FINGER LAKES WINE TASTING TRIP, DISCOVER DRY ROSÉ – EAST SENECA LAKE - DAY 3
Our final day of Discovering Dry Rosé occurred on the East side of Seneca Lake. We were fortunate enough to have our cousins drive-up from Pennsylvania to spend the day with us.
Seneca Lake is home to more than 40 wineries, distilleries, and breweries. On the East side, there are stretches where the wineries are seemingly located one after another; however, they all maintain an inviting rustic, homespun feel that’s refreshing. The East side also offers amazing sunset views that can be enjoyed from numerous decks and balconies; my favorite sunset hangout is on the deck of Two Goats Brewing. There also seems to be a great red wine scene on the East side, with some of our favorites being Shalestone Vineyards, Lamoreaux Landing, Damiani Wine Cellars, Atwater Estate Vineyards, and Penguin Bay Winery.
Because this area also offers great breweries and distilleries, it is a great place to go if you have a mixed group of people who are not all wine lovers, or if you want to mix-up your trip and try other types of alcoholic beverages.
*Lamoreaux Landing – MOST BEAUTIFUL TASTING ROOM
2015 Dry Rosé Cab Franc
This has to be one of the most architecturally beautiful tasting rooms in all of the Finger Lakes, and is positioned perfectly for scenic views of the vineyards and Seneca Lake below. Made from 100% Cabernet Franc, this lovely light pink Dry Rosé has a nose and balanced flavors of strawberry, with a little bit of mineral on the finish.
Price $14.00
Fruit Source: Estate Grown
*Atwater Estate Vineyard – TOP PICK OF THE DAY
2015 Dry Rosé of Cabernet Franc
Received a Gold Metal, 90 Points & Best Buy – Tastings.com
This wine is made with a blend of 81% Cabernet Franc and 19% Pinot Noir, and only 4 hours of skin contact, which gave it an extremely light, almost transparent, pink hue. While it is not a sparkling wine, it did have a touch of effervescence and a great citrus finish. Our host server, Brian, was also great!
Price $15.00
Fruit Source: Estate Grown
513 Cases Produced
*Damiani Wine Cellars
2015 Dry Rosé
We really love the Damiani wines and joined their wine club one year ago. The 100% Pinot Noir Dry Rosé has plenty of strawberry on the nose and a light acidic finish. I really liked this Dry Rosé and wish it would have been a nicer day outside so I could have enjoyed a glass on their amazing balcony. We left with a bottle as well as a few others, including the 2014 Bollicini and 2012 Cabernet Franc. Shout-out to the Wine Club Manager, Cheryl.
Price $17.99
Fruit Source: 51% Sunrise Hill Vineyard - West side of Cayuga Lake and 49% Davis Vineyard - East side of Seneca Lake
Map
After a fabulous three days in the Finger Lakes and, sipping amazing Dry Rosés, we still were not able to visit all of the wineries on our itinerary. But, we have a solution! In Geneva, NY, on June 4th, we will be attending the 3rd Annual Rosé Soiree on Linden Street. There, twenty-three (23) Finger Lakes’ wineries will be participating, so we should additionally be able to taste several of the wines that we missed on our last trip.
Note – I tried several Dry Rosés that are not listed above, but I tried to keep my review specific to my favorite at each location. Also, some of the Dry Rosés reviewed are not part of Discover Dry Rosé from the website. The * indicates it is a participating winery.