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Heron Hill Winery 2007 Old Vines Riesling
Vintage variation is a fact of life in any cool-climate region, including the Finger Lakes. And now that I've tasted several vintages of Finger Lakes riesling, it never ceases to fascinate me how apparent those variations are in these wines. Riesling is a direct window into the vintage. I tasted this Heron Hill Winery 2007 Old Vines Riesling ($25) not long after tasting a set of 2008s from the region and the differences were almost jarring. This wine's nose still had significant citrus character, but it was overlaid with ripe, almost overripe, peach aromas with lemon balm and subtle petrol notes. Broad and dry but lacking a bit of focus, the palate filled the mouth with peach jam flavors with lemongrass and citrus zest on the mid-palate and a distinct slate note on the finish.
What We Drank (March 8, 2010)
Just like every other week, there's a great deal of diversity in what our editors and contributors are drinking. We're geeks. That's what we do.
Missing the New York State of Mind in South Africa
Part of it is the fact that I’ve been writing for a long time and I’m used to doing interviews and research solo. Furthermore, I genuinely enjoy going on adventures by myself. But I’ve also had some incredible experiences tasting alone: it’s often easier to get into a conversation with the winemaker, I can spend as much time as I want on each wine, and I’ve often been lucky enough to get goodies like barrel samples and personal tours.
Looking for Affordable Pinot Noir?
 The idea of affordable Pinot Noir is a guaranteed attention-grabber. Blame it on the movies, the delicacy of the grape, or its status as a fashionable tipple. No matter what you blame it on, there's one thing for sure: Pinot Noir is pricey.And, in my opinion, deservedly so. When Pinot Noir is well made, it is a joy to drink. It's juicy, fresh, and silky. It pairs beautifully with a wide variety of foods. And there is something elegant about the grapes that are made with this wine that always leaves me wanting more: more of it on my dinner table, more in my glass, more in my cellar. Many of the things I love best about Pinot Noir, however, can be hard to find in less expensive bottlings. Which is why these two selections are such finds--and both cost $20 or less.
If Your Wine is Organic, Don’t Tell Consumers
Apparently, organic wines taste better but consumers don't think they're worth as much money as conventionally produced wines. At least, that's a plausible interpretation of a study conducted by a UCLA professor and her graduate student that was recently published in Business and Society, the official journal of the International Association for Business and Society. Professor Magali Delmas and PhD candidate Laura E. Grant conducted an analysis of 13,426 wines from 1,495 California wineries for eight consecutive vintages from 1998 to 2005. The two tracked correlations between the scores of the wines, their prices, whether they were made from certified organically grown grapes, and whether the wineries broadcast their organic certification on the label. An overview of the study published last week in Science Daily suggests they found some very interesting results. Wines made with organic grapes during the time period they studied scored higher in the Wine Spectator by a point, on average, than wines made with conventional grapes. Whether this means, in fact, that organic wines taste better is open to some debate, but the statistics seem quite clear. |
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief
We've already covered Finger Lakes cabernet franc and sparkling wines, so this time around -- on Wendesday, March 31 -- we're going to be tasting five pinot noirs:
As you may have read yesterday, pinot noir is showing great potential in New York, so this should be an interesting tasting that will undoubtedly open up some eyes. And, it's that two of the winemakers so core to my story have wines in this lineup. Heron Hill's Kitty Oliver with her son Augustus By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief This edition of NYCR Q&A focuses on someone I consider a leader in social media promotion on the New York Wine world -- Kitty Oliver from Heron Hill Winery. Kitty joined the Winery in January 2009 after working in design, marketing and PR at one of the most esteemed architectural firms in Los Angeles as well as teaching graphic design at Finger Lakes Community College. Since joining Heron Hill, she has embraced social media as a way to get the word out about Heron Hill's wines and -- in my opinion anyway -- really "gets" it. She's a real person on Twitter, expertly mixing her real personality with her job promoting the winery.  Upcoming spring brunches--check.Celebration of first flowers blooming--check. Toasting friends who just got engaged/married--check. Toasting friends who just had new baby--check. Mother's Day--check. Graduation--check. See how many celebrations you have coming up in the next few months? That's why you need to know about this wine. It costs under $15 a bottle and is absolutely yummy. Buy it by the case, and you will have bubbles to see you through into June (provided you don't toast too many Tuesdays along the way...). The NV J. Laurens Crémant de Limoux Brut is one of the best sparklers--if not the best sparkler--I've ever had for under $15 and represents excellent QPR. Available in lots of markets for between $9 and $13, this wine from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France has a lovely, creamy taste. Abundant fresh citrus pith and brioche dough make a point-counterpoint of zest and richness in the flavors, with fruit notes of pear, apple, and lemon. A great feature of the wine are the tiny, frothy bubbles which make for a delicate impression. The wine is dry (brut), but it's a soft, gentle brut like spring itself. You can enjoy this wine with a wide range of foods and for this price, why wouldn't you?? I consume a lot of wine news. When I say a lot, I mean literally almost everything that's published for free on the Internet about wine "passes by my desk" courtesy of Google Alerts, Technorati, a massive collection of RSS feeds, and more. Increasingly I get the opportunity to see how wine stories develop and spread through the Web's news outlets, and it's quite amazing to watch. Recently I've been watching with fascination as the mainstream press does its usual unraveling of some recently released research results focused on wine drinking in women and weight gain. Specifically, I've been giggling at the complete lack of understanding we seem to have of the difference between correlation and causation, combined with the creative liberties of headline writing: Moderate Drinking 'Can Keep Women Slim': The Chosun Ilbo Glass of wine may keep women from gaining weight: New York Daily News 3 Pinot Noirs and 1 Merlot: The New York Cork Report 2009 Red Wines of the Year By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief
Is pinot noir the next great red for upstate New York? Given how difficult pinot noir is to work with in the vineyard -- especially in cool-climate regions like New York -- as well as in the cellar, it may seem a silly, easy-to-answer question. But the New York Cork Report Wines of the Year tasting back in January resulted in pinot noir winning three out of four regional flights. Merlot taking the Long Island flight wasn't a surprise, but I think we were all surprised that pinot noir won the other three. Where was cabernet franc, a grape that shows well consistently across all regions?
Many wineries have second labels -- wines that tend to be branded differently, employ less oak in their making and cost less -- but with its "Bridge Lane" line Lieb Family Cellars has done it better than most. The wines -- a chardonnay, merlot, cabernet franc and sparkling wine -- are consistently good and offer great value in a local market filled with over-priced wines. Cabernet franc is one of the newer additions to the line with this Lieb Family Cellars 2007 Bridge Lane Cabernet Franc ($18) representing only the second release. The first was a NV blend that I reviewed a few years ago and drank quite a bit of. This 2007 shows blackberry and cherry aromas with some toasty oak, vanilla and sweet herbs. On day two a subtle mushroomy note emerged, which was nice.
Cellar entrance at Clos Roche BlanceMareuil, Touraine (Loire) The rain outside left these droplets on my lens, making this picture of the underground gallery look even better with this beautiful spider-web effect. When I set a foot in the entrance...
I love the silence I share with myself and a glass of wine. Classical music roots are in the human voice. Instrumentalists often refer to their choices of technique in terms of emulating the voice. To see this importance recall that the jazz vocalists often emulate musical instruments. Is this a chicken and egg argument? Maybe. To me it is a very real difference.
© It'sGreg
One of the nice things about wine is the way it blends so well with the many different aspects of life. Sure, you can drink wine from crystal goblets while eating agneau à l'ail et romarin (a lamb dish with rosemary and garlic) off of fine Haviland porcelain. But you can also drink it while you watch March Madness on ESPN and eat chips and salsa...
I recently spent some time redoing the dining room of my home. It's a fine old ...
A couple bits of news from the world of New York wine this week: Hudson Valley
Finger Lakes |
2004 Bodega Asenjo & Manso Ribera del Duero Silvanus
2004 Bodega Asenjo & Manso Ribera del Duero Silvanus - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (2/13/2010) Posted from CellarTracker on GrapeStories.com
2007 Green & Red Vineyards Zinfandel Chiles Canyon
2007 Green & Red Vineyards Zinfandel Chiles Canyon - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/15/2010) Posted from CellarTracker on GrapeStories.com
Why haven’t I eaten here yet?
Now I'll never get in. At least if anyone pays attention to Gayot.com (the self-proclaimed "Guide to the Good Life") and MSN.com Bardessano (Yountville) makes list of 10 Best New Restaurants in the US. What is the best restaurant in your town?
Winemaker Cary Gott discusses racking the 2009 vintage wines
From Cary:
A newbie’s reflections on a week of Loire Valley wines
If you want to increase your odds of buying wines that you will enjoy, get to know your local retailer and let them get to know you. Once he knows your tastes and budget, he should be able to help you navigate your options. If not, find another retailer. I didn't know much about Loire Valley wines and had to go shopping to be able to participate in the tasting. On the recommendation of a staff member at Paul Marcus Wines (Oakland), I bought a Cab Franc (my 83 points), a "dry" Chenin Blanc (flawed), a Sauvignon Blanc (my 78 pts), and a sparkling wine -- a very generalized sampling of the wines of the Loire. I'd never shopped at Paul Marcus so as a result, the staffer, who wanted to be helpful, didn't know me and was just guessing on what I might like. Unfortunately, his guesses didn't pan out.
A Carménère and a Cab… both 07s
Similar quality, but I only paid 12 bucks for the Carménère retail and paid $50 for the Cab off a restaurant wine list. BYOB is my friend.
2007 Viña Ventisquero Carménère Root:1 [The Original Ungrafted] - Chile, Central Valley, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley (2/18/2010)
2007 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley (2/14/2010) Posted from CellarTracker on GrapeStories.com
2002 Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon
2002 Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (2/24/2010) Posted from CellarTracker
2008 Philippe Raimbault Sancerre ‘Apud Sariacum’
2008 Philippe Raimbault Sancerre "Apud Sariacum" - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre (2/22/2010) Posted from CellarTracker
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