New York Finger Lakes – Lamoreaux Landing and Steamers #WinePW

Posted by foodwineclick on June 12, 2020 · 4 Comments

Steamers are perfect for an early summer evening out on the deck, you can almost imagine you’re at the shore

Steamers with Finger Lakes Rieslings & Rosé
We enjoy steamers year-round, but there is a special treat in being able to take them out on the deck on one of the first warm summer evenings in Minnesota. For a minute, we imagine we are back in New Hampshire, sitting dockside in Portsmouth. Steamers, corn, good bread and a nice bottle of wine and we’re all set. We enjoyed our first steamers of the summer with Finger Lakes Lamoreaux Landing wines.

Finger Lakes map courtesy of fingerlakeswinealliance.com

Lamoreaux Landing Winery
The Finger Lakes wine region has emerged as the US premier region for Riesling as well as Cabernet Franc and other cooler climate grapes. Lamoreaux Landing Winery is well established in the region with 3 generations of wine grape growing under their belts. They are committed to a strong sustainability program, recently completing VineBalance, New York State’s sustainable viticulture program.

Disclosure: Wines provided as samples, no other compensation was involved. All opinions expressed are mine.

Lamoreaux Landing Finger Lakes Dry Riesling 2018 (sample $15 SRP or online here) 10.4% abv
Eye: clear, pale lemon with tiny bubbles clinging to the glass
Nose: Clean, low intensity aromas of fresh lemon, lime, lime zest, lemon curd, limestone, a touch of freshly opened can of tennis balls
Mouth: Off-dry, medium intensity flavor, high acidity, medium body, low alcohol, creamy texture to soften the acidity, medium+ finish. Flavors follow the nose especially the citrus – lemon, lime, lime zest with a touch of limestone and that tennis ball impression.
Conclusions: Clearly shows both the grape and the place – different from all the other well established Riesling regions. A little fuller body than Germany, retains a bit more petrol than Alsace, limes like Australia, but off-dry. Nice!

Lamoreaux Landing Finger Lakes Riesling Round Rock Vineyard 2018 (sample $24 SRP or online here) 11.2% abv
Eye: Clear, pale lemon with those tiny bubbles initially in the glass.
Nose: Clean, low intensity aromas, pretty tight, not revealing much. Lemons, lemon peel, lemon curd, a touch of pineapple.
Mouth: Medium-dry, medium- intensity flavors. High acidity and tart, balanced by smooth creamy texture, low alcohol, medium+ body, medium+ finish. In the mouth, the flavors show more than was available in the nose: lemons, lemon curd, pineapple, petrol (garden hose), limestone.
Conclusions: Feels like this wine would benefit from more time in the bottle. Today, the wine is quite tight, not revealing much in the nose. Great structure and aromas and flavors will develop, it just needs time.

Lamoreaux Landing Finger Lakes Dry Rosé 2018 (sample $17 SRP or online here) 13.1% abv
Eye: Clear, pale pink-salmon with bubbles clinging to the glass
Nose: Clean, medium- intensity aromas of honeysuckle, cranberry, apricot, a touch of mint.
Mouth: Dry, with medium- intensity flavors, high acidity, low silky tannins, medium- body, medium alcohol, medium finish. Nice lean texture. Fruity with cranberry, apricot and a touch of mint.

Steamers out on the deck

Steamers for Two

Servings: 2
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Every since our New England years, steamers have been a staple at our house. Endlessly variable, you can adjust the theme of your steamers to anything you like. The recipe below will give you an idea of how to proceed, you get to pick your favorite flavors. Curry? Spicy Thai? Traditional tomato and basil? They’re all great.

Ingredients

2 lbs of your favorite steaming clams. We like little neck clams and mussels in combination. Secretly, I like little necks the best.
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. wine – usually white wine, today I used rosé
12 oz cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 bunch fresh basil, sliced thinly
sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a pot large enough to hold all the clams, sauté the onion in the EVOO.
When the onion is nearly done, add the minced garlic and sauté only enough to be fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute max.
Add the wine, bring the heat to high.
Add the tomatoes.
When the wine mixture is boiling, add the clams and mussels all at once. Cover.
Let the clams and mussels steam until they are open. Note this can take 5 – 10 minutes.
Once all the clams and mussels are open, remove from heat. Spoon them into individual bowls with leftovers in a bigger bowl.
Note: discard any clams or mussels which did not open.
Provide empty bowls for shells
I like to pour the leftover liquid into a cup on the side, some people prefer to have the liquid in the bottom of the individual serving bowl.
Sop up the delicious steaming liquid with good bread!