Musings on a Late Summer Day

I sit drenched in the late September sun, my body absorbing the warmth as if charging my battery in preparation for the cold months ahead.  The cloudless sky is deep blue, the color that you only see this time of year.

I  close my eyes against the sun and consider the changes taking place around me.  The sun is sinking lower and lower behind the treeline.  The Cottonwood, having already dropped its ugly gray leaves, stands like a skeleton against the September sky.  I hear the call of a Red-bellied woodpecker high in an Oak, and the relentless scolding of Blue Jays in the distance, signaling the return of wintering raptors.  As if on cue, a Coopers Hawk glides silently into the Ash, sending Doves off with a frantic beating of wings.  Gathering food for Winter, a chipmunk squeaks as he scurries along the deck - with two Yorkies in hot pursuit!  How is it possible that summer passed so quickly?

Change.  I gaze at the garden.  Robust and productive all season, it now looks tired and worn - like the tattered wings of a butterfly on Zinnias that now tower over the garden.

Sunflowers bob their heads in the light breeze, ready to give up their seeds.

The Hummingbirds will soon be replaced by Juncos but until then, the Salvia stands tall and at the ready for the last of the residents and, with any luck, a migrant.

The Quinoa stalks are heavy with flower heads.

 Glorious in the sun, the Goldenrod continues to be loaded with honey bees.

The once colorful Echinacea flowers are now seed heads and irresistible to Goldfinches.  I hear them chirping as they work to pull the seeds but they dart away as I approach.

Butternut squash hang on vines that refuse to give up.

The fig tree, tangled in tomato vines, offers up an afternoon snack.

Red peppers peek through their thicket of leaves, assorted heirloom tomatoes show off their unique character, -

- and the tomatillos have filled out and split their husks.

Change.  The tunnels are set up and the fall crops have started to poke through the soil.  The once meandering sun now races across the sky; the long days will soon become long nights.   I already long for the endless days of summer when the sun refuses to set, and the nights filled with the song of katydids.  But, enough musings - there's salsa to make and tomatoes to roast; garden beds to clean up and garlic to plant!

Maya Angelou says, "If you don't like something, change it.  If you can't change it, change your attitude.  Don't complain."   I'll do my best.

Mystery on the Lake

The property across the street from our very favorite B&B has always been somewhat of a mystery.  For a long time, nothing ever happened over there.  But a few years ago, the once quiet property came to life.  Cars were entering and exiting; there was vineyard work being done; and we started to hear rumors of a new winery.  

All of that hustle and bustle became Ryan William - a small farm winery located on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake in Hector, NY.  The area is known as the "Banana Belt" - a unique micro-climate created by a combination of the deep lake water and the sloping hillsides - an ideal spot for grapes.

  

The vineyards extend from the road to the shoreline

They recently opened and we decided to check it out.  We scooped up a friend and headed down the long driveway to the tasting room.  It is a humble but comfortable space and our tasting room host was welcoming and pleasant.    

Clouds floating up the lake in the early morning

The tasting lineup was solid.  It started with the 2011 Riesling.  It was mineral and wet slate on the nose, nice acidity, and a hint of honey on the finish.  1.2% RS.

2012 Chardonnay - 50% barrel fermented, 50% stainless, no malolactic fermentation.  I'm not a big Chard fan but this one was quite nice.

2010 Pinot Noir - The fruit is from 3 year old vines.  This is a very young wine that would definitely show better with decanting.  It still needs to integrate a bit but there was some nice smoke and tobacco on the nose, with earth and cherry on the palate, and firm tannins that softened with time in the glass.  I'm very excited about this one; with some bottle age, this looks like it will be the "men's club"-type of Pinot that I love.

2010 Cabernet Franc - I would have poured this before the Pinot.  It's lighter bodied and fruitier and the Pinot just crushed it.  My partner-in-crime liked this one more than I did - for me, it was a little hot.

They were also pouring two dessert wines.  The 2010 Select Late Harvest Riesling - Sugar cane but oddly enough, not cloying at 18% RS; and the 2010 Bunch Select Late Harvest Riesling - Tropical fruit and peaches, also 18% RS.

Even after our visit, some mystery remains.  Despite our best efforts to chat them up we were unable to find out much about the winery, the winemaker, or the history of the property.  We asked friends in the area and scoured the internet but we still know little about Ryan William Winery.  I did reach out to them for some more information but they declined my request at this time.  All I can tell you is that we will keep trying and plan to stop in the next time we are in the area.

A Day in The Life

I was about to take the hummingbird feeder down for the season but it looked like the level of nectar was lower so I left it out.  Low and behold...

We noted the abundance of rust color on "her" but thought it was a young female Ruby-Throated that hadn't migrated yet.

With the help of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "she" was ID'd as a Rufous Hummingbird, out of range.  Normally found in the west, she seems to have found herself off course and in our backyard!

She loves to preen and sun herself in the Virurmun next to the feeder.

We have her hooked up with feeders and hope she stays all winter so stay tuned!

Garden Trials (and Tribulations)

I have a confession.  I am a terrible garden planner.  Actually, I'm a pretty good planner, it's the execution where my skills are lacking.  I always end up with way too many seedlings and have to abandon my well thought-out garden plan just to fit everything in.  


This year I decided to call it research.  I planted everything we had to conduct my own garden trial - to determine which varieties do well for us and which ones just aren't worth the trouble.


We ended up with 18 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and six varieties of peppers, among other things, and the preliminary results are in.

Costa Rican Pepper

Alma Paprika Pepper

San Marzanos - lots of blossom end rot

Cherokee Purple

Brandywine Pink

Heirloom white cucumber

Speckled Roman - several plants are affected by blight

Summer Squash - borer got one plant so far (fingers crossed on the others)

Figs

Tomatillos

Red Pear Tomatoes - first harvest on the third try

Nasturtiums - nope, I haven't tried them yet!

A Wandering Mind

The flat of leeks that I started from seed sat on the patio for several weeks, guilting me into planting them.  It's not that we don't like them, we love them, but they're a pain in the ass to plant.  As I painstakingly teased the roots of each little plant from the other, I was transported back to another time.  A summer afternoon, my grandmother sitting in the living room watching her "stories" while eating a tomato and lettuce sandwich with mayo.  She always made one for me, despite my daily protestations that I didn't like them.  I usually pulled off the iceberg and fed it to Roscoe, my big orange tabby, and ate the rest.

I grew up in humble surroundings but I never wanted for anything.  I was an only child and took a lot of abuse for it.  My mom would have given anything for me to have whatever it was that I wanted so when I wanted a horse, a horse I had.  All I wanted was to spend every waking moment with Pokie, my Appaloosa pony that kicked big-horse ass in every show!  My parents sacrificed a lot of time (and money) to make sure that I was able to do just that.

So, I guess it should have come as no surprise to anyone that I decided to go to an agricultural college.  Yet, most of my friends and family didn't understand.  "Animal husbandry?"  "What?  Are you going to marry a cow?"  "You're going to go to school with.....farmers???"  "You're a smart girl; we thought you'd make something of yourself."  "What are you going to do with a degree in agriculture?"  To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure.  Maybe I chose the field because it was in my comfort zone but, whatever the reason, I knew it was where I wanted...no, needed to be.

Back to today and the bigger picture.  When and how did we become a people so far removed from our environment?   When did agriculture become something so foreign to us that our children have no idea where their food comes from?  When did "farm" become a four-letter word?

My back is sore and my shoulders are sunburned; my hands are filthy and my nails are a mess; and I'd give anything to have one of my grandmother's sandwiches again.

A Pleasant Surprise

It's drink-it or dump-it (or give-it-to Dad) time here on the ranch.  We have been trying to reorganize the cellar and pull out bottles that, for whatever reason, we seem to have developed a bias against.  


Today's gamble:  Thirsty Owl 2005 Chancellor.  This poor bottle has two strikes against it from the start - it's Chancellor and it's from Thirsty Owl.  


As you may recall, we have a strange relationship with Thirsty Owl  The Owl and the One-eyed Cat so it should come as no surprise that we would have some preconceived notion that this one was a dog.  It sat on the "drink now" rack for several years with a sticky note on it that read "decant".  We brought the bottle in on several occasions, saw the decant note, and quickly banished it back to the garage.  Today was the day.  I put my big girl pants on and it was time to open this puppy.  


For those unfamiliar with Chancellor, it's a cold-hardy, highly productive, French hybrid, native to France, and once used to produce quality reds and rosés.   It has virtually disappeared from its homeland after being the most planted hybrid.  It is now being grown in the cooler regions of the eastern U.S. and in Canada.  Some say yippee but we say usually say, "why"?


So, how was the Owl?  It was dark and mysterious; medium bodied, and almost inky in color.  The unapproachable acidity started to really mellow after about six hours of decanting.  Initially, the nose was all Chancellor but with time, it became plum jam and cedar with a little bit of earth.  The wine continued to evolve throughout the evening.  As the tannins softened, a lot of nice dark fruit and hints of coffee came through on the palate.  The finish was earth and mushroom, with menthol and a hint of sweet vanilla.

It was a very confusing wine but I now understand why we bought it.  It's not a wine that I particularly loved but I also didn't hate it; it was fascinating.  Could it have gone longer?  The way it evolved over the tasting period tells me yes.  

The take-away?  If you can get it and you have 12 hours to decant, go for it.  It will be nothing less than a really interesting tasting experience!

Is Change Always Bad?

We seem to be creatures of habit - more so than I ever would have imagined.  I find that even in our wine travels, we tend to settle into a routine and only occasionally do we stray.  I guess I shouldn't be too surprised about that.  If you ask my Partner-in-Crime, he will tell you that change is bad.  At times I have to agree and change on the wine trails has not always been good to us.

We were enjoying the drive to Billsboro on a beautiful Finger Lakes morning and, having completely zoned out, drove past their driveway.  While turning around, we saw a sign for a winery that was new to us, Lacey Magruder.  Change is bad, so we turned around and went to Billsboro but with Lacey Magruder on our minds.  After spending some time with the good people of Billsboro, we decided to live dangerously and try something new.  Off we went to Lacey Magruder!

Named for the grandparents of the owners, Lacey Magruder sits high on a hill in a beautifully restored 1830 post-and-beam barn.  The decor is eclectic and, from the deck, the view of Seneca Lake is impressive.  We had the pleasure of spending some time with Jim and Ruth Hundertmark, the husband and wife team that made their dream a reality.  Originally from Maryland but loving the Finger Lakes, Jim took a wine making course from Jim Law, winemaker extraordinaire of Linden Vineyards in Virginia, and they sold their home in Maryland and took the plunge.

They had just opened for what will be their first full season and Jim is currently offering six wines on the tasting menu - three whites, three reds.  The first is their 2009 Lot No. 1 Cuvee, an interesting blend of Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, and Riesling.  I was kind of intrigued with this one.  Nice floral notes on the nose, crisp and clean on the palate with hints of grapefruit.  It's bright and minerally and a really nice surprise.  Not being a huge Chardonnay fan, I don't have much in the way of notes, but I can say that the 2009 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay had a nice mouth feel without being overly oaked.  The last of the whites was the 2009 Barrel Reserve Chardonnay.  This one had a little more oak but the fruit was still predominate.  Nicely balanced with a touch of mineral on the finish.

The red line-up started with the 2009 Proprietary Red.  A Bordeaux blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, it had soft tannins and nice cherry notes.  The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon showed nice fruit on the nose but is still drinking young.  It's spicy with firm tannins, and  I'd like to try it again in a year.  Finally, we tried the NV Vintner's Red.  Another Bordeaux blend, this one 51% Cab Sauv, it has a little more body than the Proprietary Red but it also has .6 to .8% RS.  Dark fruit characteristics and nicely balanced.

All in all, the wines are pretty solid and we look forward to seeing what they do in the future.