For sure, there are a umber of winemakers in New York state who make a wide array of wines. The ranks are chok-a-block. It is a daunting and usually thankless task. The old rub, according to Hall of Fame football coach Bill Parcells, is that there are "no medals for trying." And wine writers are hard markers.
Be that as it may, we are here today to give some well-deserved attention to one such individual - Phil Plummer. Having started out as a cellar rat in February 2010, Phil has risen up the ranks and is now not just the winemaker for Montezuma, but for Fossenvue Vineyards and Idol Ridge Winery as well. More importantly, in the last 12 months, more than a handful of wines have begun to turn the heads of wine writers that hitherto before might have passed up tastings for showier, more well-renown wineries or winemakers. But Phil Plummer has changed all that.
With his unassuming manner, and his obvious passion for wine and winemaking, he has but out numerous quality bottlings under the three wineries. And he now must be considered one of the real up-and-coming winemakers in the Finger Lakes. Here's a smattering of the wines Phil has recently released that are worthy of serious attention.
Idol Ridge Gewurztraminer 2018 has the most wonderful nose. I love Gewurztraminer, but it seems to me that fewer and fewer wineries are using their Gewurztraminer for blends rather than varietal bottlings. Gewurztraminer has always been a hand sell in the wine business. Most owners would say you need to pour a bottle to sell one in the tasting room. The problem being that winemakers and wine writers love the stuff. This was no exception. This had an explosive nose full of tropical fruits and exotic floral frangrances. Everything a Gewurz should small like. The wine itself was a lovely, bright, wine, with lots of green apple and slate, and finished with a big, succulent spritz of grapefruit. Wonderful!
Fossenvue Eighteen Forty-Eight Diamond 2018 (Seven of Seven Series) was a Petillant Naturel made from Diamond. Diamond is not a normal choice for a Pet Nat. Diamond is a big, over the top, floral and usually sweet white, made for popular consumption. A picnic or back porch sipper, as the old adage goes. The nose, exploded with a nose of grape pie - a grapeiness usually associated with Diamond, but with an accompanying hint of yeast and bread. The wine was slightly sweet, but had a lovely fullness about it and lovely consistent bubbles. A straight forward wine, lovely for brunches, celebrations, and for all our enjoyment. A lovely, reasonably priced Pet Nat. Certainly worth enjoying!
His quartet of Roses this season were a very solid roundup of differing styles. The Idol Ridge Dry Rose 2017 was bright, with nice notes of hand-picked strawberries, orange blossoms and melon. The Fossenvue Revisionist 3 Rose Cuvée de Pression 2018 (my favorite among them) was a rosé assembled using various press fractions from red and sparkling wine production; Saignée and Taille. The idea was that they combined the different fractions. The result was a lovely wine layered with fresh fruit and with a back bone of more complex, classic classic wine. Montezuma Hope Dry Rose was again a very quaff-able dry rose with strawberry, pink grapefruit, lychee and a hint of lime. (ps. a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Hope for Heather organization towards funding for ovarian cancer awareness, research, and local support.) And the Idol Ridge Pet Nat Cabernet Franc a sparkling sersion of Cab Franc complete with fresh strawberries and bright young cherries, with yeast, with a bubbly, zippy ending.
Recently I have been tasting a small cadre of lovely Saperavis. I think it's one of the grapes winemakers should be working with. It makes a big dark wine. with lots of body. Idol Ridge Winery Saperavi 2018 was a delicious red wine, with big fruit and lots of juicy acidity. It's a lovely medium-bodied, smooth quaff-able red. Very pretty!
In these wines, Phil is showing a enological dexterity that is unusual making quality wines in numerous styles for three different houses. As I said, there are several who do it, but not in the way that its turning heads like he's doing it.
Great job Phil!