October 2014 Newsletter

After a busy growing season, another harvest is upon us...

Heart & HandsWine Company

After a busy growing season, another harvest is upon us...

Heart & HandsWine Company

Heart & Hands Wine Company4162 State Route 90

Union Springs, NY 13160

Tasting Room Hours:Friday - Sunday - Noon - 5pm

Monday - �ursday - By Appointment(315) 889-8500

info@heartandhandswine.com

www.heartandhandswine.com

Greetings from Heart & Hands! Here at the winery, we are just begin-ning the start of the 2014 Harvest Season. �e equipment has been cleaned and prepared, the crush pad cleared and our bodies forti�ed with the bounty of the season to sustain us as we bring in this year’s fruit. Now we wait for the grapes to �nish ripen-ing, and anticipate what the 2014 wines will become!

We hope that you enjoy hearing about the latest happenings here in the vineyard and cellars, and look forward to seeing you this fall!

Cheers! Tom & Susan

Sunny days kept smiles on our faces this season...

VINEYARDUPDATE4

CELLARDWELLING5

2012 ESTATEPINOT NOIR7

WINERY DOGWHISPERS10

CURRENTOFFERINGS11

A WORD OFTHANKS14

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Once the birds see the Pinot Noir grapes turn from green to purple, it is time for us to drop the nets.

2012 ESTATEPINOT NOIR

WINERY DOGWHISPERS

Vineyard Update Estate Vineyard Progress: A�er the long, cold, winter, it looks like vines weathered the storm as best they could. However, the combination of the severe cold temperatures with the duration and frequency of severe temperatures set the Pinot Noir vines back a bit. While fortunately, we did not lose many vines, the primary buds for this year’s fruit experienced more damage than initially predicted. As a result, we’ll be bringing in a little bit less Pinot Noir fruit this season, but the vines should be at 100% pro-duction next year (barring the occurrence of any more vortex events). Riesling fans - not to worry – the Ries-ling vines were minimally a�ected by the weather, so we should have plenty of fruit this season.

2014 Winter Weather - A Challenge to the Region:Following up on our piece in the April newsletter, it looks like our growers are experiencing very similar conditions to the estate vineyard. �is year’s Pinot Noir crop will be signi�cantly lower in volume than in years past (particularly last-year’s bumper crop), while the Riesling grapes seemed to hold up a bit better - so we should have plenty of Riesling this year. Overall, the season is lining up to be somewhat later than our historical average harvest dates. Right now, it looks like we will be bringing in fruit between 6-7 days later than normal. Sparkling fruit began to trickle in last week, and we anticipate that we will begin handpicking the grapes for still Pinot Noir during the �rst week of October. We expect the Riesling to be ready for harvest by mid-October.

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Pinot Noir - Polarity and Sparkling During the spring and early summer season we did the �nal preparations to bottle and release the 2013 Polarity. �is years’ selection is rich and creamy on the palate, with a dry, lingering �nish. We have enjoyed pairing the wine with steamed clams and scallops Provençal this summer, and as the season turns, look forward to enjoying the versatility of the wine with heartier �avors of roasted turkey and seasonal butternut squash recipes.

�e 2013 Brut Rosé has been bottled, and inoculated with a dose of yeast, and is now resting en tirage until a disgorging date to be scheduled for later this year, or in early 2015.

Pinot Noir - 2013 Estate Wine and Finger Lakes Vineyard Selections In mid-summer, Tom did an initial walk-through tasting of the 2013 Estate vineyard Pinot Noirs, to evaluate their early potential, and begin thinking about what unique selections might be created from this vintage. For the 2012 vintage, we created 4 distinct wines from the estate Pinot Noir: �e estate blend - Mo Chuisle, as well as 3 small production wines, 23 cases each, which highlight the nuances of a single clone of Pinot Noir.

For the 2013 vintage, Tom is enjoying exploring the distinctions between all seven clones, as well as the di�erences in �avor and aromatics from the lower and middle blocks of the vineyard - each of which have di�erent soil types. �e �nal selections have yet to be made, but we are very excited about the early promise of these wines.

During this time, Tom also tasted through the 2013 Pinot Noir from Elaine’s, Patrician Verona, and Paul’s Legacy (Hobbit Hollow) vineyards, and has begun to make some preliminary selections for the Single Vineyard wines.

Riesling �e spring and summer months seemed to be occupied by Riesling bottling nearly every other week! For the 2013 Vintage, we created 6 distinct Rieslings - including our Riesling, Dry Riesling, 3 Single Vineyard Rieslings, and our very �rst Estate grown Riesling. �is year, we were able to make 75 cases each of our Single Vineyard Rieslings - allowing us to share them in the tasting room for the very �rst time. We anticipate releasing the 2013 Estate Riesling later in the fall - stay tuned for a release date!

Cel lar Dwel l ing

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Pinot Noir: Roots & Origins

Pinot Noir is believed to be the descendant of an original “Pinot” and Gouais Blanc, and was first domesticated in France. Their pre-emi-nance in the Cote D’Or (Burgundy) dates from 1395, when Duke Philippe the Bold banned plantings of Gamay, so that Pinot Noir might be planted.

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As it is being bottled, the Brut Rosé is slightly cloudy in appearance. During bottling, we introduce a bit of additional yeast and sugar into each of the bottles, which will produce those delightful, delectable tiny bubbles as a byproduct of fermentation.

Our dream hasarr ived.. .

A�er years of searching for the land , then planting the vines, in 2012 our estate vineyard was ready for its �rst harvest. �en came the handpicking of the fruit, fermentation, and then more wait-ing as the wine aged in the barrel, then in the bottle.

Now the waiting is �nally over, and are thrilled to release our very �rst Heart & Hands Estate blend - the 2012 Mo Chuisle.

Mo Chuisle (pronounced muh khwish-la) is a Gaelic term of endearment which translates literally to mean “my pulse”, or more colloquially “my darling”.

�is wine is the ful�llment of our life’s dream. All of the years of thinking, planning, care and tending, the essence of who we are, and the expression of the place we call home is preserved in this

wine for the very �rst time.

It is our sincerest pleasure to share the 2012 Mo Chuisle with those of you who have shared in our journey throughout the years, as you made it possible for us to bring our long-tended dream to life.

�is wine was cra�ed from grapes grown on our estate vineyard, which is situated on the Onon-daga limestone escarpment. �e vineyard is sustainably farmed, without the use of herbi-cides or insecticides. We grow 7 di�erent clones of Pinot Noir, and we hand-picked each of the clones of Pinot Noir over the course of several weeks at optimal ripeness. Each clone was sep-arately whole cluster fermented - which will create great longevity in the �nished wine. �e wines were aged for 20 months in French Oak (17% new).

72012 Mo Chuisle Estate Pinot Noir - $55.99

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Caliza never ceases to amaze us with her boundless energy and enthusiasm for life! Since January, she has more than doubled in size, and while she now looks like a nearly full-grown swissy, she is most certainly still all puppy inside.

�is summer she has enjoyed exploring the vineyard and demonstrating her superior tracking skills of all things animal. She loves to take of at a full gallop down a vineyard row - showing o� her speed and agility (and hopeful-ly burning o� a little bit of that excess energy!)

So far, we have experimented with having Caliza participate in a few trial runs as a tasting room greeter. At present, her unbridled enthu-siasm makes her greeting a bit overwhelming, so she has not yet passed the “tasting room canine readiness” test to become a full-time tasting room sta� member! For this season it looks like she will serve as a vineyard rover and winery sta� morale booster as she entertains us with her antics.

On the recreation side of things, Caliza is slowly getting to know Cayuga Lake, and sever-al local ponds. She quickly transitioned from exploring the water as a tentative paw-dipper to being a wading retriever, but has yet to have all four paws o� the bottom of the lake. We look forward to seeing her doggy paddling as she becomes more comfortable with her surroundings.

Winery DogWhispers

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Caliza loves the opportunity to “help” in vineyard tasks.

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Pinot Noir

2008 Blanc de Noirs$38.99

Produced from 100% Pinot Noir, a Champagne Clone, this sparkling wine was hand cra�-ed in the traditional method with a primary fermentation in stainless steel and a secondary fermentation in the bottle. �is sparkler rested en tirage – on the lees – for ~ 5 years producing a rich, complex wine to enjoy on any occasion with friends and family!

L a t e s t R e l e a s e s

2012 Brut Rosé$26.99

Delicate notes of straw-berries and tart cherries tempt the nose, a rush of raspberries and pome-granates emerge on the palate, followed by a clean, crisp, �nish. Perfect accompaniment for that special memory.

2012 Pinot Noir$22.99

A beautifully balanced Pinot Noir with classic �avors of dark cherries and hints of smoke on the nose. Raspber-ries and earthiness on the mid palate. Delicate yet �rm structure, �nishing with medium tannins.

Barrel ReservePinot Noir

2009 - $40.99Exotic nose, with �gs, currants, anise and violets. Firm, �eshy palate reveals dark cherries and ripe plums. Long �nish with just the right balance of fruit and �rm tannins.

2010 - $40.99Hints of currants, strawberries and rose petals tantalize the nose. Flavors of raspberries, plums, forest �oor and shitake mushrooms emerge on the mid-palate. A lingering, elegant �nish leaves you wanting more.

2012 Elaine’s VineyardPinot Noir

$31.99 Hedonistic, with alluring bursts of deep cherries, currants, anise and mocha on the nose, followed by delectable ripeness on the palate, �nishing with medium-�rm tannins and a long, satisfying �nish.

Our single vineyard series is about cra�ing the best possible wine from each vineyard site, and in doing so, show-casing the work of the grower. Unfortunately, last year, we lost a great one - our dear friend and vineyard manager at Hobbit Hollow, Paul Wellington. Paul was the �rst to plant com-mercially on the shores of Skaneateles Lake and embraced the higher elevation growing chal-lenges that came with the site.

Paul’s Legacy

Paul’s Legacy Pinot NoirPaul’s Legacy Riesling

2013 Polarity$28.99

Aromas of White peaches and baking spices tempt the senses. Hints of honey emerge on the round, creamy palate, followed by a clean, dry, mineral driven �nish. �is wine is the perfect pairing for seafood or �anksgiving fare.

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Riesling

2013 Dry Riesling$22.99

Aromas of orange peel, white peach-es and jasmine on the nose, followed by a burst of green apples and key limes on the palate. �e �nish is brisk and refreshing, with hints of pink grapefruit and a slate-like min-erality.

2013 Riesling$17.99

Tropical aromas on the nose are accompanied by hints of apricot and jasmine, followed by layers of citrus and ripe tropical fruit on the palate. �e �nish lingers on the palate with refreshing notes of galia melon.

2011 Berry Select Riesling$68.99

A late harvest style wine cra�ed from individually hand selected Riesling berries a�ected by the "noble rot", botrytis. Hedonistic notes of honey, salted caramel and butterscotch lure you to the glass; luscious bursts of apricot nectar on the palate.

Paul’s Legacy

Paul’s Legacy Pinot NoirPaul’s Legacy Riesling

As a tribute to him, we decided to rename our “Hobbit Hollow Vine-yard” wines to “Paul’s Legacy” at Hobbit Hollow Farm to honor his e�orts. Hobbit Hollow remains in good hands. Owner Mike Falcone reached west-ward and found a won-derfully passionate vine-yard manager in Chris Fluri. We look forward to making many more vintages and carrying through the greatness that Paul began.

$31.99 $29.99

2013 Nutt Road VineyardRiesling$27.99

Alluring aromas of peaches, kiwi and honeydew melon on the nose. Layers of honeysuckle, guava, and Granny Smith apple are revealed on the palate. �e so� �nish lingers, tempting the senses.

New Release

New ReleaseNew Release

The Claddagh Club is our wine club - an extension of the Heart & Hands family!

By joining the Claddagh club family, members gain access to early releases of Heart & Hands wines, as well as exclusive access to our limited production wines that are grown on the Heart & Hands estate or on our partner vineyards. For example, this summer, Claddagh Club members enjoyed exclusive access to the 2012 Clone 667 Pinot Noir, a limited production wine that we chose to single out to show the nuances of a different “type” of Pinot Noir in the glass! The currently available selections include the 2012 Mo Chuisle, the 2012 Paul’s Legacy Riesling and the 2012 Pinot Noir. The next Claddagh Club shipment will be released in November, and allo-cated wines depend on the type of membership, but may include the Estate Riesling and / or an Estate Pinot Selection. It is not too late to join and partake in the latest or the upcom-ing allocation! Simply Click Here to sign up!

Our tasting �ights do change from week to week, so please check our website throughout the season to see the latest o�erings!

Riesling Flight:2013 Paul’s Legacy Riesling2013 Nutt Road Vineyard Riesling2013 Dry Riesling2013 Riesling

Pinot Noir Flight:2012 Pinot Noir2012 Paul’s Legacy Pinot Noir2010 Barrel Reserve Pinot Noir2012 Mo Chuisle

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Claddagh Club

Current Wine FlightsWe are really pleased that our in-depth wine �ights have been so well received this season! Guests have really enjoyed being able to taste through a variety of di�erent types of Pinot Noir or Riesling - and explore the di�erent �avors created in the vineyard and cellar!

Our new tasting �ights are as follows:

A la carte options:2012 Brut Rose2012 Polarity2011 Berry Select Riesling

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A Word of ThanksAs we embark on a new vintage, we look forward to bringing forth the best this season has to o�er - so that we may share it with you in the future. �ank you again for your continued support and patronage - you make it possible for us to live our dream, and we cannot thank you enough.

We look forward to seeing you in the tasting room this autumn!

Cheers,

The Heart & Hands Team