Q3 – 2024 Wine Club Newsletter
Dear Club Members,
We are excited with this quarter’s selection to bring you some big winners from the summer’s New York Wine Classic, an annual competition to select the finest wines in the state. Our red Bordeaux program was highly lauded, with the Cabernet Sauvignon (93 points), Cabernet Franc (94 points) and Merlot (92 points) all receiving a Gold Medal. The Cabernet Sauvignon also won “Best of Class”, beating out every other Cabernet Sauvignon in the state. You can find this champion wine and the high scoring Cabernet Franc among the September selections – and believe us, this Merlot is an essential addition for all Merlot-lovers.
These 3 wines are all from the 2022 vintage, and their exceptional performance at the New York Wine Classic is another in a series of triumphant victories for a challenging vintage. Winter in the Finger Lakes can be stubbornly gray, but it was the frigid temperatures that left their mark on the region’s grapes that year. Our hearty vines that have weathered countless cold days were hit hard during the ‘21-’22 winter, and we were left with an unprecedented 50% loss by springtime.
But just as balance is an essential element of great wine, when you’re dealing with the elements, things often have a way of balancing themselves out. As temperatures warmed, our vines were gifted a perfect growing season. The late summer was full of warm, clear days with very little rain. This would be a good sign for fruit quality any year, but it was especially true for this fierce vintage, as the vines concentrated their flavor in the surviving fruit. As harvest time approached, winemaker Katey Larwood and vine-yard manager Phil Davis made a calculated decision to let the fruit stay on the vine late into the fall, postponing harvest to extract maximum flavor from these resilient grapes, betting on an extended period of ideal growing conditions. Their bet paid off, and 2022 ended up being a spectacular vintage across the board, full of deep, complex flavor from fruit full of fighting spirit. To accentuate these hard-earned flavors, we used a natural fermentation process, letting the wild yeasts from each vineyard leave their unique, subtle mark on the wine. Since the extended hang time on the vines imparted extra depth, especially in the skin of the fruit, no new oak was used on any of the Bordeaux reds. What you taste in the bottle is nothing but a clear expression of terroir, all challenges embraced, to a dazzling result. As you enjoy these wines, we invite you to savor the sweet taste of victory.
Also included in this selection are two more fantastic wines from the ‘22 vintage, Pinot Noir and Vignoles, as well as the perfect summer pair of Pinot Gris and Bouquet. The selection is rounded out with the perennial favorite Bollicine and our exquisite 2013 Gem, which won “Best of Class” for Fortified Wine in the 2022 New York Wine Classic. Our biggest winner at this year’s New York Wine Classic was the 2017 Brut (95 points, Gold Medal), which was named Best Sparkling and Best Traditional Method in the state, “Best of Category” and “Best of Class”, respectively. To celebrate, we’re planning a limited re-release of this library wine in the near future, and you won’t want to miss it.
– Cheers! Miles Allen
