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Fairport, NY - Wines produced by Casa Larga Vineyards came home recently with awards from the Beverage Tasting Institute Northeast Regional Wine Review and the 2015 Florida State Fair International Competition. Four of the awarded wines are Casa Larga Chardonnays. The winery produces 6 types of Chardonnay. According to the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, roughly 150-200 wineries out of 400 in New York State produce Chardonnay wines. Of those wineries, very few produce as many as 6 Chardonnays. The Finger Lakes Region is well known and focused on Riesling. Although Casa Larga produces Rieslings, the winery has a special niche focus on Chardonnay. It is one of the first varietals, along with Riesling, that was planted in the vineyards in 1974. "The growing conditions here are the same as France - if you follow the longitude line from France to New York State, we land in the same region near where Chardonnay grapes grow," comments Andrea Colaruotolo-O'Neill, Director of Marketing. "It holds a special place in our hearts as the favorite varietal for my parents, Mr. and Mrs. C, who founded the winery over 40 years ago, and the whole family is partial to it. It is always nice to see that focus pay off with these distinctions." New York State is the Wine Enthusiast Wine Region of the Year and sits on a similar latitude to the Burgundy region in France where they are well known for Chardonnays. "Our growing seasons are similar enough that our wines can show similar qualities. Chardonnays from both Burgundy and New York also maintain lively acidity which brings them balance. At Casa Larga we use many Burgundian-based production techniques like barrel fermenting, battonage and malolactic fermentations," says Casa Larga Winemaker Matt Cassavaugh. "Awards that New York State wineries bring home consistently demonstrate the versatility of our region by spanning a variety of vintages, grape varieties, and styles." Nine wines received awards at the Beverage Tasting Institute competition: In addition to three gold medals and six silver medals, several wines received the distinction of "best buy." The Beverage Tasting Institute is a dedicated tasting lab in Chicago where professional guest tasters review beverages in their area of expertise using a carefully developed blind tasting methodology.
Seven of these nine wines are available for purchase at the Casa Larga wine shop, on the Casa Larga website, and at select Rochester liquor stores. The 2013 Reserve Riesling is only available to the winery's club members and the 2012 Old Vine Chardonnay is only available in the Casa Larga wine shop.
Gold Medals 2013 Muscat Ottonel, 92 pts & Best Buy ($14.99) 2012 Hungarian Oak Chardonnay, 92 pts & Best Buy ($18.99) 2013 Reserve Riesling, 91 pts (Wine Lover Club exclusive, $30.00)
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, 89 pts ($24.99) 2012 American Oak Chardonnay, 89 pts ($17.99) NV Meritage, 89 pts ($21.99) 2012 Old Vine Chardonnay, 88 pts ($24.99) 2013 Medium Dry Riesling, 88 pts & Best Buy ($13.99) 2012 French Oak Chardonnay, 87 pts ($19.99) Two of these wines also medaled at the Florida State Fair Competition: Meritage and the 2013 Medium Dry Riesling.
NV Limited Release Meritage ($21.99)
Silver Medals 2013 Medium Dry Riesling ($13.99) NV Tramonto ($9.99) |
