2020

Trestle Thirty-One

Riesling

Zugibe Vineyard

Featured on April 5, 2023

Where: In the Finger Lakes wine region, vines thrive amid a cool climate, enduring frequent rain, high humidity and frigid winters. Located just north of the Trestle Thirty-One property, Zugibe Vineyard features a very similar growing profile to the winery’s own future vineyard. According to winemaker Nova Cadamatre, she chose this site because, “I wanted to get to know the area before we planted.  It’s a warm site with softer acid which is perfect for dry styles of Riesling.”

Overlooking the northeast side of Seneca Lake, Zugibe Vineyard was formally established in 2005. Prior, it had been used as the research site of a professor of viticulture from Cornell University, who found great promise in the area.  When the Zugibe family took over the property, they continued the professor’s experimentation, planting nine grape varieties and finding several that grow particularly well there—including Riesling.

 

"We knew the potential of high-quality wines here. I really wanted to help move the region forward and be a part of the energy here."

Who: With multiple credits and accolades to her name, Nova Cadamatre is a force in American winemaking with a presence on both coasts. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Viticulture from Cornell University, she built a rich career over two decades and, in 2017, became the first female winemaker in the United States to become a Master of Wine. Later, as Director of Winemaking at Robert Mondavi Vineyards, she worked with such exalted sites as To Kalon Vineyards, and crafted a wine that earned a #6 spot on the annual Wine Spectator “Top 100” list.

Through it all, Nova’s dream was to return to New York State, where she had attended college, and launch a winery with her husband Brian. “We knew the potential of high-quality wines here.  I really wanted to help move the region forward and be a part of the energy here,” she says. In 2015, the couple finally made the dream a reality by establishing Trestle Thirty-One, named for a large railroad trestle at the top of Seneca Lake in the winery’s  home region of the Finger Lakes.

In Napa, Nova continues to make wine under her own label, Fiadh Ruadh, and as a consulting winemaker for select clients. She says,  “It’s amazing to be able to have a foot on both coasts for winemaking.”

"I'm  excited to continue helping people discover New York wines and particularly those from the Finger Lakes. "

How: In the 2020 growing season, the Finger Lakes region endured a drought, resulting in fruit with highly concentrated flavor and intensity. The season extended longer  than usual, with fruit being hand-harvested in early October.  After destemming, grapes spent two hours in the press with skin contact to build body and structure. Juice was then pressed and settled for three days before being racked for fermentation with VIN13 yeast. It was aged on lees for four months, then fined with Bentonite prior to bottling. 119 cases were produced.

Why: If you haven’t yet caught onto the “Riesling revolution” led by the Finger Lakes region in the last decade, it’s not too late to get savvy. According to the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, the region is home to more than 200 Riesling brands, and the average producer makes two or three styles of Riesling per year. As a result, this still-growing region releases some 200,000 cases of wine from Riesling grapes annually. Among the many (many) options, this offering from Trestle Thirty-One is an instant classic.

Says Nova, “I’m  excited to continue helping people discover New York wines and particularly those from the Finger Lakes.  I’m thrilled when I meet people who come into our tasting room who have never been before and we get to help them find wines they love!”