My partner and I are spending several days in the Finger Lakes, a region that first sparked our interest in fine wine several years ago. We are staying in Geneva, NY - a characterful small town at the tip of Seneca Lake with excellent dining options and good access to the wine trails on either side of Seneca, Keuka and Cayuga lakes. Thanks to @Kelby_James_Russell for his viticultural and culinary recommendations!
The tourist season up here really kicks off after the Fourth of July, so we’ve had small-to-no crowds to contend with so far. The weather has been excellent all week, sunny and mild.
Day 1
Ravines Wine Cellars
Ravines is located just outside of the town of Geneva, on the northwest side of Seneca Lake. The tasting room is in a rather dark converted barn. Flights were served in carafes, with one glass each for my partner and I. The tasting staff was bemused by my notebook and request for additional glasses, although our server warmed up and gave us a string of recommendations for where else to visit in the region.
2023 Dry Riesling: Light herbal nose, apple, white peach, oregano. Slightly plump on the palate, lemon pith, refreshing and simple. A strong base offering.
2022 Dry Riesling, 16 Falls Vyd: Super clean citrus nose, dryer sheets, lemon Febreze, saline hint. Similar profile to the base Riesling but more intense, leaner and linear.
2022 Dry Riesling, Limestone Springs Vyd: Riper notes of honeysuckle, papaya. Richer palate although still relatively lean with peach and pineapple.
2021 Dry Riesling, Argetsinger Vyd: Explosive nose, mélange of herbal and mineral notes along with citrus zest. Pithy dry extract bitterness on the palate balanced sour candy zing and concentrated fruit.
2022 Chef & Winemaker Cask Aged Riesling: Creamy, vanilla, passionfruit tart. Disjointed acidity, oak factors not integrated with the whole.
2023 Gewurztraminer: Classic aromatic nose, surprisingly smooth on the palate with bitter/sharp Gewurz character well handled.
2023 Pinot Noir: Red fruit, mushroom, baking spices. Falls apart on the palate, watery and lacking concentration.
2023 Cabernet Franc: Green peppercorn, red cherry, high acidity but again lacking concentration and comes across dilute.
2021 Maximilien: 69% Cab, 31% Merlot blend. Red fruit, leather, clay, ceramic. A bit thin with more red fruit and medium tannins on the palate.
2021 Le Petit Caporal: 46% Cab, 33% Cab Franc, 21% Merlot blend. Darker fruit, strong baking spice character. More tannic and full - a decent BDX blend.
The dry Rieslings are the clear standouts from this producer. All were excellent, with the base Dry Riesling offering strong value and the 16 Falls and Argetsinger standing out as benchmarks for the region. The reds mostly lacked both concentration and verve.
Trestle 31
Trestle 31 is a microwinery (500-700 cases annually) with a small tasting room in downtown Geneva. The winemaker, Nova Cadamatre, is the only female Master of Wine winemaker in America. She spent much of her career with Constellation and Robert Mondavi before leaving the corporate large-production world and starting her own label in the Finger Lakes. The tasting room manager Andy was very generous with his time and knowledge (and had a cute puppy to boot!).
We started with a vertical of the Riesling bottling, then checked out a couple Chards.
2019 Riesling: Petrol, yeast, savory. Savory and sharp acidity, reminiscent of Muscadet.
2020 Riesling: Similar profile to '19, savory and acidic, with a bit more heft and a cheesy element.
2022 Riesling: Fresh rubber and permanent marker on the nose. More sweetness and fruit character on the palate than the earlier vintages. A standout in the lineup.
2023 Riesling: Similar profile to '22, quieter and with more palate weight.
2024 Riesling: Breezy fresh aromatics, primary and absolutely delicious if a bit more down-the-barrel.
2022 Chardonnay: Reductive sesame note, nutty and silky. Elegant, excellent.
2024 Chardonnay: Disjointed and primary, hasn’t found itself yet.
Despite Andy’s note that Nova prefers a more maximalist approach in the cellar, changes to vineyard sourcing really shone through in the Riesling vertical. '19 and '20 were made with fruit from Zugibe Vyd, while '22 through '24 were primarily sourced from Dalrymple Vyd, and this clearly split the aromatic and fruit profile.
Coming up: Hermann J. Wiemer, Once Tasting Room