The Gruner Veltliner!

http://www.onewomanwines.com/

On the way home from a boat ride with our son and two of his friends, we stop at One Woman Wines and Vineyard for a tasting.  The tiny tasting shack seems crowded at first, but the three lovely young women behind the counter–including Claudia Purita’s (the one woman behind One Woman) daughter Gabrielle–soon sort everyone out, and we all embark on tastings.  There are seven wines on the list, and one can have two for $6, three for $8, or four for $10.  We decide to share a three and a four, and thus taste all seven.  Our son and his friends each opt for tastings of four.  The pour is generous, and we all are feeling good after boating and swimming and enjoying this last summer weekend.  As we sip and ponder, we also enjoy the lovely wildflower arrangements in the shack–also by Claudia!  Several parties have taken their tastings to the outside tables, and a small group seems to be having their own impromptu jam session.  We decide to start with a comparative tasting of their three chardonnays.

1) 08 Chardonnay          $20

This is a pleasant chardonnay, with flavors of pear and vanilla, with a nice fruity aroma and a long finish.  Definitely buyable.

2) 07 Chardonnay         $20

Surprisingly, this has that barnyard aroma we usually find in Long Island merlots.  Fortunately, it tastes better than it smells,with lots of vanilla and some sweetness.  Nice legs.

3) 08 Estate Reserve Chardonnay     $40

This spends 8 months in French oak, and has an orange blossom aroma with again plenty of vanilla and a taste somewhat like caramel candy.Though it is mellow, my husband feels it is too oaked for him, though I like it.

Now we move on to the rest of their wines.

4) 2010 Gewurztraminer          $20

Lovely honeysuckle/floral aroma and flowery/sweet taste make this a nice sipping wine, though not to my taste particularly.

5) 2010 Sauvignon Blanc          $ $24

Their tasting notes say flavors of lemon grass and green apple, and I have to agree.  Though they say it is a Sancerre style, we’re not so sure. However, we do agree that it is a very good wine that would pair well with local oysters.

6) 2010 Gruner Veltliner          $26

Wow–the star of the day!  I don’t know if any other wineries are trying this grape, but it is certainly rare.  It is light and tart, but with plenty of fruit flavors, mostly grapefruit.  Crisp. Good.  We all buy bottles of it!  Nice bonus–on this day, there is a special offer of a free tasting if one pays cash for a bottle of wine, which we do.  We also knew we’d like the gruner since we had tried it at Biere, Claudia’s husband’s restaurant in Greenport, which in its current iteration features Belgian-style fare including excellent mussels and frites, a delicious cheese tray, and interesting beers on tap.

7)  08 Merlot          $28

This is One Woman’s only red, and it is a good standard L.I. merlot, with blackberry flavors and aromas, but not in the same league as her whites, which are really good.

As we get ready to leave, Gabrielle says they are about to release two new wines, and we promise to be back.

Reasons to visit:  Pretty rustic location a bit off the beaten track; nice whites, especially the Gruner Veltliner.