Top 8 Finger Lakes Chardonnays
Heron Hill Winery Cork, Finger Lakes Wine
Recently, we have been purchasing a lot of Chardonnay from the Finger Lakes wine region. My husband and I started visiting the Finger Lakes wineries regularly about five years ago. At that time I discovered that all Rieslings were not sweet, and was pleasantly impressed by the wonderful spice of Lemberger/Blaufränkisch. I normally avoided Chardonnays because I expected them to be similar to the buttery, oaky California Chardonnays that I do not like. Last year, my husband and I opened-up a little more and started to try the Finger Lakes Chardonnays, and were pleasantly surprised to find that they had a striking similarity to French White Burgundies. In particular, many resemble Chablis, with crisp citrus, lemon-lime, and green apple flavors, which I love. The price points for the quality are also great, with most of my favorites averaging around $15.00 per bottle.
Top 8 Finger Lakes Chardonnays I have enjoyed over my past few visits, by location.
Eastside of Seneca Lake
Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, 2014 Unoaked Chardonnay Wine
Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars
2014 Unoaked Chardonnay - $14.99
Gold Metal 2016 Pacific Rim International Wine Competition
Citrus fruit, green apple and lemon
Silver Thread Vineyard, 2014 Chardonnay, Finger Lakes Wine
Silver Thread Vineyard
2014 Chardonnay - $16.00
100% estate grown and 150 cases produced - Light oak, but no butter and a lot of lemon.
Westside of Seneca Lake
Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, 2014 Chardonnay, Finger Lakes Wine
Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard
2014 Chardonnay - $18.50
Partially aged in Hungarian Oak, but not oaky, or buttery.
Light citrus, yellow apple, and a soft mineral finish
Anthony Road Wine Company, 2014 Unoaked Chardonnay, Finger Lakes Wine
Westside of Cayuga Lake
Thirsty Owl Wine Company, 2014 Chardonnay, Finger Lakes Wine
Thirsty Owl Wine Company
2014 Chardonnay - $13.95
Double Gold & Best in Class – 16’ International Eastern
Gold Metal – 15’ Long Beach Grand Cru
Crisp green apple notes with a light oak finish
Hosmer Winery2014 Chardonnay, Finger Lakes Wine
Eastside of Keuka Lake
Domaine Leseurre Winery, 2014 Unoaked Chardonnay, Finger Lakes Wine
Westside of Keuka Lake
Heron Hill Winery, 2014 Ingle Vineyard Chardonnay Unoaked, Finger Lakes Wine
This list is just a small subset of the great Chardonnays that can be found in this region. These wines are ones I have personally had the pleasure of trying.