“There’s nothing new
Under the sun,
But there are new suns.”
– Octavia E. Butler
New Suns is our home vineyard on the west side of Cayuga Lake.
It is, and will forever be, a vineyard in transition.
New Suns is located less than a half-mile from Cayuga Lake. It was planted by Kelley and Angela O’Neill to Cabernet Franc and Riesling in 2005, and we took it over in 2021. In the years since – with the challenges of viticulture in the Finger Lakes and the realities of climate change clearer than before – our vision for the site has changed.
As the vineyard changes, so will our wines. The varietal makeup of each New Suns release will simply be a representation of the productive varieties. Starting with the 2025 vintage, the hybrid varieties will make up ever-larger portions of the final blends.
In 2023, we began the process of “replanting” to inter-specific hybrid varieties. We don’t remove thriving vines, only replace dead or dying ones with hybrids. NY-81 (Aravelle) and Helios now grow among the Riesling, and Marquette and Noiret alongside the Cabernet Franc. As of 2024, New Suns is roughly 80% vinifera and 20% hybrids.
Our farming here has changed over the years, too. As soon as we took over, we eliminated the use of herbicides and insecticides. In 2024, we started farming one-third of the vineyard organically and introduced biodynamic preparations. The vineyard will go fully organic in 2025.
