I had the opportunity today to take what has become an annual (and very much enjoyed) trip to the Finger Lakes. My in-laws live in Rochester so it’s easy to make a day-trip. As much as I keep telling myself I need to visit the wineries around the other lakes, I keep getting drawn back to those around Seneca Lake time and time again. Today I stopped at four new wineries and re-visited one favorite (Bloomer Creek). Overall these have been the highest quality wines from the Finger Lakes I have ever tasted and they seem to be getting better and better each year. The fact that most of these are $10-25 a bottle being some of the best in the region blows my mind.
Of note I asked several of the wineries their thoughts on damage from the past winter. Silver Thread said most of their vineyards faired pretty well, Kim Engle said most of his will be at best 50% of their normal yield, Johannes Reinhardt gave a good summary: It depends on the type of grape and where they were planted. Some are 90% fine, others will produce next to nothing (apparently next to no FL gewürztraminer in 2014). It just comes down to the grape varieties and the geography where they are planted. If there’s one fortunate thing it’s almost entirely bud damage and not the vines themselves.
As always tasting room notes are much shorter than I prefer to take & I apologize for repetition in descriptors; I usually prefer a full glass to wite a full note/score. See the bottom for my letter scale.
Silver Thread
Two tasting options: Five wines from their list for $5 (single-vineyard wines excluded except their estate vineyard) or $10 for their “riesling experience” – a pour of every Riesling they make (four single vineyards and their dry+semi-dry) and a small local food plate. The food plate included cheese, pepitas and a delicious garlic scape pesto with crackers. Of course this just entices you to buy some of the food to take home 
Each flight includes a coupon for $2 off a bottle. I ended up trying both flights. I didn’t catch my server’s name but he was very friendly and knowledgeable.
(the drive heading to Silver Thread; the tasting room is tiny in the lower middle of the screen)
2013 Dry Riesling
N: Lemon/lime/peach
P: Dry, intense, acidity, minerals, a bit of lime (A-)
2013 Riesling STV Estate
N: Minerals, some citrus zest.
P: Minerals, more acid, cistrus zest (B++)
2013 Riesling Doyle East Seneca Vineyard (this is literally a couple hundred feet up the hill from the STV Estate vineyard)
N: A burst of herbs, some potpourri
P: Baked apple, apricot, strong minerals/acid (A-)
2013 Riesling Randolph O’Neill Vineyard (Cayuga lake)
N: Peach/apricot/lemon
P: Matches the nose perfectly; not as much structure as the Seneca wines (B+)
2013 Riesling Gridley Bluff Point Vineyard (Keuka lake)
More fruity/floral but less intense than the above (B/B+)
2012 Semi-dry Riesling
N: Spicy, a bit of caramelized fruit
P: Sweeter, grilled peaches/pineapple. Zesty finish (B+)
-All of the standard tasting wines except the Blackbird are 100% estate fruit-
2012 Chardonnay (10 old oak barrels, one new; 66% went through malolactic fermentation)
N: Apple, a bit of vanilla/cream
P: Apple, round-bodied but pleasant minerals add structure (B/B+)
2013 Gewurztraminer
N: Spicy, very aromatic but nothing specific standing out
P: Less intense, still spicy, a hint of lychee (B)
2013 Rose’ (100% PN)
N: Cherry/stray
P: Cherry, herbs. Good mineral notes (B+)
2012 Pinot Noir
N: Cherries and earth
P: Cherries, light earth, a touch floral, light acid/tannins (B)
2012 Blackbird (68% CF, 21% Merlot, 11% CS)
N: Blackberry/raspberry, a touch of oak
P: Black cherry, red raspberry, medium acidity/tannins (B+)
Bloomer Creek
I could spend hours talking with Kim. We share a philosophy on the wines we like to drink/make respectively. Two years in a row only one other group has crossed paths with the tasting room during the entirety of my visit. Given the increased press he has been receiving this surprises me but let’s keep it that way. This year it was two young men from Bordeaux who were interviewing Kim so I spent much of my visit listing to their conversation as their questions were different from what I would have asked but fascinating to eavesdrop on; Kim certainly answered all of mine as well. No tasting fee.
2012 Tanzen Dame Edelzwicker Halbtrocken (the Halbtrocken is gewürztraminer-based; the Edelzwicker blue cap is Riesling-based)
N: Aromatic, spicy, lychee, dried peach
P: Also spicy, not quite as intense as the nose, short finish (high B)
2012 Tanzen Dame Riesling
N: A bit phenolic (reminds me of some Scholium wines), some stone fruit
P: Great acidity/minerality, a touch sweet with nice stone fruit notes. Very tasty (A-)
2011 Chardonnay (1/2 oak 1/2 stainless; all malolactic)
N: Aromatic, a bit Burgundy-esque. Quince, pear and cream
P: Spicy, again reminds me of Burgundy, medium acidity but not quite as intense as the nose (B/B+)
2011 Pinot noir
N: Also very aromatic, quite earthy, a mix of dried & fresh flowers, a hint of cherry/red raspberry
P: Matches the nose. Complex. Medium tannins/acid. Young, I looks forward to seeing how this ages (B+)
2012 Pinot noir rose’
N: Some funk and dried cherries
P: Matches the nose. Medium acidity but a bit simple (B/B+)
2013 Gruner Veltliner Tanzen Dame Auten Vineyard
N: Herbal, something a bit sweet/soft I can’t quite place
P: Also herbal, the palate explodes with tropical fruit, white pepper, tons of intensity. (A-/A)
2011 Cab franc Vin d’été
N: Raspberry/cherry, fresh florals & potpourri
P: Raspberry/cherry, medium tannins/acidity, builds intensity with each sip. (A-; good qpr for $17)
2011 Riesling Tanzen Dame Auten Vinetard 2nd harvest
N: Honeyed, floral notes, tropical fruit; fresh/grilled stone fruit
P: Honeyed, a touch toasty, light-medium acid/minerals (high A-)
2010 Cab Franc
N: Red raspberrt, blackberry, spice, a hint of oak
P: Matches the nose with fresh acidiy/tannins. (B+; more oak than any of the other Bloomer Creeks)
Kemmeter
How great to spend over an hour talking with Johannes. I didn’t learn until talking with him he now has officially parted ways with Anthony Road as their full-time winemaker to focus on Kemmeter but will continue as a consultant. He just planted most of his vineyard (2.5 acres right across Rt 14 from Anthony Road) this spring. I CANNOT WAIT to see what he will do with this vineyard with his winemaking skill. For now the Kemmeter wines are all riesling (though other grapes are in Johannes’ vineyard) made from fruit he has sourced from several different Finger Lakes vineyards. Unfortunately his 2012 White Pine vineyard bottling from near Lake Ontario is already sold out. These were easily some of the best Finger Lakes wines I have tried to date and their high quality for such a low price is ridiculous. By all means make an appointment if you’re anywhere nearby.
(Not the best picture; taken from my car on the driveway to the tasting room which is on the left; Johannes’ house is straight head and the newly planted vineyard is on the right with no shortage of fencing & other supplies to the side of the drive)
2013 Sonero (pressed juice from the single-vineyards which were done free-runs; Johannes claimed this was less acidic than the single-vineyards but my acid-loving palate was enamored with it)
A: Explosive nose; lime/hay/chives
P: Lime, very intense minerals, strong acid, a bit of stone fruit and a long finish (A-; great qpr for $14)
2012 Red Tail Ridge vineyard
A: Minerals/wet stone, dry, a bit of lime, a hint of something pepper-like
P: Also dry, full of minerals, tons of lime, string acidity and a long finish. Very intense (A-/A)
2012 Sheldrake Point vineyard (Keuka lake)
N: White flowers, apricot
P: Citrus, stone fruit, flowers, a bit softer than the RTR but still pleasant acidity/minerals (B+/A-)
2012 SanSan (a bit of Noble Rot from the Red Tail Ridge vineyard)
N: Sweet stone fruit, a bit of noticeable Botrytis influence, a hint of cucumber/mint
P: Tropical & stone fruit, a touch sweet, a bit less intensity than the others but complex (A-)
Shaw
Steve was there but spent most of his time behind the register; his tasting assistant did almost all of the pouring /discussion. Pours here were only enough for one sip. I wish I had visited Shaw before my palate was overcome by acid. I found most of the wines intriguing/tasty & different from many FL wines but I want to re-visit when they are more than two weeks from release so some of the oak can integrate. The whites spend much more time on lees (not a bad thing at all) and the red spend much more time on oak than most FL wines. 9 (small) pours for $5 and I wasn’t charged a tasting fee with my purchase.
2012 Sauvignon Blanc A bit sweet with grassy notes (B)
2008 Dry Riesling
N: Dry, herbal/mineral
P: Fair amount of acid with herbs and lime (B+)
2008 Semi-dry Riesling Notes match the dry just a bit less acidity/a bit more sweetness (B+)
NV Pinot Grigio Apple/floral notes; typical PG (B)
2009 Pinot Noir Reserve
N: Fresh cherries/earth notes
P: Cherries/earth/herbs; fairly strong tannins, medium+ acidity (B+)
2007 Cab Franc Red currant/cherries/blackberries; a bit of oak (B+)
2007 Merlot Red/black cherry, fairly tannic & a bit of oak (B+)
2007 Keuka Hill Reserve (40CS/30CF/30 Merlot)
N: Casis, blackberry
P: Cassis, blackberry, cherry, medium acid/tannins (B+)
2007 Cab Sauv Cassis/black cherry, medium tannins/acid (B+)
Red Tail Ridge
I stopped here after tasting the Kemmeter RTR Riesling. I appreciate their LEED/sustainability efforts, and growing red grapes not common elsewhere in the US. Sarah was very friendly behind the counter. Unfortunately the wines weren’t quite as good as those I tasted earlier. $3 for 5 wines, $1 supplement for the single block Rieslings/Teroldego/Port, $3 for the Sticky Riesling
2013 Rose’ Fresh cherries & minerals (B+)
2013 Dry Riesling Lime with medium acidity (B/B+)
2012 Riesling block 606 Green apple notes, medium acidity (B+)
2013 Resling (semi-dry) Stone fruit, citrus zest, lighter-bodied than the others (B)
2012 Riesling block 907 (Auslese-style)
N: Honey, nectar, dried apricot, a hint of ginger
P: Honey, tropical fruit, stone fruit but less intensity than the nose (B+)
2012 Pinot noir
N: Cherries, a bit of earth
P: Cherries, earth/herbs, a touch smoky. Medium acidt/light tannins (B+)
2011 Blaufrankisch
N: Spicy nose, toasted wood (mixed wood, not from oak aging, just aromas from the grape), dark fruit
P: Baking spice, herbal/spicy, blackberry, umami (B/B+)
2011 Teroldego
N: Smoky, anise, blackberry
P: Smooth, complex, red/black raspberry, a bit of anise/clove, forest floor. Young and very enjoyable but $40 is a bit pricy (A-)
2012 Sticky Dessert Riesling (13.2% residual sugar; 50% botrytised fruit)
S: Honey, dried apricot, orange blossom, cardamom
P: Matches the nose especially orange blossom/cardamom. Short finish. (A-)
NV Port Chocolate/brownie nose; cocoa & spice (ginger/anise/cardamom) flavors. Not overly sweet (A-)
A: 93+
A-: 90-92
B+: 87-89
B: 83-86