Not every Finger Lake winery is "on the maps" that are widely distributed so relying solely on that piece of paper might mean you are missing a gem. Such is the case with Frontenac Point Vineyard - Estate Winery.
Madam and I had hiked to Taughannock Falls, which at 215 feet is 3 stories taller than Niagara Falls, in Taughannock Falls State Park. From there we headed up New York State Route 89 to visit the wineries on the southern half of the west side of Cayuga Lake. Once on a road, we tend to follow the signs rather than the map, which led us to turn into Frontenac Point.
Jim and Carol Doolittle purchased the property and planted grapes in 1978 and, in 1982, became New York farm-winery #44. They've grown from producing 400 cases a year to between 2,000 and 3,000, opening the tasting room in 1991. Now with their son, Lawrence, they continue to grow and harvest grapes to ferment into estate wines.
For our tasting, Madam chose a flight of whites while I chose a flight of reds. Madam started with the 2017 Riesling, a grape that is popular in the Finger Lakes region. This Riesling was on the drier side with a nice crisp finish. Next up were 2 different Chardonnays, the 2013 and the 2014/2015 blend. The 2013 had a beautiful clear color and had notes of citrus in the nose and taste. The blend was butter yellow with a fruity nose and citrusy finish.
The last 2 in Madam's tasting were the 2017 Gruner Veltliner and IWW. The semi-dry Gruner Veltliner boasted a wide array of fruits in the nose and delivered notes of pear, peach and citrus on the tongue. IWW is a semi-sweet white that is a blend of Vignoles, Vidal and Seyval grapes. The citrus nose heralded the slightly sweet, grapefruit notes of the wine.
My tasting started with the semi-sweet Clos Frontenac, a delightful Rose' made from Chambourcin grapes with a strong cherry nose. The cherry notes came through on the palate, as well as the rich flavor of the grape. I followed this with the 2014 Chambourcin, a nice dry red with a deep berry nose.
The Stay Sail Red, a 2016 blend of Pinot Noir, Chambourcin, Zweigelt, Chelois and Marechal Foch, had a plum nose and a full berry taste. The 2014 Proprietor's Reserve, a deep red blend of Pinot Noir, Chambourcin, Chelois and Marechal Foch, had a deep, rich nose that hinted of cherries. The full-bodied taste delivered notes of chocolate, cherry, plum and tobacco.
I finished with their dessert wine, Port Frontenac, a port-style made from Marechal Foch. The nose was full of blackberry and it had a wonderful full-bodied fruit taste.
