Eminent

S

Sharon Bowman

Sharon Bowman
This day, took the day off to cap a long weekend involving much movement as well as revelry.

Lunch involved some duck, and with duck I am categorical (you will forgive me my old world penchant, despite the slight bit of spice rub on the beast): pinot noir.

What better than a 2012 Eminence Road Seneca Lake Pinot Noir.

eminence_road_pn.jpg
I will have to speak more about this part of the world, with its enchantingly long lakes and shorefront discoveries, its emerging work and fear of wild yeast, its chill, its warmth, and such.

Today's wine was a sharp left. This elevates and reorients the FL.

And fitting in with that, I love this from Andrew and Jennifer's back label:

IMG_20140707_142440.jpg
This is alive and trips upon the tongue and goes down with a sense of each part of a whole. It is fitted out like a human, not a confection. (Note that 2012 was a ripe vintage on Seneca Lake, whence the 12.7% alcohol.)
 
Bravissima! I might have to part company with you, at least a tad, regarding PN and duck. An experience with a bottle of Echezeaux in the Midi in '01 taught us that pigeonneau e.g.was a far better food match. Maybe your duck was gamey enough to fill the bill. And of course there's PN and then there's PN.
 
I had the Cab Franc recently and thought it was lovely.

I think the future of the Finger Lakes is Pinot Noir.

The Rieslings are nice but in my opinion can't compare to Germany, especially at similar price points.

I can't think of many other regions in the world that can make Pinot of this quality/style under $25.
 
This looks worthy of a ride... if I can find some. I surly will remember to search as the Pete Townsend/Who song is already bouncing around in my brain. It's a put on...
 
I think the future of the Finger Lakes is Pinot Noir.
Click to expand...

Uh, with increasingly warm summer temperatures, you may get your wish. It is my belief that really, only the warmer years right now tend to make the better stuff. I was just at Hearts & Hands and the difference between the 2011 and 2012 was noticeable, and slanted heavily toward the riper year.
 
originally posted by MarkS:
I was just at Hearts & Hands and the difference between the 2011 and 2012 was noticeable, and slanted heavily toward the riper year.
Click to expand...

Me, too. I preferred the 2011.

Wish they would try indigenous yeasts.
 
originally posted by MarkS:
I think the future of the Finger Lakes is Pinot Noir.
Click to expand...

Uh, with increasingly warm summer temperatures, you may get your wish. It is my belief that really, only the warmer years right now tend to make the better stuff. I was just at Hearts & Hands and the difference between the 2011 and 2012 was noticeable, and slanted heavily toward the riper year.
Click to expand...

So go figure--was just there myself, and liked the cool breeze on the 2011, though the 2012 was fine. (Just one Heart, btw).
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by MarkS:
I think the future of the Finger Lakes is Pinot Noir.
Click to expand...

Uh, with increasingly warm summer temperatures, you may get your wish. It is my belief that really, only the warmer years right now tend to make the better stuff. I was just at Hearts & Hands and the difference between the 2011 and 2012 was noticeable, and slanted heavily toward the riper year.
Click to expand...

So go figure--was just there myself, and liked the cool breeze on the 2011, though the 2012 was fine. (Just one Heart, btw).
Click to expand...

Gee, with the beautiful weekend we had, y'all should stop on by before your Finger Lake forays.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by MarkS:
I was just at Hearts & Hands and the difference between the 2011 and 2012 was noticeable, and slanted heavily toward the riper year.
Click to expand...

Me, too. I preferred the 2011.

Wish they would try indigenous yeasts.
Click to expand...

Alice, I think you need to look more into what that would require. Do they own the vines? Are those vines farmed without pesticides and herbicides? Most probably not, if they don't own them. You need to have a thriving yeast population from the vineyard and in the winery in order for ambient (not indigenous) yeast to result in something other than ruining fruit. Knowing Andrew and Jennifer a little bit, I suspect that they would try ambient fermentation if they felt that the situation allowed it.
 
All good questions, VLM, though I don't appreciate being referred to as "Alice," and I don't think I have a simplistic view of the questions.

They do source their fruit from organic growers when they can and otherwise conventional. They have begun growing their own vines, but the first vintage of their non-outsourced fruit is the 2013, and that will not be released until August of this year.

We had an interesting conversation with Kim Engle at Bloomer Creek, who used to inoculate, treat the vines with pesticides and others, and gradually came to see that going organic in the vineyard and making wine with the yeasts in the vineyard made for wines that were more expressive. His were real outliers, out of the six or seven wineries' offerings tried.

For the others, there is some trepidation about off flavors being imparted by the natural yeasts.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by MarkS:
I was just at Hearts & Hands and the difference between the 2011 and 2012 was noticeable, and slanted heavily toward the riper year.
Click to expand...

Me, too. I preferred the 2011.

Wish they would try indigenous yeasts.
Click to expand...

Alice, I think you need to look more into what that would require. Do they own the vines? Are those vines farmed without pesticides and herbicides? Most probably not, if they don't own them. You need to have a thriving yeast population from the vineyard and in the winery in order for ambient (not indigenous) yeast to result in something other than ruining fruit. Knowing Andrew and Jennifer a little bit, I suspect that they would try ambient fermentation if they felt that the situation allowed it.
Click to expand...
So, Steve,

Andrew and Jennifer are fine folks, but they don't make Heart & Hands.

The H&H folks eschew indigenous ferments for the usual reasons.

My impression of the FLX is that they face a lot of pressure from fungi and frost. Not an easy place to be an organic grower, but also probably not impossible.

Maybe they should invite the deMoor over for a tour.
 
But Andrew and Jen ferment everything with indigenous yeast, as a brief glance at their website shows.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
All good questions, VLM, though I don't appreciate being referred to as "Alice," and I don't think I have a simplistic view of the questions.

They do source their fruit from organic growers when they can and otherwise conventional. They have begun growing their own vines, but the first vintage of their non-outsourced fruit is the 2013, and that will not be released until August of this year.

We had an interesting conversation with Kim Engle at Bloomer Creek, who used to inoculate, treat the vines with pesticides and others, and gradually came to see that going organic in the vineyard and making wine with the yeasts in the vineyard made for wines that were more expressive. His were real outliers, out of the six or seven wineries' offerings tried.

For the others, there is some trepidation about off flavors being imparted by the natural yeasts.
Click to expand...

I knew that would make you fussy. Telling people the risks they should take to make their wine when there are real financial consequences to failure and you are not in the same boat yourself can be presumptuous. I've probably written similar things myself. I know Alice has.

I'm sure you don't have a simplistic view of the situation, you are a rare and complex person. Bises.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by MarkS:
I was just at Hearts & Hands and the difference between the 2011 and 2012 was noticeable, and slanted heavily toward the riper year.
Click to expand...

Me, too. I preferred the 2011.

Wish they would try indigenous yeasts.
Click to expand...

Alice, I think you need to look more into what that would require. Do they own the vines? Are those vines farmed without pesticides and herbicides? Most probably not, if they don't own them. You need to have a thriving yeast population from the vineyard and in the winery in order for ambient (not indigenous) yeast to result in something other than ruining fruit. Knowing Andrew and Jennifer a little bit, I suspect that they would try ambient fermentation if they felt that the situation allowed it.
Click to expand...
So, Steve,

Andrew and Jennifer are fine folks, but they don't make Heart & Hands.

The H&H folks eschew indigenous ferments for the usual reasons.

My impression of the FLX is that they face a lot of pressure from fungi and frost. Not an easy place to be an organic grower, but also probably not impossible.

Maybe they should invite the deMoor over for a tour.
Click to expand...

Fungi and frost are the demons, for sure. Paraquat to the rescue!*

* not really, but that was sprayed at a vineyard I worked at in MD. Explains a lot, I'm sure.
 
originally posted by VLM:
Telling people the risks they should take to make their wine when there are real financial consequences to failure and you are not in the same boat yourself can be presumptuous.
Click to expand...

That's kind of an easy straw man. They are striving to make fine wines, not just to scrape by or to make standard-issue fare. It would be a risky step for them, of course, but it's not presumptuous to wonder if their wines wouldn't be better with the native yeasts. There are reasons people do risk it, even in places (as Joe mentions) such as the Chablisien or around Nantes.
 
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