About Us
Bright Leaf Vineyard
Located near the shore of Cayuga Lake, halfway up the sunny east side, our tasting room overlooks the lake with unforgettable lake and vineyard views. We have two tasting rooms, an event room, covered patio, and large lawn space for outdoor seating.
Our 14 acres of vines are planted on a south-west slope in close proximity to the lake, to provide both optimal sun exposure (which hastens the ripening process of the grapes), and strong prevailing breezes that encourage ventilation for the vines. Bright Leaf Vineyard is really two vineyards, including an upper and lower field, divided by a quarry of Tully limestone, which runs north-south through the farm. This creates two different soil types: Aurora loam (uphill from the quarry, with excellent drainage and higher acidity) and Cazenovia silt (downhill from the quarry, heavier, clay soils). We have planted our white varietals in the cooler uphill block (Hillside Vineyard) on the gravel/shale soils. The red varietals are planted closer to the lake (Lakeside Vineyard) on the heavier, richer clay soil.
Bright Leaf Vineyard was previously a livestock farm providing good, rich pasture for planting. We began preparation of the vineyard in 2013 with deep subsoil trenching along each row and drainage tile between each alternating row. Our first ten acres of vines were mechanically planted in spring of 2014 with an additional four acres of vines planted in 2015 and 2016.
Most of our vines are locally sourced and chosen from selected vinifera clones and hybrid rootstocks, with an emphasis on Riparia rootstock for the red varietals. We planted at a spacing of one meter between the vines and 8 ‘ 8” spacing between the rows. Our trellis training is to VSP with aggressive fruit and leaf thinning. We use mechanical weed control and no irrigation. Our white varietals are Riesling and Chardonnay (Hillside Vineyard) and our red varietals are Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Lemberger (Lakeside Vineyard).
Winemaker,
Colleen Lukas
Colleen joined the Bright Leaf team IN 2017 after working as an assistant winemaker at our neighbor winery King Ferry. Colleen can “do it all”, with extensive experience both in the winery and vineyard. A tireless and efficient worker, Colleen often appears to have several doppelgängers at harvest and crush on account of her endless energy and spirit.
Vineyard Manager,
Dan Thayer
Dan has a background in plant sciences and many years landscaping, planting and growing farm crops. Having helped plant the original vines at Bright Leaf, Dan has assumed the role of vineyard manager. He excels at vine health and training, and a day on the grape hoe is Dan’s idea of a dream vacation.
“Like human beings, a wine’s taste is going to depend a great deal on its origins and its upbringing.”
— Linda Johnson-Bell