Finger Lakes, NY - TasteCamp East 2010, Day One.

Well, it has been little over a week since I left the Finger Lakes wine region, tired and palate-fatigued, yet brimming with excitement after meeting some great people and tasting some very well made wines. I have let my mind's dust settle and allowed the afterglow of a good time fade to a flicker. If I am to relate what I tasted with little impartiality, I feel I should get back to the normal rhythm of my life, such as it is. Not that this trip was an expense paid free-for-all booze fest. Contrary to that idea, every person on this trip paid their own way, and with the exception of a couple fellow participants, we all managed to stay sober.

The Finger Lakes, geologically speaking, were formed by glaciers, but I am partial to the Native American legend. The Creator looked with favor and blessed this land by pressing his hands into the earth creating the lakes. Some of these lakes, such as Seneca and Cayuga, are named after tribes in the Iroquois Nation and all but one lake were name by Native Americans. The hills and valleys I saw here were green and fertile; and while the lakes here can turn quite choppy, I had a mostly tranquil feeling throughout the weekend. I wish I could have stayed and explored longer.

 Day One: Keuka Lake

The first stop was Heron Hill Winery. The winery's architecture reminded me of something out of "The Village" from the British TV series "The Prisoner". Modern, with interconnected buildings, clean lines, a cupola and a columned structure, it was a work of art.  It was here I got my name tag and first met my fellow bloggers/tasters for the weekend. A very friendly and lively group, and all very eager to sample what this region had to offer.


There was a grand tasting and buffet lunch in Heron Hill's tasting hall. Wineries on Keuka Lake, and other lakes west of Seneca, were invited to bring their wines, or at least a sampling of them for us to try. The selection was varied, not only in varieties of grapes, but in styles and quality. I was quite pleased to find a few wines I liked very much and also quite disappointed in a few wines I found lacking. The majority fell somewhere in the middle; not bad but somewhat lacking focus or a quality that excited me. I didn't have the time to try all the wines at this tasting, but a few that stood out in a positive way: 2002 Heron Hill, Riesling, Ingles Vineyard; 2007 Heron Hill, Riesling, Ingles Vineyard; 2007 Arbor Hill, Traminette; 2009 Hunt Country, Riesling; 2009; Dr. Konstantin Frank, Semi-Dry Riesling; 2008 Dr. Konstantin Frank, Riesling, Bunch Select Harvest (TBA); 2009 Imagine Moore, Sauvignon Blanc. A smattering of wines that, for me, really missed the boat: 2009 Imagine Moore, Passion; 2008 Imagine Moore, Truth; 2007 Wilhelmus, Riesling; 2007 Wilhelmus, Cayuga; 2008 McGregor, Dry Gewurztraminer Reserve; 2008 McGregor, Rkatsitelli-Serekslya.

From here we all caravan-ed over to the other side of Keuka lake for a sit down tasting at Ravines Wine Cellars. We were greeted by Morten and Lisa Hallgren, owners of this more humble looking estate. I had actually met Lisa once before in Newton, MA at the wine shop where I work part-time. I had liked what she brought around then and I was looking forward to trying some of these wines again. I also was looking forward to trying their Cabernet Franc, which I had not managed to get a sample of  back home.

Here, Morten talked about the history of their winery and lamented, to some extent, about the backward perception in the New World of cold climate vs. warm climate wines. He explained that generally, in Europe, cool or cold climate regions are commonly considered to produce finer wines - more elegant and nuanced. Think of Piedmont in Italy or Burgundy, Alsace and Champagne in France. While warm or hot climate regions are generally considered  to produce everyday table wines - chunkier, denser, less elegant.. Think Puglia and Abruzzo in Italy or Languedoc and Southern Rhone in France. In the New World there is a big focus on warm climate wines with big fruit and alcohol. The leaner, more nuanced styles tend to get short shrift. Morten believes that based on the cool climate/fine wine assumption, the Finger Lake region should have the potential to become an important wine region with world class wines. It's a compelling argument, and one that I mostly agree with.

We tried three basic Rieslings here: the 2006, 2007 and 2008. All were bone dry, very precise and delicious. I found the nose on all three to have a similar underlying brightness of fresh cut limes, but beyond that they each displayed their own nuanced personalities. We also tried the 2008 Riesling, Argetsinger Vineyard which had more richness and intensity than the other three. It also made apparent, the good sense of Morten to bottle this vineyard on its own. We had the 2008 Pinot Noir Rose as well as the 2007 Pinot Noir; both solid, but each had a component that prevented me from liking them more. The last three wines we tried here were red wines made from Bordeaux varieties. The 2007 Cabernet Franc knocked me back with its intense aromas that almost had me convinced I was drinking a Chinon. A really beautiful translation of this grape and at $18.95 was one of my take home wines of the trip. The last two wines, a 2007 Meritage and a 2007 Merlot, while solidly made, just didn't do it for me.

We all finally got a breather and convoyed back to the hotel in Watkins Glen. I had not checked in yet and had no idea what to expect, but was mildly surprised to find the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel quite nice and staffed with very friendly people. The room was spacious and inviting, with a view overlooking Lake Seneca. I threw my gear on the floor and promptly took a hot shower. I thought I might have time to relax and/or study, but I realized that there were two shuttle buses anxiously waiting to take us to our next destination. I needed to get downstairs to the lobby if I was to enjoy the evening's event of a co-sponsored wine tasting and wine dinner.

The Bistro at Red Newt Cellars was a short bus trip from the hotel along/near the east coast of Seneca lake. We gathered on the deck and looking west it promised to be a good view for a sunset. I was thinking reclining deck chair and a cocktail at this point. Not to be; we had our work cut out for us before sitting down to dinner. Inside, at three tasting stations, we had the opportunity to taste through three horizontals of Riesling. Red Newt Cellars, Fox Run Vineyards, Anthony Road Wine Company and Tierce (which is a collaboration from all three) brought out their 2004, 2005 and 2006 Rieslings, each vintage at its own station. The wines that stood out for me here were: 2004 Red Newt; 2006 Tierce and the 2006Anthony Road which was so delicious, so mouth filling (it made me salivate), that I was devastated when told there was none for me to buy and take home (or just guzzle in my hotel room when no one was looking).

I should also note that it was on the deck before the Riesling tasting where I finally met Joe Roberts (1WineDude), who types a very well written and entertaining wine blog, and who proved to be a very nice guy in person; and despite all the chatter on Twitter and elsewhere, was much taller than I expected. I also got to meet and talk with Sue Guerra (NJ Monthly). The three of us talked WSET and it got me thinking how I really ought to be studying for my final in four days.

Dinner was served family style with everyone passing platters of beautifully prepared food. As I have the advantage of hindsight, I can safely say, this was the best meal I had all weekend! Kudos to chef Debra Whiting! Before dinner and at various points during, our hosts talked a bit about their wines, their philosophies, and whatever moved them. David Whiting, owner/winemaker at Red Newt, mostly played host and seemed very friendly and down to earth. Peter Bell, winemaker at Fox Run, was a more severe character and delighted in talking about the technical aspects regarding their endeavors. I believe it was he who emphasized the trio's mission to eliminate Brettanomyces (Brett) from their wines and wineries. A little sad for me; I like a little Brett in some of my wines. Johannes Reinhardt, winemaker at Anthony Road, was the more emotional speaker and on at least one occasion had the majority of the group quite moved by his intensity and obvious passion for his craft.

With the main dinner we were served various reds from all three wineries. At one point, as my ADD kicked in and I helplessly scanned the table I was seated at, I tried to locate the "Red Tears" wine our host was talking about, only to realize he was talking about the red "Tierce". The 2007 Tierce Red is a blend of Lemberger, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah and was one of the wines that stood out for me. My favorite red of the evening, however, was the 2007 Anthony Road, Cabernet Franc/Lemberger blend, which showed beautiful balance, with a smoky, wild red fruit character. Another Anthony Road offering, a Trockenbeerenauslese style Riesling served after dinner, also impressed. The 2007 Red Newt Syrah, while a good effort, failed to convince me that Syrah should be taking up vineyard space in the Finger Lakes. I tried a few different Syrahs from the area over the weekend, and felt the same way about all of them; I just don't think that this is a good grape for this climate.

After dinner chats and a short bus trip back to the hotel, I was welcomed by the turned down sheets of a spacious bed. Closing my eyes and taking in the day's events, I only slightly dreaded the 8 am start time of the next day's lineup, before drifting off to slumberland.


The Finger Lakes from space (Slumberland?).