WINE
Checking in on Seneca
By Mark Criden


I had two phenomenal wine tastings last summer during my tour of Seneca Lake. One was even on Seneca Lake.

Last year was difficult for the Spree wine desk, but there were upsides, including a new romance which blossomed on shores of Seneca, where I returned for the first time since 2004 to explore New York’s most exciting wine region. Terrific wines are produced up and down Seneca (from Fox Run, Anthony Road, and Wiemer among others), but the hot spot is the southeast corner, the so-called Banana Belt where New York’s wine promise is realized. There sits Lamoreaux Landing, New York’s greatest winery, whose only real competitor is Cayuga’s Sheldrake Point.

Thanks to global warming, the Finger Lakes is producing better reds than ever, but the area is still essentially white and dessert wine country. Some talented winemakers may be crafting very good reds, but many still turn out hard, hollow, and under-ripe juice that will rake the enamel off your teeth. I may have softened my skepticism, but I’m not yet ready to chant from the Finger Lakes Red Wine Torah.

Head northeast from Watkins Glen and the first great estate you’ll hit is the impressive Atwater Estate, where we tasted with head winemaker Vinny Aliperti. Using quality estate-grown fruit from vineyards dating back to the early 1900s, Atwater is committed to sustainable viticulture practices to obtain healthier vineyards, increase the quality of our wines, and ultimately create a safer environment. Aliperti showed a fabulous range of whites, including a refreshingly grapefruity 2007 Pinot Gris ($16); a delicious, peachy 2007 Dry Riesling ($18); and a juicy 2007 Vidal Blanc ($12). The reds were universally hard and tannic, but the excellent 2005 Meritage ($28), softened with Merlot, stood out with its deep cherry and berry aromas and flavors.  For dessert, as good as the 2006 Late Harvest Vignoles ($18) was, Atwater also produced a fantastic, tangerine-scented, succulent, sensual Celsius Chardonnay Icewine, a tremendous value at $29. (The talented Aliperti, by the way, also runs his own family operation up the lake called Billsboro, open all of twelve months. Here, the best wines were an excellent 2007 Riesling, bursting with lime, apricot, and honey ($16); a very good 2007 Pinot Gris ($16); a fine, appley 2007 Chardonnay, a great value at $12; and the delicious Apres Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, a steal at $29.

We had to stop twice at Hazlitt 1852 because passengers from a bus the size of the Queen Mary had disembarked moments before. If there’s a hootchie winery in the Finger Lakes, it’s Hazlitt, where every day is Friday and every hour is Happy. I was pretty happy there, too, given the quality juice being produced, like the delicious, citrusy 2007 Homestead Reserve Riesling ($18); the value-packed 2007 Pinot Gris ($14); a very good 2007 Gewurztraminer ($11); and an astonishing 2006 Syrah ($19). The latter wine, bordering on excellence, was all the more remarkable given its rain-soaked vintage.

 It was hard to know whether I preferred the winery or the bistro at Red Newt Cellars since both were excellent. Although owner David Whiting owns no vineyards, his winemaking talent is prodigious. It was hard to know how to pick the best of his whites, since they’re all so well-made. For starters, there’s Red Newt White, a $10 lovely simple summer picnic wine designed for uncritical quaffing, and the $12.50 Salamander White, a dry blend of Chardonnay, Seyval, and Vidal. Crisp and lively, it’s lemon meringue pie in a glass. The 2007 Semi-Dry Riesling was a delicious bargain at $13.50, brimming with apricot and lime. 2006 was a tough year in the region, but a dynamic Sauvignon Blanc ($19.50) and rich, aromatic Gewurztraminer ($18.50) are testaments to how a talented winemaker handles a natural curve ball. I wasn’t crazy about his 2006 Tierce, a blend of Riesling from three Seneca vineyards that smelled like Lemon Pledge and was pricey at $30, but did like his 2006 Reserve Riesling, a very good wine for $23.50.

More than almost anyone else in the Finger Lakes, Whiting shows a very sure hand with reds, especially Cabernet Franc. His sumptuous 2005 was the most delicious example I’ve ever had from the Finger Lakes, crammed with cranberry and raspberry aromas with overtones of smoke and spice. This elegant red, complex and very sophisticated, is a triumph and a screaming deal for $19.50. I also tasted his flagship red blend, the 2005 Viridescens ($45.50), which has years of life ahead of it.

But the best was yet to come. Mark Wagner founded Lamoreaux Landing and has produced award-winning wines with his own grapes since 1990. His beautiful Greek Revival building, his sound environmental management practices, and his pristine cellars all bespeak his commitment to quality. Last time around, I was nonplussed by his offerings, but this time, Wagner’s wines were the pick of the litter. Where to start? His 2006 Dry Riesling ($11.99) was rich, round, and exceedingly well-balanced; the 2007 version ($12.99) was peachier and more opulent. A 2006 Chardonnay ($12.99) was a bright, minerally dead-ringer for a white from the Maconnais, bested only by the 2006 Chardonnay Reserve ($19.99), a tremendous wine: rich, satisfying, and creamy. The 2006 Gewurztraminer ($14.99) was lovely, at once bold and elegant, beautiful and exotic. The beautifully balanced 2007 Semi-Dry Riesling ($12.99) exploded from the glass with flavors of citrus, red apple, and melon.

It’s almost sad not to devote an entire article to the wonders of his 2005 Pinot Noir ($19.99), the best of its kind I have ever tasted from the Finger Lakes, but then there’d be little room to extol the virtues of the lovely 2007 T23 Cabernet Franc ($14.99), the “nothing off-vintage about this” 2006 Cabernet Franc ($15.99) with its long sweet finish, or the chocolaty, plummy 2006 Merlot, a great bargain at $16.99.

And to end, there must be dessert. Lamoreaux Landing offers a delicious 2007 Vidal Ice Wine ($23.99), bursting with pineapple, honey, and citrus and a fabulous, rich and luscious 2006 Riesling Ice Wine ($36).

Seneca Lake has come of age. Burn more fossil fuels and we’ll soon be tasting even Mo’ Better Reds.
Eating in the Finger Lakes

In the Finger Lakes, I used to think Dano’s Heuriger in Lodi (www.danosonseneca.com) had a lock on fine dining, but we had a terrific dinner at the Stonecat Café in Hector (www.stonecatcafe.com), and a wonderful lunch at the Simply Red Bistro at Sheldrake Point Vineyards (www.simplyredbistro.com). For the top vittles, though, head to Red Newt Bistro in Hector (rednewt.com), where chef Debra Whiting turns out terrific food year-round.
Echoes of the Glen B&B

The best way to spend time in the Finger Lakes is to book a room at one of the numerous B&B’s, and Echoes of the Glen is one of the most convenient. This lovely establishment, located a block from Watkins Glen State Park, is less than a mile from Route 414, home to our featured wineries. Not only are the rooms well decorated and comfortable, the homemade breakfasts of freshly ground coffee, teas, hot cocoa, homemade kuchens, muffins, juice, fruit, and a different hot entrée each morning are delicious. Bob and Tom Merrill are the innkeepers. Call 607-535-2896 for reservations.
Cabernet Sauvignion vines at Damiani Wine Cellars
Other Wines from the Banana Belt

A new winery north of Watkins Glen is Damiani Wine Cellars, owned and run by two Seneca Lake native sons whose fourteen acres are turning out 2,500 cases annually. Their smoky 2006 Merlot ($20) was very nice and their Vino Rosso was a nicely balanced, plump, earthy burger wine, a deal at $11. Best among the whites was the crisp 2007 Sauvignon Blanc ($17) and the sweet, simple, fun Dolce Bianco ($9.50).

Last time out, I was wildly enthusiastic about the wines from Shalestone Vineyards, run by New Age winemakers Rob and Kate Thomas. This time, the wines disappointed. Perhaps the lack of enthusiasm of the tasting room manager was contagious.
Sheldrake Point

I first extolled the virtues of Cayuga Lake’s great Sheldrake Point Winery two years ago, and the operation has only gotten stronger. (See the November 2006 Spree for details) First-class wine people run this operation; we tasted with winegrower Bob Madill.

All the whites are skillfully made. The 2007 Waterfall Chardonnay ($12) is a great bargain, full of apples and finesse, and the 2007 Pinot Gris ($14) was equally delicious, crafted in a very dry, Alsatian style. The 2007 Gewurtraminer ($17.50) was a standout, with a dazzling array of flavors, including gingerbread, rose petal, and lychees.

Rieslings are first-rate, including the lean, minerally 2006 Dry Riesling or its richer, more opulent younger brother from 2007, both $15. The same vintage variation can be seen in the Semi-Dry Rieslings, whether the trim, crisp 2006 or the excellent, richly fruity 2007. The real standout is the fabulous 2006 Reserve Riesling ($24), all lemon-lime and apricots in a beautifully crafted, world-class wine.

My Finger Lakes red wine skepticism was sorely tested here, where’s there’s a surprising degree of success. The 2007 Gamay ($$TBD) was tightly wound but otherwise fantastic, juicy like a great Beaujolais Villages, with a long persistent finish. What a success! The 2006 Barrel Reserve Merlot ($24) was very good, tannic, dry, but a thoroughly convincing wine loaded with fruit.

Sheldrake Point really shines at dessert wines. The Ice Apple Splash ($16) was rich and full, a dessert cider as good as any I’ve had. The 2006 Bunch Select Riesling ($20) was lovely and elegant, honeyed and rich, a stupendous bargain.

The 2007 Riesling Ice Wine ($65) was silky and racy, elegant and complex. Not the biggest dessert wine, but wonderfully refined. Finally, the 2008 Cabernet Franc Ice Wine ($45) was the best of its type I’ve ever had, a seamless, world-class wine filled with luscious strawberries.

A tour de force!

Mark Criden (criden@gmail.com), a non-profit executive and former chair of the Buffalo Branch of the International Wine & Food Society, is always thirsty.


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