There are plenty of cool dudes in the wine business...and even more who think they are cool but are not. Count Tim Moore in the first category. Handsome, well connected, and well liked, Moore walks through a room like he already owns it. There's not a lot of braggadocio. There's a little bit of cockiness...but that's just the attitude of someone who knows what he's doing. He' not walking the floor looking for attention. He doesn't dress outrageously. He's doing his own thing. People come to him. One imagines Tim aging much like the character in the beer commercials, eventually morphing in his old age into the World's Most Interesting Man. Hell, he's already more than halfway there.
Tim is well balanced by his lovely wife Diane, who has her own movie star good looks thing going on. She's very pleasant an always nice when I stop by their booth. I see Tim plenty of times during the course of a year. Mostly festivals. He's helped me a couple of times. And I have long been a fan of his wines. And I must say, Moore wines have often been a fall back when we have company. They are usually soft, approachable, and complex, and please a good number of palates.
Tim and Diane Moore bring over 15 years of winemaking and grape-growing experience in the Finger Lakes to Inspire Moore. They met at the University of California at Davis, where Tim was studying Enology and Diane, International Relations. The dream of starting a winery was always a part of their vision from the time they met.
Tim and Diane were blessed to have 5 beautiful children who are an integral part of everyday life at the winery, as well as the pictures behind the images on the bottles. Jordain, the oldest, and Madison, her sister next in line, share a yoga pose on GRACE, walk hand in hand on CHANGE, and jump for JOY. Cassie, the middle girl, smiles in the vineyards for HARMONY, while the boys, Nate and Nick, both have places on WISDOM and RADIANCE. They can often be found helping out around the winery--unloading wine, doing yard work, helping with the cash register...Inspire Moore was started as a family business, and that is the basis of all that they believe in and hold to be most important in their life.
Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape variety grown primarily in Eastern Europe. We don't see a lot of them here on the east coast, but I am always curious when I see one. And more are coming no doubt. This 2013 Finger Lakes Gruner is light and fruit forward. Oz Clarke has said the Gruner sometimes develops it's nose after some time in the bottle, but I am telling you this 2013 white wine had plenty of nose to spare. Green apple, tropical notes, almost as pretty and floral as a Gewurztraminer. It also had some lovely spiciness and a hint of grapefruit and white pepper at the end. Refreshing, with zippy acidity, this complex white wine was a stunner!!! Easily one of the best Gruners on the east coast.
Synchronicity has long been a favorite in our household. I have tried several times to build up a small stockpile of this wine in m cellar, but it has become popular enough in our house I never have more than one bottle left at the end of a year. In the past, the wine was usually Finger Lakes Syrah with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon. However, this year, that recipe changed. It was 80% Blaufrankish and 20% Merlot. When Tim told me this I was bummed. I do not like the whole Lemberger/Merlot thing going on. Just not a fan. I wanted to say, "WTF? Why?!" Then I tasted it.
It was lovely! And the funny thing? It tasted to me not unlike it's previous vintages! The wine still had pretty damned good color, and still had the notes of sweet cassis and spice that the previous vintages had. And I had to eat my words, because I have preached lightness on Blaufrankish, because many of the winemakers seeking Blaufrankish's darker colors are often achieved at the price of off flavors that overly extracted Blaufrankish can produce. This was not the case. It was soft, drinkable, complex red wine. Lovely. Hats off to Tim and his folks on this one.
Truth has been another popular Moore wine in our household. Again, like Synchronicity, it has been hard to keep in the cellar. The 2012 edition is a Meritage blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 16 months in European and select American oak. This wine of course also pleased me immensely. Big, bold fruit up front, with a nice mid-palate, and a lovely, firm finish. The acidity up front held the fruit up nicely, and the tannins at the end, gave the wine structure and a good, solid finish. For sure, an easy crowd pleaser for those who like reds wines. Very lovely! A very nice, sophisticated wine.
If you like good wine, and YOU want to be cool, you'll serve Moore wines to friends, and drink more of them yourself. Great stuff! Congrats to Tim, Diane, and their family and staff!