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Eveningside Vineyards News and Industry Reviews
• A Cab Franc Lover's Guide to
Niagara USA Wines
By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara
Contributor
"Whether
you are a wine geek who can differentiate the sub-appellations
of the Loire Valley or just a happy-go-lucky daytripper winding
along a New York State wine trail, you've probably experienced
cabernet franc.
Long Island got me hooked some years back and I know I'm not
the only one who marches up to tasting bars and skips ahead
to this variety. Luckily for me, the Niagara USA region is
starting to realize the potential of cab franc too as its young
vines begin to produce. And, if you're a cab franc lover planning
a visit to the area this season, good examples can be found
at several Niagara wineries.
Of the 12 active wineries here, about half of them have released
varietal bottlings of cab franc. Of course, because some of
these wineries don't have producing vineyards at the moment,
you don't find many estate bottles -- but they're out there.
. .
. . . Then there's Eveningside Vineyards, the Biehl family's
micro-winery in Cambria, NY. I've been a fan since the winery
opened four years ago. Owner Randy Biehl's 2006 cab franc is
his first released from estate vines and it shows great promise
for the grape in this region.
In a style that mimics Ontario's, it's dark in the glass with
jaw-dropping aromas of blackberry, cherry, black pepper and
anise. Its lively acidity dances on the tongue while begging
for game, grilled pork or red meats. The finish is its weakest
link as it doesn't linger for too long, but in no way does
it subdue my excitement for this wine. Indeed, Eveningside
is a must-try for any cab franc enthusiast.
Overall, the release of the hot 2007 vintage of cab francs
here should begin to reveal the grape's potential on Niagara
terroir. If they start showing as they do in Ontario, their
style will fall in between the bright style of the Finger
Lakes wines and the bigger bodied Long Island Cab Francs,
providing a happy middle ground for my palate."
May 30, 2008
• Toronto Wine Writer Tony Aspier writes:
"Eveningside Chardonnay Reserve:
medium straw colour; smoky, toasty nose with tropical fruit
notes; full on the palate with ripe pineapple and spicy orange
flavours, lively acidic finish. A very tasty Chardonnay."
• Except from Buffalo Spree November 2007
Liquid treasure from the Niagara Escarpment, By Mark Criden
..."Last, but highest up on the quality scale, is the ambitious Eveningside Vineyards (http://www.eveningside.com/), a seven-year-old operation run by wine enthusiast Randy Biehl. Biehl planted his first grapes in 2001 and harvested his first crop in 2003. It’s no wonder this is a first-class operation: Angelo Pavan of Cave Spring Cellars is consulting wine maker, and Cave Spring’s Kevin Latter provides vineyard guidance.
The 2006 Reserve Chardonnay ($16.95) is loaded with vanilla and apples, a complete, convincing cool-climate chardonnay. It wasn’t enough to overcome my skepticism for northeastern reds, but Eveningside’s 2004 Claret ($16.95), a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, boasted a long, plummy, and soft texture. Whether the fruit will outlast the strong tannins, though, is anybody’s guess.
But the real star at Eveningside—and of all of these wines—was their 2006 Riesling ($13.95), the greatest wine of any color I’ve tasted from Niagara County. Semidry, with notes of green apple, citrus, pear, and peach, this is one very fine wine, and one that met my highest standard: it was impossible to spit. Also tasted: 2006 Chardonnay Unoaked ($13.95)."
• "Eveningside Vineyards Chardonnay 2006
Niagara Escarpment, New York ($14)
Now there are a few things you should know about this winery. For one, I'm pretty sure that the owner, Randy Biehl, only has one acre of his own grapes on
site. Another thing you must know if that he trained on the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada where grapes like Riesling, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc can thrive under the right vineyard manager and winemaker. The soils and climate of the Niagara Escarpment AVA are extremely similar and Randy's wines are just as good if not better than most I've tasted across the border. His extremely small-batch production gives him complete control over the quality of his wines and it shows.
This 2006 "naked" Chardonnay is a taste of heaven. Pale yellow in the glass, it offers generous aromas of apple, pineapple, and honey. The texture is dangerously delicate as it walks the line of a having crisp acidity and a suppleness that I found to be as attractive as any white wine I've had in recent memory. The finish is long and clean. My fiance and I were literally blown away by this wine. Let's face it Eveningside Winery, just as the Niagara Wine Trail, is very much in its youth, but if this wine is any indication of what's in store for the future, then I see a hell of a lot of naked wine drinking to come."
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