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Warm Lake Estate | Lockport, NY 14094 |
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3868 Lower Mountain Road Lockport, NY 14094 Email: warmlakeestate@frontiernet.net
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Warm Lake Estate opened in the year 2000 with two acres of Pinot Noir. We are the largest Pinot Noir grower east of the Rocky Mountains with fifty five acres of Pinot Noir. Located on the Niagara Escarpment AVA allows for excellent growing conditions for the Pinot Noir grape. The Niagara Escarpment is filled with clay and limestone mixture of soil perfect for growing the delicate, temper mental and most feminine of the European Wine Grapes – Pinot Noir. This area also boasts a micro climate from Lake Ontario which releases warm air in the fall for a longer growing season. The Wine Spectator Ultimate Wine Buying Guide, Jan, ’07 rated two of our wines as the highest scoring Pinot Noir ever in New York State and only one point behind the leader in all categories. At the Boston Wine Expo, largest wine event in the country, March 2007, our Pinot Noir won best of show. It was exciting that the British wine writer, Jancis Robinson included a section about the Niagara Escarpment AVA in her book the “Oxford Companion to Wine” 3rd edition. She went so far as to say, “Pinot Noir does best in the region.” Now another extremely respectable publication, “The Professional Wine Reference”, 5th edition, has done the same by adding the Niagara Escarpment to its New York AVA list. The area is described as a Pinot Noir zone. This came from a New York Times article by Howard Goldberg, June 17, 2007. Our Principal Winemaker, Michael von Heckler invites you to visit our winery if you are in the Niagara Escarpment AVA region of New York State. The very courteous and knowledgeable staff will make your experience here at Warm Lake Estate Vineyard and Winery memorable for you, your family and friends. Or please visit our website! |
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Winemaker Michael von Heckler |
An Electrical Engineer of twenty eight years with Lockheed Martin, Michael von Heckler began his journey of winemaking in 1977 at a Les Amis du Vin in Greenvale, New York. There Serena Sutcliffe, MW spoke on Champaign and instilled a life long desire to achieve Master Winemaker certificate and diploma, which Michael did in 1995 under Mary Ewing-Mulligan, MW, in the WSET diploma program in NYC at the International Wine Center and then with Ian Mitchell at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario in Toronto. He first began making wine on an amateur basis. Having been exposed to great wines of Bordeaux, et. al. He made wine only from vitis vinifera and purchased grapes from well known areas, such as long Island and California. All of the grapes were purchased directly from the growers. He was awarded numerous medals for his wine from Intervin, American Wine Society and others. In 1996 Michael discovered that just across the Canadian border in Ontario there is a large wine industry located adjacent to an age old limestone plat/outcropping, know as the Niagara Escarpment. The industry is still growing with over 7000 employees in the vineyard, winery and tourism related businesses. He had noticed that the escarpment continued on the United States side of Niagara River and asked himself, “Why not here?” His interest and research continued. 1998 the first acreage was purchased and prepared for planting. 1999 the first 2300 Dijon clone Pinot Noir plants were ordered, drainage tile was put in place to insure dry soils year round. The spring of 2000 the first plants were put to the test on two acres of the land. The young plants did very well in what was to be one of the wettest spring and summer seasons. Our Lockheed Martin Engineer/Master Winemaker was now faced with another dilemma. A slowdown of work at its office in Niagara, retirement loomed for Michael. The two acre vineyard experiment was now to become a full time business. Close friends made it financially possible for the fledgling Vineyard to become Warm Lake Estate, LLC in the summer of 2000. Additional investors would soon follow. Who would have ever thought that now in the year 2008, that Michael would be a managing partner of a winery, which is the largest grower of Pinot Noir (55 acres) east of the Rocky Mountains, which produces “World Class Pinot Noir” on the Niagara Escarpment in New York State. Michael and his investors certainly did! |
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Red
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2004 Mountain Road Pinot Noir
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Regular as of 05/23 |
Order Direct Online Tasting Room Open Info & Map Lockport, NY |
Red
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2006 Estate Pinot Noir
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Regular as of 05/23 |
Order Direct Online Tasting Room Open Info & Map Lockport, NY |
Red
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2006 Warm Lake Estate Pinot Noir
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$19.99 Regular as of 06/04 |
Order Direct Online Tasting Room Open Info & Map Lockport, NY |
Red
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2007 Estate Pinot Noir
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Special Futures price. Post bottling price may change. as of 05/23 |
Order Direct Online Tasting Room Open Info & Map Lockport, NY |
Red
Dessert Wine
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2004 Glace Noir
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$17.99 Regular as of 05/23 |
Order Direct Online Tasting Room Open Info & Map Lockport, NY |
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