Finger Lakes visit: Day 3

Day 3 and the final day of our Finger Lakes wine expedition took us to the East Side of beautiful Seneca Lake. Now to keep things in perspective, we did take a break between day two and three to visit Niagara Falls and marvel at one of the natural wonders of the world. Niagara Falls is only a two-hour drive from the Finger Lakes region and was one of the most impressive natural beauties I have had the pleasure of laying my eyes upon. Of course there is a Niagara Falls Wine Trail nearby on the US side, and many wineries in Canada, home of the icewine, but this trip was to secure in memory images of Niagara Falls.

A picture of a true beauty

After viewing such beauty, the following day it was time to toast to her beauty, and the Eastern side of Seneca Lake has just as many wineries as the Western side, so East Side here we come!

Nagy's Winery

The day, or shall I say morning started off at Nagy’s Winery. Now the saying good things come in small packages holds true for this winery. Although small in appearance from the outside, lots of character and personality can be found on the inside, as well as decent wine. Our tasting associate was loads of fun and knew the wines very well. We enjoyed the Riesling there and Niki took home a bottle of the specialty Raspberry Riesling, which was refreshing, fruity and mildly sweet, thus perfect for the patio on a warm summer day.

Dezel at Nagy's observing the wine list

Our next stop took us to Wagner, which is a winery, brewery and restaurant. The wines to note were the reasonably priced and well-done Chardonnay, both stainless and barrel fermented, and the 2004 semi dry Riesling. For those with a hankering for sweets, the 1999 aromatic Vidal Blanc Ice Wine was rich with delicious flavors of honey and caramel. Wagner also has a very nice wine store that sells all sorts of wine-related merchandise. We did not get to try out the restaurant and brewery but the locals say great food and beer can be had there.

Wagner Winery

View from Wagner's outdoor deck

With the sweet honey still dancing on my palate from Wagner, our next stop was right down the street at Lamoreaux Landing. The winery itself is beautiful inside and out, and like Wagner, has a nice view of Seneca Lake. Lamoreaux Landing prides itself in producing only European varietals. The reasonably priced barrel fermented Chardonnay was well done, as the 2005 Semi Dry Riesling. The reds, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir were well done with Merlot winning the race for fruit and complexity. Developing a thing for ice wines, I thoroughly enjoyed the 2002 Vidal Ice Wine. This selection displayed a wonderful golden color and more fruit than the last, presenting intense tropical flavors with slight hints of honey on the palate (yum yum).

Lamoreaux Landing -- beautiful !

Main tasting area at Lamoreaux Landing

Dezel chatting in secondary tasting room at Lamoreaux Landing

Moving further south, Shalstone Vineyards sparked my interest and I’m glad that it did. Shalestone goes against the common grain by only producing dry red wines, and red wines they do well. Given the fact that reds can be tricky with the Finger Lakes' shorter growing season and cool climate, Shalestone finds a way to produce a quality product. The husband and wife team of Rob and Kate do a wonderful job of wearing all hats and producing some of the top red blends in the area. Try out Synergy, a nice blend of Syrah and Merlot and you shall see what I mean.

Shalestone Vineyards

Next stop, Standing Stone Vineyards, and someone must have known to leave the delicious breads and dipping sauce out for me. After the treats I was ready for a pour, and the tasting associate was more than willing to accommodate. The Riesling to no surprise was young, crisp and fruity and the 2002 Merlot was nicely done, lending hint that 2002 must have been a decent red year. Again another sweet ending named 2004 Vidal Ice, which is a late harvest wine that Wine Spectator has enjoyed enough to give a score of 90, 3 consecutive times flattered my palate. The apricot, honey and perfumed aromas were to be savored. Amongst Riesling, some very nice and reasonably priced ice wines and late harvest varietals are produced in the Finger Lakes.

Dezel receiving a pour at Standing Stone

View from Standing Stone's outdoor deck

The next stop was a funky and motley sort of place that sets you back in the hippie and flower child genre. Appropriately named the Rasta Ranch, the wines were fun, fruity, unpretentious, and being a fan of classic rock I truly appreciated the decor.

The Funky Rasta Ranch ...Yeah Mon !

Last stop of the day was Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards. I have seen Hazlitt at several festivals in DC and Maryland, and they do really well with their popular semi sweet Red Cat. Red Cat can be found at Total Wine here, along with several selections from Bully Hill. Hazlitt is a fun place to visit, and they do produce some quality wines such as a Port, a very nice 2005 Reserve Riesling, and a 2002 Cabernet Franc that holds it's fruit well, hint the year 2002 again.

The well known Hazlitt 1852 with line forming

Niki at Hazlitt bar all smiles

In closing, this was a wonderful road trip that totally exceeded our expectations of Upstate NY. The beauty and serenity of the Finger Lakes, friendly people, gourmet restaurants and quality wines, makes this a great 2 to 4 day get-away indeed. Before ending, if you are curious or thinking about visiting the Finger Lakes I strongly encourage a visit to the Finger Lakes Weekend Wino Blog. I spoke with the Weekend Warrior prior to arriving, and while I was there and he provided me with considerable information on the area's wineries and restaurants. He has a great detailed web site and you can tell he puts a lot of time visiting the wineries, talking with staff members, tasting, and providing hands-on information to people like you and I. Thanks Weekend Wino, and I look forward to visiting those beautiful Finger Lakes again soon.

Happy Sipping!

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