Honeydew Melon • Brioche • Fleshy
Best enjoyed at 39° - 46°F
Suggested drink window: drink now – 2028 – 2036
94 Points - Cristaldi & Co.
The 2019 Brut is comprised of pinot noir and pinot meunier from our Estate Davis Vineyard, pinot noir from Hector neighbors, Sawmill Creek Vineyard, and of chardonnay from Cayuga Ridge Winery. The 2019 vintage was a wonderful season for the Finger Lakes and especially for sparkling wine. The growing season was quite temperate with moderate temperatures and rainfall throughout the summertime, which allowed the fruit to ripen slowly and evenly. In sparkling wine, acidity is the main driver of quality and in moderate seasons the acids tend to decrease at a normal rate rather than taking sharp decreases due to high heat events.
Winemaking
• 47% Pinot Noir, 46% Chardonnay, 7% Pinot Meunier
• Vineyard locations: East side of Seneca Lake and west side of Cayuga Lake
• Harvested September 22nd
• Soil: Howard gravely loam with limestone and Casanovia silt loam
• Tirage aged for 5 years
• Vegan
• Certified New York Sustainable Winegrowing
• Brix: 17.8° - 18.2° │ pH: 3.28 │ TA: 9.2 g/L │ MA: 5.47 g/L │ RS: 0.20 │ ABV: 11.5
• Tirage bottled: February 2020 │ Hand riddled and disgorged: First batch May 12, 2025
• Cases Produced: 200
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Review
Cristaldi Review
The 2019 Brut—a méthode champenoise sparkler
made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot
Meunier—is sourced from multiple vineyard sites
along the east side of Seneca Lake. Each lot was
vinified separately in stainless steel and aged sur lie
for three months before tirage. Disgorged in 2025
after five years en tirage, this wine offers a complex
and richly textured profile. Baked apple, pear, and
apricot lead the aromatic charge, followed by
confected notes of apple tart and apricot pastry, with
buttery, nutty undertones adding depth on the midpalate.
An assertive mousse softens into a gentle
froth, while the long, saline-acid finish brings lift,
freshness, and tension to this more opulent style of
sparkling. My kind of bubbly!
2019 Vintage Notes
Winter of 2018-19 was pretty mild, resulting in little to no bud damage and setting us up for a good year of growing to come. 2019 started with a pretty “by the books” finger lakes spring, with an on-time start to the growing season; no late frosts to hassle us and a reasonable amount of rainfall. The growing season was warm but not hot, with moderate rain which tapered off by the fall to leave us with a nice mild harvest season. The weather cooperated well and allowed the vines to achieve full ripeness and flavor development. Overall, a solid growing season finished with a nice easy, harvest.
