Vintages

2012

2012 was a cool, lively, and characteristic year on the North Fork. While the vineyards fared safely in the wake of the storms that racked New York in October, The Red Hook Winery on the harbor in Brooklyn was devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

2013

2013 was a lovely vintage on the North Fork, although wet weather moved in during the middle of October. In general, the white fruit vinified beautifully; the red fruit suffered some loss, due to the wet weather at the end of the ripening season. For the winery, here in Brooklyn, 2013 was an important “comeback” vintage, as we made the first new wine in the winery that had been devastated by Superstorm Sandy at the tail end of the 2012 vintage. 2013 in the Finger Lakes region in general and, for the vineyards on Seneca Lake in particular, was a year of ideal ripening and much-needed late-season warmth.

2014

2014 on the North Fork was a year of incredible abundance. A moderate summer (with a cool August) followed by a warm autumn brought a crop of exuberant fruit and pleasure.

2015

2015 was a moderate summer that eased into a warm autumn. The whites beautifully highlight the aromatic and textural specificity of the North Fork. The reds are expressive, full-bodied, and very exciting.

2016

2016 on the North Fork of Long Island was a cool vintage. June and July were extremely moderate (no temperatures on the North Fork exceeded 85 degrees during these 2 months). Temperatures in August rose slightly, and ripening increased correspondingly. The white wines of this vintage are soft and approachable. Cool nights and warmer days through October produced reds of prettiness and delicacy.

2017

North Fork of Long Island: A mild summer with a relatively cool August and a subtle bit of warmth through September (interrupted by occasional precipitation) resulted in a moderate vintage. White fruit matured handsomely to ripeness. Red fruit achieved ripeness and retained the region's signature acidity. Finger Lakes: a mild summer with an intermittently rainy autumn challenged growers on the Finger Lakes--an exception was the east side of Seneca Lake where, by careful farming, both the whites and (especially surprisingly) the red matured to a beautiful, full phenolic ripeness.

2018

Both the Finger Lakes and the North Fork of Long Island endured an extremely challenging vintage. Although the summer boasted normal to moderate warmth, the autumn was continuously fraught with rain events and then high humidity. With a few notable exceptions, 2018 was vintage of moderate quality.

2019

Both the North Fork of Long Island and the Finger Lakes enjoyed a beautiful vintage, although with relatively light fruit set (a winemaker's dream). A warm summer followed by a moderately warm and relatively dry autumn allowed fruit to ripen evenly and fully, achieving consummate ripeness and yet maintaining an well-defined acid structure. 2019 will be, in time, an iconic vintage for New York.