Tuthilltown Cassis

I was over a friends house for dinner and they pulled out this bottle of Tuthilltown Cassis they received as as a gift.  I immediately went into blog mode.  I didn't realize they were making Cassis.  They are known for their Baby Bourbon, Whisky and Vodka so I was excited to taste their Cassis.

The black currants for this Cassis were grown by Fishkill Farms in Dutchess County and aged in old whiskey barrels. I have to tell you I kept going back for more. I couldn't get enough, it was so good!

The Cassis was a gorgeous color!  The nose was a very fruity with tart intense black current.  As you inhaled the beautiful aroma of this Cassis (which kept you coming back to take another whiff in enjoyment,) there was a third layer that brought hints of mint to your nose.

The palate was silky smooth and balanced.  Black currant and vanilla leading to a carmelized finish of Creme Brulee.

If I had three words to describe this Cassis it would be "Beautiful and Elegant!"  Wonderfully crafted!

I believe there are only 500 bottles of this produced and it is sold only at the Distillery in Gardiner, NY.

Tale of Two Baco's

This is the tale of two Baco Noirs that I've been hording in my wine cellar for a vertical tasting.  Both the 2009 and 2010 Baco's are produced by Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent, NY and made from Old Vine Baco at the Masson Place Vineyard, Pulteney Farm in the Finger Lakes.

The 2009 showed some nice black cherry, plum and tart cranberry on the nose with a little vanilla. The palate showed plum and dark berries.  The wine finished with some blackberry and a hint of pepper.

The wine itself was light in structure and slightly acidic.

Now onto the 2010 which nose was nice and fresh with oak, vanilla, cranberry.  It was smooth and nicely balanced with flavors of plum, dark berry and cranberry.  There was a hint of earth leading to prune flavors on the finish.

Overall both Baco's were nice.  The 2009 had more structure and less acidity than the 2010, but that was to be expected.  There were stronger fruit flavors in the 2010 and the color was brighter and more intense.

The Other Wines in the House - Sheldrake Point Riesling Ice Wine

Yum..Ice Wine.  When I went to Lake Niagara 6 years ago, I didn't have the palate for Ice Wine, but now I seem to.

You will find Ice Wine comes in smaller bottles and is a bit more expensive than your average bottle of wine.  Since grapes are 80% water, they need to be completely frozen to be harvested.  Harvest usually happens in the middle of the night before daybreak. When the grapes are harvested, they are usually at 35 brix.  

This 2008 Sheldrake Point Riesling Ice Wine was harvested on January 2, 2008 and bottled on August 7, 2008.  It has a residual sugar of 16.4, yes that is sweet! There were 175 cases of this made.

The wine had aromas of mango that led to a palate with apricot and hints of lemon and petrol.  You could taste a little bit of honey towards the finish.  It was slightly syrupy, but light.

As you can see, I was enjoying this wine while working late one night.

Wine for Wishes

The Elant Foundation is holding an event "Wine for Wishes" Thursday February 2, 2012 at Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, NY.  Thursday evening from 5:30pm - 8:30pm for $40 you will enjoy a tour of the wine cellars, hors d'oeuvres, unlimited wine tasting and some exceptional entertainment.

This all goes for a great cause. Elant is a not-for-profit organization providing healthcare and housing programs throughout the Hudson Valley.  Its network includes seven locations throughout the region as well as in-home and day treatment programs. It offers a broad spectrum of services to meet the needs of older adults and chronically ill people of all ages.

Spend Thursday evening, February 2, at Brotherhood all for a good cause with some good wine.

For more information on this event or to purchase a ticket contact jriccardi@elant.org or call 845.360.1410

Barrel Tasting 2011 Vintage at Whitecliff Vineyards

It doesn't happen often when I get invited to a winery to do some wine education but I take advantage any time I'm asked.  Michael & Yancey Migliore owners of Whitecliff Vineyards invited me and Paul over one Sunday afternoon for some barrel tasting of the 2011 vintage.

Notes from the tasting:

Traminette - Fabulous aroma and taste.  It's tasting really good! Low in acid
Riesling - Hudson Valley Riesling - very good, nice nose, acidity and flavor.  The mix of Finger Lakes and Long Island, not as good. Low acid and fruit flavors weren't there.
Vignoles from the Finger Lakes - good, citrusy. Vignoles from his vineyard was outside and unable to get to.
Petit Verdot - good as a blended grape, inky and plenty of tannins
Malbec - young and choppy, nice fruit and very aromatic.
Cab Franc - ok
Merlot - needs color
Cabernet Sauvignon - tasting good.

Hunt Country Red

Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from the winery.

Many people have asked me what the significance of the words Hunt Country plays in Millbrook Vineyards & Winery Hunt Country Red.  Millbrook, New York is known as "Hunt Country".  The Millbrook Hunt was founded in the 1890's and is one of the premier equestrian organizations in North America.   The Millbrook area is home to numerous thoroughbred horse farms that train and /or participate in these sporting fox hunts that take place throughout Millbrook. Thus, Millbrook has become known as "Hunt Country" hence the label and name for the wine Hunt Country Red.

This 2009 vintage is a blend of 58% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc, 8% Zinfandel and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was harvested at 21.6 brix, went through 100% malolactic fermentation and was aged in oak for nine months.  It was bottled in September of 2010 and there were 1250 cases made.

Aromas of dark fruit, cassis and vanilla fill the nose. The palate opens to flavors of black raspberry, dark fruit, hints of oak and soft tannins. There are nuances of clove and spice blended with strawberry on the finish.

The wine sells for $15.50.

The Other Wines in the House - 2003 Chappellet Prichard Hill Cabernet Franc

Another goodie pulled from the depths of my wine cellar.  One of these days I must go in and take inventory of what I have and need to drink NOW.

This Cabernet Franc is from the original Cab Franc vines planted on Pritchard Hill in 1989.  The grapes were harvested at brix of 27 between October 15 and 18, 2003.  The wine is a blend of 77% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot.  It clocks in at 15% alcohol.  The wine was bottled after it spent 18 months in 60% new oak.

The nose was filled with plum, black cherry and hints of black pepper.  Background notes of cedar and dark chocolate became apparent as the wine began to open.

The palate opened up nicely to red fruit and cherry.  Nuances of forest pine and earth make showed as flavors of black tea and tobacco round out the taste.  The finish...my favorite, black pepper spice! That has become my personal benchmark for Cab Franc.