Text 5421, 67 rader
Skriven 2013-10-05 08:54:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: trip 261
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Barrington Cellars is up the next road, and good things have
been said about it, so we went. The tasting room location is
pretty nice, with views out over the lake, but both Burt and
I (as it is a [s]male-dominated[/s] sensible group) nixed a
tasting.  The focus was on sweet and fruit wines, and further,
Burt got a bad feeling about the enterprise - he got an
impression that they didn't take winemaking seriously as an
art, and it was for these guys just a hobby. I agreed, so we
gave our regrets and went a little out of our way, eastward
to Seneca Lake and Billsboro Winery, which produces a pretty
well regarded (locally) product. Tastings were $5 for 5 wines,
so we got two tasting flights for three, Shirley dropping out
of the running.

Pinot Gris 11 - not unpleasant, rather lemony taste, but a
strange hint of mushrooms, which was not only irritating but
the pouring person pointed out, describing a wet harvest and
admitting that was why the wine was that way. Trying to make a
virtue out of a mistake, okay, but they really shouldn't
probably have made this wine at all. Oh, well, times are tough.

Chardonnay 12 - watery, light oak, not much character; this was
everything I dislike about New York state wines in one.

A dry Riesling 12 by contrast was nice, with ample tropical fruit
and fairly true to the style. Let it be pointed out that when the
great pioneer of New York whites, Dr. Frank, was getting started,
he focused on the Rhine varieties. They still remain the best that
the area has to offer.

The semi-sweet Riesling 11 had the cheap-wine lemon drop flavor
and the expensive-wine kerosene flavor. I didn't care for it.

Sauvignon Blanc 12 and citrus notes of grapefruit and lime leaf,
with less pee than I expect; Burt thought more pee than he expected,
but he's an innocent.

Kashong 12 is a blend of 80% Vidal and 20% Cayuga White; it was
medium sweet and not objectionable for a Labrusca-based wine.

Apres Vignoles 12 is a late-harvest dessert specialty that I thought
rather thin and not fruity enough, though plenty sweet. Hardly worth
the elevated price.

=

Rose 12 was a little bitter with that Tavelish taste that I find
in above-average Rose wines. Some grapes and stone fruits came to
the fore; I still didn't like it.

Pinot Noir 11 - much acid, not much flavor, washed out color; a
truly incompetent wine. There are few wines about which one can
say that they are truly without redeeming value; this was one.

Cabernet Franc 11 - stemmy, peppery, and green; some plumminess
almost redeemed it, but not quite. 

Cabernet Franc-Syrah 11 - abundant plums, thanks to the Syrah,
but an abominable greenness. From the '11 wines I tasted here,
the impression I get is that they should have trashed the entire
vintage and taken the insurance.



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