Wine Review: 2009 Bellangello Moscato

Winery Villa Bellangelo
Year: 2009
Wine: Moscato

Drank: 6/26/2011

Villa Bellangelo is a winery located on the western shore of Seneca Lake.

The color is a pale gold, almost clear, the effervescence clearly visible.  Sugar dominates the aroma, though grape and lychee seep in.  It is immediately sweet and never truly varies from that.  The fruits are a little stronger on tasting.  Grape and lychee are complemented by pineapple.  However, sugar is ever present.

While this wine isn't particularly my taste, it can be very refreshing and would go well with dessert where the sugar would fade with other sugary flavors.

Rating: 5/10.  The rating is reflective of the strong sugar flavors that overpower all the other fruit flavors.  I could see someone who prefers sweet wines rating this higher because of this.  In fact, it is one of my mother-in-law's favorite wines.

Wine Review: 2007 Ravines Meritage

Winery: Ravines
Year: 2007
Wine: Meritage

Drank: 6/26/2011



Ravines is a winery located on the eastern shore of Keuka Lake.  They focus on dry wines, though they offer a few off dry wines as well.

The Meritage is an impenetrably dark red.  The first nose brings a strong aroma of dark chocolate with hints of oak and cherry.  On the second nose, the cherry stands out more, adding a hint of blackberry.  The taste follows the aromas.  Cherry and blackberry at the tip of the tongue, oak as it continues to the middle, and rich dark chocolate from the middle to the finish.  This finish lingers.  It is generally well balanced, maybe slightly too bitter, though that is a result of the strong chocolate flavors.

This is one of the better reds in the Finger Lakes.  It has a strong aroma and a variety of flavors that are distinct, though none overpowering.  I had the opportunity to pair this wine with chocolate, which heightens the fruit flavors of the wine and the creaminess of the chocolate.

Final Rating 7.5/10 - Wonderful aromas and flavors.  Mostly well balanced, though the bitterness can be a somewhat off putting on the finish.  When paired with good chocolate, this wine flourishes.

Wine Review 2002 Johannisberg Riesling Heron Hill

Winery: Heron Hill
Wine: Johannisberg Riesling
Year: 2002
Drank: 6/15/2011

Another Riesling?  Yes, I need to get out to the lakes and restock.  However, the Finger Lakes provide an excellent selection of Rieslings, and I think this tasting gives some information on how these Rieslings age, as this Riesling is 9 years old.

The cork fell apart as the wine was opened, however the wine was unaffected.

The wine is pale gold with a faint shade of green.  The aroma is not strong.  The first nose is very earthy, minerals and soil dominating, though with a hint of lime and citric acid.  The second nose intensifies the earthiness.  There may be some floral scent though it could just be the soil aromas.

Minerality and earth pervade throughout the tasting, which is generally expected as a Riesling ages.  Lime is present on the tip of the tongue and through the midmouth.  The finish consists of subtle grapefruit and is very crisp.  The lime and grapefruit flavors linger after the taste.  The wine is well balanced, the bitterness of the grapefruit, the sweetness and acidity of the lime, and the mineral flavors never dominate.

Final Rating: 7.5/10.  This wine offers a reason to purchase Finger Lake Rieslings for those who may be turned off by some of the strong acidity and citrus flavors.  Aging the wines will generally balance those acidic flavors.

Wine Review: 2008 Fox Run Drink New York Riesling

Winery: Fox Run
Wine: Drink New York Riesling
Year: 2008
Drank: 6/12/2011

Fox Run vineyards is located on the west side of Seneca Lake toward the north.  The Drink New York Riesling is a less expensive wine at $9.99 per bottle and a distinctive label based on Rosie the Riveter, and is described as a Semi-Sweet Riesling.

The aroma on the first nose is one of grapefruit and lime, though it is not particularly aromatic.  The second nose brings a stronger scent of citric acid and perhaps a hint of floral aromas.  There is some sweetness on the  tip of the tongue with tastes of grape on the mid-mouth.  The finish has strong grapefruit flavors with a very acidic bite.  This acidity is not very well balanced by sweetness or mineral flavors.

Not a particularly impressive wine.  It's strength is that it is relatively inexpensive and has some decent flavors.    It's balance is off, especially for a semi sweet.  The bitterness of the grapefruit and acidity on the finish really disturb enjoyment of this wine.  The aromas are not particularly strong either.

Final Rating: 4/10.  A weak aroma and overpowering acidity and bitterness.  It has some nice grape and grape fruit flavors aside from that, and it is affordable, though its cost is not considered in the rating

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Wine Review: 2009 Vidal Ice Standing Stone Vineyards

This weekend, I had the pleasure of tasting a wonderful dessert wine.  The basic information.

Winery:  Standing Stone
Wine:  Vidal Ice
Year:  2009
Drank:  6/11/2011

The color is a light amber, a very warm color.  The first scent from it is of honey and strawberries, a powerful aroma.  Swirling increases the honey scent but a new fruit comes forth, pear.  The honey, so present in the aroma, is tasted immediately on the tip of the tongue.  As the wine travels back, it subtly coats your palette, though not syrupy like some other dessert wines.  The pears and strawberries return in the mid mouth.  At the end, hints of pineapple are discovered.  Additionally, the pear flavor iaccentuatedl when the flavor of its peel surfaces.  The pear and pineapple flavors linger after the finish.

One of the best parts about tasting a great wine is delving into each new level of complexity, moving from the color of the wine, smelling the wine once, swirling it to see what aromas are hidden within, and finally tasting the wine and allowing the flavors from each area of the palette to come through.  A good wine makes the initial process easy by balancing acidity, alcohol, sugar, and other characteristic flavors of a particular grape  or grapes.  But beyond that, a great wine makes the whole tasting a search for every flavor, each taste revealing more.  In tasting this wine for example, the pear was not immediately obvious, but it was noticeable. Each taste brought more variety and because the wine was so well balanced, I anticipated each taste.

There are many traps a dessert wine can fall into that this wine does not.  Dessert wines can be syrupy, almost sticking to your mouth.  This one doesn't.  A dessert wine can be overly sweet, covering up the wonderful fruit flavors that should be present.  This wine doesn't.  The sweetness comes from the fruit flavors.  Dessert wines are often weak on the finish.  This Vidal Ice has a particularly powerful finish.

At the risk of sounding corny, a dessert wine should be judged on whether you would drink it, and only it, for desert.  I would drink this for dessert whenever possible.

Final Rating: 9.5/10

Yes, I know it is kind of a cop out to not give this a 10/10.  Maybe I'll need to retroactively go back and change this after tasting a few 100 wines.  If you are really hung up about it, consider it a 10, and buy this whenever you have the chance.

Wine Rating: Red Tail Ridge 2008 Pinot Noir

Winery:  Red Tail Ridge
Wine: Pinot Noir
Year: 2008
Opened and Drank: 6/8/2011
Retail Price: $19.95

Website: http://www.redtailridgewinery.com/

Red Tail Ridge is a winery on the west side of Seneca Lake.  (Yes, I know its another Seneca Lake winery, but I should have a few from Keuka Lake coming up.  At least, I should have something from the east side of Seneca.)  Now, with most Finger Lakes wineries, you can grade their Riesling and grab a good wine.  Red Tail Ridge has some good Rieslings, but I have decided to go with a red, to show that there is more to the Finger Lakes.

The color of this red is a beautiful deep, sultry red.  The legs move down the glass at a medium fast pace.  On the first nose it smells of spices and cherry.  After swirling, the second nose gives you much more of the fruit, cherry and blackberry.  This wine is best on the tip of the tongue, fulfilling the promise of its fruit aromas.  Beyond that, the wine doesn't show too much.  However, it does nothing to ruin that first impression, a nice balance neither bitter nor acidic.  It has a slight spiciness on the finish, though little flavor lingers.

On the whole the wine is well balanced and is easy to drink with its fruit flavors.  If you are going to drink a red and savor it, there might not be much to this wine, but if you want to just enjoy a glass or two with dinner, it is a very solid wine to have at the ready.

Final rating: 6/10.  Nice fruit flavors.  Well balanced.  Its lack of complexity holds it back as a wine you would drink on its own.

Wine Rating: Wiemer 2009 Dry Riesling

My first wine rating.  First, information.

Winery: Hermann J. Wiemer
Wine: Dry Riesling
Year: 2009
Date Drank: June 7, 2011
Website: wiemer.com

Ah, the crappy cell phone photo.  I will get a better camera soon.

The Hermann J. Wiemer winery is located on the west side of Seneca Lake.  Their dry Rieslings are generally well considered.  I admit, I share this sentiment.  Their 2008 Dry Rieslings were excellently balanced wines that only those adamantly opposed to dry wines would avoid.

I did not go into this tasting blind.  I had attended a Riesling blending seminar led by the owner and a riesling tasting which featured not only the Wiemer Rieslings, but also Rieslings from Australia and the Mosel.  Wiemer has a reputation for great Rieslings that compare favorably internationally.

Its color is a beautiful pale gold.  My first whiff brought citrus, acidic citrus.  Not oranges or tangerines, but closer to lemon and lime.  After swirling the wine, the second whiff brought out floral scents, or grapefruit, though the citric acid of the first whiff still dominate.  Tasting the wine, it starts with a little more sweetness than you pick up from its smell, though nothing especially strong.  As it moves back it maintains a brightness.  It has no feeling of coating the mouth.  It finishes very clean, with a taste of grapefruit and orange peel.  The finish will linger, though not obtrusively.  The mineral flavor is there, but needs to be searched for.

This wine is a fantastic first impression for Finger Lakes wines, part of the reason I chose it.  It is impossible to go completely wrong with a Wiemer Riesling.  I will say that from memory, the 2009 Dry Riesling is somewhat more acidic than the 2008, disturbing its balance as compared to its predecessor.  Still a wonderful wine.

Rating: 8.5/10
Well balanced, but could use a little less acidity in both the nose and the flavor.  The acidity obscures the mineral flavors a bit, though aging the wine can compensate for this.  It would be interesting to taste this wine later on.

Introduction

This blog is dedicated to the wonderful wines of the Finger Lakes region in New York.  I will taste the wines and provide descriptions and ratings of them, though I won't use the typical 100 point scale.  Most of the best wines in the Finger Lakes have been rated on this scale anyway and you can find those elsewhere.

There are a few reasons why I am doing this.  First, I think the wines of the Finger Lakes has some great wines, and I also think that some of these great wine are oft overlooked.

Second, the region is beautiful.  The lakes from late spring to early fall offer excellent weather and recreation.  If anyone wants to visit, they can use this blog to find recommendations of wineries and restaurants.

Third, I love to drink wine and this gives me just one more excuse.

The rating system.  I will rate the wines on 1-10 scale, though I wouldn't suggest taking that too seriously.  People's tastes differ on wines, so I will try to describe in as much detail as possible.  My ratings reflect my tastes on a certain day, so feel free to ignore the number scale and just follow the description.

If you have a request for a write up on a wine or restaurant, or any other information about the Finger Lakes, pop it in the comments section.  I'll do my best to help out.  Please understand, I can only drink so much wine, stay fiscally solvent and retain my job.  I'll do my best.

Also important, I will remain impartial.  I am not an employee of any winery, nor am I affiliated with an organization promoting the region.  Obviously, someone employed by a winery of organization promoting the region doing some marketing would say that, so you can only take my word for it, but whatever.  Taste a few wines yourself, call me out if I am way off base.

Now the blog is called The Finger Lakes Wine Snob because I am being coy.  I don't know if my tastes would qualify as particularly snobbish.  Like most rational buyers, I will prefer a good wine at a lower price.  I really like wines that offer a variety of flavors, one that moves across the palette and keeps you interested as it does.  If it is nothing but sweet and sugary, I probably won't rate it well.  The same if it purely dry with no other flavor, then I probably won't rate it well.  If you think a wine is better than I say, post it in the comments.  Remember, whatever differences we have, we all like to drink wine.  If you don't like to drink wine, than you may want to ask yourself what you are doing reading and disagreeing with a wine blog.