Tasting Cayuga By Mark Criden The stars have aligned for Finger Lakes wineries in recent years. Encouraged by favorable ink from tastemaker publications like the Wine Spectator and Robert Parker’s iconic Wine Advocate, maturing vineyards and winemakers have substantially increased the class of their products. With last year’s New York State legislation holding the promise of coast-to-coast markets, winemakers from Hammondsport to Lodi are taking their game to a higher level. It’s not clear, though, that many Cayuga Lake winemakers got the memo. Longtime Spreeadistas know that there’s tremendous liquid pleasure to be found elsewhere in central New York (see Spree, September 2003 and September 2004). Konstantin Frank, Heron Hill, Macgregor, and Rooster Hill produce wonderful wines on Keuka Lake, and the list is even longer along Seneca, where Fox Run, Anthony Road, Lakewood, Atwater, Hazlitt 1852, Standing Stone, Red Newt, and Shalestone provide a Murderer’s Row of winemaking distinction. With a single exception, this excellence was M.I.A. on Cayuga’s shores north of Ithaca. In fact, if I hadn’t ended at Sheldrake Point, this would have been an irredeemably depressing jaunt, one lending credence to the wine-snob belief that New York wineries produce little but plonk. First stop was the Knapp Winery in Romulus, which has produced a huge variety of unremarkable table wines since 1984. Except for a half-way decent 2005 Semi-dry Riesling ($15), the rest of the wines were forgettable, including an oaky, bitter 2005 Barrel Reserve Chardonnay ($14), harsh 2005 Dry Riesling ($15), character-free 2003 Sangiovese ($16.95), and soulless 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ($14). Those into harder drink may have interest in an array of high octane projects Knapp produces from Alembic pot stills, including a smoothly credible brandy ($22) and fiery grappa ($22). Their intense, citrusy Limoncello ($22) teetered on the brink of Lemon Pledge-dom, but was nevertheless the best of these and reasonably drinkable. When the movie Jaws was released to huge success in 1975, every producer in Hollywood rushed to produce a shark-bites-man movie, believing that proper marketing was the key to success. They soon learned that without a quality product, marketing takes you straight to video. That lesson was apparently lost on the folks at my next stop, the Thirsty Owl Wine Company. One of Cayuga Lake’s newest wineries, Thirsty Owl’s tasting room sits on 150 acres with over 2,000 feet of breathtaking lake frontage. Home to some of Cayuga’s oldest grape plantings, Thirsty Owl should have the raw materials to produce fine wines. It doesn’t. A pretty good, crisp 2005 Dry Riesling ($14) was all I found worth drinking. Their 2004 Chardonnay ($12) was marred by a miniscule finish, the 2005 Semi-dry Riesling ($14) was soft and innocuous, and the 2004 Pinot Noir ($17) was subtle to the point of invisibility.The only halfway decent red was the 2004 Merlot ($16), and that came from Long Island fruit. Things began to look up as we headed south, and stopped at Goose Watch Winery, where I tasted with winemaker Dave Peterson in a lovely tasting room with a beautiful view of the lake. Part of the family of wineries that also includes Cayuga’s Swedish Hill and Seneca’s Penguin Bay, Goose Watch Winery has the distinction of marching to the beat of their own drummer. Unlike his family’s other operations, Peterson has molded Goose Watch into a winery specializing in unique wines, with a wild and wooly selection like none you will find anywhere in the Finger Lakes. In other words, there’s no Riesling. Peterson presented a dizzying array of whites, starting with a decent dry 2003 Viognier ($18) and a pretty good 2004 Pinot Grigio ($15), the Italian workhorse that’s rare in the Finger Lakes. The wine was very floral and had a nice finish, but wasn’t a knockout by any means. But then came the 2005 Villard Blanc ($11). It was easy to see why this is New York’s only bottling, because it was just shy of unpalatable. The cloying, semi-sweet NV Diamond ($9), a varietal grown in the Finger Lakes for over a century, was not for the diabetic. A couple of hybrid whites developed by Cornell University were slightly more interesting, including a dry, lychee-scented, crisp and spicy 2005 Traminette ($11) and semidry bright, citrusy 2005 Melody ($11). About the couple of reds I tasted—a screechy 2003 Chambourcin ($13) and bitter 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon ($18)—the less said the better. The Goose Watch tasting did finish on a high note, however, with a pretty good 2005 Finale White Port, rich and redolent with apricots and white pepper ($18 for a half bottle) and a decadent, slutty Classic Cream Sherry ($15). Peterson is nothing if not an ambitious winemaker, and with young vines (the vineyards were planted 1998) it’s tempting to believe his wines will get better as the vines mature. I look forward to trying them again in a few years, when they might be ready for prime time. Hosmer Winery is about the friendliest operation you’ll ever visit, exemplified by its owner, Cameron Hosmer. As likely to be pouring in the tasting room as riding the tractor on the spread he’s been farming for thirty-four years, Hosmer is the genuine article. I wish I could say the same about his wines. There’s nothing actually wrong with Hosmer’s wines—they’re all correct, clean, and true to their varietal character, consistent with an operation that holds out Gallo as a role model. In other words, the wines are good, but without distinction. For instance, the 2005 Chardonnay ($12) is subtle and food-friendly; the 2005 Dry Riesling ($12) is crisp and honeyed, and the 2005 Pinot Gris is dry and rich, a good $16 alternative to Chardonnay. Even the 2005 Seyval is an okay $8 picnic wine for the nondiscriminating. The much better semi-dry 2004 Vintner’s Reserve Riesling, was, at, $25 overpriced for the quality. A much better value is the 2005 Riesling, the best still wine in the house and an excellent bargain at $12. Here, too, the reds are not a long suit. A 2004 Cabernet Franc was a ferociously tannic mouthful for $15 and the $10 Estate Red has no merit other than alcohol. But there is one great wine at Hosmer’s, and that’s the Champagne/Sparkling Wine, a very, very good Dry (Brut) Methode Champenoise bubbly for $20. It’s easy to see why it was named “Best Sparkling Wine” at the 2005 New York Food & Wine Classic. I didn’t make it to the east side of the lake, where King Ferry is supposed to be making great things (although my tastings at Ithaca’s Farmer’s Market have belied that), but my last visit, at Sheldrake Point Vineyard, was head and shoulders above anything else on the Cayuga Wine Trail. I rarely use the word “fabulous” to describe a Finger Lakes winery’s production. Here, I used it three times. Sheldrake Point is a young enterprise, with vines planted in 1997; the first estate vintage was only released in 2001.The vineyards are situated on a slope between two gorges that stretch virtually to the beach into Cayuga Lake. The site is blessed with well-drained gravelly glacier soils and are maintained though sustainable agricultural practices and sensitivity to the environment. Given all that, someone has to know what to do with that soil, those vines, and the grapes. And someone does. First-class wine people run this operation, from winegrower and general manager Bob Madill to vineyard manager Dave Weimann and winemaker Dave Breedon. We tasted with Breedon and marketing director Michael Adams. Both Chardonnays and Rieslings are high quality here. The 2005 Waterfall Chardonnay ($11) is a bargain, full of apples and cream, and the 2004 Barrel Reserve Chardonnay ($18) is a classic cool climate white. The very good 2005 Dry Riesling ($16) is like a liquid lemon tart but the real dry standout is the fabulous 2003 Reserve Riesling ($21), all limes and minerals in a beautifully crafted, world-class wine. My Finger Lakes Red Wine skepticism is well–documented, but there is surprising success here. The 2005 Gamay ($17) was very good, juicy like a Loire Valley wine, with a long persistent finish. The 2001 Barrel Reserve Merlot ($24) was also very good, with a full, smooth texture, and the estate’s flagship red, the 2001 Barrel Reserve Meritage ($24) was rich, full-bodied, and impressively long. Only the Cabernet Francs here—the 2002 Barrel Reserve ($23) and 2003 normal cuvee ($15)—were undistinguished. But it’s at dessert where Sheldrake Point really shines. A 2004 Bunch Select Riesling ($20 for a half bottle) was lovely and elegant, honeyed and rich. But then came the piece de resistance. The Vin de Paille (Straw Wine) ($70 for a half bottle) was unbelievably delicious. This remarkable wine is produced over three vintages from hand-selected grape clusters, hung and dried for weeks before pressing. It possesses richly unctuous flavors of luscious raisins, figs, and dates. A tour de force in winemaking. Finally, the 2004 Riesling Ice Wine ($60 for a half bottle) was one of the greatest wines I’ve had this year. Elegant, pure, with a kaleidoscope of flavors and aromas, its richness and complexity must be experienced to be believed. This was impossible to spit. Sheldrake Point is a first-class operation whose fabulous wines are in the don’t-miss category. It can be the engine that pulls the region forward, but others have to get their feet off the brakes. So let this be a wake-up call to the rest of Cayuga’s wineries. The rest of the Finger Lakes wineries are doing better, and the world will soon pass you by if you don’t step up your game. It can be done—just look at Sheldrake Point. Mark Criden (mcriden@yahoo.com) is a non-profit executive and the former chair of the Buffalo Branch of the International Wine & Food Society. Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top