Local wines:
Real progress in Niagara County
By Mark Criden; photos by kc kratt
Robin and Duncan Ross, owners of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards.
Ten years ago, on a trip to the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, winemaker Randy Biehl stopped at an overlook to look at the U.S. side, and wondered why a wine industry, let alone a winery, does not exist in Niagara County. Today, thanks to Mike Von Heckler’s Warm Lake Estates, Biehl’s Eveningside Vineyards, and others, that industry not only exists in Niagara County, it flourishes. I reported on several good offerings in the December 2007 Spree, and this summer decided to check on the progress of the Niagara Wine Trail, that nascent tourist enterprise that hugs Lower Mountain Road between the Tuscarora Reservation and Lockport and sprouts again along Route 18 between Wilson and Barker. I was especially interested in Eveningside, and two others about which I had heard promising reports: Freedom Run and Arrowhead Spring.

Somehow, wine-lover Biehl convinced his wife and kids to move from West Seneca to start Eveningside in 2000 on a Cambria farm. With help from consultants from Ontario’s Cave Spring, they planted vines in 2001 and had their first harvest in 2003. Like most enterprises here, Eveningside is a rustic, family-driven business, but its wines—fueled by a commitment to quality—can go toe to toe with anything being produced in New York and Ontario. Biehl’s sure hand is evident in his black, smoky 2007 Shiraz ($21), made from Long Island grapes, but my real interest is in the wines produced from the Eveningside vineyard. A nice, mandarin-orangey unoaked 2007 Chardonnay ($14) was bested only by the 2007 Reserve Chardonnay ($17), all honeydew and lime with a long, fine finish.

Biehl’s 2006 Cabernet Franc ($20) was much better than the last iteration I tasted, supple, long, and positively delicious, but the star was his 2008 Riesling ($18). Crisp with apricots and nectarines, this exquisite wine is highly recommended.

I stumbled down Lower Mountain Road to Freedom Run Winery’s stunning facility. Named for their land’s historic prominence on the Underground Railroad, the winery is the enterprise of brothers Larry, Chip, and Sean Manning, and their families, who, the story goes, gazed out over a for-sale farm, and said, “Let’s build a winery.” If you’re thinking this is roughly akin to North Korea looking out over the Yellow Sea and saying, “Let’s build a nuclear missile,” you’re right. Only building a winery is hard.

Freedom Run is an incredibly ambitious, beautiful winery, from the Chihuly-styled glass work to the murals of grape leaves etched into the barrel-room floor. It’s easy to see why the brothers’ slogan is “We View Wine as Art.” But their ambitions don’t stop there. They plan to turn the property’s old stone homestead into a champagne house and to become an important tourist, art, and community destination.

Oh, and they make wine—about 50,000 bottles annually from their ten acres. I tasted with Larry Manning, brand manager Bryan Calandrelli, and their irrepressible cellar master Kurt Guba, who seems to channel the late Willy Frank. We started with the strawberry-scented 2006 Celebration Series Dry Rose ($13), and then a lovely series of whites made from young vine grapes. As vines mature, their roots reach deep into the soil, sucking up mineral essences, which lend complexity and structure to wine. That said, I had to keep reminding myself that these specimens were all made from two- and three-year-old plants: vines in diapers. The dry, mineral-flecked 2008 Chardonnay Estate ($18) was good, but was outshone by the aromatic, elegant 2008 Riesling Estate ($21), a wine that would put many a Mosel Riesling to shame.

Turning to reds, I no sooner sampled the rich 2007 Pinot Noir Estate ($38) than a barrel sample of the 2008 was shoved under my nose. The very best Pinot Noirs show lightweight intensity, and this sample had it in spades, as good in its infancy as many a fine Bourgogne Rouge or Oregon pinot. Who knows how this will age, but it sure is delicious right now.

The beautiful interior of Freedom Run Winery.

We also sampled the very good, though tannic, 2007 Estate Cabernet ($24), an intense 2008 Merlot, and the still-brewing, but already fabulous, 2008 Riesling TBA, a concentrated dessert wine that was impossible to spit.

Freedom Run has success written all over it. The Manning crew is creative, energetic, and smart, and they’re adding welcome pizzazz to the Trail.

Less than a mile away, you’ve got another family adding real vision. Arrowhead Spring Vineyards is the brainchild—and lovechild—of Duncan and Robin Ross. Where Freedom Run gives you flash, Arrowhead Springs gives you organic, sustainable farming and a passion for environmental stewardship. Duncan and Robin are farmers, and they are philosophers, a rare combination in these parts. They understand that great wines begin with great grapes, and great grapes require harmonious vinyeards.

I tasted through a wide range of wines here, starting with a long, ripe, luscious 2007 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay ($18), and its older brother, the crisp and citrusy 2006 ($18.) The 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling ($16), from Finger Lakes fruit, was fine, but outgunned by the 2008 Dry Riesling ($18), a delicious, lemony froth.

The Rosses have made considerable headway with their reds. Their Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend Arrowhead Red ($18) is lovely and full-bodied, perfect for a fall supper. For more serious occasions, try their delicious Apogee ($28.50), a blend of cabernet and—of all things—sangiovese.

Barrel samples reveal treasures yet to come. Both the 2007 Cabernet and 2007 Merlot, from Finger Lakes fruit, are very good efforts, with real varietal character, that will be blended into their Apogee, but the 2008’s—Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah, all from estate-grown fruit from three-year-old vines, reveal astonishing depth of character and substantial promise.

Finally, the Rosses bottle a Vidal Ice Wine from Ontario fruit. The honeyed 2007 was very nice, but the 2008 was simply spectacular, with waves of flavor and an endless finish.

I am awe-struck by the progress on the Niagara Wine Trail. Don’t miss a trip!

Mark Criden is a nonprofit executive and past chair of the local branch of the International Wine and Food Society.


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