It was a day for obscure wines. I was on my way to Frankly Wines Wednesday evening to pick up some Three Foxes South African syrah but decided to swing by Chambers, around the corner. There I found Andrew Scott, the winemaker at Eminence Road Farm Winery, pouring three of his Finger Lakes wines. The winery is in the Western Catskills, halfway between NYC and the Finger Lakes. He buys and transports the fruit from several growers there. Natural yeasts, mostly stems, foot-pressed, unfiltered (oodles of tartrates and sediment) – the whole minimalist thing. And it works.
The 2012 Elizabeth’s Vineyard dry Gewürztraminer was fairly full-bodied but had a good acid backbone. Andrew said he picked early to keep acidity (11.6% ABV), so it wasn’t particularly aromatic. But it’s pleasing and fresh.
It was the reds I really liked. The 2012 Seneca Lake Pinot Noir was good there, and the bottle I bought was a lovely match for a terrific mushroom pizza and eggplant salad that evening. It’s got lots of fruit, moderate body and good acidity – just well balanced all around. Bright red/sour cherry on the nose and in the mouth. Two days later the (refrigerated) leftovers are perhaps even a little better. Still very fruity. The tannin shows a bit now (without food). In flavors and structure, it’s like a particularly fruity Bourgogne or a lighter gamay. Or think a Loire cab franc the fruit cranked up. Bright, bright, bright red fruits.
I wasn’t going to drink anything tonight, but I can’t stop resampling this.
Andrew said it was an unusually warm year, and I’d guess his own preference would be for a tad less ripeness. 12.7% ABV.
This is a killer value at $20. Who says there aren’t good values in American wines?
2011 Cabernet Sauvignon - Elizabeth’s Vineyard. A sniff or two and I found myself thinking the flavor profile reminded of mid-tier Bordeaux in the 1980s (e.g., good Cru Bourgeois from a good but not too warm year) – real cabernet earthiness at modest ripeness. I’d been craving some good Cru Bourgeois a few months ago and struck out repeatedly. This wine hit the spot. Andrew said it benefitted from being open an hour or so at the store.
I couldn’t resist and bought a bottle to bring to my brown-bag group last night, where I decanted about 90 minutes before serving. Though about half the members have very California-oriented palates and this ended being served after a string of much, much riper wines (a 03 Pride merlot, a 05 Copain Thompson Vineyard syrah and a 97 BV Rutherford), it was a hit with the group.
Medium bodied, with fruit and structure all in balance. Not as much fruit showing as in the store, but it just hung together nicely. “Not below $40,” said one person who liked it – and rarely serves anything that isn’t so overripe I don’t want to pour it down the sink.
This is no blockbuster, but it’s fine, honest cabernet … for $20. Maybe the highest praise is that it held its own after those powerhouse wines.
My hat’s off to Andrew and his wife.
