Standing Stone's Vertical Wine Tasting

Let me set the stage: early August, 85 degrees, a big tent in the front of the winery facing the lake where a wedding had been the day before (what a setting for a wedding!), a cloudless summer day with a blue sky and a gentle breeze. We sat on (what is now) an enclosed porch facing the lake as we enjoyed the wines and the informal chat with the winery's owner, Marti Macinski, a lawyer turned vintner with her husband Tom. This was a vertical wine tasting where you sample the same wine from different years. The wine - Cabernet Franc - yum!

The Cab Franc's we tasted were from 1995, 1998, 2001, 2005, and 2006. If you have never been to a vertical wine tasting, it is a real experience to taste older wines. Sometimes you don't really know what to expect from an older wine and wonder, when you open it, if it is corked or if that's the way it is supposed to taste. Vertical tastings or tastings of library wines give you an experience that most of us have never had who don't have extensive, really aged wines in our wine cellars (or the boxes of wine in the basement as the case may be). Jim and I went to a tasting at McGregor's Winery about 5 years back where we tasted a really old (20+ year old) Riesling. It tasted like petroleum! That is what old Rieslings apparently taste like, but I would have thrown it out after smelling it! Go figure!

Anyway, these Cab Franc's really showed the growth of the Cab Franc wine at Standing Stone. The 1995 Cab Franc was what you would expect from a red wine of the Finger Lakes region at that point in time. It was OK, but nothing special. 1998 was a little better because it was a good growing year, but still - none of the nuances and flavors that make a really good Cab Franc. The 2001 was MUCH better due to different techniques in the growing, harvesting and aging processes and a new winemaker who came on board in 2000. We both liked the 2005 the best. This was a fantastic growing season and all the improvements came together to produce a wonderful, smooth Cab Franc with lots of cherry and plum flavors. The 2006 was good, too, but not quite as full bodied as the 2005 due to a different growing season. (And we know the 2007 growing season was really good, too, so get ready for another excellent Cab Franc)! We discussed terrior (how the minerals in the land affect flavor) with Marti. Seneca, Keuka, and Cayuga Lakes all have different flavors in their Cab Francs depending on the lake the grapes are grown on as well as the side of the lake they are on.

Standing Stone Winery in Lodi, New York offers vertical and other wine tastings. Check out their website http://www.standingstonewines.com/ for more details. We enjoyed it so much, we joined their wine club which allows us to come back for more vertical or library wine tastings as well as receiving 2 bottles of wine every few months.

I think a good idea for our next wine tasting with The Pack would be to blind taste Rieslings or Cab Francs from each lake and see which ones we like best. I'll get back to you with the results! Better yet, let me know if your wine group does this and what you liked and I'll post everyone's results!

Tom Turkey and Standing Stone Vineyards

What wines did you serve with your Thanksgiving dinner? We opted for a Gewurztraminer and a Cabernet Franc with dinner and a tasty late harvest vignoles as our dessert wine. I chose the white wine, a 2006 Gewurztraminer from Casa Larga Vineyards. Light and slightly spicy, it really complimented the big bird and all the trimmings. Jim, the red wine lover, chose a 2006 Cabernet Franc from Standing Stone Vineyards. This cab franc is delicious - light and dry, lots of cherry/fruitiness, and a smooth finish. We tried a piece of dark chocolate with it tonight - it tasted like chocolate covered cherries! Really wonderful!
This wine took us back to when we visited the Standing Stone Vineyards this past summer. Located on the east side of Seneca Lake near Hector, NY, Standing Stone has a spectacular view of the Lake! Now I sit here writing in 28 degree weather with snow on the ground, but the day we were at Standing Stone was one of those 90 degree days. We walked from the stifling heat into the cool, cottage-like tasting room. Outside the tasting room is a huge deck overlooking the lake. The owners do it all - landscaping, serving people and bottling their wines. We sampled their 2005 Reserve Chardonnay, the 2006 Gewurztraminer, the 2006 Riesling, the 2006 Cabernet Franc and the Vidal Ice Wine. All were very, very good, but the Cabernet Franc ($17.99) and Gewurztraminer ($18.99) were our choices to bring home.
We haven't tried the Gewurztraminer yet- we're saving it for a Gewurztraminer tasting/rating one of these days. But the Cab Franc was the perfect addition to our Thanksgiving table! Yum!

Mayers Lake Ontario Winery and Vineyards

Wow! Another stunning fall day! We have been so blessed this fall with the warm weather and stunning fall colors... AND everything I read says that this year's grape harvest is the best in many years. I can't wait to start tasting the '07 wines!

Jim and I took a few minutes out of our weekend to visit a small winery close to us - Mayers Lake Ontario Winery and Vineyards located at Mayers Cider Mill. Mayers makes their wine currently in Webster, but grows their grapes on land in Hilton, NY. They are planning on building the beautiful winery in Hilton that they depict on their labels. We had visited Mayers this summer to purchase beer-making supplies (they have wine making supplies and classes also!) and knew they were working on the new wine tasting room and deck. The room is quaint - nicely decorated with a small wood bar, tables and shelves. They offer polo shirts and baseball caps with their logo as well as unique wine bottle bags and other wine paraphernalia. We both started out with a delicious semi-dry Riesling (of course). I went on to sample the Pinot Grigo (appropriately light and smooth) and the Pinot Noir (light, fruity with a nice finish). Jim sampled the Oaked Chardonnay (nice and oak-y!) and the Cabernet Franc, which he especially enjoyed. They also offer specialty wines (reds and whites), a Blush Chardonnay, a nice middle-of-the-road-in-sweetness Cayuga wine, and sweeter Niagara and sweet Riesling wines. As new wines are bottled, they are added to the sampling list. If you are up North in the Webster area, it is well worth the stop (pick up some cider while you're there, too!). We are eagerly anticipating the opening of the new winery in Hilton when it is complete. We'll keep you posted!