The Finger Lakes region of New York State has long been
known as a haven for winemaking, but it wasn’t until the late 70s that the boom
really hit. Since then, wineries have
been springing up everywhere, including the near 70 different wineries along
the shores of Seneca Lake. There, on the
southeastern shores of the lake, you can find the stunning views from the
J.R.Dill winery’s porch. We know – they
have wine AND a porch? We were intrigued
to say the least, and while on a visit there, decided to have a little stop and
a sip…or three!
There were many things we loved about our experience here. The atmosphere here is really lovely – a combination of farm and lake life: an appreciation of local history mixed with a generous sharing spirit. Good old-fashioned rock and roll on the stereo didn’t hurt either! The staff were knowledgeable, informed, and more than willing to share in our experience. We tasted the bulk of their offerings, and picked up a couple bottles that made the trip home with us. For this review, we’ll focus on the ones we bought, as we feel we had more time to get to know those wines on our own front porch!
Cabernet Franc Rose, 2019 Described as “mouthwatering flavors of
watermelon and strawberry with a hint of grapefruit rind on the finish,” this
particular wine caught us off-guard, in the best of ways. At home, we deviated from the norm of
chilling a rose` at first – which is to say, we didn’t plan for this tasting
that evening! We found a mild nose with
a slightly tanic feel to it, this wine is smooth and approachable, with the
citrus really hitting the back of the tongue.
After the first glass, we chilled it a little with some whiskey stones,
which allowed the mellon and berry flavors to step forward. We preferred this one slightly chilled, but
you might want to be careful not to overchill it. This wine would compliment almost anything,
from herbed chicken with veggies, to a nice white fish, or even some mild
Italian dishes (we were thinking an eggplant parmasean). A surprising, FUN wine, overall. There will be more purchased (and they even
ship!)
Lake Glass White
This white blend of Chardonnay, Riesling, and Vidal Blanc grapes was
another fantastic surprise. Normally, we
stay away from blended varietals, but this one really stood out as a must-have,
and since the Porch is about expanding our views, what better way than this? Chilled, this presents a light nose and comes
across as decently dry and smooth. The
buttery chardonnay with the crisp apple-like riesling are prominent, with the
vidal blanc bringing a fruity finish to our palettes. This is an every-day sipper, and works with a
lot of varied foods, but would look (and taste) lovely with a Thanksgiving
turkey. Approachable in every season,
sipping on the shores of the lake or around a campfire….or on a porch with good
friends. In a word, it’s simply
comfortable.
Dry Riesling, 2018
This offering reminded us of a chilly fall evening, with a big and
strong peachy nose up front, and a slowly evolving apple finish. She was impressed with notes of tangerine and
grapefruit, while he was hit primarily with the peach/apple combination, this
wine was much more complex than we realized even in our tasting at the
winery. It’s an easily approachable
vintage, with something for everyone.
Serve with your favorite cheese board or charcouterie, and you will be
in for some good times! You might even
want to try a slice of apple pie – but don’t forget the sharp cheddar (It’s a
NY thing, trust us!)
Cheers from the Porch!
Your friendly neighbors,
Krystal and Bill
No comments:
Post a Comment