Macari Vineyards: Time to Book a Table

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with cabernet franc, Dos Aguas red, Dos Aguas white, Life Force Cabernet Franc, Life Force sauvignon blanc, Macari Vineyards, Malbec, no outside food, North Fork, rose, sauvignon blanc, snacks available, wine tasting February 25, 2023

www.Macariwines.com

February 23, 2023

I’ve become quite familiar with Macari’s tasting room this year, since I now belong to a book club that meets there. What’s better than sitting around a table with a group of bright people, discussing books and sipping wine? Oh, and let’s not forget nibbling on truffled potato chips. However, the book group has settled on one favorite wine—the Life Force Sauvignon Blanc—so when friends who belong to the Macari wine club offered to take us there for a tasting, we accepted with alacrity. They made the reservation, which, by the way, is required.

*Not sure what this is, but it is impressive.*

To get to the entrance, you have to wend your way around the wrap-around porch. The room you enter is dominated by a decorative structure which I think is beautiful, but which defies categorization. We were shown to a table overlooking the vineyards on a plastic-windowed porch, cozily warm, with chairs decorated with soft furry drapes. In front of us were place mats with three glasses, and the names of the three wines in the standard tasting. However, as our cheery server informed us, as wine club members we could choose the special wine club trio of tastes. It took my husband and me only a moment to decide that he would get the standard group and I would opt for the wine club tastes. One friend also got the wine club trio, while her husband opted for a glass of his current favorite, the Dos Aguas Red, a blend of 48% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. ($35 per bottle) The Dos Aguas refers to the North Fork’s two waters—the Long Island Sound and Great Peconic Bay—which moderate the climate.

*The tables were set like this. If you didn’t want the three wines on offer, you could substitute others from the list.*

As we discussed what to get, the server brought us chilled bottles of water. We also ordered a charcuterie board for four, which had enough meat, cheese, almonds, olives, bread, hummus, and chips for at least six. ($50) Yum. We all agreed that this was a very civilized way to spend a damp, chilly February afternoon.

*No outside food allowed, but they have plenty of snacks to choose from.*

2020 Dos Aguas White $24

This was the first of the wine club trio, and a very good way to begin. It is a light, dry, lemony white blend, half grüner veltliner, blended with pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, and a touch of chardonnay. The grüner can tend to be a bit sweet, but in this case it was nicely balanced with the other grapes. It would go well with seafood in a cream sauce.

2022 Life Force Sauvignon Blanc $28

As I noted, this is the book club favorite, and for a good reason. It is aged in a combination of a concrete “egg,” and stainless steel, which makes it both more complex and smoother than a typical sauvignon blanc. One time, years ago, we were at Macari and happened to get into a discussion with the winemaker about the concrete egg, and he gave us a long explanation of the benefits of this way of aging wines. I’ll just say, it seems to work really well. This is dry but fruity, very easy to drink.

*I believe these are the wine club prices.*

2019 Life Force Cabernet Franc $30

My favorite of the day, this is a yummy red, with tastes of berries and plums. Again, this is aged in concrete. It was the second of the wine club trio.

2021 Rosé $24

On the other hand, this was my least favorite, a very light rosé, tart, with not much fruit.

*We had made some serious inroads on the charcuterie platter before I remembered to take a photo.*

2019 Malbec $50

We had made some inroads on the charcuterie platter by the time I got to the malbec, and I noted that it went very well with the cheese and other snacks in front of us. Despite its high price, I did not like it as well as the Life Force Cab Franc, though it is a perfectly good wine. I got some cherry taste, and nice tannins. Perhaps it needs to age a bit more.

*By the time we left, the room had emptied out quite a bit.*

2020 Cabernet Franc $38

One problem with this red was that it was served too cold, a common problem. I think if it had had time to warm up, I might have liked it better. I found it somewhat light for a cab franc, with notes of berries and herbs. Very drinkable.

Reasons to visit: pleasant tasting room overlooking the vineyard; excellent service; I liked all the wines, but especially the Life Force Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc; ample charcuterie board (no outside food). One unfortunate note—when the room is crowded, it tends to become very noisy, as it was during this holiday week.

Bedell Cellars: Varied Factors

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Bedell Cellars, Coffee Pot Cellars, Corey Creek, dogs allowed, Laura Klahre, Malbec, no outside snacks, North Fork, Palmer, Pinot Gris, rose, snacks available, wine tasting October 25, 2022

October 21, 2022

The experience of doing a wine tasting can be affected by many factors, not all of them related to the wines themselves. For example, the last time we went to Palmer the lackadaisical service made the experience less pleasant than in the past. On the other hand, the lively presence of Laura Klahre makes every visit to Coffee Pot Cellars a pleasure. In this case, our feelings about Bedell were colored by the fact that it was a beautiful warm fall day, we had a great seat on the porch looking out at the vines, and we had one of our favorite people in the world with us. We also had the capacious porch almost entirely to ourselves (no worries about having to vacate our seats, as the sign on the table warned).

*Even the parking lot is nicely landscaped.*

*The walkway leads directly to the porch.*

*Plenty of room today. Our friend noted it would be a nice venue for a big party or wedding.*

We entered the porch from the prettily landscaped parking area, and were greeted by a young man behind the bar, who provided us with menus. Bedell offers a basic flight of three of their wines for $15, or you can assemble your own flight from their menu of 19 wines for $6-$10 per taste. Since we wanted to compare notes, we decided to each get the basic flight (with my husband and me sharing, since I was the designated driver), with the idea of getting an additional taste of something else if we wanted it. The server poured our three tastes, and we carried them to a corner table where the afternoon sun made a nice warm spot. We hadn’t had lunch, so we ordered a cheese and one of the salumi and some crackers, which were brought to our table.

The snacks came wrapped, with plates and those little wooden knives—which were quite inadequate for slicing the cheese, a nice wedge of Beemster. It would be helpful to get a real knife. We also were given little wooden picks for picking up the slices of Napoli salami, which fortunately came pre-sliced. The crackers were…inoffensive.

As we sipped and chatted and enjoyed the view, soft rock of the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel variety played in the background. The pour, by the way, was fairly generous, and we felt no need for more wine.

2021 Rosé $25

The weather was doing a pretty good imitation of late summer rather than early fall, so the rosé felt quite appropriate. It has an interesting aroma of tropical fruit and minerals, with tastes of guava and minerals. Nice, dry, and light; our friend notes it would be “nice on an August afternoon,” to sip on its own.

2020 Pinot Gris $30

Like the rosé, this has a more interesting aroma than many wines of this variety. I say mossy and a bit funky, and no one disagrees with me. The taste is also more complex than many North Fork whites, with some tart Granny Smith apple taste. We decide that it is best with food, and make some inroads on the cheese and salami.

*I noticed the plastic curtains, which should make the porch usable even on not so nice days.*

2019 Malbec $45

But the cheese goes best with this wine, an intense red with crushed berry taste which our friend compares to her favorite soda, Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry, except not sweet. She starts fantasizing about drinking it with some matzo ball soup, a knish, and a pastrami sandwich. Maybe! It is good, though not $45 good, we agree, and I remember that one time when I wrote about Bedell I discussed the issues of price and value in wines. They still have some very pricey wines, including Musée, at $125 per bottle. Wow.

*We made friends with Barney, who was focused on a crumb I had dropped.*

Reasons to visit: in warm weather, a pleasant outdoor covered porch with a view looking out over the vines; all three of the wines were good, though not good enough that we bought any; they allow dogs, at least on the porch, since as we were getting ready to leave we had a little visit with Barney; you can build your own tasting from their extensive menu of wines.

Raphael: Pretend You’re in Italy

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with cabernet franc, Estate Merlot, Malbec, merlot, no dogs allowed, North Fork, pinot grigio, Raphael, riesling, rose, Rose of Pinot NOir, sauvignon blanc, snacks available, wine tasting July 17, 2022

July 15, 2022

Looking like a villa in Tuscany, the Raphael tasting room sits on the Main Road in Peconic. A covered veranda in the back looks out onto the grape vines, and the warm weather this week made it really feel like Italy. We drove in past the miniature villa gateposts, around the Italianate fountain, and parked in the lot. Through heavy wooden doors that would not be out of place on a palazzo we went, entering a huge space where a disembodied voice said, “Welcome!”

The voice soon materialized into a young woman, who cheerily asked us if we wanted to sit inside or outside. Noting that there was plenty of room to be socially distant from other tasters, we opted to sit inside at a table facing outside, where she left us with a couple of menus.

As we perused the menus, she returned with two bottles of Poland Spring water. I no longer buy bottled water, but these would be convenient for the future. It was lunch time, and on a previous visit we’d had very good flatbread pizzas. However, they no longer have them (or at least, not during the week), and the menu features a selection of cheeses, crackers, hummus, etc., all a la carte (so if you want crackers with your cheese, you need to order them). We also noticed that every tasting comes with a “snack.” “What is that?” we asked. “Sort of a grown-ups Lunchables,” she replied. Ah. We decided to add a serving of hummus ($8) and tortilla chips ($10), most of which we ended up taking home, as the chips were a huge bag and the humus a 10-ounce container (very good, by the way). The snack was indeed quite mini, consisting of about four crackers and as many slices of bland cheese, plus some slices of spicy sausage. However, it did remind us of how in Italy one is often served some sort of snack with a glass of wine, like a dish of olives, or like the time in Bologna when there were three of us sharing a bottle of wine, and the waiter brought a plate of cheeses and sausages (no charge).

Meanwhile, we were debating over which flight to get, as they have six different options. We could see by looking at other tables that the serving per taste is quite generous, but we wanted to try a panoply of wines, so we decided to just plan not to finish each glass, and get a flight of four whites for $25 and four reds for $25. Both flights were brought to our table on labeled strips of paper. Our waitress launched into her little scripted speech about each wine, enlivened by her personal preferences, with which we agreed. For example, we had a little chat about riesling, which she noted she sometimes dislikes as too sweet, but felt the current iteration of Raphael’s riesling is one she likes. I was a bit concerned when she described a couple of the reds as “summer reds,” and when I tasted them I saw why.

As we sat and sipped and munched and looked out at the vines, my tasting buddy said that Raphael gets an A+ for service and setting. As to the wines…

2021 Rosé of Pinot Noir $30

Our server explained that this is a “true” rosé, made from red wine grapes treated like white grapes. It is a pretty color, and had a pleasantly fruity aroma. We liked the taste, too, with notes of citrus and black cherry, not too sweet, not too dry. A good summer sipper.

In an effort to counteract the blandness of the cheese and the spiciness of the sausage, I combined them.

2021 Sauvignon Blanc $30

All their whites are fermented in steel, which sometimes leaves a slightly metallic aroma, which this has. It is a touch petillant, crisp and light. A little fruity. Nice.

2021 Pinot Grigio $30

In France, they call this grape pinot gris. We like this wine the best so far, with a taste of baked pears. Not much aroma. Good for sipping or with food, like roast chicken, or even pork chops.

2021 Riesling $30

Many rieslings have a smell described as “cat pee,” which, having had a cat in the past, I can say this one has, though faintly. There is some sweetness here, but there is also a bit of a funkiness which takes the edge off the sweetness. Pleasant. Though my husband finds it too sweet for him, I think it would be fine with something spicy, like Thai food.

2019 Cabernet Franc $36

This is one of the wines she described as “summery,” and I think I know why. It is soft and fresh and easy to drink, with slight tannins, a berry aroma, and tastes of ripe dark fruits.

2019 Pinot Noir $50

“Not a very exciting red,” opines my drinking pal, and I agree. It’s not bad, just kind of mellow and soft. When I tell him the price, he says, “We’re not getting it!” He also thinks that people may not, in general, want strong reds, which would account for the popularity of a wine like this.

*If you plan to go, check their website, and the winery is sometimes closed for private parties.*

2019 Estate Merlot $30

As our waitress noted, we are in the middle of merlot country here, as that grape is “happy” on the North Fork. This is a fairly typical North Fork merlot, with nice cherry flavor, but ultimately meh.

2020 Estate Malbec $36

This is my favorite of the reds, with a beautiful dark color, yummy fruit aroma, and dark fruit tastes—though again, no tannins. “It’s not oomphy,” says my husband, and I agree.

Reasons to visit: beautiful building and veranda, with vineyard views; attentive service; generous pour for the flights; the whites more than the reds, though all the wines were drinkable; the Rosé of Pinot Noir, the Pinot Grigio, the Malbec; nice place to come with a couple of friends.

*There’s a fairly extensive gift shop, which may be another reason to visit.*

Suhru Wines: Shelter from the Storm

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with About Food, All for One, Bordeaux blend, Braun's, Bridge Lane, cabernet franc, Cutchogue, Ember, Lieb Cellars, Malbec, menu of snacks, North Fork, NV Brut, petit verdot, pinot grigio, Russell Hearn, Shiraz, Southold, SuHru, teroldego, wine tasting February 21, 2022

February 19, 2022

*There’s a convenient parking lot out back.*

It was the type of day when, as they say, if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. In the morning, with some guests, we explored the Southold Winter Festival, and it was sunny though cold and windy. We admired the ice sculptures being chiseled out of blocks of ice, stopped in to a couple of our favorite shops, and headed home to warm up and have a snack. Then we ventured out again in the afternoon, as the sunny day turned cloudy, and snowflakes flew past us, to have a tasting at Suhru in Cutchogue. By the time we emerged, the storm was over and it was sunny again. (And then later another snow squall moved through!)

*There wasn’t much to the first Southold Winter Festival, but the ice sculptor was cool.*

We were all glad we had ventured out, because we thoroughly enjoyed our tasting experience at Suhru’s small but well laid out tasting room, which we had to ourselves most of the afternoon. The young man in charge of the room was attentive, engaging, and well-informed about the wines, bringing us water and making sure we had all that we needed.

Suhru is a winery without a vineyard, as the winemaker, Russell Hearn (who is also the winemaker for Leib and Bridge Lane), buys his grapes each year based on whose crop he favors. For example, he makes wine from teroldego grapes, which were planted by Southold Farm + Cellar, who sadly had to move to Texas. At the moment, Russell offers ten wines for tasting, with four different flight options: February Favorites, four wines for $17; Whites and Rosé, four for $14; Red Wines, four for $21, and Choose Your Own, any four for $19. You can also ask for individual tastes, glasses, or a bottle. Our friends went with the red flight, while my husband and I decided to choose our own adventure.

I hadn’t been here since 2018, so I didn’t know they now have a nice lttle menu of snacks, mostly cheese and charcuterie, but also a few other items. Our friends decided to have the Marcona almonds, which turned out to be a miniscule serving for $2, so we added a bag of North Fork potato chips.

Our selections arrived in a cute round tray, with each wine resting on its labeled spot, and we proceeded to taste clockwise. I’ll detail my tasting first, then the two wines they had that differed from mine.

NV Brut $29

I’ve decided to try sparkling wines everywhere they are offered—last week I tasted two at Pindar—and so far, so good. In fact, very good. We like this dry, tasty sparkler, made in the méthode champenoise, so much that our friends add a taste to their flight after we all finish. It has that lovely yeasty aroma of good bubbly, with tiny bubbles, and tastes of pear and maybe a touch of citrus. Mouth-watering. It’s a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir, according to our helpful server.

2020 Pinot Grigio $19

Although we are told that this is their “signature wine,” I am not enamored of it. On the other hand, my tasting buddy really likes it. As they say, there are no wrong answers in wine (well, there are, but, as they say in French, “Chacun à son gout.”) I get lemon and green apple tastes, but also something like cardboard. It is light and dry.

2020 Teroldego $30

Teroldego is a Northern Italian grape, not often grown on Long Island, so I ask our server where the grapes came from, which is how I learn the vines were planted by the owners of Southold Farm + Cellar. I was sorry to see that winery close, because they made some lovely wines, were very nice people, and had the most creative wine names I ever saw, but they had some sort of difficulties with local regulations and eventually closed up shop and moved to Texas, where they now have a winery. In any event, I’m glad the grapes are being used, because this is a delicious wine. It has a beautiful aroma of roses, and tastes of red raspberry and other berries. It is a somewhat light red which would go well with charcuterie, and could even be slightly chilled to accompany seared tuna. Last week I bought some fresh tuna steaks at Braun’s and my friend and I seared them with a pan sauce of capers, lemon, and garlic, and this would have gone well with that.

2019 Shiraz $25

When our daughter got married, we had a little wine tasting to decide which wines to serve. We already had the white picked out—Channing Daughter’s Scuttlehole Chardonnay—but we needed a red to go with lamb. This shiraz would definitely have been a contender. It is a bit peppery—apparently some people compare the taste to Dr. Pepper! –which would cut the fat of the lamb nicely. Good red fruit tastes plus something deeper.

2019 Cabernet Franc $30

“This tastes lighter than I expected,” opines our friend, who nonetheless finds the wine, which is in her tasting, not mine, quite pleasant. It has some teroldego mixed in, we are told. Good berry tastes. Our friends got up to peruse the display of bottles, and were charmed to realize that they have actually tasted wine from this winery, as one with the T’Jara label is carried in their local wine shop in Queens. In fact, according to a map on the wall, Suhru ships to many of the states.

2019 Ember $25

Our friends like this so much, that I add a taste of it after I finish my flight. This is Suhru’s Bordeaux blend, a merlot-heavy mixture including cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, and malbec. It is so drinkable that I resent sharing it with my tasting buddy. Kidding. Or maybe not. It is complex and balanced, with aromas of fruits, including cherry, and lots of interesting fruit tastes. The name? They had a little competition in the family, and apparently one cousin felt ember was a good name, as it evoked the long-lasting warmth of a fire. I can see that. I buy two bottles to take home.

Reasons to visit: intimate tasting room where you can sometimes interact with the owners; all the wines are good, but especially the Brut, the Teroldego, the Shiraz, and the Ember; they have a nice little menu of snacks, but don’t bother with the Marcona almonds, unless you think $2 for about ten nuts is a good price; there is a backyard patio seating area for warm weather; if you’re planning a picnic, note that they offer several of their wines in cans.

*This is a fascinating shop in the Feather Hill shopping center in Southold.*

*Another favorite shop is About Food, where you never know what you will find.*

Channing Daughters: Club and Cousins

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Autumn Vermouth, barbera, Blaufrankisch, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, channing daughters, chardonnay, Envelope, L'Enfant Sauvage, lagrein, Malbec, merlot, muscat ottonel, no dogs, no outside food, Petillant Naturel, petit gris, Petit Manseng, petit verdot, Pinot Bianco, Research Cab, Sangiovese, snacks, South Fork, Sylvanus, wine tasting December 9, 2021

December 7, 2021

In the midst of a week of unsettled weather, we took advantage of a sunny day to venture to the South Fork. We had two goals in mind—to have lunch with cousins we hadn’t seen in years, and to pick up our wine club selections at Channing Daughters. Lunch at Sant Ambroeus in Southampton was delicious, and we took home enough left-over pasta for dinner that night. The cousinly meeting went so well, that our cousins decided to come with us to Channing Daughters, which they had never been to. They enjoyed the tasting, so I hope this will not be the last time they trek there.

*On the right, you can see two sculptures by Walter Channing, the founder of the vineyard.*

Aside from liking their wines, we admire Channing for the wide variety of their wines, the unusual grapes they grow, and their willingness to experiment. There are about thirty wines on their list, plus five different vermouths, an amazing amount for such a small winery (about 15,000 cases per year). We also appreciate how generous they are at tastings for wine club members. We had two tastings of four wines each, but then decided to try a number of other wines, plus a vermouth, and Laura, our server, was delighted to accommodate us.

We had not been there since Covid, opting to have our selections sent to us, so it was interesting to see their adaptations. The outside patio area is now enclosed in clear plastic, with propane heaters which quickly made sitting out there comfortable, though we kept our jackets on. They request that you make a reservation most days, though Tuesday is not one of them, since they are a small space. They also ask that you wear a mask inside the building, but, obviously, the masks come off when you sit for a tasting! They have clever wire racks, which hold five glasses vertically, thus making the most of the limited table space, and they also offer a menu of snacks, which is new. Our cousin picked up a bar of sea salt chocolate for us to share, since we hadn’t had room for dessert at the restaurant.

Before we left, we filled a case with a variety of additional selections, including the “Autumn” vermouth and three bottles of the Scuttlehole Chardonnay (our favorite), and our cousins bought two bottles of L’Enfant Sauvage and two of the Petit Verdot. Though we encountered some traffic as we wended our way back to the North Fork (the “back road” I discovered years ago is now well known), we felt that the trip was well worthwhile.

A standard tasting is $28 for five tastes, free for wine club members, who may also get wines not yet on the list.

2019 Sylvanus Petillant Naturel $28

Starting from the top of the rack, we choose this bubbly white, made from 50% pinot grigio, 40% muscat ottonel, and 10% pinot bianco. It is light, crisp, and refreshing, the sort of bubbly I could see pairing with charcuterie and some rich cheeses. Lovely.

2016 L’Enfant Sauvage $38

Some years I really love this wine, fermented with wild yeast (hence the name) and aged in oak, and other years I do not. This year’s version is…delicious. We all like it. I often don’t care for chardonnays aged in oak, but this one is not at all buttery. It smells of apples and, according to the cousin, fresh cut grass, and tastes fruity and deep. It might be nice to drink this with a dish of sauteed wild mushrooms, to match the wild with the wild.

2015 Envelope $42

This is one of their orange wines, made by fermenting white grapes with their skins on, as I explain to the cousins. As we chat, I realize that, over the years, I have gradually amassed a bunch of random facts about wine. What a great way to get an education! It may be psychological, based on the color, but I swear I taste Mandarin oranges plus lychees. This is a fairly tart wine, and would be good with pork belly, to cut the fatty taste.

2020 Lagrein $35

A young red that I think could use some aging, it nonetheless has a delicious aroma of fruit and tobacco. I taste dark purple plums, and could see serving this with lamb chops.

Autumn Vermouth $28

Spicy, fruity, complex, tasty—these are a few of the adjectives we share after I request a taste of this vermouth. It is made from red wine, and includes a panoply of ingredients. It will be great as a light cocktail, on the rocks.

2016 Research Cab $40

Our cousin requests a taste of this, since, she notes, she likes cabernets. Our server also brings a sample of the Petit Verdot, noting that it has more of the kind of fruity flavor those who like cabernets are looking for. And she is right. Though I like this blend of 68% merlot, 16% cabernet sauvignon, 4% petit manseng, 3% syrah, 2% barbera, 1% malbec, 1% petit verdot, 1% sangiovese, and 1% blaufrankish (I told you Channing likes to experiment!), the cousin does not. It is quite tannic and dry, and could probably benefit from a few more years in the bottle. The aroma includes berries and cherries (the merlot, I’m sure) and spice, as does the taste.

2018 Petit Verdot $38

Oh yes, very nice. How smart she was to bring us this, as I buy a bottle as well. It is deeply fruity, yet dry, with some notes of spice (anise?), cherries, and berries. Just last week I had a petit verdot at Macari which I liked, and this compares well with it. This may be my favorite red grape!

Reasons to visit: you are on the South Fork and want to try a winery (you can skip Duck Walk; Wölffer is also very good); the carved wooden statues by Walter Channing are worth looking at; knowledgeable servers who are generous with “extra” tastes; an astonishing array of wines and vermouths—plus they also carry some local gins and vodkas; L’Enfant Sauvage, Petit Verdot, Autumn Vermouth, plus most of the whites, rosés, and many of the reds; no outside food, but they do sell snacks.

Peconic Bay Vineyards: Under New Ownership

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, Crossroads Flight, fire pits, food available, Horizon Red Blend, Malbec, merlot, North Fork, Peconic Bay Wineries, riesling, sauvignon blanc, viognier, wine tasting October 24, 2021

October 21, 2021

I expect I will be able to use the subtitle “under new ownership” quite a few times this year, as recently a number of wineries have changed hands. In some cases, already existing wineries have expanded by buying their neighbors, while in others new owners have entered the North Fork wine scene. Peconic Bay is a case of the latter, as the Soloviev family has been actively investing in the North Fork over the past few years. Peconic has been officially closed for about eight years, though we stopped in there in 2017 when it was briefly open, as the previous owner was, according to our server, trying to sell out his stock.

Since they have been closed, they have been selling their grapes to other local wineries, which is why they only have limited quantities of certain varieties. However, we were told by Sam, our charming and chatty server, those contracts are about to end, so she is looking forward to seeing what their winemaker—who is the same one who worked at Peconic before—will come up with. For now, they offer seven wines, though two of them—the sauvignon blanc and the merlot—are in such limited quantity that they are not selling them by the bottle.

It was another beautiful warm day, so we planned to sit outside wherever we went, and when we walked into Peconic we were sure, as the inside area is quite small, with uncomfortable-looking stools at the bar. Outside, however, featured a roomy patio, with nice wooden chairs (maybe they could add seat cushions in the future?) and comfy Adirondack chairs grouped around fire pits. The fire pit areas, we were told, are all reserved already for “movie night,” when they will be showing Hocus Pocus. They also plan to have live music at various times. However, today we and one other couple were the only visitors, though Sam assured us it was busier on the weekends.

The menu offers a flight of three wines, called the “Crossroads Flight” for $18, and seemed to be limited to just the chardonnay, riesling, and red blend. However, Sam told us we could substitute any other wines if we preferred, and after she described the riesling as semi-sweet, we did prefer—not to have it—so we opted for the viognier instead. Good choice. After we shared the small flight, we decided we would like to sit and enjoy the beautiful afternoon a while longer, so we shared a glass of the sauvignon blanc and a bag of North Fork potato chips. The food menu features the usual cheese and charcuterie choices, as well as a chocolate tasting from Disset, a new fancy chocolatier in Cutchogue, and, on the weekends, local oysters. As we contemplate the menu, Sam brings us a carafe of chilled water, always a nice touch.

2020 Viognier $22

I get a touch of kerosene and metal when I sniff, but fortunately it tastes of pineapple, not gas! We like it. It is dry with nice fruit tastes, refreshing, and different from most North Fork wines.

2020 Chardonnay $25

Sam informs us that this is the “musque” clone of chardonnay grape, which I have not knowingly encountered before. In any event, the taste is quite distinct, a smooth, mellow sip that reminds me of thyme honey, though it is not sweet. Most local chardonnays have a citrus flavor, but this does not. The menu suggests pairing it with hard cheese, and I think it would go well with a truffle-infused pecorino we had from the Love Lane Cheese Shop recently.

Horizon Red Blend $32

We decided to describe this as a “starter” red, or in other words a red for someone who is not yet into reds. It is light and dry, with soft tannins, and tastes of wood and cherry. Sam suggests calling it a “summer” red. A blend of 73% malbec, 18% merlot, and 9% cabernet sauvignon, the aroma, of cherry, wood, tobacco, and coffee, promises more than the wine delivers.

2020 Sauvignon Blanc

As I mentioned, we decided to share a glass of wine, and, based on a discussion with Sam, we opted for the sauvignon blanc, at $12 for a glass, plus a $4 bag of North Fork potato chips. Again, this is a different-tasting sb than the usual out here. It is mellow, not citrusy, with an almost thick mouth feel, and a trace of saltiness and fruit. We chuckle over the observation that it actually goes very well with the chips.

Reasons to visit: someplace new; nice outdoor area, with firepits for colder weather; local oysters on the weekend; the viognier and the sauvignon blanc; oh, and for $55 per person you can tour the vineyard in the Moke, an adorable electric vehicle that looks like a mini safari car, with tastings of three wines next to the vines where they grow.

Osprey’s Dominion: Easy to Drink

Posted by nofowineaux in Uncategorized and tagged with allow dogs, allow picnics, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, gewurztraminer, Malbec, Meritage "Flight", merlot, North Fork, Osprey's Dominion, rose, sauvignon blanc, wine tasting July 3, 2021

July 1, 2021

We celebrated summer by heading to Osprey’s Dominion, after spotting an osprey on his or her nest and taking it as an omen. On this warm summer early afternoon, the capacious tasting room was empty, and only a couple of tables were occupied outside on the pleasant patio. They still seem to be operating on the pandemic model, with a bunch of tables in the tasting room taken up by a varied selection of gift items, many of them unrelated to wine. Not sure why.

In general, we like their wines, and during lockdown we drank many bottles of their Richmond Creek label, a very reasonably priced and quite drinkable collection. So this time we opted for other wines on their flight menu.

Two hard-working gentlemen (they were busy taking phone reservations for groups and unpacking boxes, in addition to serving flights) behind the bar handed us a menu and a paper with circles, where we were to specify which wines we wanted in our flight. I know to order tastes from lightest or driest to most flavorful, but not everyone does, so it’s too bad no guidance was offered. The problem is, if you taste, for example, a wine like an oaked chardonnay before a light wine like their sauvignon blanc, the sauv will seem to have no taste. The tastings are $15 for five or $10 for three, your choice from a menu of 23 wines. They also offer wines by the glass, and a small menu of snack items. One of those was a Boar’s Head platter, of sliced meats and chips, which we know was fresh because the truck had just pulled up outside. However, we asked about chips, which they did not have, and instead offered us bags of Wheat Thins, which we took, and for which they did not charge us. They do still allow you to bring your own picnic, and, apparently, dog, since we saw one on the patio.

Ten wines seemed like more than we wanted to drink, so we opted for two tastings, one of five and one of three. As it happened, the tastes were so small that I think we could have handled five and five. We carried our trays outside, where a slight breeze made it pleasant, as we listened to soft rock of the James Taylor variety on the loudspeakers. They have a gazebo out in the garden, labeled cutely “Grand Ole Osprey,” where they have live music on the weekends and Friday evenings.

2020 Sauvignon Blanc $19

Our first taste was a perfect summer sipper, their light pleasant steel-fermented sauvignon blanc. It has a sweet, flowery aroma and tastes of slightly sweetened lime.

2014 Gewurztraminer $19

You never know what you’re going to get with a gewurtz, as I’ve had both sweet and dry varieties. This one is not sweet. It has a bit of the cat pee smell one often encounters, plus some minerality. My tasting buddy summed it up by saying it “wants to be sweet but isn’t.” Interesting.

2019 Rosé $19

Many rosés have lovely aromas of strawberries or other fruit, but this one has almost no smell. However, it is a very drinkable dry rosé, with a touch of citrus, maybe Meyer lemon, and some tropical fruit, perhaps guava.

2012 Merlot $22

There are many, many merlots on the North Fork, and this one is similar to most, with its cherry aroma, but with another taste we couldn’t quite identify. It’s a simple, casual red, with some tannins.

2015 Cabernet Franc $24

I insist this smells like macerated blackberries, at which my husband shrugs. It is dry, with soft tannins, another easy-to-drink wine. My husband says “tangy,” at which I shrug.

2014 Cabernet Sauvignon $22

We agree we like this one better, from the aroma of berries and flowers to the flavor of mixed berries. Lots of tannins, so perhaps it could age even more.

2017 Malbec $30

Despite the higher price, we would choose any of the preceding reds over this one, which we decide needs more oomph. My tasting buddy observes that he wouldn’t have thought it was a malbec. On the other hand, it is another drinkable wine.

2014 Meritage “Flight” $30

This is a blend, probably of cabernet franc and merlot, and a banner over the bar boasts that it has won awards, so I order it, though originally I was going to end with the petit verdot. The aroma includes cherry and tobacco, and it tastes of cherries and oak, with more taste than smell. This is one more in the list of unchallenging, easy-to-drink wines.

Reasons to visit: large tasting room and outside patio areas; all the wines are drinkable, if unchallenging; they allow you to bring a picnic and your pooch (outside), which many places no longer do; music on the weekends; we liked the sauvignon blanc and the cabernet sauvignon best.

I assume this outdoor bar is in anticipation of bigger crowds.

RG/NY: A Shared Aesthetic January 17, 2020

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, dogs allowed outside, Malbec, Martha Clara, merlot, no outside food, North Fork, petit verdot, RG/NY, Scielo Chardonnay, Scielo Riesling, Scielo Rose, Tinto, white merlot, wine tasting January 19, 2020

https://rgnywine.com/

Don’t be fooled by that blue sky–it was cold!

The starkly simple sign outside leads you into an entry area that is almost Zen-like in its simplicity. The tasting room is similarly pared down to essentials, as are the wines. Even the bottles share this aesthetic, looking like examples of modern art. Our friendly and well-informed server, Tina, tells us that an attractive stair-step design on the labels has a symbolic meaning. The wines are named “Scielo,” which a neon sign, the only décor in the tasting room, informs us means Heaven. The steps are a route to the heaven you find in the bottle.

The Rivero González family bought this winery and vineyard from Martha Clara in 2018, but they have been winemakers in Mexico since 1998. We had waited to check them out until we figured they had time to make their own wines, which they have. The only hold-overs from Martha Clara are some of the reds—and Tina herself, who greets arriving wine club members like old friends. She tells us that the new owners want to keep the family-friendly atmosphere of Martha Clara, while putting their own stamp on the wines and décor. For example, dogs will be allowed outside on the grounds (though today there is one in the tasting room! Well, it is certainly too cold to hang around outside.).

This pooch was so well-behaved we didn’t even realize she was there until someone greeted her.

I ask Tina about snacks, and she shows me a menu which is available on weekends in the winter, and every day in season. (No outside food.) Meanwhile, there is a refrigerated case and various snack items in the shop area, so you can make a DIY snack. We decide we are not that hungry, and anyway, each tasting comes with a little dish of very tasty crackers.

The snack menu, which is available on weekends in the winter.

You can make a DIY snack.

The tasting menu offers a choice of three different flights: the Scielo selection of four wines for $17, four whites for $20, or RG Selection of higher-level wines, four for $22. The final choice on that menu is a Martha Clara red, but Tina, noting that we have been to Martha Clara, says she could substitute the RG Tinto if we prefer. We decide to go with the Scielo flight.

2018 Scielo Chardonnay $25

I am happy to learn that this is a primarily steel-fermented chard, with just 2% oaked. I find in general that I prefer steel chards, but a little bit of oak adds depth and a nice mouth feel. It has an aroma of ripe apples and flowers, and tastes like a Granny Smith apple as well. There’s also a touch of lime. My tasting buddy insists that it is slightly sweet, but after some discussion we realize that his taste is influenced by some residual sweetness from the cracker he munched. He says this would be a good seafood wine, and I agree, though I think a seafood in cream dish would go best.

2018 Riesling $24

Before we opted for this flight, I asked if the riesling was sweet or dry, and Tina reassured me that it was dry. She wasn’t kidding. It is bone dry, and very light. The aroma is of honeysuckle and metal, and there’s a touch of metal in the taste as well. Like touching your tongue to a pole? Well, I’m not that dumb. I also taste pears. We get into a discussion about how the new wines are very dry, whereas the Martha Clara wines tended to be more on the sweet side. Some former customers are unhappy with the new taste, while we prefer it.

The stair step pattern on the label has a symbolic meaning.

2018 Scielo Rosé $22

Yum. This is a blend of 48% merlot, 32% malbec, and 20% cabernet franc, and the complexity of that blend shows up in the flavor, which is more interesting than a standard rosé. Tasty, says my husband. It has the strawberry aroma one would expect, and in addition to some strawberry flavor a definite note of lychee. We decide to get a bottle to go with the scallops we bought earlier at Braun’s.

2018 White Merlot $32

Power of the book—she was pouring this for someone else, so she offered us a taste of this white wine made from merlot grapes. Nice. It tastes like a cross between red and white, light and drinkable, with an aroma of wood and leather and white cherry taste.

2018 Tinto $30

Our server compares this to a Beaujolais, and it is light like a Beaujolais, though it is made from a Bordeaux blend: 43% merlot, 37% cabernet sauvignon, 10% petit verdot, and 10% cabernet franc. I would guess that they were in a hurry to get out a red of their own, because we think this could benefit from more aging. It has a nice cherry aroma and taste, but no depth and some tannins. It is very young, and I could see drinking it with meatloaf or hamburgers.

2018 Cabernet Franc $37

There’s just a little bit left in this bottle, not enough to give anyone a regular taste, so Tina asks if we’d like a sip of this. Of course, we would. I get spice and leather, not much fruit. Again, I think this would benefit from more time, and we resolve to come back in a year or so to see how the wines have developed.

There’s a very large side room.

Reasons to visit: A chance to try a new place; very roomy surroundings, in case you are with a group; the rosé, the White Merlot. One note—the bar has almost no overhang, so there’s nowhere to put your knees when you sit there, and the stools are rather uncomfortable. Perhaps they will fix that in the future.

From the outside, you con’t tell that there are significant changes both inside the building and inside the bottles.

But there are still some Martha Clara wines available for purchase.

The gift shop has many fewer items than it used to have.

Macari Vineyard: No Tricks, Several Treats October 30, 2019

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Bayview, Bergen Road, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Dos Aguas red, Dos Aguas white, friuliano, gewurztraminer, gruner veltliner, Lifeforce Rose, Macari Vineyards, Malbec, merlot, Merlot Reserve, no outside food, North Fork, petit verdot, pinor gris, sauvignon blanc, viognier, wine tasting November 2, 2019

http://macariwines.com/

It was the day before Halloween, and oddly warm, when we drove over to Macari. We had the tasting room to ourselves, so it wasn’t surprising that there were no pre-made cheese trays available. (No outside food allowed.) However, we could have bought any package of cheese on display, plus some crackers, and our server would have supplied us with a knife and cheese board. We decided to content ourselves with a bag of very tasty black truffle-flavored potato chips. Then I worried that they were interfering with the tasting, so I requested a glass of water, which was quickly forthcoming.

Cheese and charcuterie for sale.

More snacks…

and even more snacks

The tasting room on Bergen Road is large, with a beautiful stone fireplace on one side, and ample displays of their wines all around. There is also a second large room filled with tables, and seating on a veranda off to one side. We stood at the bar and shared an Estate tasting, of five wines for $30. The other flight is called Vintage, and also includes five wines for $30. My tasting buddy complained that it was a small pour, though I noted that the glass was large.

The main tasting room.

When you stand at the bar you have a clear view of the huge steel vats in the wine-making area, and we watched with interest as a worker tethered himself with a safety harness before checking on one vat. Makes sense, I suppose. What a way to go, drowned in a vat of wine!

In general, we have liked Macari wines, and often buy a bottle with dinner in local restaurants. Today was no exception, though in general we liked the whites better than the reds, and really liked the rosé we tried.

2018 Katherine’s Field Sauvignon Blanc $24

Why Katherine’s Field? All our server could tell us was that the grapes for this wine all came from an area of the vineyard called Katherine’s Field, and that it is the part closest to Long Island Sound. Perhaps that closeness to the water accounts for the slight note of saltiness I detected. The wine is light and easy to drink, with tastes of green apple, mineral, and pineapple. Like many NoFo sauvignon blancs, it would go well with local oysters. Good.

2017 Dos Aguas White $22

Dos Aguas is, of course, a reference to the two waters which surround the North Fork: the Sound and Peconic Bay. This is a blend of 52% grüner veltliner, 27% viognier, 10% sauvignon blanc, 7% pinot gris, 3% friulano, and 1% gewürztraminer. It smells very much like honeysuckle, which I think might be due to the grüner, and also gets some of its fruitiness from that. My husband thinks it is too sweet, but I argue what he’s tasting as sweet is actually fruitiness. It has some lemon taste, as well as gooseberry. I would buy it, and it would go well with spicy food, but he doesn’t like it as much as I do.

Even visually, you can tell this rose is more robust than most.

2018 Lifeforce Rosé $28

The term “lifeforce” in the title of a Macari wine refers to the fermentation method used. Instead of steel or wood, these wines are fermented in a concrete “egg.” They used to explain that egg on their website, but I couldn’t find that information now. In any event, this rosé is made from cabernet franc grapes, and was described by our server as their “fall rosé.” It is heavier and darker than a typical rosé, and as we discussed it he told us that what had happened was that in 2018 they were not happy with the way the cabernet was turning out, so rather than make a red from it they decided to turn it into a rosé. We are happy they did, as we quite liked it. Though it has some typical strawberry aroma and flavor, it has more oomph than many rosés. We bought a bottle. I think it will go great with seared rare duck breasts, which we get at Bayview farm stand.

By this time our server–a bright young man–had figured out how I like to pose these photos. We had a nice chat about how he has learned to like wine.

2014 Merlot Reserve $40

Our server tells us this in aged twenty months, 9% in new French oak, so it is not super oaky or tannic. It smells fruity, like black cherries. The taste is soft and pleasant, but rather unidimensional. At that price, I’d want a more exciting wine. However, it is quite drinkable.

2016 Dos Aguas $35

This is another blend, this time a Right Bank Bordeaux blend of 62% merlot, 14% cabernet sauvignon, 10% malbec, 8% petit verdot, and 6% cabernet franc. I like the aroma of red raspberries, but again the taste is good but not exciting. Dry, soft, with no tannins, this is an everyday type of red that you could even have with roast chicken. It would not stand up to a steak.

Reasons to visit: spacious tasting room; the sauvignon blanc, the Dos Aguas white, and the Lifeforce Rosé; we often get the Sette in restaurants, a nice blend of half and half cabernet franc and merlot; no food allowed, but they do have a large selection of snacks and will do cheese trays on busier days.

The grapes have been picked, and soon the leaves will be gone as well, leaving the vines bare until spring.

Shinn Estate Vineyards: It Pays to Take the Back Road July 25, 2019

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Concrete Blonde, Concrete egg, Croteaux, Divine, Diving, Eau de Vie, Haven, Julius Drover Alembic Brandy, Julius Drover Apple Brandy, Malbec, merlot, Mojo, Non-vintage Red Blend, North Fork, Oregon Road, petit verdot, Pinot Blanc, rose, sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Shinn Estate Vineyard, Wild Boar Doe, wine tasting July 27, 2019

https://shinnestatevineyards.com/

The sign tells you that your trip to Oregon Road has successfully landed you at Shinn.

As the couple at a nearby table on the Shinn Vineyard’s new and very nice patio noted, it took some searching to find Shinn, but they were glad they had persisted, having wended their way to Oregon Road. We already knew our way, but we were glad we were there, too. In 2017, Shinn was bought by the Frankel family, and they have made some attractive changes, though the place has a less funky vibe than it used to.

As you enter, drive past the B and B, and go around to the back, where the tasting room is located.

On arrival, we were offered seats inside—in the A/C—or outside on the patio. Though it was a warm day, it was not oppressively so, and the patio offered shaded areas. We ended up spending almost an hour there, doing a leisurely tasting plus a couple of other tastes and sharing a delicious cheese board. Reggae music played in the background—I remember one verse mentioning “island sun”—and it was easy to forget we were on Long Island and imagine we were on a tropical island.

The tasting menu offers many options, from a rosé flight for $16, which includes a couple of Croteaux rosés, to our choice, the Winemaker’s Picks, of five of their higher end wines for $28. Why, you may wonder, do they feature Croteaux rosés? Because the Frankel family recently bought Croteaux as well, and have reopened the tasting room and garden there. Our server assured us that they are keeping the Croteaux rosés the same as they were. We’ll have to check that out!

Our server brought the wines to us, the three whites first and then, when we had finished them, the two reds, carefully placed on a little mat which had labeled spots for each wine. She also brought us a glass bottle of water and two plastic cups, a nice touch.

The bottle of cold water was quite welcome.

After we finished the five wines in our tasting, we still had quite a bit of cheese left of the $14 cheese board, so we each added one more taste, which I have put at the end of the listing. These also came on tiny round coasters with labels for what they were.

1. 2018 Concrete Blonde $40

Why this name? The sauvignon blanc is aged in a concrete “egg” made, we are informed, from “French soil,” instead of in steel or oak. Macari also uses this method, and you can find a discussion of the concrete egg in my entries on that winery. The aroma of the wine is lovely, floral, like a bouquet of summer flowers. The wine is more reminiscent of a chardonnay than a sauvignon blanc, almost creamy, with a citrus taste that is like a cross between a mandarin orange and a lemon. It doesn’t really complement the cheese, but would be quite nice with charcuterie.

This was a fairly generous cheese platter, though I never feel as though they give you enough crackers.

2. 2016 Haven $35

What, I wondered, is referenced by the name of this blend, of 70% sauvignon blanc, 20% semillon, and 10% pinot blanc? Haven is a reference to the type of soil on the farm, we were told, a combination of sand and loam. This one is aged more traditionally, in oak, and I can scent a touch of the oak when I sniff. Then I get flowers. The wine is softer than a usual sauv blanc, with some depth and a touch of spice, perhaps nutmeg. It’s a good food wine.

3. 2016 Pinot Blanc $35

Now we’re back in experimental territory, as puncheon (i.e. big) barrels of neutral oak were used to age this wine, for eight months. The aroma is faint, with a touch of honeysuckle, but, on the other hand, as my husband notes, it has a lot of taste. Again, I think of this wine as soft, not tart but not sweet, with some nice fruit tastes. It would make a lovely aperitif wine, as it is very easy to drink on its own.

4. 2018 Mojo $26

In 2014, Shinn had such a copious harvest of cabernet franc that they ran out of oak barrels, and so decided to make an unoaked cab franc. Then they were so pleased with the result that since then they have made it that way on purpose. The menu describes this wine as “bright, fresh,” and I agree. They serve it chilled, which is nice on a hot day. The aroma has a touch of funkiness, perhaps pine or forest floor, plus minerality. This pleasant, fruity wine would be great for sangria.

5. 2016 Wild Boar Doe $42

Of course, this is their Bordeaux blend: 59% merlot, 21.5% cabernet franc, 12.5% petit verdot, and 7% malbec. The merlot gives it a cherry aroma and taste, but I’m not sure what the other grapes add. “It could be more assertive,” asserts my tasting buddy. I get some light tannins, and the wine is dry, but, again, the word that keeps coming to mind is soft.

6. Non-vintage Red Blend $19

We needed a bit more beverage to go with the rest of our cheese, so my husband opted to try a red we’d be likely—based on price—to buy. This is a light, refreshing summer red, a simple table wine. It’s a blend of 61% merlot, 22% cabernet franc, 15% cabernet sauvignon, and 2% petit verdot, and tastes, as you’d expect, of the merlot cherry flavor. We bought two bottles.

I like cognac, and this one was quite delicious.

7. Alembic Brandy $65

Brandy? Yep, they actually have a menu of four brandies, labeled Julius Drover Brandy. Our server gave me a rundown of the four. Divine is made from semillon grapes combined with the alembic; Eau de Vie is made from whatever scraps of grapes they have around and is only aged for one year, so it’s pretty forceful; Apple Brandy is like Calvados, and is made from apples and pears; and Alembic Brandy is made from chardonnay grapes, aged four years. If you like cognac, you’ll like the Alembic, which I quite enjoyed. The taste made me think I should be drinking it after dinner, perhaps with a good cigar and a bowl of walnuts for cracking (just kidding about the cigar).

Reasons to visit: Off the beaten track, so less crowded and quieter than the big places, especially in the summer, as our new friends on the patio noted; lovely outdoor patio; nice menu of snacks; certified sustainable (a landmark for locating them is their tall windmill); the Concrete Blonde in particular, but all the wines are very drinkable, if not exciting.

NoFo Wineaux

Wine notes from Long Island's North Fork

Tag Archives: Malbec