Lake Effect

This is page 2 of our Finger Lakes Tasting Notes piece. View page 1.

While the selection of Finger Lakes wines in Pennsylvania has expanded, it remains limited when compared to other regions. Also, in some instances, I was unable to sample wines that are currently offered here at home. It’s also worth noting that some selections appear on PLCB shelves but are sold out at the wineries (Heart & Hands Pinot Noir 2010 comes to mind). I’ve attempted to provide a representative sampling below and, in each case, provide notes on additional wines that can be found on site in New York.

Heart & Hands Wine Company

Heart & Hands Pinot Noir 2010
Brick red in color, subtle aromas of fruit, earth, mushroom. Impressive acidity rises to meet the drinker and clings through to the finish. Light cream and red cherry flavors. Very good length, slightly hot but overall an impressive, well integrated food wine. Two-plus hour decant recommended. Cayuga, Skaneateles and Seneca vineyards contributed the fruit.

Heart & Hands Riesling 2011
Sly flavors of lime, tangerine, pear and apple, a touch of vanilla cream, slate and petrol. Semi-sweet with a drying, spicy finish. 12.2% alcohol, low level acidity. Grapes drawn from four vineyards on Seneca, Cayuga and Skaneateles.

Winery Tip
Try an estate Pinot. I was able to sip a barrel sample of the Estate Pinot Noir 2012. The final product will likely be drawn from various barrels of different clones, but this fruit bore an intense and explosive display. The TLC of the winemaking shows through. Made from estate-grown whole cluster grapes. Also, the Dry Riesling 2012 was a burst of activity in the glass. A short punch of ripe fruit up front that transitioned seamlessly to a drying finish – or as I wrote in my notes, “a mouthful of grapefruit, minerals.” On the sweeter side of dry but a very enjoyable pour.

Ravines Wine Cellars

Ravines Gewurztraminer 2012
From a spectacular vintage comes this classic floral and spice-charged Gewurz, a beautiful rush of full-on flavor that sustains. Balanced acidity, mineral, focus, ridiculously lengthy finish. Drawn from the Geneva vineyard where multiple acres are committed to the variety. “I knew that the Gewurztraminer here was one of the standouts. It really seems to like this limestone.” I’ll say.

Ravines Keuka Village White
A peachy, expressive gateway to the winery’s fairer output. The trademark acidity is found within but there’s also some petrol and a dry edge. Mouthwatering finish, floral elements. Not sweet (the acidity provides balance) but approachable as all get-up and, at $13, priced for an entry-level introduction. The 2010 is available in PA.

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Ravines Meritage 2010
From a robust, sunny vintage, this red blend is long on smoothness and finish. There’s some complexity bottled up here, with ripe and hearty fruit, earthiness and, at the same time, a mellowness resulting from the pliant tannins. The result of skilled hands – afield and in the barrel room. About 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot. Very limited quantity remains in-state, at a reduced sale price.

Ravines Riesling Dry 2012
With a petrol nose for starters, the wine wields sharp acid, mineral traits telltale to the site and as impressive a finish as you’ll find from the region. “I very much like for the Riesling to stay on the floral, mineral side of things,” said Hallgren.

Winery Tip
Tap into the collaboration between Hallgren and grower Sam Argetsinger with the Dry Riesling Argetsinger Vineyard 2010. Decidedly dry but it tempts with a suggestion of fruit and creaminess. Good, long finish.

Sheldrake Point Winery

Sheldrake Point Cabernet Franc 2010
Cherry nose. Subtle and clean, some light creaminess, spice and medium finish. Low-level tannins and lighter bodied. Enjoyable.

Sheldrake Point Gewurztraminer 2012
Very well balanced, with the requisite elements of spice and acidity, with a fresh and drier edge. Wonderful fruit, a testament to vineyard management. 13.4% ABV.

Sheldrake Point Luckystone 2011
A “proprietary” red blend of Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Gamay Noir, Merlot. Pretty, bright nose. Flavors are smooth and round with giving fruit and typical Cab Franc spice. Sparingly oaked, lighter bodied.

Sheldrake Point Pinot Gris 2012
Peaches on the nose, peaches on the palate. And rocks. Lovely character. Highly recommended.

Sheldrake Point Dry Rosé 2013
Gorgeous, light salmon color and fruit-filled nose. Feminine and light, this is a pretty wine that sips easily. Dry up front with a subtle rise of fruit as it finishes. Primarily white peach, grapefruit, melon and lemon. Slightly floral. All estate-grown Cabernet Franc. Assistant winemaker Tyler Tauck shared that the winery strives to make the dry Rosé with precisely 0.5% residual sugar. The 2013 finished “a smidge” dryer so they added about five gallons of estate Cabernet Franc ice wine to the mix to hit their mark. Tauck feels it added more body and richness. I’m here to say it didn’t hurt.

Sheldrake Point Riesling 2011
A wonderful expression of the region’s top grape. Balance, citrus, acidic finish, with hints of lush, medium-sweet fruit. A drying finish. Very, very nice. “We can do now what Alsace used to do,” Bob Madill said.

Winery Tip
First, one you’ll find on premise: The Reserve Riesling 2012. Lean, citric and sharp as a razor. Classic minerality. A FLX Riesling to display from on high. Next, a bottle you’ll need to work at: Sheldrake Point Pinot Noir BLK3 2010. Obviously made with extreme care, it’s a classic, European-leaning, food-friendly PN. It’s all here: Fruit, length, acidity, earth, aroma, color. Likely to age well. Snatch up a bottle if you can, because it’s exceptional wine courtesy of painstaking winemaking and vineyard management.

Silver Thread Vineyard

Silver Thread Dry Riesling 2011
Dry qualities with a notion of sweetness. Lovely color and nose, with a touch of petrol. Good body, medium finish. Focused, balanced and well made. Likely found nowhere else but Pennsylvania. 275 cases made.

Winery Tip
Because of their tiny production, Silver Thread wines go fast. Always reach for the Rieslings – it’s worth trying their vineyard-designated selections – and I was impressed by the expressive 2012 Gewurztraminer. The Good Earth White is also spicy and jammed with shiny fruit.

Standing Stone Vineyards

Standing Stone Riesling 2012
Clean and stony, it’s ready to drink and shows very good focus. Lemony-citrus, maybe a touch of pear right from the bottle. On the drier side with a long finish. Stelvin screw top – a first for SS. Available by SLO, minimum order quantity of six. Product code 533990.

Standing Stone Vidal Ice 2011
Laser-focused, intensely sharp and flavorful. An aromatic dessert wine that’s one of the region’s best. Grapes are harvested late, when they’re chock full of sugar, then frozen off the vine. Consistently dynamite and well worth the moderate $21 tariff. Special order only, minimum order quantity of six. Product code 533991.

Winery Tip
The Macinskis are believers in the red grape Saperavi, a native of Georgia that was likely first introduced in New York by Dr. Konstantin Frank. Standing Stone bottled the variety in their Dark Red 2010, now sold out. It was hearty and mysterious yet supple – a lovely, complex effort. “This variety will become the red of the Finger Lakes,” said Marti Macinski, noting it’s as hardy and cold tolerant as Riesling. The winery produced 250 cases of Saperavi 2012, which they expect to release late this fall. Watch for it.