Finger Lakes Chardonnay Winemakers

Of the Finger Lakes winemakers featured by WinesNY.com for this article one is an established and well known winery and the other is one of the newest. Chateau LaFayette Reneau became a winery almost by accident as the founder was pottering around with some old grapevines that happened to be growing on the dairy farm his family purchased. Chateau LaFayette Reneau has grown to become one of the more important and prominent winemakers in the region. Rooster Hill Vineyards began, again almost by accident, as a professional couple bought the old vineyard across the road from their home. Rooster Hill has made a mark in the region in a short period of time by producing wines demonstrating a maturity unusual for such a new vintner. Both wineries make classic Finger Lakes slate driven Chardonnays.

The Finger Lakes AVA is in the central part of the state and geographically identified by the long, narrow, deep lakes scratched out during the last ice age by retreating glaciers. There is a lot of white wine grown in the Finger Lakes, making for a lot of local competition for wine drinkers attention. The signature varietal of the region is undoubtedly the Riesling. This aromatic grape, that has a such distinctive character, makes breathtakingly beautiful wines in the Finger Lakes. Chardonnay does very well and most vineyards that make Riesling also make a Chardonnay.

The region has a cooler climate than Long Island and produces fruit that ripens less than Long Island. As has been seen with over-ripe Chardonnays from hot climate appellations, less ripe is not necessarily a bad thing with cool climate loving Chardonnay. The Finger Lakes version of the varietal is usually more citrusy, often crisp and clean. Typically, the body is more linear and less round that their downstate cousins. The slatey soils of the Finger Lakes are quite evident in the Chardonnays and shows how much the grape takes on the character of the local terroir.

Chateau LaFayette Reneau

Dick and Betty Reno bought an old 60 acre dairy farm on Seneca Lake's banana belt region, a microclimate known for its comparatively balmy temperatures. The area is south east of the Lake. At the time of the 1985 purchase, their initial intentions did not include wine making. Dick began tending some native varietals that happened to be growing in one corner of the farm. They decided to try their hand at seeing what kinds of wines they could produce on their new property. They converted the old dairy barn that stood on the premises into a winery and made a go of it. The winery was named Chateau LaFayette Reneau in honor of Dick's grandfather. Having experienced some success with wine making generally, and also seeing the progress that some of their neighbors were having with vinifera wines, the Reno's started growing some of Bordeaux types as well as Riesling. The effort has shown great success and the vineyard has expanded to 140 acres.

Chateau LaFayette Reneau has demonstrated that they were masters of white wines with both Riesling and Chardonnays. Their efforts with Reisling were recognized in an earlier WinesNY.com article. Their Chardonnay offering is also exceptional. The winery makes serious vinifera wines and fun light hearted hybrids. It has wide selection of labels.

Rooster Hill Vineyards

Rooster Hill is one of the newer and also one of the smaller vineyards in the Finger Lakes. They are situated on the east side Keuka Lake south of Pen Yan. The winery was started in the early part of this century when Amy Hoffman, marketing executive and her husband David a financial planner, purchased an old dilapidated vineyard across the road from their residence. They planted the small three acre vineyard in Cabernet Franc, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Lemberger. They purchased an additional vineyard in 2003.

Given the Rooster Hill releases reviewed by WinesNY.com they have been quick out of the gate. Certianly part of the credit goes to winemaker Barry Tortolon. Mr. Tortolon was born in the Finger Lakes and trained in California. He learned his craft at the venerable Italian Swiss Colony winery and then providing services to Fulkerson's, Fox Run, and Glenora in the Finger Lakes region.