Finger Lakes News & Notes

Greetings!!! I am currently involved with a number of very interesting writing, music, and wine-related projects right now, so my blogging has been severely limited. But I will post as time permits.

-I will be performing at the Naples Grape Fest this Saturday from 10am to Noon at Artizanns. Stop by and say hello.

- A new round of Finger Lakes Riesling ratings is out from James Molesworth of Wine Spectator magazine:

RAVINES Riesling Finger Lakes Dry Argetsinger Vineyard 2007 Score: 89 $25Focused and pure, with tangy fennel, anise and apple notes allied to a bright, pure frame. Nice drive on the finish. Drink now through 2009. 150 cases made. —J.M.
ANTHONY ROAD Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2007 Score: 88 $15Plump up front, with fennel and anise hints, before the dry edge emerges on the bright, minerally finish. Very solid. Drink now through 2009. 700 cases made. —J.M.
ANTHONY ROAD Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2007 Score: 88 $16Broad and forward, with quince, dried pineapple and green almond notes followed by a rich, creamy finish. Drink now. 750 cases made. —J.M.
ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2007 Score: 88 $18Fresh and nicely defined, with a mouthwatering edge driving the apple, fennel seed and lime notes through the lengthy finish. Drink now through 2009. 500 cases made. —J.M.
DR. KONSTANTIN FRANK Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2007 Score: 88 $17Quite taut, despite a marzipan edge running through the tangy green apple and lime notes, which linger on the petrol-tinged finish. Has some mature hints already, but it's fresh and long, and should age nicely. Drink now through 2009. 4,500 cases made. —J.M.
STANDING STONE Riesling Finger Lakes 2007 Score: 88 $14Ripe and juicy, with a solid core of anise, melon and fig flavors backed by a nice mouthwatering MacIntosh apple note on the finish. Drink now through 2009. 1,124 cases made. —J.M.
BELHURST ESTATE Riesling Seneca Lake Semi-Dry 2007 Score: 87 $18Tangy for an off-dry style, with lively quince and lime notes leading the way for apple and pear hints on the juicy finish. Quite tasty. Drink now. 200 cases made. —J.M.
KING FERRY Riesling Cayuga Lake Treleaven Dry 2007 Score: 87 $15Quite dry and bony, with a slate-driven spine leading the taut green apple and lime notes. Tangy, chalk-tinged finish. Drink now through 2009. 1,320 cases made. —J.M.
KNAPP Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2007 Score: 87 $15Nice purity, with a crisp lime edge backed by slate and green apple notes that linger on the chiseled finish. Drink now. 307 cases made. —J.M.
LAKEWOOD Riesling Finger Lakes 2007 Score: 87 $13Quite crunchy, with a tangy lime streak running through the Pippen apple and green almond notes. Lively finish. Drink now through 2009. 800 cases made. —J.M.
SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes 2007 Score: 87 $16Good focus, with a nice slatey edge to the apple and fig flavors. Good drive on the finish too. Drink now through 2009. 743 cases made. —J.M.
SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2007 Score: 87 $16Juicy and open, with quince, pippen apple and braised fennel notes that stay fresh on the finish. Drink now. 987 cases made. —J.M.
FOX RUN Riesling Finger Lakes 2007 Score: 86 $14Fresh, with a bracing edge to the lime, green apple and chamomile hints. Good cut on the finish. Drink now. 2,500 cases made. —J.M.
DR. KONSTANTIN FRANK Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2007 Score: 86 $15Fresh, with off-dry apple, pear and quince notes followed by a round, generous finish. Drink now. 3,900 cases made. —J.M.
SWEDISH HILL Riesling Finger Lakes 2007 Score: 86 $15Plump and forward, with good apple, green melon and anise notes. Round, juicy finish. Drink now. 1,500 cases made. —J.M.

- Dave Whiting of Red Newt has joined the blogosphere with his blog at Wine Spectator online.

- Melissa Dobson interviews Fox Run's Scott Osborn in her new Finger Lakes Visionaries Series at her blog.

- Congratulations to Fox Run Vineyard for being chosen as one of the top 100 wineries in the world for 2008 by Wine & Spirits Magazine.

- Another new winery opens on Seneca Lake.

Finger Lakes Winery Report - Imagine Moore Winery - August 2008

IMAGINE MOORE WINERY (south Canandaigua Lake)
In his sophomore year, Tim Moore of Imagine Moore Winery in Naples NY at the south end of Canandaigua Lake, continues to deliver a fresh style of winemaking and a unique winery concept. Tim talks the talk and walks the walk when it comes to being environmentally friendly in his winery operations. From the growing of the grapes to the wine labels, Tim strives to “honor the earth” and make great wine as well. Here are my tasting notes:

> 2006 Peace, Pinot Gris, .4%RS, $16.99, one word keeps dominating my tasting notes again this year for Imagine Moore wines, and that word is “soft”, this one is soft with layers of apple and pear into hints of vanilla, very good depth of flavor here.

> 2006 Joy, Dry Riesling, .6%RS, $14.99, Fresh floral aromas- I need a cologne with this scent, Alsatian style, layers of rose petals and a soft spice/mineral character, a perfectly balanced dry Riesling, I’d like a bit more intensity of flavor but it’s got style.

>2007 Gratitude, a unique blend of Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Gris/Cayuga Cayuga, .9%RS, $9.99, soft lemongrass with nicely balanced acidity, Tim has got a talent for blending and it shows here.

> 2007 Love, Semi-dry Riesling, 1.5%RS, $14.99, This is the star of the show in my opinion, soft (again) and subtle ripe peach with undertones of candied lemon drops and a smooth lime finish, hard to believe it’s only 1.5%RS.
What can I say, I love the Love.

> 2007 Harmony, 75% Cayuga White/ 25% Traminette, 3.5%RS, $10.99, another great blend, Beautiful orange blossom and lightly perfumed soft floral aromas, Tim gets excellent aromatics out of his wines, layers of soft orange, tangerine, and lime, an excellent value.

> 2007 Grace, Cabernet Franc, 3%RS, $10.99, 2 days on the skins and 3 months in the barrel, lots of soft strawberry, There’s a few of these sweeter Finger Lakes Cab Francs around that I think are very nice, a nice summer value sipper.

Finger Lakes News & Notes - Sept. 5, 2008

Greetings!!! I must apologize for my lack of recent postings, but my gig as a writer for Mountain Home magazine has been taking up most of my free time. I'm having a great time meeting and interviewing a lot of interesting people. I just finished 3 articles for the October issue, so things should settle down a bit and I will be able to post more here. By the way, the September issue of Mountain Home is out and available free at many many locations in the Finger Lakes including most of the Finger Lakes wineries. My September article is on Dustin Dowdle at Bully Hill Winery and how "Laughter is the Best Marketing" at Bully Hill. Also, If you have any interesting Finger Lakes area story ideas, please let me know. You can fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page or email me at the email listed in the title box at the top of the page.
And, as happens every year, I am way way behind in posting my winery tasting reports. I have made it to about 60 Finger Lakes wineries so far this year.

- Upcoming gigs for the Finger Lakes Weekend Winos Acoustic Duo include:
Sept. 20 at Torrey Ridge Winery and Sept. 27 at the Naples Grape Festival (I'll be at Artizanns)

- See a complete Finger Lakes Calendar of Events for September here

- Attention all Wine Makers: Fulkerson Winery has announced their wine juice schedule and pricing, order your juice as soon as possible, they run out of some grape types quickly.

- Check out the upcoming Fall Events on the Cayuga Wine Trail, the Seneca Wine Trail, and the Keuka Wine Trail. Be sure to order your tickets early for the Fall & Holiday events as they normally sell out very quickly.

- It seems that the Fall Foliage season in the Finger Lakes may be coming early this year. Mrs. Wino and I noticed some leaves changing already within the last few weeks. See Fall Foliage Reports here (they will start updating soon).