2024 Andante
Notebook: A blend
Blend: 33% Merlot - 28% Cabernet Franc - 22% Zweigelt - 17% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vineyards: Bright Leaf Vineyards (Cayuga Lake), Sawmill Creek Vineyards (Seneca Lake), and Swedish Hill Vineyards (Cayuga Lake)
Harvest Date: Merlot - October 11 at Bright Leaf Vineyards
Cab Franc - October 1 at Sawmill Creek Vineyards
Cab Sauv - October 18 at Sawmill Creek Vineyards
Zweigelt - September 12 at Swedish Hill Vineyards
Fermentation: Merlot was fermented in open top bins with 17 days of maceration. Cab Franc was fermented in tank with 14 days of maceration. Cab Sauv was fermented in a mix of open top bins and tank with 16 days of maceration while the Zweigelt spent 6 days fermenting in tank.
Aging: Lots were aged seperately in neutral French oak for 10 months before being blended on August 22. Lightly filtered then bottled on September 4 and 5, 2025.
ABV: 13.8%
Cases Produced: 517
Vinny Aliperti started his wine journey making wine as a teenager with his relatives, never considering it would one day become his profession. After graduating college with a liberal arts degree and a stint in the Peace Corps, an opportunity to pursue commercial winemaking on his native Long Island was presented and he never looked back. From 1997 through 1999, Vinny apprenticed under winemaker Roman Roth at Wolffer Estate, producing mostly Chardonnay and Merlot at its state-of -the -art facility.
In early 2000, Vinny moved his family to the Finger Lakes to work at the legendary Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, where he was first exposed to Riesling production. In 2001, Vinny joined the startup Atwater Estate Vineyards, where he continues today heading up winemaking operations for over 15 varieties. Its 8000 case facility produces estate grown wines, including multiple Rieslings, Gewurztraminer, Blaufränkisch and Cabernet Franc.
With Atwater's blessing, Vinny and his wife, Kim, started their own label, Billsboro Winery, in Geneva, NY in 2007. Sourcing grapes from Sawmill Creek Vineyards on Seneca Lake, Billsboro specializes in producing small lots dry vinifera wines, including Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Syrah, and Pinot Noir.
