Tag Archives: Dan Abrams

EV&EM: Is it Worth it?

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

March 7, 2025

The outside looks basically the same.

We were sitting in our living room Friday afternoon when I looked out the window and noted that it was both sunny and above freezing—metrological conditions that have not existed for a while.  “Why don’t we go do a tasting?” I asked. So we put on our shoes and headed out to ev&em winery, which we had last been to not long after Dan Abrams bought Laurel Lake and changed, well, everything except the exterior, which still looks like a traditional farmhouse.  Inside, the décor is sleek and modern, with a gas fireplace, a long bar, and plenty of tables and chairs (lacking last time we stopped in!), plus ample seating on a side porch.

The fireplace is a nice touch.

We were immediately greeted—well, there were only two other couples there—and told we could sit anywhere we chose, so we took a table facing the fireplace.  I mean, it was above freezing, but not exactly summer.  Still, sparkling, or tap?  We chose tap, a chilled bottle of which was promptly provided.  (Sparkling or still would have set us back $5 or $10, depending on the size.)

There are three flights to choose from: Classic, of four wines for $38; ev&em, of four for $32; or a wine and chocolate pairing flight, with four wines and four chocolate truffles, for $50. $12 or $18 for four chocolates seemed a bit steep to us, so we decided to share the Classic option.  However, I saw that it included their barrel fermented chardonnay, and since I tend not to like oaked chards, I decided to ask if I could sub in one wine from the other tasting.  We also wanted a little snack, but nothing as big as a cheese or charcuterie board, so settled on a bag of potato chips ($3.50).

Soon, our server came to take our order.  Could I have the Lightly  Chilled Red instead of the oaked chard?  I could, but she explained that their chardonnay was aged in neutral oak, so it would not have that buttery taste I dislike.  How about if she gave me just a splash of it to taste, along with the red?  I have a principle of never turning down a taste, so I said yes, and added in the order of potato chips.

She returned with a placemat with circles for the four tastes and four wine glasses, two of which she filled with the two chardonnays on the menu, then added a glass of the red.  There was plenty to share.  After a while, another server came with the two reds in the tasting, and I reminded her that we had asked for chips.  She handed us a bag, and then I had to ask for napkins as well.  (Most wineries will give you a plate or two for chips.)

  •  2023 Steel Fermented Chardonnay                     $40

This has a lovely aroma of Granny Smith apples plus some minerality, and tastes of green apple, pineapple, and tangerine (though my tasting buddy is not so sure of the latter).  It’s quite nice, but so are other North Fork chardonnays that don’t cost $40.

  •   2023 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay                  $45

She is right, it is not buttery, but I’m still not fond of it.  The aroma is a bit funky, I think something that I’ve heard described as “forest floor.”  My husband says he likes the taste better than the smell.  Again, I get some pineapple, plus some spice, maybe nutmeg?  We don’t finish it.

  • Lightly Chilled Red NV (non-vintage)     $32

One sip, and I am sure this is a steel-fermented red, an assumption validated by our server when she returns, though she does not know what percentage of different grapes go into it.  It’s a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and pinot noir. This is a light, bright, fresh-tasting drink, with tastes of cranberry and raspberry.  Good red for those who don’t care for red wines.

  • 2022 Pinot Noir               $65

“Ooh,” I tell my tasting buddy, “I really like this.”  “How much is it?” he asks.  I tell him.  “You don’t like it that much!” he answers.  I guess he’s right, though it is better than the average pinot noir out here, with yummy flavors of blackberry and a delicious mouth feel.   

  • 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon          $58

This one doesn’t have much aroma, and is somewhat of a letdown after the pinot noir.  It has some nice spice and berry notes, but not much depth.  And, like all the wines we’ve tasted today, the question of value arises.  Is it worth the price being charged?  Given that there are other North Fork wines of similar quality for less, I think not.  Others may differ, or like the celebrity connection.

Reasons to visit:  pleasant tasting room, with a fireplace for winter warmth; plenty of outdoor space for the warmer weather; the pinot noir, if you don’t mind the price, and the Lightly Chilled Red if you want to serve a red to someone who usually drinks whites.

These couches look like a nice spot to sit with friends.
The deck is roomy, plus there is an outside area.

Ev & Em Vineyards: Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 11, 2022

The little sign attached to the big sign said “open,” so in we went.  Laurel Lake was one of the last vineyards we went to in 2020, pre-pandemic—on February first—so we were curious to see how the new owners had changed things.  From the outside, it didn’t look all that different, but as soon as we opened the doors we were amazed at the changes.  If you’ve ever watched “Restaurant Impossible,” you know how much a room can change, but this was huge.  The room even retained a faint smell of fresh paint.

From the outside it doesn’t look all that different.

Instead of having a warm, country vibe, the room has been transformed into a sleek modern space, with the old-fashioned hearth replaced by a gray stone fireplace.  The room seemed particularly bare because they have not yet gotten their furniture.  Supply chain issues, I assume.  I sympathize, since we recently bought a set of eight dining room chairs, only six of which were in the store.  Oh yes, we were told, we will have those other two chairs for you in a couple of weeks.  Three months later we ended up with two chairs of a similar design, which we put at the head and foot of the table to minimize the differences. 

We moved two wire chairs (I believe holdovers from Laurel Lake) from in front of the fireplace and put them next to a shelf display unit, to improvise somewhere to rest our glasses while we sat and sipped.

Even the wood floor looks different, as it is now a lighter color than before.
You can see the large porch area and the grassy field beyond it, where we once sat on a summer’s day.

 If you want to stand at the bar, there’s plenty of space, since it extends all along one side of the room.  And once summer comes, they will have a lot of room—assuming their furniture arrives! —on the covered porch and the grassy grounds.  Summer will also bring a food truck, at which point they will most likely no longer allow outside food.  At the moment, all they have on offer is North Fork Potato Chips, so they likely wouldn’t object if you came with a snack—though there are no tables on which to put it.  (By the way, they do allow dogs on leashes.)

We perused the menu, which had three categories:  the Ev & Em E2 flight, of four wines for $32; Whalebone wines, available by the glass or bottle; and Laurel Lake wines, which they will continue to sell until they are sold out, of four wines out of a list of thirteen, for $25.  Having tasted most of the Laurel Lake offerings, we decided to go for the E2 (E squared?) tasting.  Since the new owner has kept the same winemaker, we were curious as to how the E2 offerings would compare.  The new owner, by the way, is Dan Abrams, of ABC news fame, and the winery’s unusual name is a tribute to his two children.  His book, Kennedy’s Avenger, is for sale at the winery.

Of course, Dan Abrams’ book is for sale in the tasting room.

So we told Danielle, the friendly and chatty server, our choice, and she poured our first taste into a nice big glass.  Each time I got up to fetch our next taste, she and I chatted a bit, and she happily answered all of my questions.  I was wondering what the Whalebone Wine was about, and she said it had to do with an interview in a magazine of that name, on display in the tasting room, for which a couple of wines were created.

  •  2020 Chardonnay          $32

I could immediately tell this was an oaked chard, since it had that piney, woodsy aroma of oak. Fortunately, it was not too heavily oaked, so though it had a bit of an unctuous mouth feel, it also had some refreshing citrus notes and some minerality.  My drinking buddy pronounced it “drinkable.”    

We improvised a place to rest our wine glasses as we discussed our tastes.
  • 2019 Gewürztraminer   $32

Danielle and I had a bit of a discussion about this one, since she said she liked it better than the Laurel Lake version of this grape.  I found it too sweet.  It has a lovely flowery aroma, and tastes of peaches and nutmeg (peach pie, anyone?).  My husband thought it was monochromatic, and definitely too sweet for him.  I much prefer the One Woman gewürztraminer, which was, at least the last time I tried it, much more complex.  I guess this would be okay with spicy Thai food.

  • 2019 Merlot      $40

Would you like a clean glass?  Yes, I would.  Always a nice touch.  There are many, many merlots on the North Fork, and every different price point, starting with the North Fork Project’s one liter bottle for $10 (three for $30 at Pellegrini Winery), surely the best NoFo bargain.  The E2 merlot is at one of the higher price points, and not really worth it, though it’s not bad.  It has a slight fruit/cherry aroma, with soft tannins, and is dry with tastes of fruit and herbs.  Short finish, or as we like to say, the taste evanesces.

  •  2019 Cabernet Franc     $40

Although the winemaker has remained, he has, notes Danielle, tweaked the flavors of the new wines so they are different from the old ones.  We discuss what a nice guy Juan Sepúlveda is, as I once had a long and illuminating chat with him when I came for a tasting and he was hanging out in the tasting room.  In common with a tasting we had when this was Laurel Lake, the reds are still served too cold, so I warm it in my palm.  After it warms up, we quite like this red, with its aroma of berries and wood and tastes of red fruit and spice.  Dry, with some good tannins, which makes me wonder if it would age well. 

From the tasting room you can peek into the wine-making area. Here you can see the light fixtures reflected in the glass.

Reasons to Visit:  time to try a new place, though I suggest you wait until they get their furniture; pleasant outdoor spaces; they will have a food truck; the chardonnay, if you don’t mind some oakiness, and the cabernet franc; dogs are allowed; you’re a fan of Dan Abrams.