The finger lakes

The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in New York State.

The geological term finger lake refers to a long, narrow lake in an overdeepened glacial valley. Seneca Lake is among the deepest in the United States at 618 feet, with its bottom well below sea level. As the glaciers of the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated around 14,000 years ago, they left a moraine (debris pile) at the southern limit of the lakes, creating a watershed between the north-flowing river and lake system and the south-flowing rivers of the Allegheny Plateau which drain out through Pennsylvania and into the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers. Today’s Finger Lakes all drain northward eventually into Lake Ontario and from there to the St Laurence and out to the North Atlantic.

TERROIR AND CLIMATE

The massive volume of water in Seneca, Cayuga and several of the other Finger Lakes provides a thermal buffer leading to much milder winters and great conditions for growing vinifera grapes. As a result, the region is home to some of the finest vineyard areas in the eastern US.

On the west side of Seneca, where the Anthony Road winery has its vineyards, The soils are rich in lime and moderately well-drained. The soil at the top of the farm, up by Route 14, is called Honeoye. It's high lime, moderately well-drained, and as the land drops down towards the lake, the soils are Lima. They are a little heavier, but they are still moderately well-drained, high lime soils. The underlying bedrock is largely the Marcellus Shale, a marly shale currently best known for its natural gas reserves tapped through hydraulic fracking (which, incidentally, is banned in New York to protect the environment and especially the ecologically-important Finger Lakes).

The vineyards

The family now has 3 vineyards overlooking Seneca Lake:

Martini Vineyard: This is the original vineyard to the farm. Originally planted in 1973 with french american hybrids that were sold to Taylor Wine Company. Over the years most of those have been removed and replanted with vinifera grapes- Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Lemberger. All that remains of the original plantings are 5 acres of Vignoles. The soil on this area of land is primarily Honeoye Silt Loam. Currently there are 25 acres of vineyards on the 125 acre site, with plans to plant more.

Finger Lakes Teaching & Demonstration Vineyard: Sits on 2.5 acres of the Martini Vineyard land. This vineyard is a partnership between Cornell University, Finger Lakes Community College and Anthony Road Wine Company/Martini Vineyards. It allows Cornell’s Finger Lakes Grape Program the opportunity to organize research projects and demonstrations for grape growers. Students in FLCC’s viticulture and wine technology program are afforded the opportunity to meet learning objectives via a hands-on approach.

Nutt Road Vineyard: This 100 acre parcel sits approximately a mile south west from the winery and planting was started in 2001 for the Robert Young Family of California. The Martini Family purchased the vineyard from the Youngs in 2014. The land was sold in 2017, but is still managed by Peter Martini and the Martini Vineyard Crew. There are now 60 acres of planted vineyards on this site which includes Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Lemberger, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. This soil is primarily Honeoye silt loam with some Lansing-Danley silt loam.

The Martini Family

Ann and John Martini moved to Yates County in 1973 to grow grapes and raise their family on 100 acres overlooking Seneca Lake. Ann managed the vineyard and raised the children, while John worked for Cornell University at the Agricultural Experiment Station. The grapes from their vineyards were first sold to the Taylor Wine Company and eventually to wineries across New York State.

In 1990, Ann and John opened Anthony Road Wine Company with wines made from the 1989 crop. Their children, Peter, Sarah, Maeve and Elizabeth, have been involved in the vineyard and winery throughout their growing years and are now full-time employees/co-owners of Anthony Road Wine Company.

The vineyards are farmed sustainably wihout use of herbicides or fungicides. About 50% of the fruit is sold off to other wineries, while the best portion is held back for their estate bottlings.

The Wines

Chardonnay: Fermented in stainless. 2 days on lees, then racked off and left to rest in tank for 5 months. Light fining with bentonite, prior to bottling. No oak is used to keep the fruit flavors fresh and bright. Finished totally dry, with a bit of bottle conditioning before release. Aromas of apple & pair, tropical fruit. Medium body, crisp finish.

Pinot Gris: Fermented in stainless steel, then allowed to rest on the fine lees before being readied for bottling. Aromas and flavors of melon, pear, honey, apricot and citrus. Rich and poised with a long finish.

Dry Riesling: Vinified in stainless steel. Multiple fermentations were blended for this dry Riesling, balanced to a German Halbtrocken.  Aromas and flavors of citrus, candied lemon and lime zest, with hints of apple and pear. Crisp and bright with a pleasant mouthfeel.

Riesling: Vinified in a mix of stainless steel tanks and neutral oak barrels. Multiple fermentations were blended for this semi-dry style of Riesling, balanced to a German Kabinett style.  Aromas and flavors of honeydew melon, tangerine, apricot and Asian pear, The flavors on the palate are rich, but there is a cleansing acidity and minerality with a lovely textured long finish.

Lemberger: Destemmed before fermentation in stainless. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged neutral French oak barrels for approximately 16 months. Aromas and flavors of baking spices, cherry and pomegranate. Fresh and textural with a long persistence of flavor and enjoyment.

Cabernet Franc: vinified in stainless steel with daily pumpovers and punch downs during fermentation. After malolactic fermentation in stainless steel, the wine was moved into neutral French and American oak barrels and aged for about 14 months.  Dry, medium-body red with lots of raspberry, pomegranate and cherry balanced by hints of black pepper and dried herbs. Enjoy this Cabernet Franc with grilled meats, or hearty lentil soup.