2025 Albariño
Notebook: A true rarity anywhere outside its northern Iberian home, a very small parcel of Albariño is planted by the Hazlitt family of Sawmill Creek Vineyards along the Seneca Lake shore. We’ve had exclusive access to the grapes since 2011 and are proud to produce this surprising wine each vintage. Bold citrus and tropical fruit flavors appear on this vintage of Albariño. Plush in texture though still with its trademark electric acidity and salty finish. We can’t say it enough: seafood, seafood, seafood. This wine will sing with grilled fish, shrimp, and paella of course....
Vineyard: Sawmill Creek Vineyards
Harvest Date: October 1st, 2024
Fermentation: Cold-soaked for 15 hours before pressing into a stainless steel tank
Aging: Stainless steel tank aged. Filtered and bottles on April 7th, 2026
ABV: 14.4%
Cases Produced: 223
Albariño
Howard soils, moderatly steep
Lansing gravel silt loam, 15% - 25% slope
Planted in 2009
Sawmill Creek Vineyards in Hector, NY is located along the southeast corner of Seneca Lake. Its steep-sided, southwest facing vineyards are widely recognized as among the best in the Finger Lakes. We thank the Hazlitt family for their dedication to sustainable farming and passion for wine growing.
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.
