Rick Rainey grew up in the Finger Lakes and knew the region's potential before much of the wine world did. Louis Barruol is the fourteenth-generation winemaker behind Château de Saint Cosme in the Southern Rhône — his family has been making wine in France since 1490. The two met and, in 2011, founded Forge Cellars on the southeastern shore of Seneca Lake.

Barruol brought a discipline forged — literally — in centuries of French winemaking: every wine should express its origin. Forge's home is a historic site planted in the early 1970s, and the winery makes multiple single-vineyard Rieslings, each from a different part of the lake, each showing how much the Finger Lakes varies block by block. There's also Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc made with the same attention to site.

The wines receive serious attention from critics. Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, and others have tracked Forge as evidence that the Finger Lakes can produce wines that compete with Europe's best on their own terms. The tasting room is small and appointment-based. This is not a casual stop — it's for people ready to pay attention.

Forge Cellars

Check In & Earn Points

Details

Is this your venue?