Glacially gouged Lake Seneca is a protective godmother to the vineyards ringing her shoreline. Deep as she is – 640 feet at her deepest – Seneca rarely, if ever, freezes over in winter. She spreads a blanket of warmth over the vines to temper the cold. In summer, she reflects the heat back on the vines to ripen their fruit.
On Seneca’s west side, the rolling New York State farmland slopes gently to the lake. The glistening morning sun dries up the dew hanging on the vines. The east side of the lake shoulders the steeper slopes where vines gleam in the afternoon sun.
If you want organics and biodynamics, say the local winemakers, go to California. The East Coast of this continent is simply too wet and the weather too variable for organic farming. One intrepid landowner tried it. The winery closed up quickly.
That said, the trend is toward conservation of resources and, in the cellar, minimal treatment of the grapes. Viticultural practices, such as the Scott Henry trellis system that Wagner uses to manage the canopy, reduce the need for spray. Lakewood Vineyards’ conservation-minded owners plant rye between rows and mulch a mix of grape pomace and chicken manure into every other row. “As farmers, we don’t want to wear it [the land] out and go somewhere else,” says partner Liz Stamp.
Solar panels are cropping up around the lake. At Fox Run Vineyards, the property is 100% solar powered. Solar panels installed at Lakewood in 2012 will contribute, on average, to 80 percent of electrical power over 15 years.
Riesling rules
In this cool climate, aromatic whites are key, and Riesling is the most expressive and most versatile of the lot. Riesling rules the Finger Lakes, and while there may be hints of emulation for the renowned Rieslings of the Alsace (France) and Mosel (Germany), winemakers here stake claim to the varietal just as much as their European cousins.
Mouth-watering acidity is the norm in Finger Lakes Rieslings. Yes, it is difficult to ripen grapes in the East. The average alcohol level tends toward 11 to 12%. Not big and brash, but around Seneca Lake, no one is a California wannabee.
In the Finger Lakes, Riesling is vinified in almost every style imaginable. Want bone dry? You got it, as well as semi-dry, semi-sweet, sweet, vintage-specific, blended vintages, lot-specific, blended lots, winery-specific, and collaborative multi-winery blends.
In any given year, Fox Run Vineyards winemaker Peter Bell may make 15 different Rieslings, compared to, say, two Chardonnays. His honeyed-toast 2011 Riesling Reserve proves the varietal’s aging potential. Well-established Wagner Vineyards sells a Brut-style, bottle-fermented sparkling Riesling.
“It’s a noble grape,” says Anthony Road Wine Company winemaker Peter Becraft, who skin-ferments Riesling to extract its essence. “There are no rules.”
Riesling’s characteristic petrol nose dominates. Yet, depending on many factors, including the vintage (year), winemaker style, and geology – the region’s soils vary widely from clay to gravel to silt to sandy loam to slate – the flavor profile may be different from one to another. Lakewood’s dry Riesling shows lime on the finish. Generally, look for more minerality on Seneca’s west side and lusher fruit in the so-called “banana belt,” the slightly warmer microclimate on the east side of the lake.
Lest you conclude Riesling is Seneca’s entire story, the region also produces floral, yet tightly acidic Gewürztraminer, and crisp, apple and citric Chardonnay, among other whites. Of the cold-hardy reds, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Lemberger are workhorses. In the banana belt, growers coax Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to ripen sufficiently in good years to produce Meritage, a Bordeaux blend that also includes Cabernet Franc.
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are widely used in the region’s sparkling wines, made in the traditional and tank methods, and through carbonation. An estimated 35 Finger Lakes producers are vinifying dry rosé, a rising star among urban millennial wine drinkers.
So much to see and taste throughout the Finger Lakes, but here’s a summary of seven on Seneca to check out:
- Damiani Wine Cellars – With grapes sourced from its own 45 acres as well as banana-belt vineyards at Sawmill Creek and Sunrise Hill vineyards, Damiani produces a couple of best-selling Meritage wines in addition to Riesling and sparkling wine. The 2014 Bollicini is a sparkling blend of Cayuga, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. A white hybrid, Cayuga punches up the aroma just a bit and is balanced by the acidity. The 2012 Cabernet Franc “Barrel Select” has notable hints of violet and raspberry. Look for the 2012 vintage in all Finger Lakes wines. The year was warm and dry, practically California-esque.
- Wagner Vineyards – The first winery on the east side of the lake, Wagner is one of the region’s premier growers. Wagner ferments each block and clone of its 62 acres of Riesling separately. An eight-person staff tastes blind to decide which characteristics they like best. Wagner’s production facility was designed to resemble a round barn. Because the walls are filled with earth, the cellar is naturally climate controlled. The tippy tall tanks are custom made. Gravity transfer is used to rack the wines. Wagner got rid of its crusher/destemmer and now relies on a French-made mechanical harvester to bring in grapes quickly if weather patterns change. Check out 30-year veteran winemaker Ann Raffetto’s zingy and fruity 2013 Gewürztraminer and bracingly acidic 2013 Finger Lakes Riesling ice wine.
- Hector Wine Company – Super-small production, handpicked, hand-sorted, naturally fermented. Hector and a separate collaboration, Forge, are all about old-world classicism. Forge’s Pinot Noir Classique is entirely unfined and unfiltered, and its Rieslings are minimally fined. Try Hector’s 2014 floral and dry Gewürztraminer, cold-soaked for 48 hours on the skins, and brightly acidic 2013 Dry Riesling. Forge’s grapefruit-pithy Riesling Classique 2013 will have you puckering up. Like more grapefruit than pith? The 2013 Forge Riesling Les Alliés is for you.
- Lakewood Vineyards – A growing family business, Lakewood’s three generations work together to produce 80,000 gallons of wine (30% of total production) on their own label. The rest is contract work.
Bottling at Lakewood Vineyards. Altogether, they’re making 60 different wines. Their Rieslings run the gamut from dry to sweet. Lakewood winemaker Chris Stamp adds a little carbonation to Cayuga to create Candeo, a nicely balanced, easy-quaffing, Prosecco-style sparkling wine. The 2014 Lemberger shows bramble fruit and a warm finish. I’m not a huge Muscat fan, but if it’s your thing, Lakewood’s 2014 Valvin Muscat is reminiscent of caramelized candy-fruit slices.
- Fox Run Vineyards – “Clean and lean” is the mantra at Fox Run. Eighteen of their 50 acres is planted to Riesling. Winemaker Peter Bell’s Riesling is usually a blend and may include some fermentation with ambient (available) yeast. Bell’s winemaking decisions are not made a priori. He applies a science-based, rationalist approach to what the grapes give him. Try Bell’s 2014 barrel-fermented Silvan Riesling for its rich, creamy texture and lime-peel finish, or delve into the Geology Series to discover the influence of winemaking on a finished wine. Finally, this coffee lover would be remiss not to mention the Old Tawny Port. Coffee, figs, dates. Pure yum.
- Anthony Road Wine Company –Through skin fermentation of Riesling and Chardonnay, Becraft is after new, exciting and decidedly un-California results. He finds a little bit of tannin focuses the varietal expression of these grapes. His wines are steely clean. Compare them to Anthony Road’s traditionally fermented Riesling and Chardonnay to notice the differences. Three others to try: the refreshing 2015 dry Rosé of Cabernet Franc with a splash of Lemberger, the “minerally” 2015 Grüner Veltliner (Austria’s best-known varietal) from a Cornell University teaching vineyard onsite, and the 2014 Vignoles (a French hybrid), bursting with pineapple.
- Glenora Wine Cellars – Despite its location on Seneca’s west side, Glenora sources the majority of its grapes from some 14 growers mostly on the northeast side of Seneca and west side of nearby Cayuga Lake. Winemaker Steve DiFrancesco keeps vineyard lots separate, but usually assembles his wines from various areas. Glenora also does custom jobs for small wineries. DiFrancesco ferments Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, and, last year, Gewürztraminer, in a concrete, egg-shaped vessel. Designed by a “biodynamic guy” in the Rhone (France), the egg produces creaminess and mouthfeel without barrel tannins. For fun, try his three 2013 Pinot Blanc wines – steel, concrete egg, and a version that spent time in both steel and oak. Whatever you do, don’t miss the 2006 Brut sparkling wine made onsite in the traditional method: 68% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay, whole-cluster pressed, dried apricot and toast. Lovely.
Special thanks to Liz Stamp for referring me to these seven wineries. If you live anywhere on the East Coast or you’re just visiting, go!