The Finger Lakes

Riesling

As the Finger Lakes begins to define itself and emerge as a fine wine growing region, Riesling has become the flagship. Often associated with cool climates, it is not its ripening ability but rather its cold tolerance that secures this grape as the most acclimated to the region. While not the first vinifera planted in the Finger Lakes, it was one of the early highlights. Wineries like Dr. Konstantin Frank and Hermann J. Wiemer became icons, largely based on their love and affinity for Riesling.

Chardonnay

With so much attention on Riesling these days, it seems that Chardonnay is slipping through the cracks. It is easy not to notice it, but that would be a mistake. There is a reason Chardonnay was the first vinifera to be planted in the Finger Lakes. Chardonnay fits the climate perfectly when planted in the correct areas. While it is a bit more sensitive to the bitter cold of Finger Lakes winters and takes more care to plant in some of the warmer and more protected microclimates, the climate during the growing season is perfect for cool climate Chardonnay. Whether it is grown to be vinified as a sparkling wine (one of the Finger Lakes’ hidden treasures) or as crisp, still Chardonnay, this is one of the most exciting and unsung grapes in the Finger Lakes.

At Element, we focus on making wine with grapes that are unconventional for the region.

Here’s some learnings about how different varietals grow and become wine in the Finger Lakes.

Cabernet Franc

Along with Riesling, Cabernet Franc seems to be the most natural fit in the Finger Lakes. A grape most traditionally associated with the Loire Valley (Chinon, etc.), it has seen only a moderate amount of attention outside of France. While there are some notable examples of great Cabernet Franc being made round the globe, they are limited. It seems as though the Finger Lakes may be a stronghold for Cab Franc in the new world.

A bit lighter than it’s much more popular offspring Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc excels without the ripeness that Cabernet Sauvignon so often seems to need. Add that to its thick skins and loose clusters, allowing airflow, and we have a grape that seems made to excel in our cooler, moister climate. To seal the deal, it is very cold tolerant.

We believe Cabernet Franc will be the iconic red grape of the Finger Lakes before long.

Syrah

Syrah is synonymous with the northern Rhone, though it has exploded the world over. But Syrah has gotten confused. Vintners and consumers alike are under the impression that Syrah is a hot climate grape. Often, they call the Northern Rhone a hot climate region. We too were under this misconception for a long time. This could not be farther from the truth. The best part (Cote Rotie) of the northern Rhone is warmish, but cooled by the constant cold Mistral blowing south from Switzerland, and as California producers are now focusing more and more on their own cool climates. Some of California’s great examples of Syrah are being grown in areas directly in the cooling influence of the Pacific.

So, we thought, why not in New York? We found an acre of Syrah that was about ten years old, and immediately snapped it up. While still controversial here in the Finger Lakes, Syrah ripens beautifully. Its thick skins allow it to hang late into the fall for flavor development. The one downside is its sensitivity to extreme cold, meaning that Syrah, like Chardonnay and Pinot, require protected microclimates.

Our Syrah is a bit of a rarity, but truly shows the potential of cool climate Syrah production, and it has been very exciting to see more and more interest in the grape here in the Finger Lakes.

Lemberger (aka Blaüfrankish)

Lemberger, also known as Blaufrankisch, is beginning to really gain some steam in the Finger Lakes. While this grape is more often associated with Austria and to a lesser extent Germany, it has begun to make waves here in the last few years. Not the most well known, or immediately recognized by anyone but the geekiest, this grape’s growing popularity is due directly to its natural affinity for our climate, much in the same way that Cabernet Franc has established itself. Thick skins and generally loose clusters lead to a strong resistance against disease. It also seems to be quite cold tolerant.

We debuted our first Lemberger in 2013 and could not have been more excited. Unfortunately, as the crop was so limited in 2014, we were not able to produce one, though we will be back in production with the 2015 vintage.

Pinot Noir

Our first foray outside of the Finger Lakes! As our goal has always been to explore cool climate, not only finger lakes terroirs, we have had our eye on the impacts of this Limestone band for long time, and we finally found the vineyard we had been looking for. Dijon clones, tight spacing, low fruiting zone, tiny clusters, this vineyard has it all. America’s sweetheart grape at the moment, Pinot Noir is one of the most challenging grapes to work with. Naturally thin skin and tight clusters make it prone to disease pressure, and it can be sensitive to extreme winter temperatures. But when it is planted in the correct microclimates and tended very carefully, it flourishes. The Finger Lakes has everything we need to grow fantastic Pinot Noir, from our cool climate to our long growing season and complexity of soils.

We still believe that the Finger Lakes has the ability to make absolutely stunning, aromatic, delicate, and balanced Pinot Noir, and we are excited to explore our nuanced Niagara Escarpment! The thin skins of mean less color and tannin to extract, but certainly not less flavor, texture, weight or complexity. This is a signature grape that we try very hard to respect.

Merlot

A grape we hope to save from extinction! The sad sad story of merlot has been a bit of a blessing and a curse. When it lost its popularity, those who just made it for the masses pulled it out and started making pinot instead. But those who kept it, kept it because they were dedicated to it. The grape is sensitive to cold, but handles disease pressure well. In the Finger Lakes, site selection is especially important as it is easy to lose the entire crop to winter damage if you are not on a carefully selected site.