Tony Trigo and his wife Louise has a beautiful farm called Clermont Vineyards, down by Clermont, the beautiful historic home in southern Columbia County. Tony's vineyard, just across the Dutchess County line, has 3,000 vines planted, with Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and many others. He also has Sangiovese.
Tony has been a fixture in the Hudson Valley wine scene for three or four years. More than myself. He's a great guy, with a good sense of humor. A former engineer for that state, Tony spends tons of time babying his vines, and making wine.
Dominique and I first met Tony when we were driving to Dutchess County one day. We saw the grape vines and decided to stop and see if we could find out whose they were. We approached a barn, while it was raining, and Tony was sitting on a small stool, figuring out how he was going to fix a piece of his tractor which needed welding. He sat just inside the barn door, with his baseball hat on at a slight angle. He looked up at us with suspicion. As soon as we told him who we were and that we too were interested in wine, his face lit up, and he couldn't tell us enough about what it was he was doing. He loves to talk about tractors, vines, and wine. And he's knowledgeable too!
He should have his license by the end of the year. Who knows if he'll open up at the end of the year or if he'll wait until next year. But the good news is - Tony Makes Great Wine!
I has their Seyval Blanc which was quite perfume-y, with a lovely cirtus-y nose. It was a wonderful, light, white wine with fresh fruit up front, and really nice, clean citrus-y finish. Excellent!
Just recently, as we were helping Tony navigate the murky waters of licensing with the NYSLA, he gave us a very, very lovely gift. Sangiovese. It was deep and dark. No oak. But wonderful smells of dark raspberries, like jam, and still, there was a small touch of vanilla. The wine was great. It was like plumbs and raspberries in your mouth. But the wine was smooth, with nice acidity and balanced tannins. A nice dry finish. It was incredible. One of the best Sangiovese wine I have ever had form the northeast. When Tony opens, we're all in for a treat.
Join me in welcoming Tony and Louise and Clermont Vineyards!
You can see Tony and his family harvesting from just this last fall:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVuNxTsIFWQ
