FLX Revisited

As much as I love New Jersey wines, I do drink wines from all over the country (and the world). Two years ago my wife and I visited the Finger Lakes for the first time and we loved the area (and the wines). We decided after we were vaccinated to revisit this beautiful region. We were determined to try some new wineries, while revisiting a few of our favorites. In our four days, we visited nine wineries. Today, I would like to share highlights from a few of these wineries. The photo above depicts our souvenirs from the trip.

There are so many lakes that make up the Finger Lakes (11 “major lakes,” as well as additional smaller lakes) and they present a dramatic backdrop for many of the wineries. However, the vast number of Finger Lakes wineries are growing along three of them-Seneca, Keuka, and Cayuga.

Seneca Lake

Seneca Lake is the most famous of the Finger Lakes, with the most wineries lining its shores. It is also  the deepest (over 600 feet deep). The size of this lake provides protection from the cold and a little longer growing season than most of the other lakes. The lakes themselves were carved out by the movement of vast glaciers centuries ago. Along with that movement came the depositing of many rich soil nutrients vital for the growth of vegetation. These two key factors help explain the ability of the area to produce so many varieties of grapes (not just Riesling, as many folks may still believe). Seneca Lake has an interesting history. It has large deposits of salt at the bottom of the lake. The salt mines are still actively mined.

Our favorite new (to us) wineries on Seneca Lake are Anthony Road, Standing Stone, and Forge Cellars. We started our four day wine-a-thon at Anthony Road.

Anthony Road Winery

We had a reservation for 2:30 and actually made it on time (from our trek that started in New Jersey that morning). The beauty of these places never ceases to amaze me-from the views of the lake to the gorgeous tasting room. But, the wines are what keep the people coming there. Anthony Road is no exception. Thanks to our server we were able to taste their Stainless Steel version of Gewurtztraminer and Barrel Fermented version. They were both awesome. But the barrel fermented version was able to retain the unique floral aromas, while adding an additional layer of complexity and subtle notes of vanilla.

We decided to add the barrel fermented Gewurtztraminer (very unique and delicious) to our cart with their Gruner Veltliner and 2020 Rose of Cabernet Franc. The Gruner was also unique-perhaps a little less spice, but a little more body and a luscious mouthfeel.

Standing Stone

Standing Stone Vineyards was another beautiful venue-great views and excellent wines. After enjoying a white flight and a red flight, we decided to take home a bottle of their 2019 Gewurtztraminer and 2019 Tenturier Rose. The Gewurtztraminer was dry, but displayed the typical floral and spice notes. It was very tasty. The Rose was made from Saperavi, giving it more depth in color, body, and taste than a typical Rose. I look forward to uncorking this one soon.

Forge Cellars

This was an extremely informative and enjoyable tasting. Forge believes in putting their money and time into making great wine and their patrons will do the rest. Case in point: there is no sign for their winery. The belief is that people who are into wine know their reputation and you can find them with your GPS. They only recently built a modern and attractive tasting room. So are they wrong? One of their wines (2018 Riesling Seneca Lake Dry Classique) made the top 100 Wines of 2021 in Wine Spectator (#31). They specialize in Rieslings and obviously do it exceptionally well. After tasting five wines on their tasting menu (and one that wasn’t) we took home the 2019 Riesling Seneca Lake Dry Classique, 2019 Navone Dry Riesling, and 2019 Caywood Dry Riesling. All three were among the best Rieslings I have tasted.

Shalestone Vineyards

Though I wrote about this wonderful winery two years ago, I had to include it in our highlights of this trip, as well. I was tempted to just stop in and pick up a few bottles, knowing that they make great wine and foregoing the tasting. When we were able to do an impromptu tasting, we seized the opportunity. They had seven red wines to taste and we wound up purchasing all seven. In my opinion, they still make the best reds in the Finger Lakes. Their Pinot Noir, Saperavi, and Cab Franc were all the best of those varieties we tasted on either trip. We even lucked out when visiting a pub in town, serving Shalestone Vineyards Harmony Blend (they were sold out of this terrific blend at the winery)! It may have been my favorite red during our entire trip. No lake views here. Just a great full-bodied red blend that we both loved.

Coming Attractions

• FLX Revisited Part 2 (Keuka Lake & More)
• NJ & NY Breweries

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