The beautiful Belhurst Castle and winery on Seneca Lake

My last day at the Finger Lakes was spent checking out of the Belhurst Castle on Seneca Lake. Belhurst is also a winery so of course I had to hit one last tasting before hitting the road. 

Belhurst stands for “beautiful forest” and indeed this property is absolutely gorgeous as you can see from some of my pictures. It took 4 years to build from 1885 to 1889 and switched ownership many times throughout the years. The facilities today have the old castle where folks can stay as well as the inn with beautiful rooms overlooking the lake. They have a spa on-site, 2 ballrooms that are filled with weddings on the weekends as well as two restaurants on-site. I highly recommend staying here. They have produced many award winning wines over the years, but not being able to keep up with the production of their vineyard site at the Finger Lakes they involve other wineries in the NY state regions.

For me I thought some of the wines here were priced higher than some of the other wineries in the area. I found their whites to be a drier style, but I enjoyed the 10 month oaked age Chardonnay, the nicely structured Dry Riesling and the “Neptune” blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc and Gewurztraminer. The reds were on the heavier side including the two Cab Francs with the '09 having a bigger fruit profile and tobacco taste and the Merlot having nice ripe red fruit and bright acidity. 

I must mention that they also do wine dinners here where you get personal one-on-one attention with a wine expert, we highly recommend Heather. They are over 3 hour long dinners where you are served about 5 courses and a different wine paired for each course along with a background on the wine for only $50-70 depending on which you choose.

There is so much more information to share about the Finger Lakes and I'm happy to answer any questions or share further my experiences if you'd like to contact me. The ride up to the Finger Lakes is well worth visiting this beautiful region and the food, activities and the hospitality make for an unforgettable time.  
 

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