This year’s harvest in the Fingerlakes, New York, was not your average vintage. Hot weather and a drought meant that Riesling was actually one of the harder varieties to produce in this cool climate region, and reds experienced a good vintage. We interviewed Master Sommelier and winemaker Chris Bates on how the 2016 vintage from Fingerlakes is tasting.
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Vintage Interview: Chris Bates MS, winemaker Element Winery
How was 2016’s vintage compared to recent years?
This vintage was crazy! Though I am reminded of when someone asked me a while back if x vintage was out of the ordinary, and all I could really say was “The only thing you can count on about a Finger Lakes vintage is that there is nothing you can count on. This year we saw a DROUGHT! It really didn’t rain from April till September, and was as hot as I can remember. And, we came off of a very warm winter (although, one night dipped to -15°C or so, causing a lot of damage).
What were the greatest challenges for the vineyard and winemaking in 2016?
Yields were very low (great for quality and buyers, bad for finances and sellers), but i think the biggest challenge was that acids dropped faster than sugars rose in some cases.
Which wines do you think will be exceptional (or above average) in 2016?
Because of the lack of rain, we had very healthy fruit, with little disease pressure, due in part to the dryness, but, also to the fact that the berry size stayed small and clusters were very loose. This led to some of the cleanest fruit I have ever seen; and allowed growers to pick when they wanted to, not when they had to. I think this will be a blockbuster years for some of our more sensitive varieties like Pinot Noir which can often be held back by disease. Though, in general, across the board, I think reds will excel in this vintage.
Which varieties suffered most in 2016?
I would not say anything suffered, but, Riesling will be the grape that shows the skill of the grower and winemaker more than any other this year. Balancing acids and alcohols will be a challenge, but, the best growers will shine.
Can you characterize the style of 2016?
Ripe! The fruit was tiny, with very little juice to skin. The colors are deep, and vibrant, and the aromatics intense. My guess is that the wines are going to have a higher potential alcohol across the board, and acids will be softer than normal.
Now, all of that only speaks of the potential of the vintage. So much can be changed, for better or worse, by decisions of the grower or the winemaker.
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