This event was hosted by John and Erma Czyrny. John is somewhat of a local legend in that he grows several different varieties of grapes, apples, figs, peaches, plums and a vegetable garden in a suburban back yard about 100 by100 ft. He took us on a tour of his yard, where we tasted Canadice grapes (seedless Delaware), which are almost ripe already. Before we started tasting the hybrids, several other wines were available. One which caught my eye was an ’02 Muscadet from Loire. This was the first time I ever tasted this wine and was surprised by it. Bone dry, steely acidity and very cleansing, long finish. I recall Robin comparing Seyval to Muscadet and now I can see the similarities. I liked it.
Here are the wines we tasted blind. The first score is mine, the second is the average of the 12 people tasting (I guess I’m a generous scorer).
#1 – Hart’s Wine Cellars ’05 Dry Cayuga – decent nose, short finish 14/13.3
#2 – Keuka Springs ’03 Vignoles - intense nose, strong acid balanced with sweetness – long lingering finish 19/15.1 – my favorite wine by far.
#3 - Ravines ’05 blend of Cayuga, Vignoles and Traminette - decent nose, but short finish 15/13.8
#4 – John Czyrny’s home made Horizon – good nose, decent finish with a bit of a labrusca flavor. – 15/13.8 – Horizon is a seedless table grape noted for very low acidity. John admitted to adding a small portion of Vignoles and Canadice to this wine. Very nice.
#5 – Vetter Vineyards NV Foch – Not my style of Foch – off dry, something strange in the nose? 13/12.9
#6 – Goose Watch ’02 Chambourcin – Excellent complex nose, but a bit short on the finish – 16/14.6
#7 – Henry of Pelham ’02 Baco Reserve – Excellent nose – good balance and structure, short finish – 16/15.3 - I believe this was a wine that PaulB gave me as a gift - Thanks Paul - perhaps the best Baco I've had.
#8 – Herdner '01 Baco – Good nosy with hints of smokiness – Similar to the HofP but less on the nose and a better finish – 16/13.0
#9 – Mystery Wine – Deep blueish-red color. Smells kind of like Foch. Sweet, but with enough acid for balance. Good finish with berry flavors. 15/13.4. One of the tasters who knew the wine said “If anyone here can identify the grapes used in this wine I’ll buy you a Lexus. " This was a wine that John had made from wild grapes he found growing on an island in the Niagara River while perch fishing.
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