Winery visit report- Freedom Run winery NY (Paul B. alert)

Freedom Run, Niagara region
5138 Lower Mountain Road
Lockport, NY 14094 USA

freedomrunwinery.com

I made an appointment to see Larry Manning (part owner) at the winery after I had to miss an appointment with him at my store (due to a bout with the flu). The place is impressive with the oak barrels on display and about a dozen steel tanks behind a glass window wall. Nice artwork throughout the winery and very clean- The Mannings are very nice and accommodating people who led me through a tasting of everything in bottle and some barrel and tank samples. All of which were good or better. Highlights:
Manning Manor Blanc a blend of Cayuga and Vidal -nice pretty and light wine with a pleasant floral and spice component to it.
Dry Riesling The 2005 was the "in bottle" wine of the day (eclipsed only by the '06 in the tank) Dry and Stony with good acidic structure- reminiscent of Trimbach - They get about $14 for it at the winery- it is an amazing bargain.
Semidry Riesling Very soft with good fruit and some acidity poking it's head through at the end. Really nice wine.
Merlot Oh my was this nice- very light and pretty but with ample fruit and avery good finish. At about $18 it is well worth it
We sampled the 2 Pinot Noir clones in Barrels a "Champagne Clone" that could potentially be the best NY Pinot Noir I've ever tried and a second one, almost as nice, made from "Burgundy Clones" They will likely be blended.
Now the "Paul B" content-
Manning Manor Reserve A dry, French oak aged Niagara- expensive at about $17 but a really nice wine. Full Niagara Fruit on the nose but pleasant flavor and a dry finish. My wife wants some for Thanksgiving.
Catawba Done in a drier style (not as dry as the Manning Manor) and a really pleasant fruity Rose' not at all heavy or sticky.
I was blown away.

Ed,

Many, many thanks for the amazing notes. I've heard of the Manning Manor, though not to any great detail, which is why I'm thankful for your notes.

I'm no stranger to dry Niagara as you well know, but a dry, oaked Niagara is a new concept to me entirely. I love it - I love the creativity and bravery of the person who decided to give all the tired old advice the proverbial vinous finger and boldly go for something different. If only more wineries would follow suit it could amount to a total reinvention of varietal Niagara for our times and beyond. People haven't had the chance to try any kind of wine from Niagara besides that tired old "it must be syrupy-sweet" style, and many wine lovers rightfully diss the wines because they naturally dislike the style.

As for the Catawba, it too sounds like a real winner. I believe that Catawba at, say, 1% residual sugar (or even drier) can be a beautiful "signature wine" for Ohio and Pennsylvania. Catawba as a variety has a gorgeous varietal bouquet: I've often compared it to rosewater and wild strawberries with a hint of pear drops.

Thanks again Ed for the inspiration.

Thanks for posting this Ed. I'm planning on making the rounds of the newer wineries in Niagara County during March (when the rush is over).

Niagara is one grape variety I have never come across but Paul Bs frequent posts make it seem like an old friend. Agh well, back to my Baco Noir.

Niagara is one grape variety I have never come across but Paul Bs frequent posts make it seem like an old friend. Agh well, back to my Baco Noir.

You know, Bob, the trouble with that (and the reason for it actually) is that labrusca varieties were excluded from VQA, and so today no winery in Ontario will grow them - they were officially banned from use for commercial table wines.

My response to this is twofold: Yes, there were some really poor, indifferent industrial "wines" produced in the bad old days in Ontario from Niagara (and Concord), but the grapes took the hit for that bad reputation - when in fact it was industrial, non-estate-minded practices that resulted in the poor quality to begin with: the grapes themselves, when treated with the correct mindset, can produce wonderfully light, fragrant, clean wines like Chaddsford's Niagara from Pennsylvania, which Paulo brought to NiagaraCool '06. At just a couple of degrees of residual sugar (not the watered-down, sugared-down junk that used to be made in Ontario), this modern Niagara is a beautiful wine.

There is also a low return on labrusca varieties so nobody grows them for premium wine in Ontario - yet in the eastern U.S. they still retain a following - mostly as quite sweet wines, but more and more wineries are heeding the howl and are starting to offer versions with much lower r.s.

I wouldn't hold my breath to see any Ontario-grown quality labrusca wines yet, Bob. About the only way to try the good ones would be to travel to select Eastern U.S. wineries or meet up with a passionate home winemaker who's dedicated to the variety.

Paul said:

Catawba at, say, 1% residual sugar (or even drier) can be a beautiful "signature wine" for Ohio and Pennsylvania. Catawba as a variety has a gorgeous varietal bouquet: I've often compared it to rosewater and wild strawberries with a hint of pear drops

Add New York too. Dry Catawba can be a wonderful wine. As a varietal, Catawba has been marketed as "sweet Catawba" and it has done nothing for its reputation. On the other side, Catawba can be too acidic when finished bone dry. The trick, as Paul suggests, is to put back a little sugar after fermentation. It's one of the great QPRs too. Catawba can work out to less than $1 a bottle for the home winemaker.

Add New York too. Dry Catawba can be a wonderful wine. As a varietal, Catawba has been marketed as "sweet Catawba" and it has done nothing for its reputation.

Dan, my apologies for the oversight - of course New York should be included! After all, I have enjoyed your dry Catawba at previous NiagaraCOOLs ...

Given that fact, Ontario could well be added to the list, except that Catawba is hardly even grown around here anymore in our day.