JR Dill we finally meet!

We finally made it to the J.R. Dill Winery today and talked to Jeff (the J. in J.R.) while Jimmy Buffet serenaded us in the background. While we tasted the wines in our J.R. Dill glasses (that we could take home after the tasting), we discussed the beautiful Seneca Lake glass bar-top and how J.R. got started. It was a hobby gone wild while economic times offered the opportunity and voila! 8 months ago J.R. Dill Winery was born. We enjoyed tasting the 5 wines: Cab Franc, Dechaunac, Chardonnay, Riesling and Jabber Waulkie Blush. All were dry with the Jabber Waulkie being the "sweetest" at 3.7% residual sugar. We bought the blush and the Chardonnay (unoaked - aged in stainless steel and very clean, crisp and fruit forward). We will definately return! P.S. - the Jabber Waulkie is the monster of Seneca Lake!

We waited until the cows came home!

It's not every day you run into a cattle stampede on the east side of Seneca Lake on the way to visit wineries! OK, so they were calves and there were only about 8 of them. They had obviously

"escaped" from home and were giddy with freedom. They had traffic stopped in both directions as they merrily darted back and forth down the road (jumping over the white and yellow lines). You could almost hear them talking to each other:

"Hey, let's head for that big wine barrel down the road."

"OK, we're all with you!"

"Well, no, maybe we should turn around..."

"OK let's turn around."

"Hey look, there's some really sweet looking grass over there!"

"Let's go for it - hey watch that white line - come on!"

"No, I really think we should..."

As we carefull drove around them on our way to Damiani Wine Cellars, we couldn't help but chuckle at their great escape and obvious enjoyment of freedom. They reminded me of school kids let out for the summer - free at last and not sure what to do first. Oh, to live in the moment like that!

Damiani Wine Cellars (http://www.damianiwinecellars.com/) is owned and operated by Phil Davis and Lou Damiani, friends and natives of Seneca Lake. They produce limited quantities of "fine, hand-crafted wine." Their wines are dry or "off dry" and they even offer a few unfiltered wines (like tasting it directly out of the barrel). In the white wines, they are currently offering Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio,and Riesling all 2007 vintage. They also offer a Dolce Bianco NV (blend of Vignoles, Cayuga and Vidal grapes) which won the Bronze Medal at the 2007 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and a Silver medal from the 2008 Golden Nose Competition. The reds include Vino Rosso NV (Pinot Noir and Rougeon,Vincent and Leon Millet hybrids blend), 2006 Pinot Noir, 2007 Pinot Noir, 2007 Cabernet Franc (double gold medal winner and scored an 87 in Wine Spectator), 2006 Merlot, 2007 Merlot (double gold and gold medal winner and Wine Spectator score of 86), 2006 Meritage and a 2007 Barrel Select Merlot Reserve wine. We had a great time doing vertical tastings of the Pinot Noir and Merlot as well as pairing wines with artisan chocolates available at the winery. Damiani's wines were delicious - smooth and flavorful. While we know the reds in the Finger Lakes keep getting better, Damiani's really excel. And what a thrill to see their wines (and the Finger Lakes Region) represented in Wine Spectator! Hard choices, but we ended up purchasing the Cab Sauv (unfiltered) and the 2007 Merlot. Then we found 2 bottles of the Cab Franc at a local liquor store (the winery is sold out), so will try one of them soon and let you know our impression. My friend, Jon, who was at Damiani Cellars earlier in the day, purchased the Barrel Select Merlot (it is a double gold, gold and silver medal winner with a rating of 87 in Wine Spectator). Jon is planning a return trip in October when the 2008's are released! We're with you Jon, we will definately make a return trip to Damiani Wine Cellars! (Hopefully the cows will stay home!)

Updates and Ramblings

I have been very bad about updating. Let's see, there were the college FASFA forms, Rory's surgery, Bryn AND Jim's big milestone birthdays. I turned around and it is March! By the way, Rory is doing fine. Of the 2 tumors on his liver, one was benign and the other a slow growing cancer. We are hoping that the other spots on his liver are also the slow growing kind and that we will have much more time in the pleasure of his company! He was a real trooper (6 days at the vets) and is back to rough housing with Maggie.

Maggie will be 3 this month, and we're still waiting for our female "Marley" to settle down. Case in point: the dog is very talented in the barking department. She can bark with a bone, stick, 5 pound dumbbell, sock or just about anything else in her mouth. The other day she was out in the back yard barking and barking. I was going to call her in before the neighbors started complaining, when I notice a deer standing in the thicket about 10 feet from her, staring at her. There's our Maggie sitting in the snow, stick in mouth, barking at the deer, tail wagging, as if to say "look at me, look at my cool stick - let's play!" The deer-statue must have stood there staring at her for a good 5 minutes before she snorted ("you're nuts") and ran off -much to Maggie's disappointment. Fortunately our girl doesn't let things get her down (combined with her memory lasting about 1/17th of a second), and she came bounding happily back to the door.

Did you notice in this morning's D&C, the article about the Wine Spectator scoring several of Seneca Lake's 2006 Rieslings? The ratings were as follows:

Anthony Road's semi-dry Riesling - 89 points
Atwater Estate's Riesling - 88 points

Chateau LaFayette Reneau Johannisberg Riesling- 88 points

Fox Run Reserve Riesling - 88 points

Red Newt Reserve Riesling - 88 points

White Spring Riesling - 87 points
What a real honor for those Seneca Lake wineries to be among the top rated wines!

Here are some upcoming wine events in March (thanks to http://www.localwineevents.com/). By the way, March is a great time to hit the wineries because there are usually smaller crowds and you can often get some quality chatting time with the people there.

St. Patrick's Irish Weekend
Mar 15, 2008 (Sat) to Mar 16, 2008 (Sun) @ 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Place: Cobblestone Farm Winery and Vineyard
Romulus
Cost: Free Admission
Wine Event
Join us for a St. Patrick's Irish Weekend. Enjoy award winning wines paired with complimentary Irish fare such as Irish stew and scones.more: http://www.localwineevents.com/Finger-Lakes-Wine/event-172014.html

Finger Lake International Wine Competition
Mar 28, 2008 (Fri) to Mar 31, 2008 (Mon) @ 9:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Place: The Crowne Plaza Hotel
Rochester
Cost: No cost
Wine Event
The fastest growing wine competition in North America. WINERIES; You are cordially invited to enter THE 8TH ANNUAL FINGER LAKES INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION TO BENEFIT CAMP GOOD...more: http://www.localwineevents.com/Finger-Lakes-Wine/event-158119.html

World Tour of Food and Wine I
Mar 29, 2008 (Sat) to Mar 30, 2008 (Sun) @ 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Place: Nine wineries surrounding Keuka Lake
Penn Yan
Cost: Fee $20 per person in advance, $25 per p...
Combo Event
Join us for an inspiring event of food and wine pairings on quaint and charming Keuka Lake. Each winery has selected a country or regional food to feature along with fine wines. As...more: http://www.localwineevents.com/Finger-Lakes-Wine/event-159452.html

Cruisin' the Tropics Weekend
Mar 29, 2008 (Sat) to Mar 30, 2008 (Sun) @ 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Place: Wineries along the Seneca Lake Wine Trai...
Watkins Glen
Cost: $25 per person/$18 for designated driver...
Combo Event
Pull out your tropical shirts, put on your sunglasses, go sockless in your boat shoes, wear your favorite beach hat, and join us for a weekend of relaxation in the tropics . . . ju...more: http://www.localwineevents.com/Finger-Lakes-Wine/event-159723.html

Enjoy!