Another tasting room housed in a former house, Suhru similarly has a warm family vibe.
Like our last tasting, at Coffee Pot Cellars, Suhru is located in what was formerly a house and has a similarly welcome, family vibe. Susan Hearn is behind the bar, and is quick to explain, as she hospitably offers glasses of water, that the name of the winery is composed of her name, her husband Russell’s name, and the initial of their last name.
Ask Susan and she will explain exactly how they came to add the H to the name.
The last time we were there happened to coincide with their grand opening, and featured a spread of cheese and charcuterie from Touch of Venice, just across the street. No such luck today, but Susan offered that we could order snacks from Touch of Venice and they would be delivered within fifteen minutes. Though the options looked good, we were not hungry, but I do wonder why more of the wineries don’t have similar arrangements, especially the ones that are close to restaurants. A number of them do feature snacks catered by local restaurants, which they keep on the premises.
The “Shared Plates” come from Touch of Venice, and will be delivered in about 15 minutes.
On this sunny but cold November Saturday, there was a steady trickle of guests in the tasting room, including a large group when we arrived, and then a few couples, all of whom seemed very happy to have found Suhru. The room is small but nicely set up, with a bar at which one can stand, comfy couch seating areas, and tables featuring bottles of water and glasses. We decided we’d like to sit, so Susan brought our flights to the table for us, and gave us a thorough run-down of each wine.
There are three flight choices: Fall Favorites, of four wines for $14; White Wine of four whites for $12; and Red Wine, of four reds for $15. One could also choose from the entire panoply of offerings of Suhru and T’Jara wines (The T’Jara label is owned with another couple and honors Russell’s Australian roots.) and put together a tasting, or get a glass or a bottle. We also noticed that if one bought a bottle of the wine of the month—the Shiraz—one of the tastings would be free.
Russell is one of the founders of Premium Wine Group, a facility at the corner of Cox Neck Lane and Sound Avenue, where a number of the smaller wineries make their wines, taking advantage of state-of-the-art facilities, which they would otherwise not be able to afford. For example, Susan pointed out, they use screw caps on all their wines, and without the expensive machine at Premium they would have to use corks.
1. Non-vintage Brut $29
They did not have their sparkling wine ready for the opening last year, as it takes two years to make, so we were happy to have a chance to taste it today. Made from 85% chardonnay and 15% pinot noir, using the méthode champenoise, this is a creditable sparkler, with tiny bubbles and a delicious taste of fruit and mineral. Susan said it smells like roasted pears and toasted brioche, and we agreed—though we probably would have just said toast! Nicely dry and crisp.
2. 2018 Pinot Grigio $18
The aroma is a bit funky and foresty, but pleasant. The wine itself is quite delicate, with what the menu describes as tastes of Granny Smith apple, bosc pear, and lemon peel. Susan laughs as she says this, and admits that most people are happy to just say apple and pear. I think one needs to drink this with food, but something light, like a flounder fillet, rather than something heavy, which would overwhelm the wine.
Susan in motion behind the bar.
3. 2018 Sauvignon Blanc $19
My tasting buddy and I agree we like this better than many North Fork sauvignon blancs, the second most popular local grape, after chardonnay. The menu prose is a bit over-the-top, describing “aromas of passionfruit jumping out of the glass.” We chuckle at the image of aromas jumping, but quite enjoy the wine, which has the lemon one expects but more fruit than many. It would certainly be good with oysters.
4. 2018 Dry Riesling $18
I’m somewhat wary of this, since I’ve had so-called “dry” rieslings that were anything but. However, this is a really good one, with deep enough flavor to stand up to big tastes, like a lobster fra diavolo, and tastes of stone fruit and citrus. It could also make a nice sipper on its own, though my husband notes if you opened it to have with one meal it might not go with the next day’s dinner. I guess you’d just have to finish the bottle. Susan suggests that it is a good Thanksgiving wine, and I tell her that this year we’ll probably be drinking sake with our turkey, since our theme is Japanese food. But we decide to get a bottle anyway. By the way, they source all their other grapes on the North Fork, but the riesling is from the Finger Lakes.
5. 2014 Shiraz $23
Because Russell is Australian, they call this wine shiraz, rather than syrah, which is the same grape. He is particularly happy to make this wine, because the terroir of the North Fork reminds him of Western Australia, with its cool maritime setting. They aim to make all their wines food-friendly, and we can see that. This is a medium-bodied red, not a big fruity syrah-style wine. It smells to me like purple plums, and has some fruit tastes. It is the kind of red, like a Beaujolais, that could go with roast chicken or pizza. She says it would also be good for Thanksgiving. We decide to get a bottle, and not just because one of our tastings will be free.
6. 2017 T’Jara Cabernet Franc $25
This and the next two reds are aged in Hungarian oak, while the Shiraz is aged in American oak. I suppose some day, with enough education, I could tell the difference…Anyway, cab franc has become the second most popular grape on the North Fork, after merlot, and though at first it was primarily used in blends, it is now often featured on its own. The aroma is lovely, with notes of nutmeg and minerals as well as dark fruits. It tastes good, too, like purple plums. Again, not a big red, but one with enough acidity that it could go with something like the yummy short ribs and mashed potatoes I had at Jamesport Manor during Restaurant Week.
One side of the tasting room.
7. 2015 T’Jara Merlot $25
Cherry taste and aroma, as typical of merlots around here, but not very fruity. Minerality. Not bad, just not exciting.
8. 2013 Suhru Ember $20
Why Ember, I ask? Susan explains that they just called this “red,” and their wine club members objected that it was too good a wine to have such a meh name, so they had a contest to name it, and ember won. She feels like it captures the warmth of sitting around a fire and sipping this Bordeaux blend. It is 49% merlot, 25% cabernet sauvignon, 18% cabernet franc, and 4% each petit verdot and malbec, though they may vary the proportions from year to year, depending on the qualities of each grape’s juice. Again, we get a slightly funky, forest floor aroma, plus tobacco. She says it has a long finish, but we don’t find that. I taste blackberries. We think this either needs more or less time to age—not sure which!
This little patio abuts the rather large parking lot, and there is a back entrance to the winery off to the side.
Reasons to visit: pleasant intimate setting, where you can talk to the owner and learn about the winemaking; you can take your tastes to a table, all at once on a carefully labeled tray in nice round-bottomed glasses; snacks from Touch of Venice, a restaurant whose food we like; a cute little outdoor patio area for warm weather; we liked almost all the wines, but especially the shiraz, the sauvignon blanc, and the dry riesling.
NoFo Wineaux 