TERROIR & UNIQUE PROVENANCE
Vineyards
The Epitome of Natural Elegance
Set on a peaceful hillside along a quiet country lane, with the backdrop of beautiful Lake Champlain and the Adirondack High Peaks, sits the tranquil, yet stately vineyards of Rolling Hills Estate Winery.
Old Schoolhouse Vineyard
With full day sun exposure, this 20-acre vineyard is breathtaking. Comprised of Vergennes clay, the roots of our vines grow deep and produce exceptional quality wines. Early winemaking trials gave the team the assurance that the vision was soon to come to fruition. The vines drink the natural mountain spring water that flows down from the High Peaks into the aquifers at the foothills of the Adirondacks, where our vineyards are located. The same spring and mountain water that Teddy Roosevelt had bottled and sent to the White House now nourishes our vines.
Lamb Hill Vineyard
Aptly named for the many sheep and lamb who roam close by, this smaller vineyard is where our story began! With a unique collection of cold-climate varietals, we began our journey into winemaking. The success gained in this smaller, developmental vineyard was a precursor to the Old Schoolhouse Vineyard, where nearly 12,000 vines grow under the watchful eye of stately High Peaks. The unique terroir of predominantly clay and limestone is one of the main factors in Rolling Hills Estate Winery’s success, and ultimate flavor of our wines.
Wines
New, Exciting, Masterful
Our meticulously selected portfolio of wines highlights both the region and rich terroir. Each varietal brings its own flavor, tone, and quality. Our vines stand together, yet each differing with brilliant uniqueness and intense versatility.
Marquette
Vibrantly aromatic and colorful with aromas of freshly picked pomegranate, cherry and raspberry, Marquette can carry savory herbal tones also. This grape variety can stylistically range from elegant and unoaked to heavier oaked versions. Due to its consistent quality, it is poised to be a leader in the Champlain Valley wine region.
Frontenac Gris
With aromas and flavors of honey, nectarine and pineapple, the Frontenac Gris variety lends itself to off-dry wines with its bright acidity and tropical flavors.
Frontenac
Deeply colorful and aromatic with lots of strawberry and cherry, Frontenac remains the varietal offering the most opportunities for discovery. It lends itself well to rosé, due to its higher acidity.
La Crescent
With aromas and flavors of apricot, ripe pear and lemon, La Crescent grapes are versatile and produce both dry and off-dry wines, depending upon the approach to the variety. We see great things for this wine, including dry, off-dry and even sparkling wines.
St. Croix
With aromas of wild-picked forest fruits, peppery spice and herbs, St. Croix has crisp acidity alongside good tannic structure which makes it a perfect partner in blending, as well as a standalone wine that is more robust than others.
Sabrevois
Aromas and flavors of fresh grape crush and herbs are the hallmarks of Sabrevois grapes. This variety is simple in flavor and lends itself well to our rosé wines.
Petite Pearl
As we soon embark on crushing our Petite Pearl grapes, we are confident it will lend true to its reputation in delivering concentration and power at lower acidity levels. Petite Pearl offers a different style within the Rolling Hills Estate Winery portfolio – more oak driven and powerful relative to its red counterparts.
Crimson Pearl
(On the Horizon)
Newly planted this year and with characteristics similar to that of Petite Pearl, our artisans are excited for this grape’s harvest. Lower acidity allows the wine to be fermented dry without tasting too tart, while tannin provides the mid-palate structure one would expect in a good quality, age-worthy red.
Experience
The Distinction in Differentiation
Most unique to Rolling Hills Estate Winery is the opportunity to learn about wine firsthand from the people who craft it. Very few properties in the world offer the chance which awaits you. The natural, intimate setting allows us to offer wine-focused experiences, ranging from in-vineyard walkthrough to winemaking discussions covering every detail of the process.
Beyond the extensive wine list, we invite you to join us for Sommelier-led wine tastings, exploring not only our wines and techniques, but the people, places, grapes, and styles that make the Champlain Valley and New York wine so truly distinctive. Taste wine with context and watch your personal wine journey soar to new heights, discovering the beauty of what our great state can produce. Whether you’re new to wine or a seasoned oenophile, we welcome you to become a part of the Rolling Hills Estate Winery family!
Vineyard Experience
Our Winemakers will walk among the vines with you and take you through the process from vine to bottle.
- Soil and the Vine: A discussion relating to practices which encourage soil health and how it impacts the vine and grapes.
- Plants in the Vineyard: Learn about canopy, cover crops, herbs, and more!
- Pest Management: Growing grapes is a challenging endeavor, as our love of the fruit of wines is a shared love. Bacteria, viruses, insects, and animals present a constant threat which requires any vineyard manager to stay on their feet.
- Grape Ripening Cycle: A discussion of the annual cycle of the vine and how each season affects the final product.
- Pruning Principles: Pruning principles are critical for grapes and many other fruits and trees. We’ll discuss pruning processes and their relation to producing quality fruit. Take some techniques home with you to beautify your gardens!
- Sustainable Practices: As the agro-chemical past is challenged, sustainability is on the rise. Learn best practices from our vineyard Managers.
- Microclimate: A discussion of how the Rolling Hills microclimate affects our ability to ripen grapes here at Latitude 44 on the northern edge on the wine world.
- Wine Making Process: Walk through the life cycle of wine from processing to bottle.
Private Estate Wine Collection Experience
Join us for the unique opportunity to explore, sip and savor Rolling Hills Estate Winery’s private wine collection. Whether red, white or rosé, be a part of a special group with access to these small-batch meticulously crafted wines with limited allocation. Explore where a life of winemaking can lead.
Discover our wines through Sommelier-led wine tutorials and tastings. Spend dedicated time with the expert winemakers, who are eager to share knowledge and their ardent joy of this timeless craft. Partake in Winery Barrel Tastings alongside our team and with friends, old and new. Enjoy chef-created masterpieces and farm-to-table fare paired with perfectly selected wines. Private wine events, tours, and experiences are all part of your experience at Rolling Hills Estate Winery.
“The wine tastings and vineyard tours were also a highlight, as we learned so much about wine (growing, making & drinking it), as well as the Adirondack culture and surrounding landscape. It really made us fall in love with the place and we could do it all together, which was the best!”
Team
Dan Faber, Head Winemaker
Born and raised in NYC, Dan’s lifelong passion for ice hockey often brought him to Lake Placid, NY, home of the ‘Miracle on Ice’ at the 1980 Olympics. The Adirondacks have always held a special place in Dan’s heart and it was a place he would later call home. In 2003, Dan began winemaking more seriously and by 2005, he began to share this wine with friends. He found the allure of winemaking to be the perfect blend of art and science. The joy of those early small batches is something Dan has always held onto. Dan was a part of the original team that set forth on the mission to discover the possibilities of winemaking in Westport, NY. His knowledge of the terroir, science and art of winemaking, coupled with his holistic approach to the land, has brought Rolling Hills Estate Winery to where we are now.
“Nella botte piccola c’è il vino buono!” – Italian Proverb – “In the small barrel, there is good wine!”
Dan lives with his wife, two twin girls, and a menagerie of farm animals, including his beloved llama. His greatest joy is that his daughters now work alongside him in the summer learning to nurture and tend the grapes.
Charles Looby, Assistant Winemaker
Charles was born in the bustling streets of Chicago’s infamous South Side. Every summer his family vacations brought him right here to Westport, NY, where he quickly learned to love the Adirondack region, its majestic mountains, and the beauty of the natural world surrounding it all. His interest in wine was sparked the first day he poured a glass for a customer at a local wine café. Coming to Rolling Hills Estate Winery as a humble bartender, his interest was transformed into love when he was offered the opportunity to join the Rolling Hills Wine Team. A door to a whole new realm opened for him — a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn, hands-on, every step involved in the process of winemaking.
“Maintaining a clear path from the vineyard to the bottle allows us to reflect upon what is uniquely special about Rolling Hills Estate Winery and the wines we create: the sense of community, in partnership with the rich, fertile land.”
Embracing this new world with a youthful spirit, determination, and a great measure of patience, Charles eagerly embraces the wonders that are in store for the future of cultivating cold-hardy varietals, the new frontier of stylistic wines that can be crafted from them, and the simple bliss of sharing this adventure with kindred spirits!
”We consider ourselves to be well-traveled, but I have not come across a group of such humble, knowledgeable, and openly friendly people.”
Our AVA
The Champlain Valley AVA
The Champlain Valley of New York AVA, in upstate New York, is about 82-miles long and is nestled between the Adirondack Mountains and the iconic Lake Champlain. With sprawling vistas, acres upon acres of wooded trails, waterfalls, hidden gems and stunning mountain views, the geography of the western shoreline of this AVA is diverse and cinematic. The AVA covers about 500 square miles in Clinton and Essex Counties, New York. To learn more about the terroir, the wine and the people, visit Carpe Travel’s AVA Guide to the Champlain Valley of New York.
Rolling Hills Estate Winery is an equal housing destination.