Finger Lakes With a Flourish

BY JASON WILSON | DECEMBER 12, 2019It’s time to take America’s premier cool-climate wine region more seriously.

The Finger Lakes has
been branded an “up-and-coming” wine region for almost two decades. So, at this
point, it’s a reasonable question to ask: Have the wines finally arrived? Well,
yes and no. Yes, in that there’s no denying the many fantastic wines that are produced
here. The Finger Lakes is clearly America’s premier cool-climate wine region, and
prices remain incredibly low given the quality. Overall, winemaking has taken a
leap forward – even since <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/finger-lakes-rising-jul-2016">Vinous’s last report on the region in 2016</a>. There’s less reliance on oak, and the
quality of the red wines is much improved. Because of the diversity of grape
varieties grown in the Finger Lakes, every vintage now promises something worth
seeking out.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1576171871652-At+Keuka+Springs+winery+overlooking+Keuka+Lake.jpg"> The Keuka Springs winery overlooking Keuka Lake 

Yet it’s this wide
array of grapes that also makes the present and the future difficult to assess.
There is something of an identity crisis here. Much of the Finger Lakes is
still rooted in the direct-to-consumer model, spurred by the state’s 1976 Farm
Winery Act, which led to a robust culture of wine tourism. Many winery tasting
rooms pour a dozen or more varieties and styles. Since the Finger Lakes is a
popular summer and fall destination, the impulse to offer something new to
visitors is understandable. But I wish there was a little more focus. More than
30 varieties are grown on more than 10,000 acres – though less than a quarter
of this is vinifera grapes. Most grape-growing
here is still dedicated to native labrusca
varieties like Concord, Catawba and Niagara, or hybrids like Cayuga White,
Vignoles, Traminette and Seyval Blanc.

“This region is still
literally being birthed,” said Rick Rainey, winemaker at Forge Cellars. Forge,
started in 2011 as a partnership between Rainey, Justin Boyette, and Louis Barruol of Château Saint Cosme
in Gigondas, represents a new generation
of sophisticated, ambitious winemaking. Part of their new way of thinking is to
focus on two grapes, Riesling and Pinot Noir, as well as on single-vineyard
bottlings.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1576171879982-Rick+Rainey+of+Forge+Cellars.jpg"> Rick Rainey, winemaker at Forge Cellars Riesling and Beyond 

The key white vinifera grape continues to be Riesling
– at 849 acres, the most widely planted variety after Concord. Finger Lakes
Riesling is certainly the finest in North America, and the top tier is world-class.
Riesling is still the focus of venerable producers like Hermann J. Wiemer,
Ravines and Red Newt, as well as younger wineries such as Boundary Breaks, Silver
Thread and Onyare, among others. While there are plenty of interesting off-dry
expressions to be found, the great potential is in nervy, textured, high-acid
dry Rieslings.

But Riesling’s
dominance could be challenged over the next decade. A younger generation of
winemakers sees great potential in Chardonnay (351 acres planted in the region).
“When I came back to the Finger Lakes, I was bored by a lot of the Riesling,”
said Nathan Kendall, whose Nathan K and Hickory Hollow labels have garnered considerable
attention lately.

Christopher Bates,
the master sommelier and restaurateur who owns Element Winery, echoed Kendall’s
sentiments. Element (which Bates runs with his father Bob) stopped making
Riesling after the 2013 vintage. “It just didn’t mesh with our mission to
change the perception and image people had of the Finger Lakes,” Bates said.Winemakers like Bates
and Kendall point to the fact that, though under the radar, there are lots of
older Chardonnay plantings throughout the Finger Lakes. Some of the best come from
clones brought from France by Charles Fournier, a Frenchman who came
to the Finger Lakes from Veuve Clicquot in the mid-20th century to head
operations at Gold Seal, a historically important local winery established in
1865. Over the years, much of the Chardonnay was used for sparkling wine, which
not so long ago was more important in the region. Three years ago, in her Vinous
article,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/finger-lakes-rising-jul-2016">Finger Lakes Rising</a>,&nbsp;Kelli White was “skeptical” about the potential of Chardonnay and
saw much of it as “characterless and thin.” I’m less skeptical (though I did experience
some thin and characterless expressions) and I think the best is very good
indeed. 

Besides Riesling and Chardonnay, numerous wineries work with
Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris, or experiment with a range of whites, from
Grüner Veltliner to Albariño to Muscat Ottonel. Gewürztraminer is the
third-most-planted white grape (104 acres), but I was relatively mixed on what
I tasted. I found perhaps more potential in Pinot Gris (69 acres). There’s also
been some experimentation with hybrid grape varieties. The most prevalent is
probably Vignoles, which makes intriguing wines that are sky-high in both acidity
and residual sugar. The Vignoles expressions, mostly dessert wines, are a bit
strange but worth a try.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1576183813220-Nathan+Kendall%2C+winemaker+of+Nathan+K+and+Hickory+Hollow_copy.png"> Nathan Kendall, winemaker at Nathan K and Hickory Hollow Reds on the Rise 

But the most promising wines might be the reds. “Ten years ago, there was no one out there
talking about red wines from the Finger Lakes,” said Bates. “But I think we can
have our biggest impact through our red wines.”

Cabernet Franc is the most planted (236 acres) followed by
Pinot Noir (194 acres). While I did taste some good Pinot Noir from producers
like Forge and Heart and Hands, I wasn’t as excited about its prospects in the
Finger Lakes. Cabernet
Franc, on the other hand, has been the Finger Lakes’ most reliable calling
card, and it can be excellent and ageworthy. I tasted a stunning mini-vertical
of Cabernet Franc dating back to 2006 with Steve Shaw of Shaw Vineyard that
illustrated this. Almost every top producer has a solid-to-very-good Cabernet
Franc. Some, like those from natural-wine darling Bloomer Creek Vineyard, can
be extraordinary.One lingering issue with Cabernet Franc in the Finger Lakes has
been an impulse to avoid or “manage,” at all costs, the greener, herbaceous notes that are typical of
the variety, resulting from prevalent methoxypyrazine
compounds. I don’t know if it’s a lack of confidence or an attempt to mimic
California. Obviously, too much of anything is a problem, but this fresh,
herbal element is something that enthusiasts of Cabernet Franc from, say, the
Loire Valley happen to enjoy. Too much oak on the Cabernet Franc often renders
it indistinguishable from any other red wine. 

Beyond Cabernet Franc and Pinot
Noir, there are the usual Bordeaux varieties that make up Meritage blends. But
the red with the most exciting potential is likely Blaufränkisch
(which is generally still labeled as Lemberger in the Finger Lakes). Some of the highest-scoring reds in this report, in fact, are Blaufränkisch/Lemberger.
I appreciate the leaner style of Blaufränkisch in this cooler climate, leaning
toward a more intense, less fruity style, full of pepper and dark minerality,
reminiscent of the more austere Burgenland expressions.

I also saw a number of experiments with Zweigelt and
Saperavi, the red-fleshed Georgian grape. One surprising outlier was the number
of interesting Syrah bottlings I tasted, both from old-school producers like
Fulkerson and Shalestone and from newer producers such as Element. Bates, for
instance, believes that a dry, herbal Northern Rhône–style Syrah has great potential
in the region.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1576171906613-View+overlooking+Keuka+Lake+from+Dr.+Konstantin+Frank+winery.jpg"> Dr. Konstantin Frank winery overlooking Keuka Lake New Winemaking for a New Generation 

Talk of the future, like much else in the Finger Lakes, exposes
a generational divide. There’s no denying that younger wine consumers want less
oak, are open to more natural-winemaking methods and love acidity. This is a
good thing for the Finger Lakes. “You
have to embrace acidity,” said Josh Wiig of Lamoreaux Landing. “That’s what we’ve
got here.”<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1576171706875-Entrance+to+Lamoreaux+Landing.jpg"> Entrance to Lamoreaux Landing 

“You Can’t Get Comfortable”

Of course, none of this matters without great vintages –
such as 2012 or 2014. This report was meant as a check-in, to catch up on what’s
transpired since our last comprehensive tastings in 2016. Most of the more than
400 wines from around 40 producers reviewed came from the 2016 and 2017
vintages. There’s a lot of fanfare around the 2016 vintage, which had the
driest summer in 50 years and a warmer winter than usual.

General opinion is more mixed on 2017. That year brought a
mild winter, a warm spring and a dryer, hotter fall than usual. But the summer
was very wet and cool. “I call
2017 the dark horse vintage,” said Shannon Brock of Silver Thread. I was
particularly impressed by the 2017 Rieslings, which in general seemed more
lithe, livelier and racier than the riper 2016s. It will be interesting to see
how both vintages mature, but my bet is on the 2017s. The 2018 vintage, which is just coming onto
the market, was plagued by high humidity, rain and disease pressure. Edible Finger Lakes called the vintage
“more nightmare than fairytale.”<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1576171772467-Meaghan+Frank+of+Dr.+Konstantin+Frank_copy.png"> Meaghan Frank at Dr. Konstantin Frank 

Making wine in the
Finger Lakes is not easy. Even with the glacial soils, the winters are
extremely cold and there’s a short growing season, so ripeness can be an issue.
Sure, the summers are getting hotter, but the winters are getting colder. Viticulture
is only made possible through the influence of the extremely deep lakes, which naturally
regulate temperature fluctuation. Though there are 11 lakes in total, Seneca,
Keuka, Cayuga and Canandaigua are where the significant winegrowing happens,
with Seneca and Keuka having most of the vineyards. Seneca is the deepest of
the lakes, at 632 feet, and hasn’t frozen over since the early 20th
century. Keuka, however, is much more shallow (187 feet) and freezes fairly
regularly. “The thing about the
Finger Lakes, you can’t get comfortable,” said Nathan Kendall.

Because the Finger Lakes’ two main grapes are Riesling and
Cabernet Franc, there will inevitably be comparisons to Germany, Alsace and the
Loire. But a distinct regional style is rapidly emerging. “Sometime in my lifetime I would like there to
be a recognition that there are amazing sites in the Finger Lakes,” said Silver
Thread’s Brock. “We’re not aspiring to be the Rheingau or Alsace or Loire. We
have a different reality here.”

NOTE: All acreage numbers come from The New York
Wine &amp; Grape Foundation's Forthcoming Course &amp; Reference Guide<hr>You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/unraveling-the-secrets-of-cognac-sep-2019">Unraveling the Secrets of Cognac</a>, Jason Wilson, September 2019 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vinous.com/articles/calvados-the-apple-of-a-brandy-drinker-s-eye-nov-2018">Calvados: The Apple Of A Brandy Drinker’s Eye</a>, Jason Wilson, November 2018 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vinous.com/articles/exploring-the-world-of-armagnac-jul-2018">Exploring the World of Armagnac</a>, Jason Wilson, July 2018<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/finger-lakes-rising-jul-2016">Finger Lakes Rising</a>, Kelli White, July 2016

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social