Forte Bianco 2022
Vintage Notes:
Winter started mild and rainy until January, when we had several extreme cold events. This led to varying degrees of winter damage (in some cases extreme). Coupled with a naturally small yield, most of the Finger Lakes faced extremely low yields across the board but especially with red vinifera. The beautifully warm spring and early summer was followed by some intense rain events in September, after which we were gifted with one of the driest Octobers in decades.
This port-style wine is a tropical fruit bombshell of pineapple, mango, and guava followed by apricots, cantelope and yellow peaches. The mouthfeel is silky smooth with a refreshing acidity to keep it from feeling cloying. The brandy is well integrated and provides a delicate floral structure that is intoxicating. This wine is lovely with desserts but makes for a wonderful digestivo on its own.
| Varietal | Late harvest Vignoles with brandy distilled from Seedless Reliance |
| Appellation | Finger Lakes |
| Vineyard | 100% Knapp Vineyards |
| Harvest Date | 10/18/2022 00:00:00 |
| PH | 3.3 |
| Residual Sugar | 10.8% |
| Alcohol | 19.80% |
| Volume | 375 ml |
| Artificially Carbonated | No |
| Sparkling Wine | No |
Another winemaker experiment from 2022 that turned out too good to keep to ourselves. The best rows of Vignoles were left to hang for several weeks before hand picking. A long, cold fermentation to preserve the aromatics until the winemaker liked the balance, when she stopped the fermentation with newly distilled brandy made with estate grapes to make a white port-style wine. It was then left on the lees for 8 months to age in stainless steel to preserve the pretty aromas and delicate nature.
