As my day ended I decided to walk into the cellar and grab the first bottle I saw ... it just so happened to be this very lost bottle of Shalestone Red Legend that I uncovered over the last few days by moving bottles around. I have no idea how long I've had it or when I bought it, but it has to be a few years anyway cause I haven't been to the Finger Lakes region in at least 3-4 years; and I had to have bought it there because we don't see that much New York wine up here in Ontario (even though we are neighbours - scratch head here). Red Legend, according to the website, is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Lemberger, Syrah and Pinot Noir - an odd combination, but what the heck. The wine is a rather simplistic blend on the palate and the nose with an element of sweetness ... but I found out within half an hour that I had kept this too long (it was never meant to age in the first place), it began to oxidize and become real off-putting. But in that first 30 minutes it wasn't bad at all.
Showing posts with label USA - New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA - New York. Show all posts
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Ravines Wine Cellars 2006 Riesling (New York)
A number of years ago I went down to see how a real wine festival was run when I attended the Finger Lakes Wine Festival in New York state ... being from a province with an all powerful monopoly and alcohol rules that date back to prohibition era, it was nice to see how things could run if you trusted your populace with the booze they consume and your organizers to get it right ... but I digress. While there I found a winemaker who was doing the right thing in a sweet wine loving state - and that was making serious dry wines. The next day I went out to his property in Hammondsport on Keuka Lake and was further impressed by the wines he was making. So impressed in fact that I bought two bottles from him, a Cabernet Franc, which I recently reviewed, and this bottle of Riesling - which I opened tonight with some Chinese food that the wife and I thought would be a nice romantic dinner before I headed off to Germany for a week of wine tasting. This bottle has stood up very nicely: citrus rind, lemon / lime pith, peach pit and hints of petrol (and I do mean only a hint) on the nose. The palate pulls things off a little better. Where the Nose seemed to be aging the palate still seemed young and vibrant: peach pit, lime acidity and a nice chalkiness with a dry finish. Wonderfully complex and deliciously satisfying ... I do still hope they are making them this way at Ravines.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Ravines Wine Cellars 2006 Cabernet Franc (New York)
"I drink alone ... oh ya, with nobody else ..."
Tonight I am reminded of that George Thorogood song, "I drink alone", because the wife has a touch of that stomach flu that is going around and went to bed early ... I decided to come down to the basement and do some work - and open a bottle of wine. This is a bottle I bought from a very serious wine producer in the Finger Lakes, Ravines. Usually when you go to the Lakes you get a lot of sweet whites and crazy named sweet reds, but the guy at Ravines, Morten Hallgren, is making serious wines, I recommend swinging by if they haven't corrupted him into making the sweet stuff already. This wine obviously has a little age on it, but is still drinking quite well. The color is almost a deep rosé or maybe more along the lines of a Pinot Noir. The nose has strawberry, raspberry and smoky notes, it also seems to be opening up quite nicely the longer it sits in glass. The palate follows along the Pinot analogy with it's cranberry, raspberry and smoky qualities with hints of spice and really good acidity, which runs clean through the mouth. There was a drawback at first, as the resulting linger of the wine on the tongue seemed to possess a little dirty dishrag quality ... but now, half an hour in, this wine seems to linger with a little strawberry and wood smoke ... good job Morten, you've made a might fine wine. Now if you'll excuse me I must get back to work ...
"... and when I drink alone I prefer to be by myself."
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Long Point Winery 2004 Zinfandel (New York)
I love a wine with a story to tell, and this one definitely has one, not about the wine in the bottle but about the purchaser, me. I bought this one at the Finger Lake Wine Festival, it was the year I realized what a civilized folk New Yorkers are about wine and how antiquated Ontario's laws regarding wine festivals really are. I actually bought this wine from the guy manning the booth (after trying the wine) and speaking to him about growing Zinfandel in New York. Turns out he doesn't actually grow Zin in NY he brings it in from California, but hey ... So now, some years later, I sit here with corkscrew in hand ready to pop the cork on this 7 year old Zin. I can definitely say I waited too long with this one, it has an old Zinfandel smell: prunish with vanilla, hints of cinnamon and spiced cedar. The taste followed the nose with plumy-pruneyness, vanilla, a touch of cinnamon but a slightly bitter finish from the overly hot-tannic-cedar laced finish, which I find surprising since the bottle is only 13.8%. Perfect example of nostalgia getting in the way of drinking a bottle, I kept waiting for the right time and now it's too late.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
6 Bottles, Mixed Results (Germany / New York / Spain / France)
Friends came over for a dinner of Pulled Pork with all the fixins (coleslaw, buns, potatoes, etc.) ... minus Zinfandel, which would have made an awesome pairing. Instead I picked out a big Spanish red called Cellar Acustic 2008 Acustic, a blend of Grenache and Samso (Carignan) that was full of fruit and spice ... which made for a perfect pairing. But before we got onto that we started with a bottle of German Sekt (be careful how you ask for this kind of wine, you could get slapped) ... a Riesling Sekt by Fitz was a great starter because it was fresh and fruity with great Riesling qualities to it, and bubbles; what could be wrong with that? Next up, a bottle of Freedom Run 2007 Pinot Noir from New York ... this was a hit and miss bottle for me, the nose was inviting while the palate left something to be desired. This was the bottle brought over by friends and they said they thought it good but better from barrel, which is where they tasted it for the very first time. Light on fruit but passable. The Acustic was a hit and then we moved onto a former favourite of mine: Sauvion 2008 Les Bosquets Vouvray ... this one has a plastic cork, which shows a total lack of respect for the consumer from the winery, if you make a fantastic wine like this and then seal it in plastic you might as well be serving it in a paper Dixie cup. This wine could have aged and been great but now I have to drink my bottles quickly and hear comments like, "this has a funny after-taste of cheese and a lack of acidity." Amazing what 6 months can do to a wine sealed under plastic, this used to be a fresh, fruity wine with balanced acidity and a hint of sweetness, now look at it, a shadow of its former self. For dessert a bottle of PX Sherry from Alvear (1927 solera) - to die for is all I can say about this one. Finally, sitting in the living room the masses cried out for one more, and I obliged them with the always popular 2005 Bodegas Castano Hecula, good fruit, pepper, spice and still going strong 5 years from vintage date. Perfect end to a delightful evening.
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