Ornamental cherry trees line the road to the tasting room.
Cherries for the win? Have I been playing slot machines? Nope, just going to a winery during cherry blossom season. As we walked towards the entrance to McCall’s winery with our friends, the winery aficionados, we paused to admire the blooms on some ornamental cherry trees, noting that the Greenport cherry blossom festival was scheduled for Saturday. Then, as a nosh with our tastings, we got the fruit and nut tray, on which the star was definitely the juicy dried cherries. (At $10 I thought it was a bit overpriced.) And, as we were leaving, I commented that those dried cherries were the star of the day. Were the wines bad? No, just underwhelming.
We had already made some inroads in the nut and fruit tray, but it was still a small serving.
We were headed to a tasting for the second time this week to take advantage of Locals Week. About twenty-two wineries were offering two for the price of one tastings, with some also featuring 10-15% off bottles of wine. It seems that no one checks your id, by the way, so even if you are not local you can probably safely enjoy these deals next spring.
Miguel behind the bar, with a photo of Theodore Roosevelt over his shoulder.
McCall has a cool little tasting room that began life as a stable, and still has stalls, repurposed as nooks for tables, with all sorts of farming bric-a-brac decorating the walls. We also noted a display of articles about Theodore Roosevelt, and wondered about the connection. Miguel, the general manager, was manning the bar, and he explained that Russ McCall admired President Roosevelt for his dedication to conservation, a cause Mr. McCall also champions.
This is just a small sample of all the “stuff” on the walls.
The room was also cool in temperature, and we kept our jackets on, even after Miguel turned on a little stove heater next to us.
We ordered two tastings, with each couple sharing one, and Miguel brought us the wine in little carafes, plus glasses. He also brought us a bottle of chilled water and some cups, always a nice touch. We decided to both get the Rouge Flight, of three wines for $25, so we could compare notes as we sipped and chatted.
2016 Estate Pinot Noir $30
“I much prefer pinot noir from Oregon,” our friend, who has been to several wineries in Oregon, noted. This wine has the sweet aroma of Cheracol, a cough medicine much favored by my mother when I was little, but is dry, with slight tannins. It has a bit of a cherry taste, but is not very interesting. “Okay, but not spectacular,” opined my tasting buddy.
This may look like a lot of wine for one tasting. That’s because our server misunderstood when we ordered, and thought we wanted four flights, not two. Very nicely, he only charged us for what we had ordered.
2016 Estate Merlot $24
This was our favorite of the day, a fairly typical North Fork merlot, dry, with some taste of not quite ripe plums. We discussed the prevalence of merlot and chardonnay on the North Fork, figuring they grew well here. Perhaps the pinot noir grapes are not as happy here as in Oregon?
2018 Field Blend $26
I assume “Field Blend” means all the grapes for this blend are grown in the same field. According to their website, this is a blend of 75% merlot, 14% cabernet sauvignon, 6% petit verdot, and 5% cabernet franc. It has lots of red fruit taste and a slightly funky aroma. It’s fine, but, again, not exciting.
One of the cozy nooks created by the old stable configuration.
Reasons to visit: pleasant, quiet tasting room; dogs allowed; burger night, which will recommence on May 16th “and continue every Thursday and Friday 4-8 pm through the summer”; the Estate Merlot. Burger night features delicious burgers made with beef from the Charolais cattle the McCalls raise, and has become quite popular. Make reservations if you want to go! I wrote about it in my blog on August 3, 2023.
It is quiet on the North Fork in February. Snow fences stretch across fields, farm stands have “See you in the Spring” signs, and roadside platforms have little stacks of firewood, $5 per pile. However, our visitors found plenty to do, including a trip to Tanger and an odyssey to the end of the island, where we had a cold, windy, but invigorating hike along the trail in Orient Point County Park and participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count (34 seagulls, three little ducks, and two immature cormorants).
The end of the North Fork and some birds.
Then it was time to do a wine tasting. Where to go? I realized we hadn’t been to RGNY since 2021, and it is close to our house, so off we went. The main entrance now seems to be the one to the right, as you face the building, so we opened that door and were greeted by John, whom I recognized from other wineries! He quickly showed our party of six (4 adults, 2 children) to a nice round table in the high-ceilinged, wood-beamed tasting room (which one young guest noted “smells like wood”—sort of like a cabin on a lake), where a QR code on the table sent us to the menus.
Don’t be fooled by that sunshine; it was cold outside!
There is a fairly typical menu of snacks, with more substantial choices available on the weekend, but we had just had a delicious and very filling lunch of sandwiches from Ammirati (on Love Lane in Mattituck), so we went straight to the menu of flights. There are four choices of flights, all featuring four wines: the RG Reserve for $34, the Scielo for $24, the White Wine for $27, or the I (Heart) NY for $27. Since the last one includes non-North Fork wines, we opted for the first three, planning to do some sharing of tastes. Well, even with sharing we left some wine in the glasses, because you get a VERY generous pour there. The youngsters in the group were not forgotten, as Donna, our pleasant waitress, offered them glasses of orange juice—served in tall sparkling-wine glasses—as they had leftover OJ from a brunch on Sunday (no charge!).
Donna gave us a quick overview of the wines in our tastings—there were a couple of overlaps—and then left us to ourselves, checking back at regular intervals. At the end, we had an interesting discussion with John about the wine philosophy of RGNY—low intervention, nature-friendly practices. Overall, there were no wines we disliked, and several we liked very much, though our group had some differences of opinion (As the French say, to each his own.).
Some of the special events that are available at RGNY.
I started out trying to keep the wines from each tasting separate, but that didn’t work out, so here are the wines as I took note of them.
Tiny cacti decorate every table, perhaps a nod to the Mexican origins of the Rivero Gonzalez family.
NV Sparkling Rosé $41
I like starting a tasting with a sparkler, as it feels very festive. This has the typical rosé aroma and flavor of strawberry, and is dry, with definite minerality and tiny bubbles. There’s also a slight flowery aroma. This is a pleasant, cocktail-time bubbly, though I think the price is a bit high.
The Reserve flight
2021 Sauvignon Blanc $29
“Melon on the nose,” says one of our guests, and I agree, though I try to eschew “wine words.” Speaking of “eschew,” he also describes the wine as a bit chewy. It has more body than one would expect from a sauvignon blanc, with what I describe as a silky mouth feel, and a taste of lemon zest. It is aged in neutral oak. I like it, but our other guest says her appreciation of this wine is lessened due to “unmet expectations,” as it lacks the grassiness she likes in New Zealand sauvignon blancs. Not being a cow, I’m perfectly happy to drink this.
2022 Sparkling Riesling $31
However, she very much likes this next wine, a cloudy (because not disgorged) sparkler with lemon/lime and kiwi flavor, very dry. I am not as fond of it, but agree it would be good with some local oysters (like the Peconic Bay ones we had the night before) or even fried calamari or fish and chips.
The Scielo flight
2021 Viognier $41
Donna explained to us that most of the wines here that are aged in wood are aged in second use (also described as neutral) oak barrels, which means that the wood plays less of a role in the taste of the wines than if they had used new barrels. Though this is only slightly oaked, which smooths it out, it also has not much taste. I say it is inoffensive.
2019 Riesling $28
I will almost never order a riesling unless I have tasted it before, since they can be too sweet for me, but this is a riesling I would order. It is dry, with pleasant minerality and some taste of herbs. We discuss the typical “cat pee” smell, which one guest suggests could more appetizingly be described as “musky.” I compare it to the smell of water in which cut flowers have sat perhaps a day too long. Fortunately, it doesn’t taste like that!
The White Flight: note the cloudiness of the Sparkling Riesling on the left.
2019 White Merlot $38
We have quite a divergence of opinion on this wine, a white wine made from red wine grapes (Wine color comes from the grape skins, so if you don’t let red wine grape juice sit on the skins at all, you get white wine; sit briefly, rosé; longer, reds.). My husband doesn’t like it at all, I think it is nice, and one guest notes it has some of that “Long Island foxiness” one used to get more frequently with merlots. It does have lots of flavor, including some earthiness and an aftertaste of mandarin orange.
2021 Rosé $25
Strawberry aroma and flavor, light, dry, minerality, pleasant…I say meh. Still prefer Croteaux!
2022 Pinot Noir $41
Because this is fermented in steel, not oak, it has a pure, clean taste. It has a light red color, with surprisingly nice tannins and an aroma and flavor of cherries. I say this is easy to drink, and it would go well with roast duck, one of our mutual favorite dishes. Our guest agrees, and notes that “pinot noir and duck are best friends.”
2022 Tinto $31
Donna rattled off all the grapes in this blend, but I don’t remember them all, or the proportions: cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, etc. This is a lovely red, very refined, with flavors of blackberry and currant, and lots of tannins. This could definitely stand up to a hearty beef stew, or even a burger. I could see ordering it if it appeared on a wine list.
The little gift shop features some objets from Mexico.
Reasons to visit: spacious tasting rooms, plus ample outdoor areas; child-friendly atmosphere (we were not the only ones there with youngsters); some very good wines, all very drinkable; I especially liked the White Merlot, the Pinot Noir, and the Tinto, while our guests bought to take home the Sparkling Riesling and the Pinot Noir; very generous pour; good menu of snacks and other dishes. If you do the math, you may be wondering how we had three tastings of four wines each, and I only ended up describing nine of them. Some wines appeared in more than one tasting!
Here’s a great gift idea–a “blending kit,” so one can produce one’s own blended red. Like a chemistry kit for grown-ups, noted John, who nodded when I compared it to the blend-your-own gin experience at Matchbook Distilling Company.
I love the barn-like aesthetic of so many of the vineyards on the North Fork.
We enjoyed our lunch at Jamesport Vineyards so much, we decided to head a little further down the road and do it again at Paumanok. We hadn’t been there since before the pandemic, so it was definitely time to go back. We were planning to sit outside on their pleasant wooden deck, but just as we got there the sun hid behind some clouds and a breeze made us shiver. Of course, shortly after we were settled inside the sun came back out—it was that kind of a if-you-don’t-like-the-weather-wait-five-minutes day—but we were happy with our table by the large windows.
That’s our waiter Rob out on the deck. The tables were pre-set with glassware and seasonal flora.
We were shown to our seat by a pleasant young woman, who also provided us with a bottle of chilled water. The tables were all already set, with sets of four glasses for tastings and larger glasses for the water, plus very attractive seasonal arrangements of gourds, etc. We perused the menus, one for wine and another for food, and decided to share a Winemaker Flight, of two whites and two reds for $22, and get the Cheese and Charcuterie Board for $35.
Our flight arrived about ten or fifteen minutes before our lunch, so we had plenty of time to sample all the wines before starting on the bountiful tray of food. That meant that we knew which wines we liked the best, and then had the chance to decide which went best with the snacks.
We found the pour generous enough that it was easy to share.
The board was ample, enough for at least four people, and we ended up taking home many crackers (including some very tasty gluten-free ones), half the little loaf of bread—which arrived warm, a nice touch—most of the olives and cornichons, some cheese, and a couple of slices of prosciutto and salami. We enjoyed the brie the most, as the other cheeses were…undistinguished, but overall we were happy with the food. Another time, I might think about ordering a la carte, though that might end by costing more. It is nice that they use compostable bamboo utensils and plates, though those knives and forks, unfortunately, don’t work very well. By the way, they don’t allow outside food, and dogs are only permitted during the week. I guess they figure it gets too busy on weekends to allow for dogs.
Lots of yummy stuff!
Our waiter, Rob, checked back with us at proper intervals, and shared his knowledge of and enthusiasm for the wines, which enhanced our experience.
2022 Chenin Blanc $32
“Multi-dimensional,” opined my tasting buddy, as we enjoyed our first sips. The aroma reminds me of white grape juice, and the flavor mixes sweet and tart, with notes of ripe pineapple. Very good, we decide, and move on to our next wine, leaving about half the glass to consume with our cheese and charcuterie.
The bar featured a nice award they won.
2021 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay $32
I was a bit concerned about this, as I often dislike oaked chardonnays, but Rob assures us that this is aged in neutral, or used, oak barrels for only six months, so it is not too oaky. He’s right, and we find this pleasantly smooth, “fruit forward,” according to my pal, who has been reading Wine Spectator. I think it has a taste that is a nice balance between steel and barrel fermented chards. It also goes the best with our lunch. I used to think that charcuterie, being meat, should be paired with reds, but now I prefer whites.
2020 Merlot $36
There are so many versions of merlot on the North Fork that there is surely one for every taste. This one has aromas of cherry and oak shavings, but does not have much fruit taste. I say it is rather light, and my husband says, “It’s kind of quiet,” which I think is apt.
The Massoud family photo, behind which you can see into the winemaking area.
2021 Cabernet Franc $36
We prefer the cab franc, which, though it is also light, with soft tannins, has more interesting fruit flavors and a longer finish. I think it also goes better with the cheese than the merlot. By the way, we felt the pour was more than adequate for sharing the flight.
Reasons to visit: pleasant deck and tasting room; good service; the chenin blanc, though all the wines were drinkable; a pricey but bountiful cheese and charcuterie board; dogs allowed during the week.
The grapes have been harvested. It was a day of alternating sun and clouds.
We were discussing the possibility of going to do a tasting while examining the refrigerator for lunch ideas, when it hit us—why not combine lunch and a tasting? A quick check of the Internet confirmed that Jamesport Vineyards offers their “wood fired” pizza on Thursdays, and in fact they have a Thursday special, of a Margherita pie and a bottle of any of their East End label wines for $45. So we slathered on some sun screen (not really needed, as the patio is amply shaded), put on our shoes, and headed out.
This was a perfect day for sitting outside, but I don’t know how many more of these we will have this year.
We were quickly greeted at the entrance and escorted to a table on the pretty patio, which looks out on beds of flowers, a lawn, and groupings of tables and chairs. A number of other couples must have had the same idea, because bottles or flights of wine and pizzas appeared on most tables. Glasses of ice water, a welcome amenity on this warm afternoon, were set on our table as we perused the menus.
The wine menu offered three tastings, one of all whites, one all reds, and a mixed flight, of four wines for $27, which we decided to order. There are 16 wines on the list, all available as a glass or a bottle. Then we turned the menu over to check out the food offerings, which are quite extensive, from snack-type items like olives and cheeses to real meals, including a lobster roll. But the main attraction is the pizzas, of which seven varieties are listed. We decided to get the “Larry,” for $26, which features house-made mozzarella and house-made hot Italian sausage, plus tomato sauce, onions, roasted red peppers, chili oil, and fresh oregano. It arrived at our table hot from the oven, appropriately singed at the edge, and delicious. It is worth going there for a glass of wine and a lunch pizza any time. The menu says one pie serves two, but we took home enough to reheat (in the oven, please, not the microwave) for dinner. One downer: the plastic knife is totally inadequate to cut the pizza (I know, I do the NYC fold to eat mine, but my tasting buddy prefers to knife and fork his.).
The pizza is divided into six slices, and we found one each to be enough for lunch.
Another note: no children allowed on the weekends, and no dogs except service dogs at any time.
Our waitress brought out the bottles and poured a generous amount for each taste, giving a brief spiel to describe each wine. As we sipped and munched, we discussed what an asset wineries like this are to the North Fork.
2022 Estate Albariño $38
I am generally fond of albariños, and often order one when getting wine by the glass in restaurants. I wish more North Fork wineries used this grape. They tend to be crisp, with nice fruit tastes of pineapple and guava, with some notes of lemon, and this one is no exception. The waitress says she smells banana, which we debate after she leaves. Maybe a very ripe banana? Very good. I’d buy a bottle, but I think I can get it for less at Vintage, our local liquor store.
2019 Estate Riesling $35
Happily, this is not a sweet riesling, as I tend not to like sweet wines (except for dessert). It has very little aroma, and is dry, with lots of minerality. It is not at all fruity, but I find it has an edge to it I don’t care for. I let my husband drink most of it.
The “East End” wines have screw caps, which I have to admit I am coming to prefer.
2022 East End Rosé $38
On the other hand, I like this rosé better than he does. It is crisp and dry, with a touch of fizz. It’s not very fruity, but goes well with the pizza. It is definitely a food wine, not a sipper.
2020 Estate Cabernet Franc $36
“What I smell,” says my seasonally allergy afflicted pal, “smells good.” I agree, and note aromas of cherry and other dark fruits plus tobacco. The taste, however, is a little disappointing, as it is a very light red, with no depth. But it goes the best with the pizza, and is certainly pleasant to drink. “Not bad,” opines my fellow taster.
No surprise, no one wanted to sit inside on this beautiful day.
Reasons to visit: beautiful outdoor setting, with lawn and flower gardens; menu of real foods, particularly the pizzas; the albariño and the rosé; excellent service; laid-back vibe (at least on a weekday).
You can see into the wine-making area from the tasting room.
It had been hot all day, but by 5 o’clock it had cooled off enough to sit outside, which we were glad to notice, since that had been our plan. With our friends the winery aficionados, we headed to Meadowlark for pizza night. The last time we had been to that property, many years ago, it had belonged to a different winery. Then Macari took it over, at first running it as simply a second location for tastings, but now they had rebranded it as a somewhat different type of winery. The emphasis here is on a few wines not available at Macari, as their website says, “limited wines, and innovative winemaking techniques available only at the Meadowlark property.” In addition, they promote the property as an ideal place for weddings and other events, with two renovated barn-like buildings and extensive beautifully landscaped lawns and gardens. It is only open to the public Friday afternoons, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Have rolling pizza oven, will bake!The comfortable table where we settled in for our evening.
We pulled into the parking lot and strolled up a slight rise to where a pizza oven roared, and then checked out one building, where an oyster bar offered freshly shucked oysters, and then the wine bar, before settling at a table on the deck outside the wine bar. Music from speakers in the shrubbery included a few Grateful Dead songs. Inside the wine bar, we acquired four glasses of wine from the limited menu of seven, deciding on two glasses of malbec, one of cabernet franc, and one of a grüner veltliner pet-nat (No flights on Friday nights.).
Then we ambled over to the pizza oven, operated by pizza makers from The Rolling Gold, a shop with a “brick and mortar” site in Huntington. There were five pies on offer, and we decided on one Margherita ($18) and one White ($20). They gave us a buzzer, and only a few sips of wine later the buzzer went off.
The pizzas were tasty, the Margherita with a fresh-tasting red sauce and fresh mozzarella, the white with plenty of garlic and melty stracciatella cheese, the crust appropriately slightly charred. We thought there’d be leftovers, but we only took home one slice. We had the patio to ourselves, though there were plenty of couples and small groups scattered over the lawns, and we sat and chatted until it began to get dark.
Yummy pies.However, we would have liked it if plates were included, instead of just napkins.
Only a few notes on the wines:
Grüner Veltliner Pét-Nat 2022 $35
I’ve never seen a grüner veltliner made into a sparkling wine, so that’s something new to me. I didn’t get to taste it, but one friend quite enjoyed it. Meadowlark’s tasting notes describe it as “fresh” and “lively.”
Though it had cooled off enough to make sitting outside pleasant, it was still quite humid, as you can see by the condensation on this glass.
2020 Malbec $50
Our friend and I both chose this as a good red to go with a pizza, and it was. Dry and pleasant, with more tannins than fruit, it was a very nice wine, though not a $50 bottle. We discussed value versus price for a while, since, we agreed, it is perfectly possible to enjoy wines that are not all that expensive, though great wines are something special.
Cabernet Franc “Life Force” 2020 $30
“Life Force” is the way Macari characterizes the wines they make using a concrete “egg” for aging. Their Life Force Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorites of their wines. This red is rather light, with tastes of red fruit and herbs. It also went well with the pizza, and my husband was happy with this choice.
Those are oysters in the “boat.”
Reasons to visit: excellent pizzas; relaxed, laid-back vibe on a Friday night; beautiful grounds; dogs allowed; some interesting wines to try. I may go back some time on a Saturday or Sunday so I can try a flight, which they serve in test tubes (!).
The staff was busy prepping these “test tubes” for Saturday’s wine tastings.
Why do I title this “A Family Affair”? Two reasons: I went there with a number of family members, and the winery is very emphatically family owned. Perry, who greeted us cheerfully at the sign-in desk, and her mother are the winemakers and owners. In addition, this is a good place to come with a family, as there is room for children to roam about the lawn and they can buy a little container of mealworms to feed the chickens. In fact, Perry started our visit by warning us that someone had left the door to the chicken coop open, and they were wandering the lawn, just in case any member of our party had chicken-phobia (Well, she didn’t quite put it that way.) Sounds more like a feature than a cause for a warning, I replied.
This visit to Old Field, while still having that laid-back vibe, felt somewhat different. First of all, there were many more people there than I have seen in the past, though that could be due to it being Saturday of Labor Day weekend. Then, instead of moseying over to the deck and sitting at a calico-tableclothed table, we ordered at the sign-in desk and were directed to find a table on the lawn, and told our flights would be brought to us. We picked up two bags of popcorn for the little ones and a small container of meal worms ($1 each) for the chickens. By the way, they still allow visitors to bring their own picnics, just requesting that one clean up after oneself.
After a very short wait, during which the youngsters in our group, accompanied by their mother, walked over to the icehouse and the little pond, our flights were set down on the table. The tasting menu offered four options: four whites, four reds ($20), the everyday mixed flight of five wines ($24), or the special occasion mixed flight of five wines ($30). We decided that each couple would share one of the mixed flights, so that in all we tasted ten wines. The flights were served on a tray, in compostable plastic cups, with glasses for each of us, which made sharing easy and hygienic. As we sipped and chatted, a curious chicken stopped by our table to check if we had any snacks, but we were not planning to share our popcorn, and the children had already fed the mealworms to some other fowl.
At the end of your tasting, you walk back past the sign-in desk, where you can pay and also get any bottles to take home.
One view of the capacious lawn. We are headed to the blue table, with its comfortable chairs.
The following notes are in more or less the order in which I tasted the wines, so you might want to refer to the menu to see which wine was in which flight.
Our two flights, with the glasses for each individual.
Sparkling Brut $50
Good, but not $50 good was the group assessment of this very nice, dry, yeasty sparkling wine, which started off the special occasion mixed flight.
2021 Cracklin’ Rosé $23
Made from 100% merlot, this is an unusual rosé, with not much fruit and a slightly funky undertone, with some cherry taste. This was the first wine in the everyday mixed flight.
Though these cups look like plastic, they are actually corn-based and can be composted.
2018 Steel and Oak Chardonnay $26
This is made from a combination of steel-aged and oak fermented chardonnay. The leftovers? joked my husband. For a combined wine, this is surprisingly simple, noted one guest. It is pleasant, but a bit oakier than I like. It has some citrus taste but also a bit of that I chewed on my pencil flavor.
This is the one we brought home.
2022 Winsome White $18
A blend of 50% chardonnay, 35% sauvignon blanc, and 15% grüner veltliner, this very winsome white has a touch of effervescence and some lovely peach flavor. We like it so much that we buy two bottles at checkout.
2022 White Pinot Noir $25
Another winner. Our guests like this the best of their tasting, and find it delicious, with tastes of pears and honey and some depth. We discuss how one makes white wine with red wine grapes with the children, who understand that if you take off the skins right away, you get white wine.
2020 Steel Chardonnay $22
Not my favorite of the day, as it has a somewhat metallic taste and some earthiness. It is light and dry.
2019 Commodore Perry Merlot $40
What’s Commodore Perry’s name doing on a North Fork wine? The famous seafarer, who opened up Japan to Western trade, is an ancestor of the owners of the winery, and this 100% merlot is named in his honor. Aged in French oak, it is quite tannic, with tastes of black cherry and tobacco. I could see aging it.
2021 Dashing Duck $22
A light red, we all agree, which would go well with roast chicken. Then we get into a discussion of the “red-feathered” chickens raised by 8 Hands Farm, as opposed to the “rouge” chickens our guests get in a Queens green market. “In Jackson Heights, we say ‘rouge,’” jokes a guest, in a mock-haughty accent. In any event, this wine has a lovely aroma and tastes of cherry and cranberry, with “some brio,” notes a guest.
2020 Maritime $35
“Oh, that is chewy,” says the same guest, reading the notes while sipping this Bordeaux blend of 33% merlot, 33% cabernet franc, 20% malbec, and 14% petit verdot. Very tasty, with blackberry and other dark fruit flavors.
Is this chicken annoyed because we won’t share our snack or because we’re drinking Rooster Tail?
2020 Rooster Tail $25
We have in the past bought this wine by the case, and we actually have a bottle in our wine cellar at the moment, brought to us by a dinner guest. A blend of 67% merlot and 33% cabernet franc, this is a good everyday pizza and pasta red, with some cherry and spice tastes.
Reasons to visit: the bucolic, laid-back vibe; chickens!; you can bring a picnic and children (but not dogs, I think the chickens would object); we liked almost all the wines, but particularly the Winsome White, the White Pinot Noir, the Commodore Perry merlot, the Maritime, and the Rooster Tail; it is close to Greenport’s restaurants and shops.
What a winning combination–prize winning wine and prize-winning jam.
I’ve learned so much over the years of going to wineries, from the differences between steel-fermented chardonnay and barrel-fermented chardonnay to how varied wines made from the same grape on the same terroir can taste. I’ve also learned a lot from my visits to Coffee Pot Cellars—about wine, yes, but also about all sorts of other topics, from bees to butterflies. Why? Because Laura Klahr, who owns Coffee Pot with her husband, Adam Suprenant, is always happy to share her latest enthusiasms with visitors. Her cheery, chatty personality is part of what makes a visit to this tiny winery fun.
Laura and Anna, with half of the monarch image painted on the wall behind them. Visitors are welcome to pose as butterflies.
On this visit, we learned about Sphinx moths, the part moths play in pollination, and about how certain caterpillars fluoresce under black light. This fall, said Laura, I want to put black lights in the broom closet and have a rave with caterpillars. We also admired the “snail art” hanging on the wall, art produced by snails crawling over paper. Though she no longer raises bees and makes honey, she does make jam, which has won prizes, as have the wines. The 2015 merlot won best merlot in New York State. We tried the 2016, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it won awards, too.
The name Coffee Pot comes from the North Fork lighthouse, which is shaped like a coffee pot.
Now that Adam has retired from being the winemaker at Osprey’s Dominion, he has more time to devote to Coffee Pot, and they now have seven wines, all of which one can taste for $21. As we sipped, we also chatted about her new dog, Anna, a black pug who has, not replaced, but fills the role, of Beasley, also a black pug, who gave his name to a red blend. Anna is featured on their Facebook page, in a very cute little video, wearing a tutu.
On a technical note, they source their grapes from Mccullough’s vineyard, and use the facilities at Lenz for fermentation.
2020 Sauvignon Blanc $23.99
Fermented in steel for six months, this is exactly what you want a sauvignon blanc to be—light, lemony, with some nice fruit tastes and a lovely floral aroma.
Chardonnay $17.99
You might notice the lack of a vintage year. That is because this white is a blend of the 2016 barrel-fermented chard and the 2022 steel fermented. I’m not a fan of barrel-fermented chards, especially if they are very oaky and buttery. This is not, though it still has some of that woody taste I don’t care for. However, the wine is quite drinkable, and is a good compromise between the two styles of chard, with some nice lemon and pear notes.
2022 Rosé $17.99
While we were at Coffee Pot, a couple came in and bought two bottles of this rosé, plus several jars of jam. I can see why, as this is a lovely example of rosé, with strawberry and cherry tastes and aromas. It’s made from a combination of merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes. We buy a bottle to take home.
2016 Merlot $17.99
Buy a bottle of merlot, help save a monarch butterfly. How? For every bottle of merlot bought, Blossom Meadow farm plants a milkweed plant, essential nutrition for monarch caterpillars. In addition, this is a very good merlot, with the typical North Fork cherry taste and aroma. It has some tannins, and could probably even age a bit, but we buy two bottles for current consumption.
There’s Beasley, standing on the lighthouse.
2017 Beasley’s Blend $23.99
Gone, but not forgotten, Beasley will continue to give his name to this Bordeaux-style blend, of 52% cabernet franc, 40% merlot, and 8% petit verdot. Anna can’t give her name to a wine yet, Laura explained, because she is not old enough to drink! This iteration is a new release, with enough tannins that I think it could age quite a few years yet. There’s a touch of funky forest floor in the aroma, which also has lots of dark fruit notes. It also has some delicious brambly dark fruit tastes.
2019 Cabernet Franc $29.99
Here’s where I learned something about wine. Adam, says Laura, asserts that every wine tells a story, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. He felt this cab franc had a rather “flabby” middle, so he added 12% merlot to give it more structure. I’d say he built a fine structure, as this is a red strong enough to stand up to a steak. Yummy tastes of blackberries, and more.
Half of the room, with snail art on the wall. The stools are not very comfortable.
2017 Meritage $28.99
Another delicious red! This one is 70% merlot, 20% petit verdot, and 10% cabernet sauvignon, with a distinct cherry aroma from the merlot, but more complex tastes from the other two grapes. Mouth-watering, my husband and I agree.
Reasons to visit: intimate tasting room where you can talk with Laura and/or Adam (Laura told us that Monday is usually Adam’s day) and meet little Anna; all seven of their wines, but especially the rosé, the merlot, and the cabernet franc; the possibility of learning something new from Laura. One note: the bar stools are still not comfortable, though they do have tables on the front porch and out back with better seating.
One can sit in the yard, but then one wouldn’t get to chat with Laura.
Many (many!) years ago, while traveling in Europe, we rendezvoused for several days in Paris with dear friends. Recently, they came north from Florida to escape the summer heat, and we were delighted they included a trip to the North Fork in their itinerary. To honor those memories of France, we made salade niçoise for lunch, and then took them to the most French of the North Fork wineries, Croteaux. Croteaux only makes rosés, and makes them in the dry Provençal style.
This view makes the garden look empty, but behind me it was full.
Happily, the weather cooperated, and it was pleasantly warm and sunny, because you want to sit in the lovely garden when you go there. We followed a path from the parking area to an entrance in a barn, where we were promptly greeted and escorted to a table where we were given a nice cold bottle of water and some cups. As we looked around, we noted that the garden was fairly crowded though they have added additional tables in an extended area. Soft music set a relaxing mood.
You can scan the QR code or we can give you a printed-out menu, we were informed. We opted for the printout. Puzzlingly, the printed menu lists the prices of the wines as $39 and $37, while they in fact are $29 and $27. They should probably fix that.
Croteaux only has table service—no standing at a bar. They also offer a nice menu of real food, and we saw several very good-looking lobster slider rolls sail past our table enroute to lunchers. I can definitely see coming here for a chilled glass of rosé and a lobster roll.
This tub filled with water bottles is typical of the slightly funky aesthetic of the garden.
After some discussion, we decided that each couple would share one tasting—which proved to be more than enough, since, as much as we all liked the wines, we left over quite a bit. One tasting of their six still wines is $28. One could also opt for a tasting of their three sparklers for $26. In past years we have belonged to their case club, which is their version of a wine club. Buy a case (which one should do early in the season), and you’re in.
If you are familiar with rosé, you can skip this paragraph… Rosé is usually made from red wine grapes, and how long they sit with the skins on determines how dark the rosé is. Rarely, it is made with white grapes, which then also sit with the skins on. Some people think rosé is some sort of blend of red and white—which it actually could be, but not in the sense of here’s some red wine, let’s mix it with white until it is a pale pink.
Our tasting in progress…you are told the order in which to try them, but then we kept going back and forth.
2022 Chloe Sauvignon Blanc $29
As you can tell by the name, this is made from white wine grapes. This is a rosé for white wine drinkers, with a sweet aroma of honeysuckle and peach. The taste is also of peaches and other stone fruit, but it is a dry wine. Delicious, we all agree.
2022 Merlot 181 $29
Of the six wines we tasted, this is our least favorite. It is more austere, less fruity, than the others, and really needs to be paired with food, like seafood in a rich cream sauce.
2022 Merlot 3 $29
I smell orange blossoms and minerals, and we joke about licking rocks from the beach. Lots of strawberry and orange tastes, with a long finish, make this rosé a real contrast to the 181.
2022 Merlot Sauvage $29
I explain to our friends that “sauvage” refers to the use of wild yeast, and one friend, a music aficionado, says the word “sauvage” reminds him of a line from the Benjamin Britton ballet, “Les Illuminations,” “J’ai seul la clef de cette parade sauvage.” The line is from a poem by Rimbaud. Thus illuminated, we sip the wine, and are quite pleased. Comments include “mouth-watering,” “a lot of taste,” and “peaches again.” It also has a very pleasing minerality. We each buy a bottle.
There are helpful tasting notes undeneath each glass.
2022 Merlot 314 $27
I swear, this smells like orange juice. Yummy. It is fruity, and would pair well with charcuterie.
2022 Jolie Cabernet Franc $27
They saved the best for last, we decide, as we enjoy this flavorful sipper, with notes of strawberry shortcake and spice. We also each buy a bottle of this one, as well.
The pretty bottles make nice gifts.When it is time to pay, you go through the doorway in the background, where there is a little retail store.Checks are charmingly delivered attached to shells.
Reasons to visit: the lovely, relaxed garden setting; dogs are allowed; you like rosés; all the wines we tasted, but especially the Sauvage and the Jolie; nice menu of snacks.
Some of the items for sale in the retail store.Cans of wine are becoming increasingly popular.
Our flight in progress. Note that every tasting comes with a little bag of oyster crackers, useful for clearing the palate between tastes.
In New Orleans, “lagniappe” refers to a little something extra, which this blog post is. I don’t usually do two blogs in such quick succession, but it was time to pick up our wine club shipment at Pellegrini, and we decided to do a quick tasting. I didn’t even bring my notebook! But as we sipped, I started to take a few sketchy notes, and before I knew it, I had decided to do a short blog post.
On this Tuesday afternoon, we had the tasting room to ourselves. We were greeted cheerily by Ryan, who was delighted to serve us. After acquiring our shipment, we circled on the tasting menu the three wines we were already buying, plus a few others that seemed of interest. When Ryan saw that I had circled the gewürztraminer, he suggested that I add a new wine, the BBQ white, which includes gewürztraminer grapes, thinking that we would like it. He was not wrong.
So here are a few notes on the wines we sampled. If you want to know more about the tasting room, check out my past posts on Pellegrini!
We went home with three boxes like this: our wine club selections, the roses, and North Fork Project merlot (Three bottles for $36).
2021 Rosé $24.99
I wanted a bottle of rosé to bring to a party, so I knew I wanted to try this. Plus, it’s on sale! A blend of 80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% Merlot 181 (the number refers to the merlot clone they used), this is a many-faceted rosé, and is quite tasty. We buy some for ourselves and some to give away.
2020 Gewürztraminer $24.99
I wanted to try this because it is also on sale, and we love One Woman’s gewürztraminer. This is nice, but I don’t like it as much as hers, though it is fruity and delicious. It just seems a bit one-note-ish.
2022 East End Select BBQ White $26.99
As much as I like a bargain, I also like to buy what I like, and we both like this one. It is 46% gewürztraminer and 54% stainless steel chardonnay, a winning combination. Ryan’s suggestion that we try this pans out, as we buy a bottle. Yummy, with the sweetness of the gewürztraminer tamed by the citrus of the chardonnay.
Steakhouse Red $21.99
This is their basic table red, and indeed it is a good hamburger/pasta red, light but with nice tannins and a bit of a funky aroma. “It has an edge,” says my tasting pal.
2017 Cabernet Franc $32.99
A blend of 95% cabernet franc plus 5% merlot, aged 18 months in French oak, this is a somewhat light but very pleasant red.
2015 Regalo $49.99
Regalo means gift, and this is a gifted wine, a Bordeaux-style blend of 50% petit verdot, 30% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot, and 5% cabernet franc. So good. Complex, with lots of varied fruit flavors. We put our wine club bottle in the cellar to age.
Reasons to visit: join the wine club! We joined for reds only, and have never regretted it. We liked all the wines we tried, but especially the BBQ White and the Regalo.
The confluence of our anniversary and Father’s Day on a sunny afternoon made us decide to brave the weekend crowds and do a wine tasting. And the crowds were definitely here, as the time of year approaches when one plans carefully for left turns. There’s a traffic light on Cox Lane, for example. Many of the wineries we passed had full parking lots, with cars parked on the grass in some cases, but Sherwood House was not crowded.
The building is unassuming, and easy to miss.We were greeted promptly and given our choice of tables.
We hadn’t been to Sherwood House since 2018, when it featured a somewhat complex menu of two different owners, so we were curious to see what had changed since we’d last been there. Not a lot externally, it turned out, but quite a lot in terms of the wines. The tasting room is still in a house, with a rather discreet sign on Main Road (I missed it and had to turn around!), adjacent to the William Ris Gallery. The pleasant garden area out front was occupied by a large table of bachelorettes, who were having a good time, so we asked if we could sit elsewhere. The lovely hostess escorted us to the back deck, which we had to ourselves. As we walked through the inside, we remembered sitting on the comfy couches in front of the fireplace on a winter visit. The overall esthetic is modernized rustic farmhouse.
Cozy setting for winter tastings.
The tasting menu lists one flight, of six wines for $35, but the server informed us that the final red, the Sherwood Manor, is no longer available, as they are phasing it out. It will be replaced by a merlot, which is not yet bottled. Five wines for $30 sounded fine to us, and we sipped the cool water we were served as we waited for our flight to be prepped. We also ordered North Fork potato chips and a dip, for $16 (a bit steep, though the dip, a blend of spinach, Greek yogurt, and lemon, with a touch of garlic, was very good).
Our snack of a very good dip and a bag of chips.
The flight came in cute little bottles, which we shared out into attractive large glasses. After we finished, we ordered a glass of the Blanc de Blancs as we sat and finished our dip (the rest of the chips came home with us), and the server brought us clean glasses so we could share.
The flight.
2020 Estate Blanc de Blancs $60
We were glad to start with a bubbly, as it gave us a chance to toast our dual holiday. This is a rather classic sparkling wine, with a yeasty aroma, dry, with the taste one expects from a chardonnay-based wine, of citrus, plus a bit of a funky olive-y note. The cost, however, did give us pause.
This is my half of the full glass of bubbly we ordered after the flight. Not a lot of bubbles…
2020 Brut Rosé $55
Another sparkling wine, this one a very light pink, made from merlot, pinot noir, and “a splash” of chardonnay. It has not much aroma, and nice bubbles, but the taste is very light, so light as to be almost non-existent. As my tasting buddy quipped, “I can’t even remember what it tasted like now.”
2019 Oregon Road Chardonnay $37
Why Oregon Road? Because that is where their vineyard is, and they do some of their winemaking at Lenz. This is their steel-fermented chard, and it is a pretty classic North Fork chardonnay, with aromas of honeysuckle and lemon, and a nice dry taste of lemon and fruit. It would go well with scallops. On the other hand, you can get a liter bottle of North Fork Project chardonnay for $13 (sometimes as little as $10 if you buy three at the winery).
The back deck was a pleasant place to spend an afternoon.
2019 Estate Chardonnay $50
“Not objectionable,” says my husband. Talk about damning with faint praise…this is their oaked chardonnay, and it is not too heavily oaked, though it does have tastes of vanilla and is somewhat creamy. It smells sweet, with some touches of forest floor. I generally prefer steel-fermented chards, but I don’t mind drinking this one—though again, the price seems a bit much.
This is my half of the red wine.
2019 Estate Cabernet Franc $60
The aroma is of cherries and other berries and tobacco, which seemed promising. However, the wine is rather light and nondescript, though quite drinkable. At a lower price it would be fine.
Before or after your tasting you can tour the gallery.
Reasons to visit: pleasant setting, with a pretty garden out front, a rustic porch out back, and comfy couches in front of a fireplace for winter visits; the Estate Blanc de Blancs, though overpriced, is quite good; a usual menu of snacks, with a very good dip; they use bamboo plates, which are recyclable. Note: they do not seem to have a web page, but you can find them on Facebook.
NoFo Wineaux 