Mel Goldman is the owner at Keuka Lake Vineyards. And under his watchful eye the vineyard has continued to gain sttention from serious wine drinkers. While he had done extremely exceptional work with rieslings, he has also produced some terrific wines from some obscure grapes.
Mel's real secret weapon is the wonderuflly talented Staci Nugent. Staci is the winemaker at Keuka Lake Vineyards. Raised in the Finger Lakes, Staci's first exposure to the world of wine was through an undergraduate wine appreciation course at Cornell. After college, she headed out west to California to attend graduate school for genetics, but also spent weekends pouring wine and lending a hand in the cellar at Thomas Kruse Winery in Gilroy. It was during this time that Staci decided to switch careers.
Staci entered the wine program at the University of California at Davis and received her Master's degree in Viticulture and Enology. She followed with hands-on winemaking experience in back to back vintages across hemispheres: Ornellaia in Italy, Hardy's Tintara Winery in South Australia, and Williams Selyem in Sonoma, California. Befor joining Keuka Lake, she also worked at Dr. Konstantin Frank and Lamoreaux Landing.
I have been a long time fan of Keuka Estate Vineyards Dry Riesling Fallling Man Vineyard. The 2015 vintage showed all the classic notes one wants from a quality Riesling. On the nose tropical fruits abounded, with strong hints of apple, honeysuckle, tropical fruits, lychee, and a hint of petrol. On the palate with was a big Grannysmith apple bomb, with a big citrus ending. Absolutely wonderful!
Keuka Lake Vineyards Vingoles Turkey Run Vineyard 2016 was the huge stunner though. I am always partial to Vignoles, and this was no exception. This wine was impressive! Apricot, peach, apple, and pineapple all explode out of the glass. Ripe pear and grannysmith apples come across on the palate. Hints of honey and hibiscus also there. A lovely, tart ending keeps the wine balanced and refreshing. An amazing, amazing glass of wine!! Fantastic!!! One of the show stoppers at NYDrinksNY!
Congrats to Staci and Mel, and the rest of the folks at Keuka Lake Vineyards!