Finger Lakes Radicality, Plus a Different Kind of Super Tuscan: Weekly Tasting Report

Senior Editor Stuart Pigott met up in London with winemaker Kelby Russell from the Finger Lakes region of New York to taste the wines of the inaugural vintage from the Apollo’s Praise winery Russell founded with his wife, Julia Hoyle, in 2023. Both Russell and Hoyle come from non-wine backgrounds – she majored in French and women’s studies at William Smith College in upstate New York and he concentrated in government and economics at Harvard.

The backdrop of Hazlitt’s Hotel in Soho, which was built in the late 1700s, provided a dramatic contrast to the innovative wines of Apollo’s Praise. This was especially true of the Apollo’s Praise Riesling Seneca Lake Lahoma Vineyards The Knoll 2023, which marries the power of the legendary Clos Ste. Hune dry riesling from Alsace with great flinty minerality, and is incredibly precise.

That radicality of this wine was no surprise for Stuart considering the wines that Russell made at Red Newt Cellars in the Finger Lakes from the 2013 through 2022 vintages. Russell’s reputation rose during this period, when he was one of a clutch of new  young winemakers  in the Finger Lakes. And the dry rieslings he made from The Knoll, a parcel of vines  on a sandstone hillock at Lahoma Vineyards, were applauded, reviled and heatedly discussed. So what makes The Knoll riesling different from those wines?

Precision viticulture, then five days of skin contact, wild fermentation followed by maturation on the lees until bottling 10 months after harvest have given The Knoll the same kind of power that the best Red Newt bottlings had. What sets the 2023 dry riesling apart is the incredible integration of the acidity. The whole package feels seamless.

Another standout wine is the Apollo’s Praise Chardonnay Seneca Lake Lahoma Vineyards 2023, which was made entirely by Hoyle, who is also the winemaker for the Hosmer Winery on Cayuga Lake. It’s one of the first handful of wines to realize the Finger Lakes’ cool-climate chardonnay potential, with haunting vanilla and smokey oak woven into the creamy richness. The balance is spot-on at the very long, refined finish.

Then there’s the Apollo’s Praise Seneca Lake Lovejoy 2023, which is like nothing else Stuart has ever tasted from the Finger Lakes, and is closer to some whites from the Alto Adige region of northeastern Italy than anything else. This innovative cuvee of 50 percent gruner veltliner, 30 percent chardonnay and 20 percent riesling from The Knoll has excellent concentration and great structure. It’s also brimming with dried spice, mangosteen and pomelo aromas.

All of this wouldn’t have been possible if Russell and Hoyle hadn’t purchased Lahoma Vineyards’ 55 acres of vineyards in May 2023. It must have felt like destiny when frost whipped out 50 percent of the crop that very morning! Apart from that shock, 2023 was a pretty regular Finger Lakes growing season. In contrast, 2024 looks to be a great vintage, and we will report in due course.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SUPER TUSCAN

As Giovanni Folonari of Tenute del Cabreo prepares to release his latest Super Tuscan, the question on everyone’s mind is, “Do we really need another label in this category?” The answer is yes – if there is a new production technique behind it. The wine, called Mytho, is a pure sangiovese made using a unique process akin to a “pinching,” or a cut that isn’t quite a cut before harvest.

This technique, adapted from an ancient tradition originally used for table grapes, slows the sap flow in the vine, delaying ripening without concentrating the grapes or creating the effects of appassimento. The harvest takes place at least 10 days later than usual, resulting – at least for the 2019 vintage – in creamy tannins and pristine fruit integrity.

Meanwhile, in Montalcino, the 2020 Brunellos are starting to hit the market. At Il Marroneto, Iacopo Mori has fully stepped into an operational role alongside his father, Alessandro. As preparations for the construction of a new winery there are underway and the 2024 Brunello barrels continue to ferment, the 2020 vintage has begun to reveal itself in the glass. The Madonna delle Grazie 2020, in particular, shows a certain austerity both on the nose and palate, hinting at the great depth and complexity still lying beneath the surface. It’s a fresh, mineral wine that leans more toward elegant than powerful.

The nearby Salicutti winery, which received Demeter biodynamic certification in 2022,has chosen to separate its crus. From the largest, Piaggione, comes a perfumed Brunello with aromas of violets, black cherries and a touch of leather, plus a restrained yet intoxicating balsamic core. From Sorgente, the most clay-rich and austere, comes the full-bodied, intense and deep Salicutti Brunello di Montalcino Sorgente 2020.

In the Maremma region of Tuscany, Riccardo Lepri of Tenuta Montauto is making a name for himself as a meticulous, disciplined and cultured winemaker. With just a few hectares of sauvignon blanc and pinot noir planted in the estate’s best positions on granite-rich soils, Lepri employs subtle aging techniques in wood. His Tenuta Montauto Toscana Rosso Poggio del Crine 2020 achieves a level of finesse rarely seen in pinot noir from Tuscany – or Italy in general.

FRESH AND PURE FROM THE YARRA VALLEY

Associate editor Ryan Montgomery was in Yarra Valley, Australia, this past week to taste the wines of some historic producers in the region, which is known for its high-quality, cool climate viticulture. Its diverse soils and temperate weather mean slow ripening conditions that result in fresh, pure wines with structure and complexity.

Yeringberg, which was founded in 1863 by Baron Guillaume de Pury of Switzerland, had been known for its elegant, European-inspired wines until the decline of Yarra Valley’s wine industry in the 1920s led to the estate’s closure. The de Pury family revived the estate in the 1960s, replanted vines and restored its legacy, and Yeringberg today is again producing wines of the same repute as 160 years ago.

These are offerings celebrated for their balance, finesse and timeless reflection of the storied terroir. This characteristics shine through in the Yeringberg Yarra Valley Yeringberg 2022, a very polished and pure Bordeaux-inspired blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, malbec and cabernet franc that shows deeply brooding and refined aromas of blackcurrants, graphite, bay leaves licorice and dried herbs.

Yarra Yering has also been at the forefront of crafting Bordeaux-inspired wines since they first put cabernet sauvignon in the ground in 1969.  Their Yarra Yering Cabernet Sauvignon Yarra Valley Carrodus 2022, made from these original old-vine plantings, has classical cabernet sauvignon aromas of blackcurrants, tobacco leaves, cedar, and graphite. The palate is ultrarefined and polished, with seamless tannins and bright acidity.

Ryan wrapped up his tastings at one of the Yarra Valley’s finest cabernet sauvignon producers, Mount Mary. Known for its Quintet Bordeaux blend, which consistently showcases the region’s potential for elegance, precision and longevity and is frequently ranked as one of Australia’s finest red wines, the Mount Mary Yarra Valley Quintet 2022 once again stated why it’s an icon of Australian cabernet. The 2022 displays refined aromas of blackcurrants, graphite, cedar, tobacco leaves and cocoa beans, with a medium- to full-bodied palate alongside ultra-fine tannins and bright acidity.

In Hong Kong, Senior Editor Zekun Shuai tapped into the ethereal Palacios Remondo Rioja Quiñón de Valmira 2022, finding  serious complexity, expressiveness and great drinkability all in one sterling Spanish wine. This pure, effortless garnacha-based red from Rioja Oriental puts the appellation back on the map. The fruit is slightly riper in the 2022 than 2021 with a greater tannin presence, but overall it’s fresh and precise and rivals the 2021, which was from a cooler year and better harvest, in quality.

The Sei Solo Ribera del Duero 2021, meanwhile, is a classy and refined Spanish offering with superbly high concentration and huge but dissolved, chalky tannins. For a wine with 15 percent alcohol, it has a striking, high-pitched balance, showcasing the power of old-vine tempranillo from the limestone-rich soils of Ribera del Duero. This was the first time we have tasted this wine, and Javier Zaccagninis, the founder of this family project, has produced a winner.

From China, two powerful chardonnays from Yunnan’s high-altitude vineyards demonstrate the region’s potential. Both the Xiao Ling Chardonnay Shangri-La 霄岭霞多丽 2022 and Mu Xin Chardonnay Shangri-La木杺霞多丽干白 2022 belong in the first echelon of Chinese whites. Sourced from similar elevations of around 2,700 meters, both wines reflect the unique terroirs of Shangri-La.

Mou Chao, who previously worked as the winemaker for Xiao Ling, started his Mu Xin winery in 2020. His 2022 chardonnay is more than captivating, showing a Burgundian flair with a heightened feel thanks to its greater intensity, higher acidity and slightly higher alcohol.

Mou, who studied enology in Burgundy, prefers to distance his wines from direct comparisons to that region. “I want to make a chardonnay that is true to the place of this wine,” he said – and it’s the combination of “super high acid and relatively high alcohol” that for him marks the terroir difference.

– Stuart Pigott, Aldo Fiordelli, Ryan Montgomery and Zekun Shuai contributed reporting.

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated during the past week by James Suckling and the other tasters at JamesSuckling.com. They include many latest releases not yet available on the market, but which will be available soon. Some will be included in upcoming tasting reports.

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