Pellegrini Vineyards: One of Our Favorites September 6, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with gewurztraminer, Medley White, merlot, North Fork, oyster crackers, Pellegrini Vineyards, petit verdot, rose, Steakhouse Red, Vintner's Pride Encore, wine tasting September 8, 2014

http://www.pellegrinivineyards.com/

Going with a group? Have kids in tow? Want to sit quietly at a table and ponder your tasting? Like whites? Like reds? Pellegrini is good for all these conditions! On this visit we saw a large bachelorette party enjoying their tasting in the tented courtyard, a couple—he wearing a t-shirt that said Brooklyn—at a table under the pergola, and a family with kids who ran around on the lawn, among others.

A view to the courtyard and pergola

Their tasting menu offers several different options, including a flight they bring to your table of three two-ounce pours of wines of your choice from a menu of 12, plus a complimentary one-ounce taste of their merlot, for $12, or a tasting of their Vintner’s Pride wines for $14. Tastings include a packet of oyster crackers to clear the palate. When you get your tray of tastes, sample them from left to right and top to bottom, as they are arranged on a labeled placemat. If you’re not sure in which order to taste (order matters, as a delicate wine will be lost if you taste it after a more forceful one), ask your server. They also offer a cheese plate or a chocolate and wine pairing, but they don’t seem to mind if you bring your own snacks. All wines are made from grapes grown on their estate. We belong to their wine club, so our tastings are free. We got two tastings, one of their whites and the other of the reds, and shared.

East End Select Rosé $14.99

This is a steel-fermented blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc with a pleasantly herbal—rosemary?—aroma. We decided we would like it as an accompaniment to fish, as it is nice and dry with lemony tastes, but it is not a sipper. If you want some, go now, as it is on an end-of-season sale of three bottles for $33 (we bought three). Not as good as Croteaux 314, however.

The tray of whites and rose, plus the merlot.

2013 Gewürztraminer $19.99

We’ve been on a bit of a gewürzt kick lately, for no real reason, so we can compare this to others of its ilk. We find it a bit too sweet for us, though the finish is rather tart. Still, it’s a pleasant wine, with aromas of honeysuckle and tangerine, and would make a nice aperitif.

2013 Medley White $21.99

A blend (hence the name Medley) of 60% chardonnay and 40% sauvignon blanc, steel-fermented, this wine has mineral and lemon aromas and a refreshing taste—not too tart, not too sweet, with tastes of gooseberry and citrus and mineral. “Hmmm,” I say, “I think this would pair well with tuna-noodle casserole. I’m not kidding!”

2007 Merlot $19.99

Merlot is their signature wine, and they make a lot of it. The 07 is actually a bit of a blend; though it is 90% merlot it also includes 6% cabernet sauvignon, 3% cabernet franc, and 2% petit verdot, giving it some complexity. This is an easy wine to drink, soft, with tasty blackberry notes.

The tray of reds.

Steakhouse Red $16.99

I think I’d rather have this with lamb chops than with steak, but that’s just me. A 50/50 blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon, this has a bit of that forest smell that merlots sometimes have, and is quite dry, with some tannins. This and the other reds are all aged in oak.

2010 Petit Verdot $49.99

Yum. “Good from start to finish,” says my husband, and I agree. The color is very dark, and we sense lots of ripe fruit aromas and tastes. This one I would have with a good steak, for sure.

It was very humid outside, so we opted to stay inside in the air conditioning.

2010 Vintner’s Pride Encore $49.99

A Bordeaux blend—60% merlot, 25% cabernet sauvignon, 15% petit verdot—one would expect this wine to be better than the previous one, but it is not. We smell spice and dark tea leaves, but are underwhelmed by the taste. For the price, it is disappointing. “It never opens up,” says my husband. Maybe if it sat in the glass longer? But it is the last of our tastes, so it has been there for a while. Oh, well.

One part of the tasting room.

Reasons to visit: you’re with a group; you’re not with a group; you have kids in tow who need room to run; you like reds; you like whites; the 2013 Medley White; the 2013 Gewürztraminer; the 2010 Petit Verdot; the Steakhouse Red.

Beautiful grapes.

One Woman Wines and Vineyards: A One-Woman Show? August 31, 2014

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Claudia Purita, D'latte, Dessert Wine, gewurztraminer, gruner veltliner, merlot, North Fork, One Woman Wines and Vineyards, wine tasting September 2, 2014

http://www.onewomanwines.com/

Busses actually means kisses, but my guess is they’re referring to the vehicles.

It seems One Woman has been discovered. Last year we basically had the place to ourselves, but this year it was fairly full, including hipsters in straw fedoras stepping up to the bar in the tiny tasting barn. Yet the youthful servers managed everyone with aplomb, including our server, a young man who kept careful track of where we were and managed to share observations on each wine while also taking care of several other groups. (For comments on the one woman whose winery this is, see my entry from last August.)

One Woman has expanded its list of offerings, but they still have the only Grüner Veltliner around, and that alone is worth the trip. Large signs outside warn that buses (spelled busses, which actually means kisses!) and limos are verboten, as well as groups of more than six. They really don’t have the facilities for large groups, but if you are a small group this is a good place to taste some lovely wines. The menu offers two tastes for $6, three for $8, or four for $10, out of a list of eight wines. You can also sample the Reserve wines, a menu of four for $14 (or one for $4). What does Reserve mean? Here it means the grapes have spent about another two weeks on the vines for a fuller flavor and that the grapes have also been hand-picked one by one with a tweezer-like implement by Claudia Purita (the One Woman) herself. We decided to share four from the regular menu plus the four Reserves.

Part of the outside area.

2013 Grüner Veltliner $20

“I’ll start you off with the 2013,” says our server, “since it is the lightest of your choices.” And he is right. We scent a bit of honeysuckle, taste some roast pear. Tart and light. Though this is purely steel fermented, we could swear we taste oak. Our server chuckles and says that is common.

2012 Grüner Veltliner $20

What a difference a year makes! I love this one! Our server calls it “a white for red wine lovers,” and I can see why. It is deep and full of flavor, with some toasted caramel notes. Again, hard to believe this is all steel fermented. This is also a great pairing to show people why the year and how the wines were handled matters.

2012 Gewürztraminer $23

Very floral aromas, including some lavender, introduce a rather tart gewurzt. 0% residual sugar, notes our server, who also suggests this would pair well with Thai food. My husband compares it to sour apple candy, and I get it.

2013 Gewürztraminer $23

“Claudia says this is the most typical Gewürztraminer she’s ever made,” says our server. “It has 3% residual sugar.” It is certainly sweeter than the 2012, with an aroma of thyme honey and lavender and some gooseberry tastes. A bit too sweet for us, though not unpleasantly so.

2011 Estate Reserve Chardonnay $32

Very oaky, which is not surprising given that it is completely oak-fermented. We smell vanilla and those scented pine cones you can sometimes buy in the fall. We taste a touch of citrus, but then the oak takes over. If you like a California-style oaky chardonnay, this is for you.

The pour is about average in size.

2010 Estate Reserve Merlot $48

Our first red of the tasting, the merlot is nice but not all that interesting. A bit of forest scent, blackberry tastes, fairly soft, and the end is a bit too oaky and tart.

Dessert wine

2008 Estate Reserve Merlot $48

The smell reminds me of a cabin on a lake—that slightly damp smell of exposed wood. This has more to it than the ’10, with nice legs. The server describes the scent as smoked paprika, but I don’t get that.

Estate Reserve Dessert Wine $39

Okay, so it’s not as good as Chateau D’Yquem, but it’s pretty nice. I would drink this with paté de foie gras any day! Or even a chocolate mousse. It is quite delicious, made with late harvest Gewürztraminer grapes.

We decide to buy two bottles of the 2012 Grüner Veltliner. Because at the crucial moment of the end of our tasting our server was distracted, and took a little while to get back to us, he doesn’t charge us for the tastings, a nice courtesy.

Reasons to Visit: Long Island’s first, and possibly still only, Grüner Veltliner; tasting some nice wines in a peacefully bucolic setting; the Gewürztraminers; the dessert wine; oh, and you can buy D’Latte gelato from a little freezer case.

We’ve been told in the past that Claudia Purita even arranges the flowers.

Coffee Pot Cellars: Wine Country’s Cutest Couple 8/23/14

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Adam Suprenant, bees, Blossom Meadow, Bordeaux, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, Coffee Pot Cellars, gewurztraminer, honey, Laura Klahre, Meritage, merlot, North Fork, petit verdot, sauvignon blanc August 26, 2014

http://www.coffeepotcellars.com/

http://blossommeadow.com/

No, they don’t serve coffee here!

“Perhaps a sign that says ‘Live Bees!’ is not the best way to get people into a winery,” I suggest to winemaker Adam Suprenant, owner of Coffee Pot Cellars. He chuckles, and notes that when people ask if he has live music he says no, but they have live…bees. Never fear, however, the bees are behind glass, and you can observe their activity while you sip Mr. Suprenant’s lovely wines and visit with him and his charmingly chatty wife, Laura Klahre, the beekeeping owner of Blossom Meadow.

A year ago when we stopped into the tasting room it had just recently opened, and we were the only ones there. This time there were several other couples, including some who were clearly regulars, and much of the discussion centered around the award Mr. Suprenant was to receive that night from Governor Andrew Cuomo for producing the best oaked chardonnay in New York State, his 2013 vintage (not available for tasting). “And I didn’t even want to make a chardonnay!” he confessed to us, but more about that later.

The tasting room is a small but pleasant space that had previously housed an antique store and after that a real estate agency. Now the simple yellow-painted space has a tasting bar and shelves filled with Blossom Meadow goods—honey, beeswax candles and crayons in various shapes, and bee-related beauty products. Last year we bought cat-shaped candles as a gift for cat lovers we were about to visit.

Some of the gift items available

Both Mr. Suprenant and Ms. Klahre are enthusiastic and passionate about their fields, and it is fun to chat with them both about the intricacies of bee-keeping and wine making. Did you know a bee has to visit two million flowers to make one pound of honey?

More gifts!

The tasting menu offers all six of their wines for $10, four for $8, or individual tastes for $2.50. We opted for two complete tastings.

Sauvignon Blanc 2012 $17.99

We sniff, and detect aromas of citrus and mineral or wet rock. The taste is tart, almost grassy, with lots of lemon. Not a wine to sip by itself, it would go well with a seafood in cream sauce dish.

The labels feature the Coffee Pot light house.

Chardonnay 2012 $15.99

As we enjoy this very lightly oaked chardonnay, Mr. Suprenant tells us why he didn’t plan to make a chard. “Like a cliché?” I ask (ever the English teacher), and he agrees. But a grower from whom he buys his grapes asked him to buy some chardonnay grapes due to an oversupply, and so he gave in. Using older oak barrels, he fermented tow clones of chardonnay for only five months, and then arrested the malolactic fermentation with sulfites. “Butter cookies!” I say of the aroma, and then sip. Pineapple and what Mr. Suprenant confesses he compares to Juicy Fruit gum compose the actually very good taste. Sippable.

Gewürztraminer 2012 $21.99

The grapes for this wine come from Osprey’s Dominion, where Mr. Suprenant is the winemaker (He’s been a winemaker on the North Fork for 17 years.). Nice flowery honeysuckle aroma, not too sweet, with some tangerine flavor, this is also a sippable wine.

Merlot 2009 $17.99

A nice touch—he rinses the glasses with a bit of the merlot before we taste it. The gewürtz would overpower anything else in the glass, he notes, but I also think that sometimes when wineries rinse with water you get a taste of chlorine! Like all his wines, this is made with grapes purchased from North Fork growers, and 2009 was a notoriously bad year, with an excess of rain. However, this wine has turned out pretty good, with aromas of berry and no earthiness. Though I think I scent wet rags, my husband says pine forest. Wine tasting is not an exact science!

Meritage 2008 $21.99

A Bordeaux blend, this version is 69% merlot, 19% cabernet sauvignon, and 6% each petit verdot and cabernet franc, according to the tasting menu which, Ms. Klahre points out, she is proud they finally have. Complex aromas of berry, flint and a bit of smoky forest precede tastes of blackberry and herbs. Very nice, but the next is better.

Meritage 2010 $25.99

2010 is known to be a good year, and this wine proves it. 59& merlot, 23% petit verdot, 14% cabernet franc, and 4% cabernet sauvignon, this Bordeaux blend really does taste like a Bordeaux. The aroma is brambly, with a hint of earth that is not present in the taste. We taste blueberry and some spice and like it so much we decide to buy two bottles for the cellar, marking them 2016.

Adam Suprenant

Reasons to visit: you like bees and honey and beeswax products; you enjoy talking with people about their passions; the 2012 chardonnay (and maybe the 2013), the gewürztraminer, the 2010 Meritage; Adam and Laura.

P.S. The name refers to the lighthouse at Orient Point, which is said to resemble a coffee pot. They do not, in fact, serve coffee at the winery!

The building was originally a house, and Adam and Laura will make you feel right at home.

Crooked Ladder: A Straight Deal 8/16/14

Posted by nofowineaux in Brewery and tagged with 70 West IPA, ABV, brewery, Crooked Ladder Brewery, Four Day Weekend APA, Gypsy Red, IBU, Kolsch, North Fork, Peach Wheat, Ponquogue Porter, Riverhead, Scottish Ale, Summeritis, Tweed's Bison Bar August 22, 2014

http://crookedladderbrewing.com/

The Crooked Ladder Brewery is part of the scene on Main Street in Riverhead.

Eight tastes for $9.00—and by tastes they mean about a quarter of a glass—of freshly made craft beer (plus you get to keep the glass) qualifies as a good deal in my book. We shared one tasting, and felt we’d had plenty to drink. Downtown Riverhead is working hard at revitalization, with lots of interesting restaurant options, the New Suffolk Theater for live performances, and increasing numbers of formerly empty storefronts being filled, and part of that is the home of Crooked Ladder. Located in a storefront on Main Street, the brewery has an attractively designed small tasting bar with stools in the front and a view of the beer making equipment in the back. You may be able to find street parking, but if not, there are free lots behind the stores on both sides of the street.

When we entered we were given a menu of tastes which had information about each beer, which was fortunate as the server’s spiel was limited to, “Here’s the Kolsch.” The information included the ABV (Alcohol by Volume) and IBU (International Bittering Units) for each beer, which I’ve included in case this interests you. Though the IBU measures the bitterness contributed by the hops, it doesn’t actually tell you how bitter the beer might taste, since the taste is a function of the balance among the various ingredients. In addition to the tastes, you can also buy growlers, $20 for 64 ounces or $15 for 32 ounces, with a discount if you bring back the bottle for a refill. At the bar with us were a large group of talkative guys who asked that the TV be tuned to ESPN and a pair of women quietly doing a tasting.

The brewing equipment

Kolsch 6% ABV, 32 IBU

This is described on the menu as a German Ale, and it is a mild, fairly light beer, which would be fine on a hot day after working in the garden. We felt it was pretty tasteless, a good choice for someone who doesn’t really like beer. “Better than Coors Light, I suppose,” I said.

Summeritis seems like something one would enjoy catching.

Summeritis 5% ABV, 21 IBU

Summeritis is a fitting name for another fairly light-tasting beer made with “Crystal hops.” It has a somewhat citrus/orange aroma and pleasant bitterness.

Peach Wheat 5% ABV, 22 IBU

Another self-explanatory name—a wheat beer brewed with the addition of 40 pounds of peaches to each batch. I don’t usually care for wheat beers, but this one is a pleasant drink, and also good to serve people who think they don’t like beer. Slightly cloudy in the glass, it has a bit of peach smell and taste. I could imagine sipping it while resting in a hammock on a hot summer day.

Note the faint cloudiness of the Peach Wheat–and also the generous serving!

Gypsy Red 5% ABV, 28 IBU

So this name begged for an explanation, which was forthcoming from our server. “It’s our flagship beer, “she told us, “the first one we made. At the time we had no permanent home, and were roaming around, doing brewing in one place, bottling in another, tasting somewhere else.” Hence Gypsy. This is my favorite so far, a tasty ale with a reddish color, an aroma of spice and cocoa powder, and a good caramel flavor that would go well with burgers.

5. Scottish Ale 6% ABV, 13 IBU Scottish style ale (duh), this is a dark beer with an almost meaty smell and smoky taste that would complement barbeque really well. It’s about this point that we notice that the server is rinsing our glass after every taste, using a neat device next to the taps that delivers a quick fountain of water to the inverted glass.

6. Four Day Weekend APA 2% ABV 40 IBU

Why Four Day Weekend? No idea, said the server. This is described as an American Pale Ale, using Warrior, Simcoe, and Citra hops—and it is hoppy. Now this one I really like. I think it would be good with almost anything. The aroma is somewhat flinty—wet iron I say—with an unusual and complex flavor.

70 West IPA 6% ABV 70 IBU

Since the brewery is located at 70 West Main Street, the genesis of this name is fairly evident. The notes inform us that four different varieties of hops go into this beer, plus some dry hops for another element. Good balance of bitterness and flavor, this is another beer I could see buying. Certainly we like it better than any beers at Long Ireland Brewery.

I tend to prefer dark beers, like this porter.

Ponquogue Porter 6% ABV 35 IBU

Named for a bridge that spans Shinnecock Bay, this porter transports us to an English pub. If you like a dark beer, this is the one for you, with its tastes of somewhat sugary coffee balancing the bitterness of the hops. Though I prefer Greenport Harbor’s Black Duck Porter, this one is also quite good.

Reasons to visit: you like craft beer; you’re interested in walking around Riverhead to see the progress that has been made in its revitalization; you have some time to kill before dinner or after lunch at one of Riverhead’s restaurants (We’re especially fond of the bison dishes at Tweed’s.) or after a visit to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday; the Gypsy Red, Four Day Weekend APA, 70 West IPA, and Ponquogue Porter. Note that during the week they may be closed or may not open until 3 PM, so check the hours before you go.

Roanoke Vineyards and Brooklyn Oenology: Face Off! August 9, 2014

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Alie Shaper, Bond, Brooklyn Oenology, Cabernet Franc Rose, Corot noir, Derosa Rose, Finger Lakes, Grapes of Roth, merlot, North Fork, petit verdot, Roanoke Vineyards, Social Club Red, Social Club White, The Wild, Vidal blanc, wine tasting, Wolffer August 12, 2014

http://www.roanokevineyards.net/

http://www.brooklynoenology.com/

One corner of the tasting room

“Wow, that was fun,” we agreed, as we left the Roanoke Vineyards Tasting Bar on Love Lane in Mattituck. We had arrived about 3:30, not knowing that a pop-up event was about to happen, pairing Roanoke wines with wines made by Brooklyn Oenology (BOE). Though the event was due to start at 4, we were able to do the tasting early, and, because the room was fairly calm at the moment, we had lots of attention from Roanoke’s Robin and BOE winemaker Alie Shaper.

Normally, Roanoke features wine from Grapes of Roth and Wölffer Estates (on the South Fork) as well as their own, and they offer a menu of choices from each. I would have liked to taste some of the Wölffer wines, as it had been years since I’d tried them, but the only Wölffer selections on offer were hard ciders. However, once we realized we could do the Roanoke vs. BOE face-off, we knew what we had to do. For $20 we got to taste eight wines, four from each, paired for similarity of grape and type. I love tasting two wines made from the same grape, grown in the same region, and seeing how they differ.

The Tasting Bar is a small storefront, augmented by tables on a petite patio in the back and some tables for two along the side of the building, and includes the tasting bar and some small tables and a few comfortable chairs where it would be nice to sit and sip a glass.

As we tasted each selection, Robin and Alie alternated telling us about each wine, how it was made, and so on.

The whites

Roanoke Vineyards (RV) 2013 The Wild $20

Why “The Wild”? This is made with, said Robin, “indigenous yeast,” or in other words naturally occurring yeast, using chardonnay grapes from a Mudd vineyard which was originally planted in 1982. They’re not sure which clone it was, but it may have been a muscat, which would account for some of the sweetness in the wine. We detect an aroma of cedar shavings with tastes of pineapple and mango. It reminds me a bit of Channing Daughter’s L’Enfant Sauvage, which is also made with wild yeasts. Yum, in any event! I could happily sip this wine on the deck on a summer night.

2. BOE 2013 Social Club White $18

I guess this is paired with the wild because it is a similar weight white, but this is a blend of grapes from Upstate and the North Fork (Alie joked that she would love to have permission to plant vines in a park in Brooklyn, but that’s, alas, not likely.) The blend is 60% chardonnay, with smaller amounts of pinot gris, pinot blanc, Vidal blanc, riesling, and gewürztraminer. I hadn’t heard of Vidal blanc before, and Alie noted that it is a Finger Lakes grape, as are the riesling and the gewürztraminer and the pinot gris. With all those Finger Lakes grapes I was expecting sweet, but this is a lovely dry wine with some citrus aromas and a bit of a taste of tangerine.

The roses–note the pretty label and pretty colors

3. RV 2013 Derosa Rosé $19

Poetically, my husband compares the aroma to a “forest after the rain,” and I do agree that it has some flowery sweetness—in the taste as well as the aroma. It’s not a bad rosé, and many people would probably like it, but we prefer it drier. The name, by the way, is after the family’s Grandma Rose.

4. BOE 2013 Cabernet Franc Rosé $18

I have to give the prize in this comparison to the BOE wine, which is made with wild yeast and uses Finger Lakes grapes. The color is very pretty, the aroma is very strawberry, and the taste is a bit reminiscent of a berry sorbet—so, too sweet for us, but more complex and interesting than the Roanoke. I admire the beautiful label, and Alie enthusiastically tells us that all her labels are designed by Brooklyn artists, with a special peel-off feature if you want to save the pretty pictures. This particular one was designed by Patricia Fabricant, and after they chose her design they learned that she is the daughter of Florence Fabricant, who writes about food and wine for The New York Times.

5. RV 2010 Bond $19

We get fresh glasses for the reds, a nice touch. Their Bordeaux blend, this wine varies its composition from year to year, depending on the qualities of the grapes. This one is mainly merlot, and spends 10 months in neutral oak casks, then stainless steel. We smell cedar and berries, and taste blackberry. Though not a bad wine, it is a bit thin, and lacks depth.

6. BOE 2012 Social Club Red $20

So I had to ask, “Why Social Club?” Alie explains that when she moved to Brooklyn (the winery’s tasting room is located in Williamsburg, of course) she noticed all the immigrant social clubs, and decided to name her wines for them. She liked the idea of wines that were casual and friendly. Also a Bordeaux blend, Alie’s wine is 77%merlot, 18%, cabernet sauvignon, and 5% Corot noir. Corot noir? The grape is a hybrid created at Cornell, and adds a dark color to the wine, without the use of chemicals. We like it very much, tasting plenty of fruit with a bit of side of the tongue sweetness yet dry at the end.

7. RV 2010 Merlot $45

2010 was a great year on the North Fork, but we’re not crazy about this wine. We smell cinnamon, plus some of that local earthiness, and taste some fruit and some smoke. Perhaps it needs more time.

On to the reds

8. BOE 2010 Merlot $25

Okay, same grape, same year, though BOE adds 4% petit verdot, sourced from Onabay’s vineyard in Cutchogue. Again, we smell cinnamon, some earthiness, but the taste differs. It has more fruit , a dry finish, and is softer, with no smoke. We like it!

We buy a bottle each of the BOE Merlot and the RV The Wild and browse the small selection of gifts. They have the Govino glasses, which we have bought as gifts in the past. They’re a high quality plastic, nice on a picnic or a boat. Oh, and as to who won the face off? I’d have to say we did, because we got to sample wines from two wineries and only had to travel to one!

Reasons to visit: convenient tasting room in the middle of the North Fork on Love Lane, which is itself a destination with its cheese shop, Bookhampton book store, Love Lane Country Kitchen, and more; The Wild; the chance to taste wines from other vineyards as well.

The back patio

The Tasting Group (Premium Wine Group): Choice Choices August 4, 2014

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting, Uncategorized and tagged with Bouquet Rose, Bridge Lane Chardonnay, Bridge Lane Merlot, Bridge Lane Rose, Bridge Lane Sparkling, Bridge Lane White Blend, Brooklyn Oenology Pinot Gris, Leo Family Red Blend, Lieb Cellars, Long Island, North Fork, Premium Wine Group, SUHRU Riesling, T'Jara Merlot, The Tasting Group, Upstate New York, wine tasting August 10, 2014

http://liebcellars.com

There are always changes out here in wine country. New wineries open, some close, others merge, and menus change with each new harvest. Lieb Cellars has made some alterations in their tasting room options. Their Oregon Road facility (see my entry from last August for a description of that tasting room) still has the full panoply of Lieb wines, while their Sound Avenue room has been re-named The Tasting Group and now offers two menus: Lieb’s Bridge Lane line (their less expensive offerings) or the “featured flight,” which features wines from a variety of labels which use the Premium Wine Group wine-making facilities behind the tasting room. Either flight includes some very good choices.

We opted to each get our own flight, sharing tastes as always, and I took the Bridge Lane option, which includes 5 tastes for $12 from the Bridge Lane menu. My husband took the featured flight, also 5 tastes, though with no options, for $14. We were accompanied by family members, with the three year old distraction and her two month old sister opting to spend their time outside at one of the picnic tables on the lawn, admiring the grapes and just generally running around. On Friday evenings Lieb has what they call “Firefly Fridays” out there, with music and glasses of wine on offer from 6-8 p.m.

One view of the tasting room

The room itself is a bit small and somewhat spare, with a tasting bar and a few small tables. Our server seemed quite knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and attempted to make a red wine convert out of another customer who kept insisting she only liked whites, though to no avail.

I’ll give you the Bridge Lane wines first, then the others.

1) Bridge Lane White Blend $20

20% chardonnay, 20%pinot blanc, 18% Riesling, 14% Viognier, 9% sauvignon blanc and 4% gewürztraminer combine to make this a pleasantly fruity yet light white, with nice citrus flavors. Classic summer wine.

2) Bridge Lane Sparkling $20

Very dry, somewhat mineral-y, and reminiscent of a Prosecco, this is a bit too seltzer-ish for me.

I liked the bubbly label.

3) Bridge Lane 2011 Chardonnay $14

Unoaked, our server notes, so a good choice for those who dislike the California style of heavily oaked chards. This is light and lemony and very buyable.

4) Bridge Lane Rosé 2013 $18

Since we were just recently at Croteaux, of course I have to compare this to their wines, and it’s fine, but not as good. A blend of cabernet franc, merlot, and gewürztraminer, this has typical strawberry aroma and is pleasantly dry, but could use more complexity.

5) Bridge Lane Merlot 2011 $16

Though this is called merlot, it is also 24% cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, grapes which I think always improve a merlot. For the price this is a really good option, with lots of berry flavors though not much aroma. Very buyable, which we do.

Now for the Featured Flight.

1) Brooklyn Oenology 2013 Pinot Gris $20

Perhaps you were wondering where in Brooklyn grapes are grown? The grapes for this wine come from Upstate New York and are processed here in Mattituck. The wine is very, very dry, with lots of tart lemon flavors, so would be better with food than sipped on its own.

The SUHRU Riesling got some favorable comments.

2) SUHRU 2012 Dry Riesling $16

We’ve encountered SUHRU wines before, in The Tasting Room (now under different ownership as The Winemaker’s Studio) so we knew that they are made by Russell Hearn, Lieb’s winemaker, and his wife. As the name promises, this is a dry Riesling. It has a touch of that cat pee smell, but tastes fine, with good fruit—maybe gooseberry? Our relatives really like it.

3) Bouquet Rosé 2013 $16

“Not a lot of character,” offers our relative, and we agree, even though you’d think a blend of cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot would be more interesting. There’s a touch of that earthiness some North Fork merlots have in this dry rosé.

4) T’Jara 2010 Merlot $25

Where did the name T’Jara come from? Our server tells us that this is Russell Hearn’s premium label, only made in good years, and, since he is from Australia, he decided to name it for an Australian tribe. Aged in oak, this is a very good merlot, with plenty of berry tastes, dry but not too dry.

We liked Leo’s label–and wine.

5) Leo Family Red Blend $36

We liked this the best of the wines sampled today. A Bordeaux blend, this is a wine one could happily sip on its own or pair with pork chops. It’s a bit on the sweet and soft side, without a lot of tannins, made by the Clovis Point winemaker. It also has a really pretty lacy pattern on the label.

In addition to bottles, one can also buy some of the wines in a box! A box of White Blend or Red Blend is the equivalent of 4 bottles, we are told, costs $46, and can last three weeks after being opened. We opt instead for two bottles of the Bridge Lane merlot as an everyday table wine, our relative goes for the SUHRU Riesling, and one of our three tastings is complimentary.

Reasons to Visit: the chance to try a variety of wines from various winemakers, in addition to Lieb’s own Bridge Lane line; the Bridge Lane chardonnay and merlot; the Leo Family Red Blend (If I were here for a Firefly Friday, I would get a glass of this if it were on offer.); the SUHRU Riesling; a pleasant outdoor space for a glass and a picnic. We often see groups enjoying the Firefly Fridays, but have not had the chance to do so ourselves yet.

Outdoor area

Croteaux: Voyage to Provence July 27, 2014

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with 181, 181 sauvage, cabernet franc, Chloe, Croteaux, French Pomerol, Jolie, merlot 3, Merlot 314, North Fork, rose, wine tasting July 31, 2014

http://www.croteaux.com/

The entrance to the tasting garden.

Croteaux is our favorite place for relaxed outdoor summer sipping of rosés. The pretty garden is surrounded by flowering bushes and studded with Adirondack chairs and wooden picnic tables with comfortable wire chairs around them. The winery’s practice of limiting groups to eight and banning buses and limos ensures that the atmosphere stays calm and peaceful.

One of the surprisingly comfortable chairs.

We know they practice good conservation techniques, since we ran into Paul Croteaux at the Southold dump, recycling a load of empty bottles, though the bottles are so pretty it seems a shame to throw them out. Paula Croteaux presides over the tasting garden with charm and grace, and the service is always excellent. The wines are quite good, too. I thought I disliked rosés until I tried theirs, and on this trip my cousin underwent a similar conversion, as we convinced him and his wife and my brother and sister-in-law to accompany us to Croteaux (well, we were driving, so they didn’t have that much choice).

We all opted for the rosé tasting, six rosés for $15. We could also have had three sparkling rosés for the same price or a glass for $10-13, depending on variety. The first three wines on the list are each $19 a bottle, and the last three are $25, with 10% off if you buy a case. Buying a case means you are automatically a member of the case club, which gets you several benefits—not least of which is plenty of rosé, perfect for summer meals. After you order, the waitress brings you a round flower pot bottom with the first three wines, and then another with the next three, each round-bottomed glass sitting on a label so you know in which order to drink them. A request for water brought a bottle and fresh glasses.

One round

The Croteaux web site describes their wines as “dry, crisp, and fruit-filled,” and I agree.

1) 181 French Pomerol

Alas, this wine is already sold out, so you can taste it but not take it home, which is too bad as it is a lovely strawberry-scented light rosé, with notes of lemon and perhaps walnut at the end.

2) Merlot 314

Named for the clone of merlot that is used to make it, this is our favorite of their wines. Though it has less scent than the 181, it has more body and is fruitier, though still dry. We decide it would be perfect with lobster, a theory we prove later that night over lobsters my cousin buys at Braun’s. We buy a case and a half…

3) Merlot 3

Why 3? Because it is a blend of 181, 314, and 3. We taste more citrus in this lighter wine, and would pair it with goat cheese (a crock of which you can get at the winery, with slices of baguette). A bit too light, I think. “I wouldn’t kick it out of bed,” notes my brother, though he also characterizes it as a “crowd pleaser.”

We sip and chat.

4) 181 Sauvage

Fermented using wild yeasts, this is a wine that will vary year to year, and I liked last year’s version better. We smell lots of strawberry (“The technical term is schnozz,” jokes my husband), but the wine itself tastes a bit thin and unfinished. One person tastes melon, my cousin suggests celery, I offer minerality. It would be better paired with food. This is the first of the more expensive set of three.

5) Chloe

A blend of sauvignon blanc and cabernet franc, this wine is, one of us offers, “a white wine lover’s rosé.” I smell burnt pear and fresh cut grass. I’d like this with oysters, as the dryness and fruit would complement the salinity of the bivalves.

6) Jolie

This wine is also sold out. In fact, if you want some of Croteaux’s rosés I suggest you get over there quickly, as they typically are sold out by the end of the season. True to its name, this is a pretty wine, both in looks and taste, sweet at the beginning with a dry finish and a wonderful aroma of roses. Unlike Chloe, this is a wine I’d be happy sipping, maybe even in a spritzer on a hot day. My cousin, getting into the spirit of the day, suggests serving it with Velveeta. Maybe not.

Pretty bottles

Reasons to visit: a beautiful garden setting with a peaceful atmosphere; rosés that will change your mind about rosés; the 314, the Chloe, and the Jolie; oh, and I forgot to mention, they have a lovely boutique with interesting items my cousin’s wife wanted to explore.

This may not be true for roses, but it is for friends.

Flowers line the garden

The Winemaker Studio: Wine as Art? July 4, 2014

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Anthony Nappa, Black Bird Reserve Merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Frizzante, Greg Gove, North Fork, Provisions, Race Wines, Red Blend, Reminisce, sauvignon blanc, Spezia Gewurztraminer, The Winemaker Studio, wine tasting July 10, 2014

http://www.anthonynappawines.com/tws_home.html

Rainy Fourth of July!

The rain washed out our barbeque, but not our determination to do a wine tasting, so off we set in a tropical downpour to the welcoming environs of The Winemaker Studio. Odd name for a tasting room, you are probably thinking, especially since it occupies the premises previously called The Tasting Room, a more obvious name. However, as Anthony Nappa, the proprietor, discussed with us on a previous visit, the idea is to provide a space where a variety of winemakers can showcase their wares, and to also have the space function as an art gallery, with art for purchase on the walls.

Many of the winemakers carried here are also—or have been—winemakers for larger wineries, such as Raphael or Osprey’s Dominion, but felt they wanted to make wines their own way, under their own label. Like art, these are labors of love. As you can tell by the site’s URL, Anthony Nappa makes his own wines, and his selections dominate the tasting menu of fifteen wines, all available for $2 or $3 a taste. In addition to selling wine by the glass they also feature Greenport Harbor beer on tap and a number of local hard liquors—gin, vodka, whiskey—plus espresso and cappuccino and a menu of sandwiches crafted by Nappa’s wife, Sarah Evans Nappa, a chef who previously worked at the North Fork Table and Inn. They also run a small store attached to the tasting room called Provisions, which stocks a variety of both local and imported foods, including cheeses, pastas, and charcuterie. Like many places with their own food, they ask you not to bring your own snacks, but are happy to sell you cheeses, etc.

Some of the provisions at Provisions.

The room is small, simple, and rustic, with a wooden bar and small tables with folding chairs both inside and outside. Sometimes you find a dog or two around, but today they had been left home because the thunder was freaking them out. Our friends, animal lovers, were disappointed that the dogs were not in residence, but happy about the wines they tasted. Frequent North Fork visitors, they had not heard of The Winemaker Studio, but will now add it to their list. We each made a variety of choices from the menu, with each couple sharing one tasting, a good decision since the pour was quite generous. We were left on our own to decide the order of tastes. I’ve marked the Anthony Nappa wines with an AN at the end.

Tasting menu

1) 2013 Frizzante Sparkling $20

It had been a year since we were here, and there were quite a few new wines, including a sparkling wine made from riesling, pinot noir, and gewürztraminer, and not filtered, so it has an intriguing cloudy look. We smell and taste lots of minerality, plus unripe pineapple and some lemon. We envision drinking it on the deck with charcuterie, and our friend suggests using it in a cocktail with Limoncello and some raspberries. Sounds good! AN

Frizzante–note the cloudiness.

2) 2013 Reminisce $22

This is their sauvignon blanc, and it spends three days on the skins, giving it lots of complex flavors, including ripe grapefruit. Good! AN

3) 2013 Spezia Gewürztraminer $25

Spezia means spicy, a good name for this spicy dry gewürztraminer, with its pleasant honeysuckle aroma. Though it lacks depth (We prefer One Woman’s gewürztraminer.), it is a good wine. Pair it with stinky cheeses, they suggest. AN

It’s a fairly generous pour.

4) 2012 Dodici $35

So a year ago we had the 2010 Dieci, which this replaces (brush up on your Italian numbers to decipher the names). A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc, this Bordeaux type is another good wine. Mouthwatering fruit flavors. AN

5) 2012 Black Bird Reserve Merlot $40

Though we are told that this is a wine made only in good years, spending 18 months in the barrel, we are unimpressed. There’s a touch of that earth smell you sometimes get in North Fork merlots, some dark cherry taste, and not much else.

6) Red Blend by Greg Gove of Race Wines $22

This is another Bordeaux-type blend, of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and merlot. Again, just okay—and fairly oaky, too.

Our friends also tried and really like Nappa’s Anomaly, a white wine made from red grapes, which we have liked in the past, and they enjoyed as well. They bought a bottle of the Frizzante, perhaps to try that cocktail idea in the near future! Then we browsed a bit in Provisions, and, though we didn’t find anything we needed for that night, having shopped already, we did make mental notes of things we would buy.

Part of the Provisions menu

Reasons to visit: a chance to try a variety of wines not readily available elsewhere; the Frizzante, the Dodici, the Reminisce; the opportunity to shop at Provisions; art on the walls; the availability of other drinks and food for those who aren’t wine drinkers. We haven’t tried it, but they have Happy Hour from 5-7 every day, with 30% off on glasses of wine.

Not a great day for sitting outside…maybe next time!

The Old Field: In Touch with History June 28, 2014

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Barrel Fermented, Blush de Noir, cabernet franc, Cacklin Rose, chardonnay, Commodore Perry, Long Island, merlot, North Fork, rooster tail, The Old Field, Winery June 30, 2014

http://www.theoldfield.com/

The Old Field is a great place for photos, with lots of scenic farm buildings.

Appropriately, The Old Field’s history matches its appealingly rustic look. It can trace its roots as a farm back to the mid-1600s, when the land was bought from the Native Americans, according to its web site, and that’s not its only connection to history, about which more later. We particularly enjoy coming here in the warm weather, when you can stand outside at the tasting bar or sit at a picnic table and enjoy the sight of ducks and chickens running around (the pair of ducks, by the way, are named Fred and Ethel, but I don’t know if their last name is Mertz), scenic old farm buildings, and the vineyards. One of the owners is usually on hand as well, if you want to get into a deep discussion of the wines. The overall vibe is relaxed and congenial, and we’ve often found ourselves conversing amiably with strangers as we sip.

The tasting bar, with its charmingly mismatched tablecloths.

The tasting menu offers three options: A tasting of whites, four for $6; reds, three for $5; or a mixed group, four for $6. They also offer wines by the glass—in which case you get an actual glass, rather than the somewhat unfortunate little plastic cup used for tastings—and the bottle, which we noted a group of picnickers enjoying. We decide to share a white and a red, so as to sample all their wares.

The only thing we don’t like here: the plastic cups.

1) 2012 Blush de Noir $18

Our youthful and enthusiastic server informs us that this is a new release, a very light pink rosé made from pinot noir grapes. It is so light that it looks like a white wine in the glass. The aroma is mineral, with a touch of cut grass. Very summery and pleasant, with only a little strawberry flavor, this is a nice summer drink I’d serve well iced. $1 of the purchase price of every bottle sold goes to support an animal shelter.

2) 2011 Chardonnay $20

Although this is primarily a steel-fermented chardonnay, a short time in oak gives it a bit of a vanilla aroma, along with what they describe as a “wet slate” smell. If you’ve ever walked around Manhattan while the doormen are hosing off the warm concrete in front of their buildings you know the smell. This is also a light wine, quite tart, with lots of lemon and grapefruit. It would pair nicely with a tarragon chicken salad.

3) 2012 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay $25

After six months in oak, this Chard has definite vanilla and burnt caramel aromas, and lots of pineapple taste, but is not too oaky. Good picnic wine.

4) 2011 Cacklin’ Rosé $18

If you wanted to show someone how different two rosés can be, you could give them a taste of this and of the Blush de Noir, and they’d get the point right away. Made from merlot grapes, with 24 hours on the skins, the Cacklin’ Rosé has a dark color and a distinctive smell that reminds me of cranberry juice. Though the taste is a tad sweet for me, it is good and would make a hit as an aperitif on the porch in the summer. I’d like it better if it had a little lemon or citrus taste. (If you’re wondering about the name, Google Neil Diamond.)

5) Rooster Tail $18

A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this is their everyday pasta and pizza wine, and it is a good member of that club, dry, with some dark fruit tastes. Their ‘09 Cabernet Franc, by the way, has sold out.

6) 2008 Merlot $25

Not much aroma, berry and cinnamon tastes, fairly light for a red: we decide the Merlot is just okay.

7) 2007 Commodore Perry $40

Really? Commodore Perry? What’s that about? Wasn’t he the guy who opened up trade with Japan? And why is there a somewhat Japanese-looking sea under that ship on the label? Here’s the other link to history I mentioned earlier. Commodore Perry is indeed an ancestor of the family who owns the vineyard, and so they honor him by only naming their best vintages after him. ’07 was a great year, and this Merlot shows it, with lots of flavors of dark fruit and ripe figs plus good tannins. We buy a bottle, planning to cellar it. We are also entertained to learn that this wine is famous in Japan, due to the name, and that Japanese tourists get very excited when they come to Old Field and see it. In fact, one was so intrigued that he offered to design the label!

Reasons to visit: pleasant rustic setting, with picnic tables and roaming fowl; the 2012 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay; the Cacklin’ Rosé; the ’07 Commodore Perry; the chance to hear stories about the history of the farm (including one cold winter day when we heard all about the resident ghosts).

Mattebella Vineyards: It’s a Family Affair June 16, 2014

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, Christine Tobin, Famiglia, Isabella, Long Island, Mark Tobin, Matt, Mattebella, merlot, North Fork, Old World Blend, petit verdot, rose, Tobin June 18, 2014

http://www.mattebellavineyards.com/welcomemattebella/

The labels feature this charming picture of Matt and Isabella.

The warm greeting you get as you enter Mattebella Vineyards’ pretty patio is only one aspect of the family feeling this winery exudes, starting with the name. Matt and Isabella are the children of owners Christine and Mark Tobin, and you are likely to see the whole family helping out with tastings and other chores around the property. You’ll recognize the kids by their portraits on the bottles, though they have grown older since the pictures were drawn.

Regulars are greeted with a kiss by Chris, but even newcomers soon feel at home. On our visit, we overheard Mark giving excellent advice about places to eat and sights to see to a young couple on their first trip to the North Fork. She, by the way, was enjoying their home made organic lemonade, as she was in that interesting condition in which women are encouraged not to drink.

The patio has been improved in the two years since our last visit, with plenty of comfortable seating and a combination of sunny and shaded areas, including under a lovely pergola, with pleasant music playing in the background. The tasting menu is divided into a “Light” flight and a red flight, with tastes also available individually for about $2 for the lights and $4-5 for the reds, or by the glass or bottle. A Light Flight is $12 for 6 of their whites and rosés (4 chardonnays and 2 rosés), and a Red Flight is $18 for 5 reds. We opted to share one Red Flight plus two individual wines from the Lights. They also sell their attractive round-bottomed glasses for $3.50.

1) 2013 Rosé $19

If you like sweet rosés, this one is not for you, but if you appreciate a delicate and refreshing rosé with a citrus tang and plenty of minerality, then head to Mattebella forthwith. We decided it would go well with soft shell crab, a delicious sample of which we had had the night before at the North Fork Table and Inn, where we went to celebrate our anniversary.

The rose and the chardonnay.

2) 2010 Reserve Chardonnay $25

Our knowledgeable and efficient server explained that the term “reserve” actually has no established meaning, but at Mattebella it indicates a wine from one of their best years. This is a 50% oak barrel, 50% steel fermented chard, which means it should not be overly oaky, but we found it pretty oaky, with lots of vanilla and roasted pear aromas and tastes. For the price, it is quite good, with some nice complexity. It might go with a seafood in cream sauce dish.

3) Famiglia $21

No vintage here, this is a blend, trying for consistency across the years, and, said our server, is a “good pizza wine.” We agree. It is a pleasant, soft drink, not complex, but with nice fruit and none of the earthy flavor reds sometimes have out here. It’s a blend of merlot and cabernet franc, so sort of Bordeaux-ish. Oh, and we get a clean glass for the transition to the reds.

4) 08 Old World Blend $40

In this instance, Old World Blend means merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc—a Bordeaux. This, says our server, is the lightest of the OWBs, because there was a lot of rain at the end of the season. Along with our glass of wine we get a little snack (I remember Chris saying the last time that we were there that she felt wine should always go with food.) of a piece of baguette topped with fig jam and blue cheese. We like the snack better than the wine, which is just okay.

Snack

5) 2009 Old World Blend $35

This time the snack is bacon jam and Parmeggiano Reggiano on a baguette—very yummy—and so is the wine, our favorite of the day (and not just because it came with bacon jam, though maybe…). A blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and “the grape no one knows,” petit verdot, the wine has good tannins and lots of dark fruits, and is interestingly complex.

6) 2010 Old World Blend $43

Our server says this is his favorite of the reds, and talks about a certain “brininess,” which he feels expresses the Long Island terroir, its closeness to the sea. We get it—there is a hint of a sea salt taste. This would work well with a nice dinner, maybe of boeuf bourguignon. The tasting notes suggest this will age well.

7) 2007 Old World Blend $48

A blend of the same grapes as the 08, this is the wine that won a Wine Spectator 91 points. 07 was a particularly good—and warm—year on Long Island, and this one has lots of big bold fruity tastes, more like a Napa Valley red. We smell leather and spice, and maybe, strangely enough, a hint of cat pee. Since the Tobins have decided that this wine would go well with chocolate, we get a tiny square of homemade chocolate brownie. Lovely way to end our tasting!

The brownie went well with the red wine.

Reasons to Visit: Snacks!; pleasant outdoor space for sipping; warm welcoming family atmosphere; the 2013 Rosé, the Famiglia, the 09 and 07 Old World Blends; homemade lemonade for the non-drinkers in the group. We go home with two bottles of the Famiglia and one of the 09 OWB.

An old water tower adds charm to the scene.

A bit of the pergola

NoFo Wineaux

Wine notes from Long Island's North Fork