by Richard Leahy | Oct 5, 2019 | Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine
Some may wonder whether Horton Vineyards can continue to push the envelope and make great, outside-the-box wines as it did for nearly 30 years under the late founder Dennis Horton. This iconic Syrah (on top of the Rose of Pinotage I reviewed last time) shows that they...
by Richard Leahy | Sep 30, 2019 | Tastings/Evaluations, Varietals, Virginia Wine
As we know, 2018 was a very difficult vintage for Virginia vintners, but despite that, the industry has been through bad vintages before and I’ve never seen such a bad vintage that people worked so hard through to get such surprisingly good wines from. One of...
by Richard Leahy | Sep 16, 2019 | Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine
Winemaker Stephen Barnard of Keswick Vineyards has earned a reputation for making some of the best Cabernet Franc wines in Virginia. In the 2016 Governor’s Cup Competition, two labels of Keswick Cabernet Franc were awarded gold medals–the 2013 Signature...
by Richard Leahy | Sep 6, 2019 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Varietals
For this early September Wine of the Week, I actually present two wines, both Rieslings, and both over a decade old. The dry version is Fox Run’s Reserve Riesling 2008 (Seneca Lake, New York AVA). Winemaker Peter Bell only makes a reserve in great vintages for...
by Richard Leahy | Aug 23, 2019 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Winery Visits
The roots of fine (vinifera) winegrowing in the Finger Lakes come from two Europeans, Dr. Konstantin Frank, a Ukrainian of German descent, and Charles Fournier, a French sparkling winemaker, who demonstrated that cool climate vinifera grapes would grow along the...
by Richard Leahy | Aug 11, 2019 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Winery Visits
I recently made my annual summer trip to the Finger Lakes of New York, where I caught up on old favorite wineries, a few new wineries, and a few new releases from the 2018 vintage. I also enjoyed the 30-year old Grass Roots music festival in Trumansburg on west Cayuga...
