Finger Lakes Wine of the Week:
Keuka Spring Vineyards 2014 Dynamite Vineyard Gewürztraminer
By Nicholas Baldwin
With grapes hailing from a vineyard in which dynamite was used to break the tough rock laden soil to make room for posts, Keuka Spring Vineyards makes some of the best Gewürztraminer in the Finger Lakes. The vineyard is one of the largest producers in the region of this delightfully aromatic white grape. The team at Keuka Spring has truly let the wine speak for itself with the 2014 vintage. The 45-percent barrel-fermented wine is aged for two months in used oak barrels, which lends it a rich and round mouthfeel, while maintaining 0-percent residual sugar.
This dry Gewürztraminer has a wonderful bouquet of warm spices such as clove, cinnamon and nutmeg, with hints of rose petals, white peach, apricot and the classic Gewürztraminer aromatic lychee nut. It has lively bright acidity and tickles the side of your tongue with a long finish. The rich and well-balanced mouthfeel leaves you lingering for another sip. This single vineyard Gewürztraminer would pair nicely with pork, game poultry, braised beef dishes, Asian or Indian cuisine, and other dishes that are heavy on the spices. This wine retails around $21 and makes for a pleasant surprise when opened up in the mix of a diverse line-up of wines.
Nicholas Baldwin has worked in the wine and spirits business for more than 12 years and traveled the world visiting vineyards. He holds numerous wine certifications.
For more of Nicholas Baldwin’s wine tasting notes, click here.
If you’re a Finger Lakes wine producer and would like to submit wines for consideration, please contact Nicholas Baldwin at nick@nicholasbaldwin.com.
