We spent a few days in upstate NY and part of that time at some of the area wineries. Notes are posted below for all we visited, with the exception of Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars which will be reviewed separately.

Montezuma:

nv Chardonnat: $9.99 Oaky nose. Full malolactic fermentation. Not big enough. 84

nv Vidal Blanc: $9.99 Nose closed. Simple. 78

nv Chancellor: $12.99 Nice American milk bottle nose that promised more than the wine delivered. Sharp. Not much flavor. 78

nv Cranberry Bog: $9.99 Made completly from cranberries. Lightly sweet and nicely acidic. Cranberry flavors but not overly tart. I liked drinking this. It's simple, but tasty. I actually bought one bottle to put out at Thanksgiving for some of our less wine-concerned guests. 88

nv Mead: $8.99 9.5% residual sugar. Waxy, steam room nose. Sweet, but not overly so.Hard to place flavors. 86

nv Rhubarb Dessert Wine: $14.99/375 Virtually no nose. A little sharp. Unremarkable, but not bad. 85

nv Raspberry Melomel: $12.99: Raspberry and honey wine. Floral raspberry nose. Fruity. Not special. 84



Lakeshore Winery:

2001 Chardonnay: $9.95 Nose closed. Sharp. 80

2002 Cayuga White: $6.95 No nose at all. Blah. 74

nv Aunt Clara: $5.95 4% residual sugar. Catawba. Nice wild grape nose with a soapy taste of wild grapes. 82

2001 Baco Noir: $8.95 Nose closed. Sharp. 77

2000 Cabernet Franc: Nose closed. Sharp. 80

2001 Pinot Noir: Weak cherry nose. Thin. Boring. 78



Knapp Vineyards:

2002 Barrel Reserve Chardonnay: $13.95 Nose of toasted oak. Rich. Surprisingly good. This the best dry wine I've had from North America that didn't come from WA, OR, or CA. I actually bought one. Look for this to appear at a dinner. 90

2001 Pinot Noir: $13.95 Nose closed. Flat, like it had been open too long. 78

2002 Cabernet Franc: $12.95 Just opened. Light nose of dark fruit. Tannin overpowered the decent flavor. This may develop. 82-85.

2000 Cabernet Sauvignon: $12.95 Light nose. Coffee and baked fruit flavors. Sharp. 83

Kat Kanpp: $9.95. 7% residual sugar. Wild grape nose. Balanced. Simple. 85

George's Peach: $7.95 8% residual sugar. Beautiful nose of fresh peaches and flavor to match. Simple. 86

Jammin' Strawberry: $7.95 14% residual sugar. Nose closed. Nice. 88

Ruby Port: $15.95/375. 6% residual sugar. Nose of shellac and baked fruit. Unremarkable, 84.

Cherry Avinac: $11.95. 14% residual sugar. Nose of Sherry. Cooked fruit flavors. 83

Strawberry Liquor: $19.95. 17% resisual sugar. Nose of cooked rhubarb. Sweet. High alcohol. 84

Limoncello: $19.95. 18% residual sugar. Hot lemon nose. Sharp. High alcohol. 80

Board-O...

After reviewing all 3 parts of your trip, it appears to me that you spent the weekend in a masochistic frenzy!!
Across the board, with a few notable exceptions, those may be the worst wine scores I've ever seen.

Noiw where are those Niagara notes I have around here?

Hey, I was in the area with some free time anyway, so what's a wino to do? Later today I'll post my experience at Dr. Konstantin Frank, where I spent a few hours with the owners, first a private tasting, then a tour, including Willy's sparkling wine facility.

Yeah, I just read all the TNs, too. Thanks Board-o. I am kind of glad that Mrs. TJ and I did not make the Finger Lakes region a destination of a long weekend trip. We'd have likely hit a bunch of wineries while there.

Other than the wine, which, I am actually surprised that you found as many 85+ point wines as you did, how did you like the area/region? Anything else worthwhile checking out?

The area is beautiful and it's always fun visiting wineries. I'm sorry I didn't get to Weimer, but I did spend two hours with the owners of Dr. Konstantin Frank, probably the highest regarded winery in the state and maybe even in all of North America other than WA, OR, and CA.

sounds like the finger lakes region ='s temecula, except prettier?

I thought the fingerlake specialty was riesling? I had a couple of 85 point dry rieslings up there this summer. Didn't take notes at all though, so I couldn't tell you who made them.

smaug, the best I had were from Konstantin Frank. Notes posted separately.

Ahhhh, Tbird, you have been to Temecula as well.

They do so little with so little. Generally poor, raising themselves to levels of just purely awful.

Sorry, but I was sooo disappointed after the trip. I didn't expect Napa II, but my goodness....these are on par with Texas wines. NOT a complement.

Ooops, getting nasty, gotta go.