New York Riesling/Gewurtz

Elaine and I made a low pass at some wineries on the West side of Lake Seneca last Tuesday. We were really only interested in Riesling and Gewurtz, so we were able to make more stops than if we had planned to taste the full array.

Billsboro Winery - Riesling only, ordinary or slightly better than ordinary, say 15 on a 20 point scale, but no flaws noted. Not what we were looking for. The tasting room staff were gracious and charming, so we bought some wine anyway.

Fox Run Vineyard - Riesling only - There were 10 or 12 people in the tasting room when we arrived. The women in charge was a bit brusque, and wasted no time informing me that my preferred order of tasting (a dry Pinot Noir before a dry (0.8% RS) Riesling was wrong) and that the PN had ZERO percent RS. I didn't think it was worth it to try and tell her that all wine has at least some (non-fermentable) RS. I stepped outside my plan of tasting only Riesling/Gewurtz to try their PN and found it over-oaked to the point where the oak was covering up the fruit (it was a very lightweight PN). Her Brusqueness again wasted no time informing me I was wrong. The Riesling was about the same as that at Billsboro but we didn't purchase any.

Red Tail Ridge Winery - Riesling only - Tasting room staff seemed unknowledgeable/uninformed to me. The wine was about the same as the previous two wineries. The vineyards were quite impressive and well cared for.

Anthony Road Wine Cellars - Riesling and Gewurtz - Very pleasant tasting room staff. The Riesling was a step or two up from the previous wineries, say 16 or 17 on a 20 point scale, which is what we were looking for. The Gewurtz was also very tasty, perhaps 17 or 18 on a 20 point scale. It (the Gewurtz) seemed a little coarse in character, as though it had spent a little too much time on the skins. While some may regard this as a flaw, I thought it made the wine a little more interesting and unique than most. We purchased dry and semi dry Riesling, and the Gewurtz.

Herman J. Wiemer Vineyard - This was the most low-key of the five tasting rooms we visited, and that added to it's charm. I had a chance to speak briefly with the winemaker who was at the time conducting Chardonnay blending trials with his assistant. He was an appealing and pleasant young man with an open and friendly nature. We tasted three Rieslings and a Gewurtz, purchased the semi-dry Riesling and the Gewurtz. The Riesling was very nice, about the same as the Anthony Road, the Gewurtz would probably score a little better for most as it did not display the slight coarseness of the Anthony Road, but I would give it the same 17-18 on a 20 point scale. We also purchase a bottle (untasted) of their Blanc de Noir, 5 years en tirage, on the recommendation of the winemaker and the counter staff.

At no time did we taste the more expensive late harvest/icewine/single vineyard offerings at any of the wineries, they being priced above our budget.

I really would like to have some more time to explore the Finger Lakes. Thanks to all who offered advice.

Thanks for the report. If I knew it was going to be limited to the two grapes, I would have recommeded skipping Fox Run and stopping at Glenora. We hit Fox Run only for its reds, which (at least the Cab Franc and Lemburger) are just about the best in the region.

Glad you found what you were looking for at Anthony Road and Wiemer. Fox Run has been letting me down recently, from the tasting room experience to the wines. Finding knowlegeable or at least well trained tasting room staff is a big problem. Some act as if they were executing a script and get irked when you want to do something out of order. Many assume you are a total moron, even after it is evident that you know a bit about wine.

Do you know the vintage of the Fox Run PN? They make two, a regular and reserve. The first tends to be thin and not too exciting (maybe oak chipped as well) while the reserve can be more ripe and concentrated but sometimes over oaked. As a rule, 2007 was good for reds, 2008 less so. Nevertheless, not my first choice for PN in that area.

I've not tasted the Billsboro Riesling recently, but IIRC one received a major award or medal (for what that is worth). The owner/winemaker is pretty good, Vinny Alperti, who also makes the wines at Atwater.

The 2008 Anthony Road Gewurz is a big bruiser of a wine. Pretty good for a producer that has only recently started with that grape. Wiemer's is done in a more elegant style.

Joe - About the Fox Run PN, I frankly don't recall the vintage, and it was almost certainly not their Reserve bottling. It was a lightweight, although definitely red and not pink, and I was hoping for one of those lightweight but exquisitely perfumed and exotically flavored PNs that occur from time to time in most appellations. Unfortunately it was so over-oaked for what was clearly a delicate wine that any potential was lost. The hostess, and I use the term loosely, told me it was aged in used oak barrels, but not how many times the barrels were used.

I like Gewurtz but outside of Navarro I've never had a dry one that I would buy for myself. For some reason they all have a bitter finish which is something they seem able to avoid in Alsace for instance.

Appreciated the comments about the ambience of the tasting room. My son-in-law from Michigan and I visited an east side Seneca winery recently. A single person was staffing the bar, answering the phone, being cashier and doing what ever else. Although he tried mightily there was a long wait between hasty pours. The Riesling was quite good I thought. But my son-in-law who regularly stocks up on Finger Lakes wines was so put off that he left without buying anything.

Joe - About the Fox Run PN, I frankly don't recall the vintage, and it was almost certainly not their Reserve bottling. It was a lightweight, although definitely red and not pink, and I was hoping for one of those lightweight but exquisitely perfumed and exotically flavored PNs that occur from time to time in most appellations. Unfortunately it was so over-oaked for what was clearly a delicate wine that any potential was lost. The hostess, and I use the term loosely, told me it was aged in used oak barrels, but not how many times the barrels were used.

It does sound like you had the regular PN. The '08 PN at Red Tail Ridge is one of their first from estate grapes and fits the description of lightweight but full of delightful aromas and flavors. Too bad you didn't try that one.