On Tuesday our wine touring kicked into high gear. After dropping our bags in Penn Yann at Los Gatos B&B (more on this lucky find in tomorrow's post) we set our course for a whirlwind tour of the west side of Seneca Lake.  Our first stop was Fox Run Vineyards & Cafe, one of the best known wineries in the area, yet one of the least interesting. It seemed like  all the wines had too much slate, shale, and acid mixed in with the fruit.  We quickly departed and moved on to Billsboro Winery. 

Billsboro's owner/winemaker Vin Aliperti is also winemaker at the more established Atwater Winery. Vin is tremendously talented and his love for the craft shows in his products. Billsboro's wines were refined and delicious, particularly when accompanied by sourdough bread and delicious local English-style cheddar. We walked out with the best of the bunch:

• 2008 Dry Riesling — Terrific balance of fruit, acid, and residual sugar (1.2%)
• 2008 Chardonnay — Nice toasted oak nose w/butterscotch tones; just the right amount of cream on the palate

Our next stop took us to the (ghost) storied Miles Wine Cellars. Doug Miles co-founded the winery with his dad at this beautiful 200 year old Greek Revival home on the water that Doug has restored (with his own woodworking hands) to its original glory.  Doug and his wife (and the purported 40+ ghosts that inhabit the house) now run the winery.
 
    

We spent 90 minutes with Doug touring the home and the winery, and getting a full tasting.  We strongly recommend (and purchased)

• 2002 Milestone (Cabernet Franc, Merlot): Toasted oak, leather, tobacco nose with deep plum/blackberries and pepper. Smooth from start to finish.
• 2006 Chardonnay: Light, excellent balance of oak, fruit and acid.  Hint of cream.

Our plans changed when we were told to hit Red Tail Ridge Winery, so we headed on down the road to check it out.  They're in the midst of buiding a new LEED Certified production facility; it's close to completion and looks terrific. And the wine? Under the direction of winemaker Nancy Irelan, a former VP at Gallo for 20 years, it's mostly a work in progress, but we did purchase:

• 2007 Estate Grown Pinot Noir—  Light mocha nose with cherry concentrate overtones; made in the Burgundy style and the only Pinot we liked on the Finger Lakes.

The last stop of the day was also unplanned. Shaw Vineyard (namesake of master winemaker Steve Shaw) was a true find.  Steve's tasting room was built slowly and lovingly, just as he makes his wines. We were lucky to get a full walk-through of the entire lineup with Steve, who's something of a character. Lisa called him an iconoclast, which he took as a compliment.  Everything we tasted was outstanding and we walked out with a mixed case:

• 2004 Oaked Chardonnay—Toasted oak nose, vanilla and a hint of cream.
• 2007 Sauvingnon Blanc—Limestone and grass on the nose, juicy and flavorful, as close to NZ as we've found.
• 2006 Riesling—Apricot and honey without the sweetness.
• 2004 Merlot—Licorice with hints of leather & Cuban cigar on the nose.  Cherry-pepper palate with long finish.
• 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon—Cedar & vanilla on the nose. Pepper, vanilla and dark cherries on the palate
• 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon—Much like the 2003.  Not yet ready, but this will be a real winner in 12 months.

A note on the Finger Lakes: corn, corn, and more corn everywhere. Rolling farm land, Mennonite buggies, and knock-out vistas. Even if you're not a wine fan, you should visit here!