Text 5322, 89 rader
Skriven 2013-10-02 14:31:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: Farmer McGregor 260
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And then it was off on our adventure. Our first and main destination
was McGregor Vineyards, which, if you listen to Burt's stories,
seems to be the Fords' home away from home.

The wineries we visited were on the opposite shore of Keuka Lake
from Dr. Frank, so territority I'd not seen before.

We arrived at the facility in the fog and mist to find that everyone
in the central New York area must have taken refuge there, and there
was a wait for a table. After a not excessive interval, we were
seated and were informed that as Burt is a member of the Clan Club,
our tasting was free. We negotiated for extra tastes with smaller
pours than normal, so I got to taste everything I wanted to, 13
wines in all. The short version: the whites are decent; the reds a
mixed bag and still not my cuppa, though that Labrusca taste that I
hate so much in wine (but like in soft drinks and candy) has mostly
been bred out.

An unoaked Chardonnay 11 had chemically esters, green apple, and a
touch of minerals, with virtually no finish at all; an inauspicious
beginning, I thought.

Chardonnay 11 - more citrus and vanilla, minerals obscured, though;
if I could have had both, I'd have been happy with this wine. It
was respectable, and I wouldn't turn it down on a bad day.

The bottle of dry Riesling 11 tasted like gasoline (a common trait,
sometimes appreciated, in Rieslings) and was corked as well. Nasty
stuff. The server was disconcerted at our claim and was seen earnestly
conversing with her supervisor. She came back with the news that the
bottle was not corked (ha), but she'd pour us another sample from a
different bottle. This tasted somewhat different but was also nasty.

The dry Gewurztraminer Reserve 12 had lemon drops, melon, and just a
bit of pepper, not enough to make it Gewurzy or interesting.

Rkatsiteli-Sereksiya 12 - lemon-lime, acidy, if you like Sauvignon
Blanc, you'll like this, say no more. I thought it bad but not horrid.

At this time or a little after our spittoon (I spat, the others
rinsed) was full, so I wandered out to the front to try to find a
dump, whereupon one of the young staff somewhat indignantly took
it from me; a fresh almost empty one was provided soon after for
our tour of the reds.

Pinot Noir 09 - overripe plums, raisiny, bit of phenol, I thought
this quite unattractive and in fact full of Shirazy flavors that I
find incompatible with Pinot.

Cabernet Franc 11 - peppery, dried cherries, some character, though
a bit too sour and with not enough tannin.

Cabernet Franc reserve 10 was slightly better, with enough tannin
to balance, but on the whole rather understated; pleasantly plummy
but not worth the premium.

Merlot 09 had all sorts of stone fruit flavors - pear, plum, peach;
I kind of liked it.

Highlands Red nv is the budget red blend; it was not unattractive
in a mass market way, mild and soft but with a lot of phenols to
add interest, and a sweet finish of the sort that I don't like.

Cabernet Sauvignon 09 - blueberries, tannin, tea, pretty nice.

Rob Roy Red 08 - a Bordeaux-style blend that was pretty much in
character but somewhat out of balance: very dry, rather sour, and
I'd probably have pegged it as a California parody of Bordeaux,
so this means that New York wines have come a long way in the
couple decades since I started ranting about their badness.

Black Russian Red is made from the rare Georgian varieties
Saperavi and Sereksiya Charni (until the 1980s another kind of
Sereksiya was the most widely planted grape in the world, or some
say). It's the vineyard's signature wine and goes for the
blockbuster price of $55 a bottle. It's built as a big wine, with
good tannin and quite a bit of oak followed by ripe berries and
grapes. I thought it decent but would not buy at any price; Burt
detected that labruscaish taste typical of local products from
the bad old days. I haven't figured whether this the Emperor's
New Clothes or something I don't get.

At the end we tasted a late harvest Vignoles - pineapple, grape,
honey, rather pleasant but not nearly so thick, rich, luscious
as this type of wine is supposed to be.

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