Finger Lakes Round-up

It's been a slow recovery from a fantastic trip to the Finger Lakes last week. Not only did we get to catch up with some friends in the area, but we had the privilege of corrupting, I mean introducing, friends from our neck of the woods to the region!  As a group, we did some damage; terrorizing tastings rooms and leaving nothing but chaos (and people shaking their heads) in our wake.

With the wine finally unpacked and semi-organized for storage, it seems like a good time to do a quick run down of our winery visits.  So, as my friend Janie would say, let's review!

Bloomer Creek

A great tasting with the always entertaining Kim Engle.  We really enjoy all of Kim's wines but a few standouts from this tasting - 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011 Vin d'ete,  2012 Rose, 2010 Cab Franc, 2011 Pinot Noir, and the 2011 Auten Second Harvest Riesling.

Sheldrake Point

A really beautiful Riesling line up!  2012 Reserve Riesling, 2012 Riesling, 2013 Riesling; 2012 Gamay, and a nod to the 2011 Luckystone Red.

Red Newt Cellars 

Fifteen wines available for tasting, oh my.  2012 Semi-Dry Riesling, 2010 Dry Rielsing, 2007 Gewurztraminer Sawmill Creek, 2007 Gewurztraminer Curry Creek 2012 Cab Franc, 2011 Viridescens,  Hellbender, and the 2013 Kelby James Russell Rose which is, unfortunately, only available in the Bistro.

Barry Family Cellars

We got a behind the scenes tour, if you will, thanks to Ian Barry.  A really solid and exciting line up!  2012 Dry Rielsing, 2013 Semi-dry Riesling,  2012 Chardonnay, 2013 Rose, 2011 Pinot, Noir, and a sneak peek at the soon to be bottled Cabernet Franc!  Keep your eye on this one; good things are happening!  By appointment only; the tasting room is still under construction.

Shalestone

Always a great selection of friendly, approachable wines and a required stop along the trail.  Of particular note, are the 2012 Pinot, 2013 Beyone Rose, and the 2010 Synergy.  Some Library wines are still available for purchase - 2010 Cabernet Franc and 2007 Harmony, both are wonderful!

Damiani Wine Cellars

A huge tasting menu - 19 current releases plus 4 reserves - makes it really tough to pick out just a few favorites.  Some of the shining stars for me were the 2012 Dry Riesling Davis Vineyard, 2012 Riesling, 2012 Lemberger, 2011 Syrah, 2010 Merlot Sunrise Hill Vineyard, 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011 Meritage, and for the bubble lovers, the 2012 Bollicini.  As far as the Reserve wines go, they are a must-taste!

Shaw Vineyard  

A perennial favorite of ours.  Eight wines are available for tasting and we love them all.  Steve's Sauvignon Blanc is probably my favorite in the region and the 2012 did not disappoint nor did the 2008 Dry Riesling.  The reds are always awesome and to pick one or two seems so wrong but the  Keuka Hill Reserve always rocks.  We also had a preview taste of the 2013 Vin d'Orange that was just released...right after we left!  Suffice it to say that a case followed us home!

Hector Wine Company

Always such a fun tasting and great wines.  Of particular interest are the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, 2012 Gewurztraminer, Soul Red, 2012 Syrah, 2012 Essence, and the 2013 Riesling.  Also being poured and definitely noteworthy are two Forge Cellars wines - 2013 Riesling and 2013 Rose.

Ryan William Vineyard

I guess sometimes you can get a second chance to make a first impression!  Much more pleasant, comfortable tasting than our first visit.  A nice line-up of wines are being offered - 2013 Gruner Veltliner, 2011 Dry Riesling, 2012 Chardonnay, 2010 Cab Franc, 2012 Merlot, 2010 LH Riesling.  More to come about them.

Restraint is not a word with which we are particularly familiar.  You know, go big or go home.  We did both.

The Sweetheart of the Cellar

My introduction to Gewurztraminer occurred on a trip to San Francisco back in the late 80's.  I was going to a conference and my good friend Patti-Jo asked if I wanted company.  Hell yeah!!  While I had survived this meeting a couple of times before, the thought of having some relief from a week with 10,000 dietitians was awesome!

The time we had for sightseeing was limited to a couple of days before and after the conference and a few hours during the week.  We made a list of the must-see's and crammed as much as we could into the time we had.  There was Lombard Street, Fisherman's Warf, Muir Woods, the bobcat, the naked guy in Golden Gate Park, and of course, a day trip to wine country.  We visited Sebastiani Vineyards and Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma before heading up into Napa.  I think the only stops we made there were   Mondavi, just to smell the roses (quite literally), and a convenience store in Healdsburg before  heading back to the city and the dreaded dietitians.  Despite the few stops, we each brought home a case - a story my dad still loves to tell!

Twenty-five years later, I still vividly remember two of the wines we tasted.  Both from Sebastiani, the first was a Cherryblock Cabernet Sauvignon, now their flagship wine, the one that they feel best expresses their terrior; the second was a Gewurztraminer they called "Kellerschatz".  From German, it translates to "cellar treasure" but they referred to it as the "sweetheart of the cellar".  

Which brings me to this:  I have a love-hate relationship with Gewurztraminer.  It's floral and it's spicy and if those two components are not in the right proportion for me, I can't handle it but, when it's right, it's like Bloomer Creek 2008 Tanzen Dame Second Harvest Vintner's Select Gewurztraminer.

It is a straw yellow color, with honey notes and the perfect balance of fruit and spice.  Beautifully soft on the palate, this wine is delicate and lovely and everything a Gewurz should be - to me, anyway.