I tasted a lot of wines in 2022. A ton. I tried to think of all the wines I thought were among the most interesting or memorable of the year. Are there other great wines? Absolutely! But you can't name them all. This was a very fun year, and I wanted to make sure that I mentioned these bottles before we get caught up in the grind of 2023.
The other thing that is becoming more and more apparent - the East Coast is making some tremendous wine. There's great experimental wines. There's outstanding quality versions of more traditional wines. There's new grapes, and tons of great flavor!
So happy for the winegrowers and winemakers of the Eastcoast!
Special note: These are not ranked, and appear no no special order.
Special thanks: I think I tasted many of these wines with wine writer friends. Always fun to taste with Rich Srsich, Lenn Thompson, Elizabeth Smith, NewJerseyWineChick, Michael Kaiser, or Paul Vigna. As well as some of the others mentioned below. Always fun to taste with people with great palates.
You gotta love Stephen Casscles. He's a wonderful winemaker. But almost more importantly, he;s done some incredible stuff in his career. He's brought back a number of Heritage grapes that had fallen out of fashion, and he can make exceptional wines from lesser known grapes. This year he was among the key speakers at the Cold Climate conference in Vermont. This year, he produced a LeColonel/Chelois red blend that was as good as any Pinot noir you've ever had. And it's all from the Hudson River Region. His Hudson River Region line of wines at Milea Vineyard is a must try! PS. Milea Also offers a killer Blaufrankisch by Bruce Tripp. Had a great day with Lenn Thompson, Kathleen Wilcox, Deanna Fox, Valerie Belz Kathawala, Jand ose Moreno-Lacalle among others.
Steve Shaw and Steve Shaw Jr. continue to produce incredible wines in the Finger Lakes. Wasn't sure which one to pick, but after visiting them for the first time in a while, I fell in love with their wines all over again. This Pinot Noir was delicate and brimming with dark and bright cherries.
Ian Modestow continues to make impressive wines in Massachusetts from estate grown grapes. This Estate Blaufrankisch was so good, we bought two bottles for our Christmas Eve dinner. Deep, medium dark, exploding with fruit. Outstanding! Second tasting there with Rich Srsich. We were equally impressed upon our second visit. A good sign.
Frank Graessle. continues to make better and better estate wines in the Hudson River Region. This fall,. with the NewJerseyWineChick (instagram), I tasted the Clearview Vineyard Estate Traminette 2020. Aromatic, bright fruit, terrific ending. Super Gewuztraminer profile. Lovely tropical fruit. Fantastic zippy finish!
One of my favorite New England producers is Glendale Ridge Vineyards. I love their series of Petillant Naturel Blanc made from their Massachusetts vineyards. Bright fruit up front. Lovely acidity. Terrific bubbles. A must drink! Try the whole line.
Tousey Winery in the Hudson River Region makes some of my favorite estate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. But they made this lovely sparkling semi-sweet Sparkling Queen. Super refreshing with a lovely nose and delicious sweetness, but a touch of acidity too. Super fun!
What a terrific visit with California wine writer Elizabeth Smith to Heart & Hands Wine Company. Tom and Susan Higgins have created one of the best wineries on the East Coast. I visited there for the first time in a while. But I was absolutely thrown for loop by the dynamic tasting there. Susan is a fabulous hostess, and super knowledgeable. The Riesling and Pinot Noir is spectacular. There are any one of half a dozen wines I could have named here from them. Loved the Brut Rose that had a nose of fresh cut Strawberries and bright young sour cherry. Lovely bubbles. Absolutely an outstanding sparkling wine no matter the region anywhere in the world.
This was first tasting of Trestle Thirty One courtesey of Elizabeth Smith who set the tasting up. Nova McCune Cadamatre is an incredibly well traveled, well seasoned winemaker, with as impressive a resume as any winemaker in America. The former Robert Mondavi (among other places) winemaker has decided to settle in the Finger Lakes. She's making a small swarm of fantastic wines. This Riesling 2020 was delicate, immensely aromatic, and has a tremendously exciting bright finish. Lip smacking great!
Ian Barry is another one of the more exciting mad scientists operating in the Finger Lakes. His Barry Family Cellars Pet Gnat 2021 Leon Millot was an absolute eye popper. Tremendous red stewed fruit u front, and a light fizzy palate. Tremendous stunner. He's been making red sparklers for some time now. Just when you think he might have lost his mind, the next is better than the last. Fellow wine writer Elizabeth Smith and I were super impressed. Astonishing.
Ian Barry is the only winemaker who made the list twice. Absolutely loved his Six Eighty Cellars Pinot Menuier was a delicate, perfume-y, red wine with lovely red fruit and a soft finish and a hint of acidity. Truly a stunner!
Daniel and Olivia Budmen are the owners of Scout Vineyards. Visited there this summer, and my tasting made me sit up and take notice. I especially loved their Vignoles 2019. Super, super aromatic, with lovely tropical fruits, and impressive zippy, refreshing finish. A must try!
The Wine Collective in Baltimore, Maryland is among the most exciting new wineries on the East coast. The urban winery takes in local grapes from Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. They make some absolutely astonishing vermouth. It was hard not to chose their Vermu, which is also a must try. But this Gruner Veltliner 2019 was a revelation. Light, aromatic, and bright, this wine was astonishing, and one of the best examples of Gruner in the east you can try. A dynamic winery that continues to impress!
I love Mike Beneduce for two reasons. First, I love his dog Louie, a German Shorthair Pointer who is as endearing an animal as you have ever met. And I love his wines. I wanted to pick one of his experimental wines, his extended skin ferments, piquettes, etc. I was originally going to chose Beneduce's Aqua Pazza! But I couldn't choose them over his estate Blaufrankisch. Big, rich fruity. Its an exellent example of New Jersey Blaufrankisch, which is a category that needs much more in-depth coverage. A fantastic bottle of wine.
Karamoor Estate had been a big gorilla (in a good way) in Pennsylvania winemaking for sometime now. The winery of the late Nicholas Karabots, this estate is capable of making some of the best wines in the state. And recent vintages have been most impressive. Vineyard Manager, Joseph Rienzi, and Winemaker, Kevin Robinson, make some very, very good Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and other vinifera. Was lucky enough to be invited to a tasting hosts by east coast wine promoter and journalist Paul Vigna. Lovely, lively, subtle rose. Super professionally made. Could be picked as a winner is any wine region.
I love Galen Glen Winery! Sarah and Erin Troxell are making spectacular wines from Pennsylvania estate grapes grown by husband/father Galen. I never, ever tire of their Gruner Veltliner, which could compete with any other winery in the world when it comes to that grape. One of the absolutely best white wines made on the East coast. A tremendous bottle. Don't make excuses. Go try them....NOW!
If you like Viognier, then you must try Jefferson Vineyards Viognier 2020. I love their chardonnay as well. But this Virginia Viognier was outstanding. Super, super aromatic, but tremendous tropical fruits, white peaches, and hints of apricot. And lovely acidity. A well balanced, delicate, white wine.
Big fan of Blenheim Vineyards in Virginia. And I love Petit Verdot. This 2019 was a big, dark rich wine with amazing depth. Big notes of dark purple fruit - blueberry, blackberry, casis dominate the front of this wine. More stewed dark fruits dominate the middle. Subtle tannins. Lovely finish. A super impressive wine. Loved it!
This was my first visit to Walsh Family Wines in Virginia. This Walsh Family Tannat 2019 was amazing. It was tough call. They had four big red wines. But the Tannat was so gig, so rich, and so complex, I could not get over it. You need to check out Walsh Family if you like good, quality red wines.
Love McCall Pinot Noirs. I have for a long time. But bother Lenn Thompson of The Cork Report hosted a rose tasting from around the east coast. Tasted almost 40 Rose' wines from the east. One of the most memorable was the McCall Whole Cluster Pinot Noir Rose' 2021. Super, super subtle, with fresh, bright red fruit, and a wonderful, refreshing, mouthwatering finish.
Among the other rose' wines I tasted with Thompson was this Virginia based Stinson Vineyards produced an astounding Rose' of Tannat 2021. This had more flavor for a rose' than I can ever remember. A weird grape choice for a rose' wine, it proved to be remarkable! Stood out head-and-shoulders above others because it was so good, and so different.
Mark Carduner is a good friend of mine. And the wines coming from Working Dog Winery in New Jersey, are very, very good. But his Cabernet Franc 2019 is among the best examples of what Cabernet Franc can be on the east coast, These was nothing but lush flavors of cherry (both light and dark), cassis, and red raspberry over whelm the mouth in the best possible way. This is a beautifully complex, and well balanced, red wine. Super impressive. Always a treat to have!
Enjoy!