06 Ravines Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes): Going for “steely” and hitting the mark w/ fennel, floral, and a firm acid structure. $17 B # 08 Ravines Argetsinger Vineyard Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes): The Asian pear & sweet apple are good now but the acid promises a future $25 B+ # 07 Ravines Cabernet Franc (Finger…
Not Just Riesling Country: The Finger Lakes’ Case for Cool Climate Reds
“They already got themselves a woodchuck today.” Sam Argetsinger was leading a slow but determined downhill walking pace, flanked by his two dogs who had done the woodchuck hunting before we’d arrived. He is stout, and affable, and his wide smile accentuates a face of weathered features. Sam’s vineyard is small, relatively steep, and on…
Putting A Cork in Cork Taint?
Last week, Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine ran a featured story titled “CORK Through the Media’s Eyes: Have wine writers put a cork in their criticism of bark stoppers?” written by WineCurmudgeon.com’s Jeff Siegel. The story (in which I’m briefly quoted) asks whether or not the natural cork stopper industry has reached the point in…
The Funky Reclaimed Wine Stylings of 8point8
An interesting set of sample items found their way to my door recently. Not wine, but wood. The wood (or rather what’s been done to the wood) is the brainchild of Brian Behncke, a construction company owner who is in the process of starting up a wood reuse company in San Diego. The idea is…