Monday, November 9, 2015

Heron Hill Winery


Located conveniently along Route 14 on the west side of Seneca Lake, we discovered a tasting room for one of our new favorite Finger Lakes region wineries. Heron Hill is the real deal. It provides wines crafted for differing tastes. We found the wines complex and enjoyable and we also were pleased to find a very enjoyable red wine.
While the winery is located near Keuka Lake, the Seneca Lake tasting room, located in Himrod, NY,  is spacious and offers a pleasant place to stop and enjoy the wines of the region.

Susie was our server on the afternoon that we visited and she did a great job guiding us through the wine tasting. She was knowledgeable and fun to work with and helped us understand the history of the winery and the wines that we were tasting.

Heron Hill sources its wines from around the finger lakes with an emphasis on grapes grown near Keuka, Canandaigua, and Seneca Lakes. The winery focuses its efforts on the strength of the Finger Lakes—which is Riesling in many forms, but they also offer some excellent reds especially their selection of Cabernet Franc and the Eclipse. 



Adjacent to the Tasting Room
I enjoyed a flight of three Cabernet Francs and was very surprised at the depth and quality of the wines. The 2012 reserve ($35) was easily the best of the group—but the Classic ($17) was a great choice for the budget minded oenophile. The wines were medium bodied with a great nose and complex flavors. Each of the three presented a distinct interpretation of the varietal.

The other highlights of the tasting were the Eclipse red 2013, ($17) and the classic semi-dry Riesling 2013 ($11 on sale).



The Eclipse is Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot blend. The wine is medium body with a great nose and nice complexity. It was one of the highlights of our entire trip to the Finger Lakes and we purchased more than a few bottles to share with our friends.

The gift shop boasts a number of interesting wine related items. It is large and spacious. 

RECOMMENDATION: This is one of the must visit wineries along the Seneca Lake Wine Trail.

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD

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