Taylor Grape

• August 2009

  Vinifera grapes have been grown in the NY state Finger Lakes region since the late 1940s. Dr Konstanten Frank was one of the pioneers of this and his winery still exists on Lake Keuka. The wineries and by extension the root stock tends to get younger the farther East you go from... Read moreVinifera grapes have been grown in the NY state Finger Lakes region since the late 1940s. Dr Konstanten Frank was one of the pioneers of this and his winery still exists on Lake Keuka. The wineries and by extension the root stock tends to get younger the farther East you go from there. Seneca Lake has some fine wineries although there are some big commercial concerns there like Taylor and Bully Hill that you might want to avoid (their tours are interesting as is the history between the two wineries, but their wines are not IMO). The West side of that Lake seems to have more wineries than the East but that may have changed over the years. Do not try to taste at every winery on this lake and please get a driver if you plan on doing more than just one or two. Cayuga Lake also has some fine wineries. They are mostly on the West side of the lake. Ithaca is a cool college town with both Ithaca College and Cornell University being there. Cornell especially has worked hard to help the local wineries and the Cayuga grape is a hybrid developed there that you'll find made into wine all over this region. You can do the tastings on this lake all in a day but again, it's about 40 miles from one end of the lake to the other and there are a fair number of wineries so if you're thinking about more than just one or two, please find a driver (perhaps you're sensing a theme here). One thing to remember is that the microclimates around the Finger Lakes and the heavy limestone in the soils makes for great whites but less so for reds in the area (although Keuka has some reds that are interesting). The Finger Lakes region in recent years has tried to focus on Reisling as their prime offering and has succeeded to a greater or lesser degree. FWIW, I will say that I think that the best wines from that region are Reislings. I could tell you what I think are good wineries but 1) your palate may not be like mine and 2) what fun would that be? ;-) As an aside, the Finger Lakes region is a great place to vacation in general. The area is beautiful and places like Watkins Glen give you opportunities to do many differnt things including hiking, boating, swimming, etc. Spending some time up there in the summer is highly encouraged. If you are looking for something more specific, then send me a message and I'll try and help.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Any good NY wineries? by Jimmy Cocktail

  
  

• June 2009

  It's been a while since I've posted a blog on Snooth.  It also has been a while since I've done anything with the pages I curate.  If you don't know I curate the Sonoma County and Sonoma Valley webpages.  One way to address both of these pages and get a blog in is to talk about... Read moreIt's been a while since I've posted a blog on Snooth.  It also has been a while since I've done anything with the pages I curate.  If you don't know I curate the Sonoma County and Sonoma Valley webpages.  One way to address both of these pages and get a blog in is to talk about two of the smaller, lesser known sub-appellations in the region.  I give you Chalk Hill and Bennett Valley. Bennett Valley is a sub-appellation of Sonoma Valley and is located in the Sonoma Mountain chain that leads up towards Santa Rosa.  It is almost an extension of the Sonoma Mountain sub-appellation. Chalk Hill is a sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley.  It is at the east end of the appellation running up against the Alexander Valley appellation and Knights Valley appellation in the Mayacamas Mountains. I'm going to tell you a little bit about both. Bennett Valley History Bennett Valley is one of the newest appellations in Sonoma County.  In fact, it is one of the newest California appellations.  The application for the appellation was filed in October of 2001 by the CEO of Mantanzas Creek.  Mantanzas Creek is the 'anchor' winery of the appellation.  The appellation was granted in December 2003.  I don't know for sure if that is a record but it is very fast.  According to information I read, there was on opposition. The area shares a lot of it's formative history with Sonoma Valley and Sonoma in general.  Grape growing recorded as far back as mid-1800s.  Many of the original vineyards farmed by immigrants and used for local wines. Geography Bennett Vally is, well, a valley.  It is one of the smallest AVAs in the Sonoma County with only 650 acres currently planted out of 8,140 acres available.  For comparison, Sonoma valley has about 60,000 acres planted.   It is a valley that is part of the Sonoma Mountain chain that runs along the west side of Sonoma Valley.  It is surrounded by three different mountain peaks: Taylor Mountain (west), Sonoma Mountain (south) and Bennett Peak / Bennett Ridge (east).  Finally to the north is the city of Santa Rosa. Bennett Valley, like a lot of the area, around it has volcanic type soil and is a cool weather climate.  It's unique feature, which separates it from the surrounding areas, is cool air is  channeled into the valley from the north by the peaks via the Crane Caynon / Grange Road wine gap.  The air has no where to go but settle in the valley. Grapes, Wines & Wineries You would think with a small amount of land planted that there wouldn't be a lot of variation of in the grapes being grown.  If you did think that, you'd be wrong.  It planted mostly with Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah, with lesser amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Barbera, Grenache, and Sauvignon Blanc.  You can even find a bit of Petite Sirah, Sangiovese and Zinfandel. Why should you care? Bennett Valley is one of those lesser known special places.  It is one of those places that is coming into it's own.  It is home to a well known and respected winery in Mantazas Creek and a lot of smaller family owned wineries. The growers there provide grapes to some of the best known California names including: Stag's Leap Cellars, DuMol and Caymus. Links Bennett Valley Grape Growers Association Bennett Valley @ Appellation America  Bennett Valley @ Wikipedia Bennett Valley @ Calwineries Chalk Hill When people say the name Russian River the first thing that comes to mind is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  That is a fair assessment as that is what the Russian River Valley is known for.  So, when people hear that Bordeaux style wines are being made in Russian River Valley they think someone is smoking some funny cigarettes or they just made a mistake.  The truth is, it is being done in a sub-appellation called Chalk Hill. History There isn't anything outstanding about the history of Chalk Hill.  It wasn't one of the first places that grapes were grown in California or even in Sonoma County.  It has, like a lot of places in Sonoma, growing grapes.  The Chalk Hill AVA was founded in 1983 when people realized this wasn't Russian River Valley. Geography The Chalk Hill AVA covers about 33 square miles (85 square kilometers) and is situated at the eastern side of the Russian River AVA.  It has about 1,600 acres (650 hectares) of planted vineyard land with about a 1000 of that planted.  It is mostly rocky volcanic ash based soil and the elevation slopes upward the farther east you go.  The AVA ends on the western slopes of the Mayacamas Mountain. The elevation of the AVA ranges from a low of 200 but is as high as 1300 feet.  Unlike the rest of the Russian River Valley AVA, the Chalk Hill region is relatively warm due to the influence of a thermal belt that runs through the area.  Harvest time in Chalk Hill often takes place in September while harvest in the surrounding regions usually takes place in October. Grapes, Wines & Wineries Chardonnay is still the most grown grape in Chalk Hill.  But there is an increasing amount of Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot.  Like many regions in California people experiment by growing different grapes, other grapes that are grown in Chalk Hill include: Pinot Gris, Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc.  With the warmer climate and big variation in altitude it is possible to find an area suitable to a lot of different grape varieties. So what wineries are in Chalk Hill that you might know?  How about J Vineyards and Rodney Strong?  Yes, they are both in Chalk Hill with, of course, Chalk Hill Estate. Why should you care? Like Bennett Valley, Chalk Hill is one of those stealth AVAs.  It is an AVA with great grapes and wineries.  If you are the type of person that knows a secret that other people don't you want to know about Chalk Hill.  The great thing about it is that you can find all wine in one area.  It produces a bit of everything, Burgundian and Bordeaux wines in 33 square miles.  Oh yeah, don't forget the sparkling wine courtesy of J Wines. Links Chalk Hill @ Appellation America Chalk Hill @ Wikipedia Chalk Hill @ Calwineries John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Bennett Valley & Chalk Hill by HondaJohn

  
  

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