At the recent annual Paul Vigna Wine Summit we had to opportunity to taste Vinny Aliperti's Billsboro Sauvignon Blanc 2024. Now, for many years, since he and his wife Kim have taken over the old Poole place, they have been making remarkable wines. And they have a special relationship with one of the best vineyard sites on the east coast - Sawmill Creek. Billsboro is always among my favorite and frequent stops in the Finger Lakes.
Vinny is one of the better winemakers in the Finger Lakes. He has been making wine for more than 20 years. However, he seems to defy age. And he can make east coast Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Albarino, or any other number of grapes sing, if given a good vintage.
Vinny is a well traveled artist, having worked at Wolffer Estate with winemaker Roman Roth, at the legendary Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, and then startup Atwater Estate Vineyards. He and wife Kim (a powerhouse in her own right) founded Billsboro in 2007. By 2016 Billsboro Winery won the NY Wine & Food Classic Governor's Cup their 2015 Syrah. And now for the wine....
The Billsboro Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is 100% Sav Blanc 47% of which is from the Sawmill Creek Vineyard and rest being from the Nutt Road Vineyard in the Finger Lakes. Machine picked in mid-September, the wine was cold soaked overnight. 1200 gallons went into stainless steel after fermentation. 500 liters was placed in a single five-year puncheon, for six weeks, and then added to the batch in stainless steel. It was bottled in early February.
Honestly, my first thought after smelling and tasting my first sip was, "Yeah, Vinny!" Vinny has always made great Sauvignon Blanc, and this might just be the best one he has ever made. The nose absolutely blew me away. Tropical fruits exploded and others. Peach, apricot, pineapple, mango. The wine was filled with bright green Granny Smith apples, and apricot and pineapple with a lovely grapefruit ending. And there was a hint of salinity in the middle. Most extraordinary was the lasting fruit, which just echoed, and echoed, for a full minute or so after each sip. Bright. Delicate. Sophisticated. Refreshing. An absolute winner! "Yeah, Vinny!"