Six-Eighty Cellars
Region
New York
Vineyard
Six Eighty Cellars sits in Ovid, on the western shore of Cayuga Lake in New York’s Finger Lakes. The name comes from the 680 feet, a little over 200 metres, between the bottom of the lake and the highest point of the vineyard, a difference in height that is central to growing grapes here. The deep water and steady breezes create a true cool climate, with a long ripening season and naturally preserved acidity. Dave and Melissa Pittard, who also own nearby Buttonwood Grove, bought the property in 2020, drawn by its established vines overlooking the lake. Alongside classics such as Riesling and Chardonnay they grow varieties that are rare in the region, among them Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner and Gamay. Since 2023 the vineyards have been Certified Sustainable under the New York Sustainable Winegrowing programme.
Winemaking
In the cellar, Six Eighty Cellars takes a method some 6,000 years old and makes it modern: wine raised in earthenware and stone. The winery has brought in vessels from Italy and France in terracotta, sandstone, concrete, cocciopesto and Clayver stoneware, and each one breathes differently. Terracotta is the most porous and naturally insulating, sandstone is finer and suited to delicate, aromatic wines, concrete gives a more controlled exchange of oxygen, and the dense Clayver preserves acidity and precision. Many wines are bottled under the name of their vessel, which is why the labels read Sandstone or Concrete Diamond. The approach is minimal intervention, with native yeast, minimal additives and gentle ageing in small batches, guided by tradition but never limited by it.
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