The pandemic kept Madam and I from travelling to the Finger Lakes region of New York in 2020 so we were especially looking forward to our trip in 2021. As we drove into the area we saw many familiar signs but also a few new ones. One of those, Toast, drew us in and served us up some amazing wines.
We had never visited the previous iteration, Pompous Ass Winery, which Mike and Jayne Gibbs purchased in 2020. In an homage to the tradition of toasting oak barrels for wine and a traditional way of celebrating, they have renamed the winery Toast. While keeping the assemblage of sweeter wines produced under the Pompous Ass Winery label, the Gibbs have also added dry reds and whites under the Toast Winery label.
Mike and Jayne, who have been coming to the Finger Lakes for years, first made wine at home and then began to focus on the dream of owning their own winery and producing fine wines. They decided to finalize the deal, which started pre-pandemic, despite the uncertainty surrounding 2020.
"We're glad we took the chance," Mike said. So were we!
Since Madam and I tend to lean more towards drier wines, we focused on those for our tasting. We started off with their Chardonnay 2019, an unoaked white with a clean, citrusy nose. It delivered a delightful grapefruit note with a lime finish.
Next up were two of the Rieslings. The Semi-Dry Riesling 2019 had a nose of pear and citrus that definitely came through in the taste. Madam's porch sipping wine was the Riesling 2019 with its apple nose and apple and citrus notes in the mouth. The sweetness level was just right.
My porch sipping wine was the Cabernet Franc 2019, a nice dry red heavy on grape and dark berries in the nose and delivering black cherry notes with a peppery finish. Our second dry red was the Blaufrankisch 2019, redolent of dark fruits on the nose, with notes of plum, berry and cranberry and a smoky finish. Of course, if a port is on the tasting menu, it is a must for me! The Pretentious Port is fortified with brandy and had wonderful notes of dark fruits like plums.
We were honored to get the opportunity to taste the soon-to-be-released Pinot Grigio. This delightful white had a floral, citrusy nose and notes of grapefruit in the taste. Madam and I are sure this vintage will be an award winner!
