Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Founded in 2011 Forge Cellars has quickly become the benchmark producer for bone-dry Riesling in the Finger Lakes and in the United States. The unique cool climate region of the Finger Lakes has help to define Forge’s dry Riesling as a wine that combines cool climate aro-matics of peach and apricot with balanced texture and refreshing acidity all while maintaining low levels of alcohol. Their Dry Riesling Classique garnered the #31 spot on Wine Spectator’s “Top 100” lists in 2017 and 2020 for the 2015 and 2018 vintages, respectively.
Partners, Louis Barruol (Château de Saint Cosme in Gigondas, France), and Richard Rainey have been working together since their first vintage in 2011 to produce hand-crafted, terroir-driven, bone dry Riesling, cool-climate Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. Focusing on the east side of Seneca Lake—the deepest of the Finger Lakes at 620ft—the duo works with several premier sites with considerable slope and an abundance of different clones and soils. They have long-term relationships with growers throughout the region, and work closely with them to cultivate healthy grapes and develop viticultural programs that work well for each individual site. Bellows is the estate vineyard at Forge Cellars, which is farmed biointesively and dense-ly-planted to Riesling and Pinot Noir.
Each vintage, a variety of lieux-dits (single vineyard bottlings) are produced in limited quanti-ties. These wines reflect the substance and diversity of southeast Seneca Lake, and pay homage to Forge Cellars’ exploration of the region. Of most importance in the winery’s lineup is their Classique, which represents their work on a larger scale. All of their lieux-dits, each vinified separately, are the basis of this wine and represent the DNA of Classique. In the words of Lou-is Barruol, “This wine is like you and me—we are individually unique, but we represent all of our ancestors at the same time. We carry their traits.”
As the most historic wine-producing region in New York state, winemaking in the Finger Lakes area dates back to the 1820s and today as a region, accounts for 90% of the state’s total wine production.
Its narrow and deep lakes created by the movement of Ice Age glaciers create an environment similar to the classic Riesling-loving regions of Europe, namely Germany and Austria. The Finger Lakes retain summer heat that incidentally warms up cold winter air, making it fall down from the lakes’ steep slopes. When spring comes, the lakes, already cooled by cold winter weather, stave off vine budding until the danger of frost has subsided. The main lakes of the zone, that is those big enough to moderate the climate in this way, are the focal points of prime vineyard areas. They include Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga.
While Riesling has fueled most of the region’s success, today Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc enjoy some attention.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.