Cendre is a 50/50 blend of Mourvedre and Petite Syrah coming out of Paso Robles, California that we received within an order from Plonk Wine Club.
This wine had solid acidity with approachable tannins, and a well-rounded balance of dark fruit and herb flavors making it an easy sipper to pair with one of our favorites- pizza!
When we visit Finger Lakes wineries, we almost always make a stop at Heron Hill on Keuka Lake.
Apart from having a stunning view of the lake, the winery does a good job at producing an array of delicious wines that we think are quite representable of their respective styles. One such wine was the Heron Hill Reserve Riesling which is true to form for a cool climate Riesling.
Keuka Lake Vineyard is a great spot to hang out for a while, sample some easy-drinking wines, and take in the beauty that is the Finger Lakes.
In fact, when we visited this one in 2020 we had such a great time talking with the owner (who we found out was also from Pittsburgh) that we got another reminder of an aspect of wine that we often do not discuss a lot on this site- the people behind it. Hearing stories of growing up in Pittsburgh, working in Nepal, and more reminded us of how much we love this part of wine tasting.
Naturally, we left with several bottles, and Keuka Lake Vineyard's Sauvignon Blanc Young Block was one such wine. It didn't take long after returning home for us to open this easy-drinking white!
While we've visited Finger Lakes wineries many times over the years, we only visited Standing Stone for the first time in 2020 on the recommendation of a friend to try out their Saperavi.
But after arriving, we found that we enjoyed just about everything the winery offered on our flight. In talking to our server about the wines, we also learned that one of our favorite wineries in the region, Hermann J Wiemer, bought Standing Stone in 2017. This was really all we needed to know about why we liked our entire flight so much- quality producers make quality wines.
Naturally, we purchased many bottles to enjoy at home and one was the Standing Stone Chardonnay 2018 that we opened up in late 2020.
When we visited Napa, one of the first vineyards we made it to was Cakebread Cellars. Not only did we have a wonderful time at our tasting, we walked away with several bottles to enjoy at home. (You can read more about how we checked wine on a plane here.)
One such bottle was Cakebread's Pinot Noir Annahala Ranch 2015 and when we opened it in 2020 at five years old we knew we had found a gem- both for its flavor profile and its price point!
Every so often we crack open a bottle of wine and instantly think it is a characteristic representation of the varietal as we know it. All wines are different of course, even with the same grape varietal, but every so often we crack open a bottle and go “yes, this is exactly what we expected!”
McGregor Cabernet Franc was one such bottle, and it had everything we enjoy from this particular grape.
The Fableist Cabernet Sauvignon is not a pure bottle of Cab, but is in fact comprised of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and balanced with Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Tempranillo.
We opened this one for a steak pairing thinking we'd have a pronounced acid and tannin fruit bomb, but instead found something a bit more nuanced. Good for what we were tasting, but perhaps not the best for the particular pairing.
Generally when we think of wine from the Finger Lakes, our mind goes to an array of white grapes that we absolutely love from the region. While we've had some delicious reds, including several bottles of Cabernet Franc and Saperavi from various producers, we haven't quite had a red blend like Bloomer Creek's White Horse.
This one contains the regional favorite Cabernet Franc with a mix of Merlot for good measure, making for an especially powerful wine.
At five years old this one still had an impressive tannin level and evolved considerably as we drank it. To be quite honest, we'd even love to age this wine a few more years for good measure!
When you look at the bottle of Standing Stone Blanc de Blanc from the Finger Lakes, you may be a little confused. Its branding leans in heavily on Hermann J Wiemer, the parent winery of Standing Stone that is located just across Seneca Lake.
But while this one does carry the Hermann J Wiemer branding, the grapes were sourced from vines planted on Standing Stone's property in 1974 all the same. As we are big fans of both of these vineyards, we bought a bottle of the Blanc de Blanc without even sampling it and quickly popped it open after we got home from the region.
While the Finger Lakes has, in the past at least, had a reputation for an abundance of overly sweet wines, as you sift through the options you really start to see that this is in fact a world-class wine region. Even better, it's reputation is growing with each passing vintage.
During our many visits, we have been fortunate enough to try many of the best Finger Lakes wineries, and in this one we wanted to share a few of our very favorites that we think are must-visits on any trip.