it was originally found. Shannon included it because it's something different, but it apparently was very popular amongst the wine judges from California in last years New York Food & Wine Classic. What did I think? I didn't think much of it, honestly. There was some melony-grapey fruit there, but also an overwhelming detergent (as in Tide) character. Unique, yes. Good, no.

As part of the seminar, Shannon had us taste each cheese with each wine. Here are my notes.

Red Buddy with...

Red Meck with...

Cayuga Blue with...

The thing that makes these kinds of seminars/classes so interesting is just how different everyone's palate is. There were people who absolutely loved the Vergennes. There were people who thought the riesling (my default cheese wine by the way) was the best pairing for all three.

It just goes to show... you shouldn't trust anyone's palate but your own.