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

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

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

The labels feature this charming picture of Matt and Isabella.

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

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

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

1) 2013 Rosé $19

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

The rose and the chardonnay.

2) 2010 Reserve Chardonnay $25

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

3) Famiglia $21

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

4) 08 Old World Blend $40

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

Snack

5) 2009 Old World Blend $35

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

6) 2010 Old World Blend $43

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

7) 2007 Old World Blend $48

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

The brownie went well with the red wine.

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

An old water tower adds charm to the scene.

A bit of the pergola

Clovis Point Winery: A Touch of History 4/19/14

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, cabernet franc, Clovis Point; North Fork, gewurztraminer, Long Island, merlot, petit verdot, rose, Stainless Chardonnay, Vintner's Select Merlot, wine tasting April 23, 2014

Party bus in the parking lot.

http://www.clovispointwines.com/

Clovis Point Winery touches history in two very different ways: it is named for a prehistoric type of arrow head that was used on Long Island, and the tasting room is in a converted 1920s potato barn. The former provides an attractive design for their bottles, and the latter a comfortably rustic space. There is a long tasting bar plus barrel-based tables with stools, and then an outside semi-sheltered porch and an area of outdoor tables, both of which seem to be filled with groups. Though a sign at the end of the driveway says “No Buses No Limos No Exceptions,” there are two party buses in the parking lot, so I assume the no’s apply only to those without reservations.

There was quite a crowd at the bar…

…but plenty of room on the porch.

The last time we were at Clovis Point was in November of 2012, so it was time for a return visit. That’s one great feature of reviewing wineries—every year they have new vintages, so you never run out of material! This time we opted for two tastings: the “Cold” menu, which includes two Chardonnays and a Rosé for $8, and the Red, which features four reds for $10. We could also have chosen the Premium, which we had last time (check my entry for November 17, 2012), and which also has four reds, their more expensive options, for $15. The pour, by the way, is officially one ounce according to the measured pourer, but our server was generous with us, as she saw us sharing tastes and carefully evaluating each one. They also offer a small menu of snacks—mainly cheeses and meats and hummus—but, according to what we heard the server say to a nearby group, they are also open to people bringing in their own, as long as it’s not a whole huge meal.

She was talking to a group which included wine club members there to pick up their shipment, and we saw a number of other wine clubbers doing the same. Surprisingly, one member of that group was chewing bubble gum throughout the tasting! Not sure what that was about, but personally I don’t recommend it.

1) 2013 Stainless Chardonnay $20

This continues to be an appealing wine, with 3% Gewürztraminer added to the Chardonnay for a bit of added complexity and depth. The aroma combines honey (I say) with some citric and grassy notes, and has a tart but nice flavor that reminds me of gooseberries, with some citric flavor. Very buyable, which we do.

2) 2012 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay $25

The menu would have us taste the Rosé next, but our server suggests that we might like to taste the two Chardonnays side by side. According to the tasting menu, this is made with 89% French oak fermented Chardonnay, 10% unoaked Chardonnay, and 1% Gewürztraminer, and it does provide an interesting contrast with the Stainless Chard. Butterscotch and nutmeg “on the nose,” as they say, and definitely butterscotch on the tongue, ending with a touch of welcome lemon, so that it has a mixture of sweet and sour. One could sip this if one liked oaked Chardonnays. What to eat with it? You’d need something assertive, like a well-flavored lobster or salmon dish.

The rose is a pretty color.

3) Rosé $20

Again, this is a bit of a blend, which seems to be the house style: 97% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot. My husband insists the aroma reminds him of wassail, that spiced warm red wine drink from Scandinavia. Maybe. The taste is pleasant, with typical Rosé strawberry flavor, tart, with a touch of sourness at the end. A white pizza—no red sauce—would complement it.

4) 2006 Merlot $18

76% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot are blended together to make an undistinguished typical Long Island Merlot. Despite the blend, it lacks depth, but would be okay to drink with a burger.

Generous pour!

5) 2012 Cabernet Franc $28.50

This wine is also on the premium list, and our server is very enthusiastic about it—as she is about all the wines, I have to say. She says this is a wine that “makes you want to have more.” And indeed, the smell is lovely—cedar, blackberries, a touch of earthiness—but the taste? Hmmm…not much to it, we say. I guess it would be easy to drink. The Cab Franc is blended with 4% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon.

6) 2007 Merlot $25

As we’ve heard frequently, 07 was a great year for North Fork grapes, and this one certainly proves that observation, as it is noticeably better than the 06. Our server notes that she’s bringing a bottle or two of this to a friend’s house tonight! We could bring this to a friend, too, though we’re not as happy with it as she is. There are other Long Island Merlots, like Lenz’s, for example, that we prefer. Nice fruit—cherries and blueberries.

Clovis Point on label…

…with explanation.

7) 2006 Vintner’s Select Merlot $30

Though this is a wine they “only make in good years,” we find it to be just pretty good—not a knockout. The server describes it as “smooth,” and my drinking companion notes “the barnyard has been tamed.” Spice and fruit aromas precede tastes of brambly fruit. The Merlot is blended with 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.

Reasons to visit: Pleasant tasting room, often with live music (we just happened to leave before it started today); the Stainless Chardonnay.

Wine Clubbing: Pellegrini Vineyards March 29, 2014

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with "the angel's share", cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, North Fork, pellegrini, petit verdot, tasting, Vintner's Pride, Wine Club, wineries March 31, 2014

Chilly, rainy, dank, gray: We really want winter to end and spring to come! As we drive past the wineries, we note that despite the unpromising weather some have quite a few cars and limos—and even a bus or two—parked outside. Pellegrini, however, is very quiet, as we stop in to pick up our wine club shipment and taste the wines included in it.

We take our tasting of four reds to a table and sip and chat and listen to a lively group ask their server questions such as the difference between Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Asking questions of your server is a great way to increase your understanding of wines, as we’ve found.

If you want a more detailed description of the winery, check out my entry from September 7, 2013.

http://www.pellegrinivineyards.com/

1) 2007 Merlot $19.99

We start with the Merlot, which is included for no extra charge in every tasting, and is also a wine club selection. This is actually a bit of a blend; though it is 90% Merlot it also includes 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. It is aged 18 months in French oak, and, like Pellegrini reds in general, is somewhat high in alcohol: 13.9%. The aroma combines cherries and pine and what is often described as “forest floor.” It is quite tannic, and my husband says his tongue feels like it needs to be brushed. My feeling is that it would be good with food, though not for sipping, and indeed our club shipment includes a recipe for Merlot Pot Roast with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes. Pasta would also do.

2) 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon $29.99

Another blend, despite the name, this one is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, aged 19 months in French oak, with 13.6% alcohol. The aroma is lovely, a sweet berry smell with just a trace of that Long Island earthiness. Though not tannic, it is dry, with nice fruit, and definitely sippable. As it is also in our club box, I envision sipping it by the fire next fall—or maybe even today, given the weather!

3) 2010 Petit Verdot $49.99

Lovely dark color on this one, which is 98% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot. Actually, many wines—so I have been told—are at least a small percentage Merlot. As they age in the cask, some of the wine evaporates (“the angel’s share”) and so many wine makers use Merlot to top them off. In any event, our tasting notes suggest decanting this one for at least an hour, which has not been done today—our server just opened the bottle—so the taste might be quite different than what we sense. We smell an earthy, almost mushroomy odor, but the wine itself is delicious. Though it lacks the depth of flavor a truly great wine, this would be a fine wine to serve with a gourmet dinner, like boeuf bourguignon. We plan to cellar this for a couple of years (assuming we remember and don’t grab it before then!).

4) 2010 Vintner’s Pride $49.99

This is, notes my tasting pal, a Right Bank Bordeaux—60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot—aged 20 months in French oak. The aroma is not very fruity, with a touch of pine and maybe cinnamon, less earthy than the others. The wine is also not very fruity, though it is good, with some tannins, and, we decide, would also be better with food. A friend recently described a wine-tasting course she took, and commented how differently one wine could taste depending on which foods it was paired with. We agree!

Reasons to visit: Good reds; reasonably priced Merlot, which is almost always on sale for about $15 per bottle if you buy three; pleasant tasting room; ability to take your tray of tastes to a table; oyster cracker packets included with each tasting so you can clear your palate.

Waters Crest: A Small Gem February 1, 2014

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting, Uncategorized and tagged with "5" Red Blend, cabernet franc, Campania Rosso, chardonnay, Dry Riesling, Long Island, merlot, North Fork, Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Southold, Waters Crest February 3, 2014

http://www.waterscrestwinery.com

“Has it been that long?!” exclaimed Jenny, when we admitted that we hadn’t been there since August of 2012. If you want a truly personal experience at a winery, Waters Crest is one of the places to go. Despite its unfortunate location—in a commercial strip on Sound Avenue and Cox Lane, just around the corner from the Southold Transfer Station (a.k.a. town dump, with its complex odors of rotting garbage and recycled paper)—the tasting room is quite cozy and the wines worth trying.

Jim Waters does not have his own vineyard, and so buys his grapes from North Fork vineyards, plus Riesling grapes from upstate, near Seneca Lake. However, according to his web site he “hand chooses” the grapes, and he is certainly very hands-on when it comes to making the wines. His general style seems to be to go for dry wines, which we tend to like.

The tasting menu lists seven wines, three whites and four reds, and you can taste all of them for $15. In addition, if you buy four bottles of wine your tasting is free. We opted to share a tasting, and noticed that the wines are served in Reidel glasses, a luxury touch that Jenny admitted made her a bit anxious when it came time to hand dry them. You can also buy a few wine-related gifts, including handsome cloth wine gift bags hand-made by Jenny’s mother. We also learned that we just missed a chance to visit with Jim’s father, who was hanging out in the tasting room during our last visit. As I said, it’s a personal experience!

Jenny packs the wines we bought.

1) 2012 Chardonnay $19.99

This is their steel-fermented Chard, with typical aromas of apple, pear, and grass. We taste a lot of lemon—perhaps too much lemon. Not a wine for sipping, though it might be better with food.

2) 2012 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc $29.99

After steel fermenting, this one spends two months in oak to mellow it a bit. We can sense a touch of that caramel, but it is not too oaky. This is also dry and rather light, with lots of green apple tastes. In a nice touch, Jenny rinses the glass with a drop of the new wine before pouring the taste.

3) 2012 Dry Riesling $24.99

Jenny agrees with us when we decide this is our favorite of the whites. The aroma is very flowery, with lots of honeysuckle, as is not uncommon with upstate fruit. However, it avoids the over-sweetness I often sense with upstate grapes, and has a pleasant minerality and citrus taste. It would be great with oysters! Time for a new glass as we switch to the reds.

4) “5” Red Blend $16.99

As soon as I see the label I exclaim that it reminds me of the famous painting by Charles Demuth of “The Great Number Five,” which was inspired by a poem by his friend William Carlos Williams. If you look at a reproduction of the painting, you’ll see references to Demuth’s pal Williams in it. Jenny confirms that the label was designed to evoke this painting, but the name was inspired by the idea that this is a “five days a week” wine, perfect for casual weeknight dinners. We agree, and enjoy the blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the very cherry aroma and the dry light taste. One could have this with anything from salmon steaks to burgers.

5) 2009 Merlot $34.99

Another typical Long Island Merlot, this has aromas of blackberry and eucalyptus and nice fruit taste, with a tart finish.

6) 2009 Campania Rosso $49.99

Jim Waters changes the blend on this wine from year to year, depending on which grapes he chooses. The ’08, which was listed on the tasting menu, was a classic Bordeaux blend, but this one is 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc. ’09 was a difficult year for red grapes. There’s a bit of a funky aroma, but the taste is good, with plenty of fruit, and we guess it will age fairly well and end up tasting better. Nice legs.

7) 2008 Cabernet Franc $39.99

The Cab Franc spends 20 months in French oak, and we can taste a bit of that woody flavor. I smell a bit of funkiness here, too, but also plenty of cherry. It’s a nice wine, though not worth the price, we decide, though Jenny suggests that this, too, would benefit from a couple of years of bottle aging. The reds are suffering in comparison to a very expensive French red we shared during the week with a friend, so we have to banish that wine from our memories in order to appreciate Long Island reds for themselves.

We decide to get two bottles of the Riesling and two of the “5” for everyday drinking, and then discover that the tasting is thus free. If we had only opted for three bottles, Jenny says she would have informed us of the deal!

Reasons to visit: an intimate, personal experience; the 2012 Dry Riesling and the “5” Red Blend; a free tasting if you buy four bottles.

Pindar Vineyards: Greek Poetry January 25, 2014

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Autumn White, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Long Island, Malbec, merlot, NoFo, North Fork, Peacock Chardonnay, petit verdot, Pindar Vineyards, Pythagoras, sauvignon blanc, Sunflower Chardonnay, syrah, Winter White January 27, 2014

http://www.pindar.net/

Pindar’s Field

Old Man Winter certainly has the North Fork in his grip. (Why old? Why man? I haven’t the foggiest.) All the farm stands, even Bayview and Briermere, are closed, and the fields are quiet under a coating of snow and ice. So we thought about the warmth of the Greek Isles and headed to Pindar, named for the Greek poet. While the room wasn’t overly warm—we kept our jackets on, though unzipped—the greeting certainly was. The tasting room is in a converted potato barn, featuring multiple rows of tasting bars and a beautiful stained glass window. When we entered we were surprised to see the room was empty, since there were plenty of cars in the lot, but our server informed us that there was a large group in another building for a barrel tasting, and the room was soon quite busy for a January afternoon. They have a selection of wine-related gift items and plenty of cheese and crackers for sale, which is fortunate since they don’t allow outside food.

This room is only one of the sites run by Dr. Damianos, the owner, and his family. They also own Duck Walk, which has a site on the South Fork as well, and his son Jason owns Jason’s Vineyard (which I reviewed back in June), plus they have a satellite tasting room in Port Jefferson for those who don’t care to trek to the North Fork. They also like to tout how eco-friendly they are, with a wind turbine for power, composting and recycling, and other green techniques.

Rows of tasting bars

As we sipped, we appreciated the quiet guitar and folk-ish singing of John Kroo in the background. Tastings consist of 5 tastes for $10, chosen from a menu with 15 choices, plus limited production wines available for $3 each. We opted to do five whites and five reds, sharing tastes of each. Our server, who was young and enthusiastic and clearly engaged in learning all he could about wine, carefully rinsed our glass between tastes and was able to answer most of our questions about the wines. We were happily surprised by how many of the wines we liked, since we had not been to Pindar in years because we remembered not liking many of the wines. There was still one we dumped, but more about that later.

1) Autumn Gold $10.99

Our server looked at the choices we circled on the tasting menu and then carefully coordinated our tasting so we went in the best order, starting with the lightest white. The tasting notes compare this to a Pinot Grigio, which I can see, as it is a dry white with lots of pineapple taste and a bit of funkiness. The funkiness is probably from the Seyval Blanc grape, an upstate grape, which is here blended with Chardonnay. Fine for an everyday white.

2) 2012 Sauvignon Blanc $18.99

The aroma is a combination of mineral and lemon, and the taste is also citrus-y. Also a light wine, this would be good with oysters, as in general we feel Sauvignon Blancs are. There’s plenty of acid here, and the tasting notes say lemon grass, which seems about right.

3) 2012 Sunflower Chardonnay $!8.99

Why sunflower, we ask? In the summer, the field next to the winery is filled with sunflowers, the sale of which goes to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation, we are told. I like the label. The wine? Okay. My husband says it reminds him or Werther’s Butterscotch Candy, so if you like a really oaky Chard, go for it. There is, however, a bit of acid which helps make this a sippable white, and I think lots of people would like it well chilled on a summer afternoon.

4) 2012 Peacock Chardonnay $12.99

Why peacock? Uh-oh, our usually well-informed server doesn’t know, but I bet he will as soon as he gets a chance to find out. Smells and tastes like a Granny Smith apple, with maybe a hint of banana. That makes it sound like fruit salad, but actually it is a pleasant white.

5) Winter White $10.99

This may be their most popular white, but our savvy server has already figured out that we won’t care for it. He says he recommends it to people who say, “I don’t really care for wine, so what should I try?” Sweet! Another Seyval Blanc/Chardonnay blend. We dump it after one sip each, and it was this taste that reminded us why we hadn’t been back in years.

6) Pythagoras $$14.99

Remember the Pythagorean theory? I do—sort of. At least, I remember being taught it. The label, which features an illustration of the theory, also calls this a “geometrical blend.” More conventionally, this is a classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. It has the classic black currant aroma but is softer than I expect, with some notes of oak and mineral. It would be an okay everyday wine, and is fairly dry, though surprisingly simple for a blend like this.

Note illustration on label!

7) 2010 Syrah $14.99

So 2010 is one of those great years for Long Island wines—and 2013 is forecast to be even better—so we are interested to taste these reds. Not that many places on the North Fork make a Syrah, and we quite like this one. The aroma is complicated, with some cedar notes and a mouth-puckering flavor of unripe plums that would be great with a fatty meat like lamb. Actually, we like it, and buy a couple of bottles.

8) 2010 Merlot $16.99

This is a good, typical Long Island Merlot, with tastes of tobacco and dark chocolate and plum, without the barnyard odor or flavor you sometimes get.

The ship on the label seems to be a reference to the Argonaut, Jason's ship, and a theme of Jason's tasting room.

The ship on the label seems to be a reference to the Argo, Jason’s ship, and a theme of Jason’s tasting room.

9) 2009 Pegasus Cabernet Sauvignon $$16.99

On the other hand, this wine does have some barnyard odor, plus allspice and prunes. The taste is better than the smell, and I will borrow my description of the taste from my granddaughter who guesses wine will taste wine-y (without ever having tasted it!). Why the flying horse? No idea, but the label is pretty.

10) 2010 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon $34.99

Extra! Noting our serious demeanor and knowledge of wine, our server adds a small taste of the Reserve Cab Sauv to our tasting, which turns out to be a smart move as we later buy a bottle to keep in the cellar. Excellent. Although the aroma reminds me of a red candy, the taste is complex, with lots of black cherry and plum, plus other notes. It would be great with a steak on the grill.

11) 2010 Cabernet Franc $34.99

Pine forest aroma and black berry taste make this a nice wine, though not worth the price. It has lots of fruit but is pleasantly dry.

Someone at Pindar clearly likes to collect corkscrews.

Reasons to visit: Large tasting room with plenty of space for big groups; the 2010 Syrah and the 2010 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon; the Sunflower Chardonnay if you like an oaky Chard; good prices for Long Island wines;attractive labels; they care about the environment.

The Hidden Vineyard: Very Off the Beaten Path November 16, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Calverton, chardonnay, merlot, North Fork, oak casks, pinot grigio, riesling, tasting room, The Hidden Vineyard, Winery November 18, 2013

http://thehiddenvineyard.com/

Imagine you are driving along a back road in Italy when you see a hand-lettered sign that says “Wine Tasting” (in Italian, of course). On a whim, you decide to follow the charmingly amateurish signs until you come to a dirt road off the country road. Daringly, you turn onto it, ascend a hill past rows of grape vines, and at the top you see a large house. Is this it, you wonder. Park and enter, and you will be greeted by two older gentlemen who seem quite at home in the kitchen/family room of the house, and who will soon make you feel equally at home.

Oh, wait, this isn’t Italy, it’s Calverton! You’re just off Exit 71 of the LIE, and you’ve followed the signs to The Hidden Vineyard. You’ve been greeted by Pete DiBernardi and George Mancuso, and the house is actually where Pete lives. But the feeling of being in Italy continues as they serve you wine directly from the oak casks and tell you their life stories. Friends since their boyhoods in Brooklyn, they both became widowers rather suddenly within a short time of each other. Pete had been building the house with his wife, and abruptly did not know what to do with it. Both loved to make wine in the style of their forebears—from Sicily and Sardinia—and so, somehow, they found themselves in the wine business.

They will tell you proudly that they use no sulfites or other additives in their wines, nor do they filter them. You get to drink each glass directly from the barrels, kept refrigerated at 55˚, and if you decide to buy a bottle they will fill the bottle from the tap, seal it, and make up a label just for you—with any message on it you like.

The taps from which your glass or bottle of wine will be filled.

Though it was a warm sunny November day, we stayed inside, but they were eager to tell us that in the summer they do tastings outside, and are happy to have people bring their own picnics and buy a couple of bottles. They’ve done quite a few parties, too, and point out their karaoke machine (happily not in use at the moment!).

They make six wines, all for $25 per bottle, and a tasting is $5 for three wines or $5 per glass. Note that they do not accept any credit cards. Cash only! We opt to share two tastings, first the whites, and then the reds. The pour is fairly generous.

1) Pinot Grigio

None of the wines seem to have vintages, though George assures us that they never serve a wine until they like it. All the wines, he says, spend at least a year in the barrels in the cellar of the house, which is also where they do their wine-making. This smells and tastes a bit like wildflower honey, though it is dry. I definitely taste the oak.

2) Chardonnay

Tasty and toasty, we decide about this wine. We smell the typical vanilla aroma of oaked chardonnays, with a bit of a cat pee smell. Pretty good. By the way, if you want to try their wines you’ll have to come to the tasting room, as they don’t produce enough to sell to stores or restaurants.

3) Riesling

You can tell that this is not filtered, as it is a bit cloudy. I think I smell wood shavings, but my husband thinks vegetables, maybe broccoli. This is not a sweet Riesling, and again I taste the oak. We get a fresh glass with each taste, which is a nice touch.

4) Cabernet Sauvignon

I like this wine the best so far, and in fact George does too, as he has poured himself a glass in order to join us. We smell the typical cherry/berry aroma of a Cab Sauv, and taste some pleasant fruit. This is a good wine for everyday, to go with pasta, etc. Like all the wines so far, it is not complex but perfectly pleasant.

5) Cabernet Franc

Nice deep ruby color for this wine, but the smell is a bit unpleasant, an almost chemical aroma. I’m not fond of the taste either, though it is somewhat grape-y, with a touch of sweetness at the end. No depth.

6) Merlot

This also has a dark color, but happily tastes better than the last one. This is a nice everyday Merlot, light and refreshing, and would be fine with a roast chicken picnic dinner.

We buy one Cabernet Sauvignon and one Merlot, and watch with interest as our bottles are filled from the taps, corked and sealed and labeled by the lovely young woman—a friend of the family, she says—who does “everything” that George and Pete don’t do. In the midst of our tasting another couple came in who had actually been there before, though Pete was proud to take credit for all visitors as a result of the signs he painted by hand. They do no other advertising.

One of the tables in the tasting room.

Reasons to visit: You are tired of the cookie-cutter aspect of other wineries, and want to go somewhere a bit different; you enjoy chatting with owners/winemakers; you feel that Calverton is far enough and don’t feel like venturing further onto the North Fork; you want to buy a couple of bottles as a gift with personalized labels on them; the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot. But remember—cash only!

Sannino Bella Vita October 13, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with 2nd Bottle, Ackerly Ponds, Bianca White Merlot, cabernet franc, Chilly Day Chardonnay, merlot, North Fork, petit verdot, Prima Rossa, riesling, Sannino Bella Vita, Snow Rose of Merlot, Spotlight, Warm Spice Wine, wine October 15, 2013

http://www.sanninovineyard.com/

One view of the tasting room.

I told my husband he’d miss the Jets/Steelers game because we’d be out for the afternoon, but he was in luck—it was playing (with the sound off) on the flat screen TV in the Sannino Bella Vita/Ackerly Ponds tasting room. And that wasn’t the only way the good-humored staff was helpful. The three of us were going to share a tasting when one confessed he might be coming down with a cold. Could we split one taste by sharing it 2/3 in one glass and 1/3 in another? We could! Everyone was happy, including the honeymooning couple who were staying in the Bed and Breakfast associated with the winery, and enjoying their complimentary tasting and so were the drunken fruit flies.

Each time we’ve come, we’ve noticed improvements to the tasting room, and they now have more space than they did at first in their rustic barn. Bella Vita took over the site from Ackerly Ponds, which continues in the names of some of the wines. On the list, some of them are marked BV, which means they are Bella Vita’s own. There are two tasting options: eight wines for $15 or four wines for $8. Since there are eleven wines on the list, plus spice wine, we decide to go with one 8 and one 4. They also offer a cheese tray for $15, and request that people not bring in outside picnics. As we sipped and chatted, a guitarist with a James-Taylor-type sound began to play in one corner of the room.

2012 Riesling $17

Not surprisingly, since this is made with grapes from the Finger Lakes Region, this is a somewhat sweet wine, though not cloyingly so. There’s an aroma of spice and goldenrod honey. It would pair nicely with something spicy.

2. 2012 Chilly Day Chardonnay $18

Just like most steel-fermented chardonnays, this one has a green apple smell, with tasting notes of citrus. It is a bit sweeter than one would expect, and one of the well-informed servers tells us that they try to accommodate a variety of preferences, and many people prefer a sweeter wine.

3. 2012 BV Chardonnay $23

Only one month in oak make this an only slightly oaked chard, with some ripe pear tastes and the usual vanilla aroma. It is drier than the first two.

4. 2012 BV Bianca White Merlot $17

“What a lovely color,” I said, admiring the pale pale pink of this 100% merlot rosé, made from the first press of the grapes, having spent almost no time on the skins. “Tastes like strawberries,” notes our son. We agree it is a nicely complex, not too sweet wine, with good fruit flavors. Quite buyable.

5. 2012 BV Snow Rose of Merlot $15

And now a wine from the second press, with twelve hours on the skins. The color is so dark it almost looks like a red, with a bit of a funky aroma. “Garbage smell?” asks our son. Fortunately it tastes better than it smells, though its notes of over-ripe fig may not appeal to everyone,

6. 2010 Cabernet Franc $40

Now we move on to the reds. This one doesn’t have a lot of fruit flavor, and does have some of that earthy smell and taste one gets out here.

7. 2004 Ackerly Ponds Merlot $19.99

Very nice! Dry, with ripe purple plum tastes, this would be great with pasta and meatballs.

8. 2^nd Bottle Red $12

The name of this wine needs a bit of explaining, as there’s a philosophy behind it. So often a host wants to serve a good wine as a first round, but feels it is not necessary to serve as good (or expensive) a wine for the second round. Hence…2^nd Bottle. It is true that one thing the North Fork could use is more less-expensive reds for everyday drinking, and this does fill that ecological niche. A blend primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, this is a fine table wine, though it would be overpowered by anything big, like a steak.

9. 2010 Merlot $35

Lots of “2s” here—22 months aging in oak, with juice from 23 year old vines. We like this one, too. Dry, with a bit of berry taste.

10. 2010 BV Prima Rossa $35

Another blend, this one is also aged 22 months, and includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. We smell cinnamon, spice, cedar and find the taste lighter than one would expect from the smell, with some hints of licorice. It would go great with a Middle Eastern lamb dish.

11. 2010 BV Spotlight Petit Verdot $45

Another good red, and strong enough to stand up to a steak dinner, this is primarily Petit Verdot with about 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and has tastes of berry and ripe cherries. In general, we’re liking the reds better than we did a year ago when we visited Bella Vita.

12. Warm Spice Wine

Cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice make this wine “smell like Christmas and taste like Thanksgiving,” according to out server. If you’ve ever had Swedish glögg you know what this tastes like. Throw in some cranberries and some cut up oranges and you have a nice party drink.

We buy some bottles of 2^nd Bottle and our son gets some White Merlot and 04 Merlot. Good choices

Reasons to visit: you want to get a step or two off the beaten path (limos or groups larger than 6 only by appointment); the White Merlot and the 04 Merlot, plus 2^nd Bottle if you’re looking for an everyday table wine; a warm friendly atmosphere.

Corey Creek September 15, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting, Uncategorized and tagged with bedell, cabernet franc, chardonnay, Corey Creek, First Crush Red, gewurztraminer, Malbec, merlot, NoFo, North Fork, sauvignon blanc, Sparkling Rose, syrah, Taste Rose, Taste White, viognier September 18, 2013

http://www.bedellcellars.com/cc_tastingroom.php

The tasting room sits on a rise overlooking the vineyard.

Bedell has, in effect, two tasting rooms, since all Corey Creek serves are Bedell wines, except for their own Gewürztraminer. Corey Creek’s room is somewhat more rustic looking than Bedell’s, and there are nice picnic tables on the pretty grounds. However, since we last tasted Bedell a year ago in August, it was time for a new tasting anyway. (That’s what makes this such a challenging project—just when you think you’ve tasted every winery, you realize that another year has begun and they have new vintages. As they say, it’s a tough job, but…)

We had the room to ourselves on a bright and sunny but slightly chilly September afternoon, except for some children whose parents were picnicking outside, and who came running in to use the rest room. The two servers were friendly and chatty and quite well-informed, and we spent a pleasant time with them.

Corey Creek offers two tastings, plus wines by the glass or bottle. The Estate tasting includes 5 wines for $12, and the Premium has 5 wines for $15. Somewhat disappointingly for those looking to try a variety of wines, several of the wines are the same on each list. However, our server had a good idea, and, since she had a bottle open anyway, gave us a taste of a different wine instead of one of the overlapping ones. I’ve marked the wines which were only on the Premium tasting with an * so you can decide whether you want to invest the extra $3 to try them or not. I would stick to the Estate tasting next time.

Corey Creek 2012 Gewürztraminer $40

Both tastings include this wine, Corey Creek’s only offering of its own wine, as I noted above. This has a bit of that cat pee smell Gewürztraminers sometimes have. The taste is quite bracing, with lots of lime and tangelo, and is rather acid at the end. Not a sweet Gewürztraminer! It is good, though I like One Woman’s version better.

Note the snazzy bottle on the right.

2. 2012 Bedell Chardonnay $30

This is, our server informs us, a blend of Chardonnay grapes from six separate plots, and is fermented half in oak and half in steel, so it avoids being either overly oaky or overly simple. This has some nice tropical fruit flavors and the usual vanilla scent of oaked chards, but is not very complex.

3. *2011 Taste White $35

I really like the label of this one, as it has an interesting image which reminds me of Marilyn Monroe. This is a blend of 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 32% Viognier, 22% Chardonnay, 5% Gewürztraminer and 1% Riesling, and I enjoy sipping it. It is nice and light, and would make a great summer aperitif, with some lemon-lime flavors that would complement seafood very nicely.

4. 2011 Taste Rosé $20

Again, both tastings get this wine, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. With that information, you would expect this to be a rather complex rosé, but in fact it is just okay, and once again does not measure up to the Croteaux rosés, our gold standard for the North Fork. It is, however, a perfectly fine rosé, with the typical strawberry aroma and tastes of papaya and peach.

5. Bedell Sparkling Rosé $45

You won’t find this on the menu, but noting our seriousness of demeanor and my careful note-taking, our server offers us this addition to our tasting. As she says, this would make a great aperitif, and, as my husband notes, you could easily quaff a lot of this “and then fall over.” It would be lovely with a strawberry floated in it, as it is relatively dry. This is a “tank fermented” sparkler, but they also make a Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine, using the facilities at Sparkling Point.

6. First Crush Red $20

Now we switch to reds. I’m thinking of picnics and roast chicken and a slightly chilled Beaujolais Nouveau as we discuss this wine. It is fairly mellow, soft, and not very assertive, and would be good with a simple dinner. Quite buyable.

7. 2012 Cabernet Franc $40

Both tastings include this, my favorite so far, with lots of layers of taste, including blackberry. Again, it is dry, but not too dry, and very pleasant to drink.

8. 2010 Merlot

Rather than give both of us the Cab Franc, the server cleverly gives my husband this Merlot instead so we can try a different wine. This is a fairly typical NoFo Merlot, with nice black cherry tastes and a short finish.

9. *2011 Malbec $50

Lighter than I expect for a Malbec, this has lovely tastes of boysenberry, with some hints of cocoa. Very good, though a bit pricey for how I would rate it.

A view inside the tasting room.

Reasons to visit: Quiet rustic tasting room (buses, etc., by appointment); Bedell wines plus their own, so a good place to come if Bedell is crowded; the First Crush Red and the Taste White.

We could have had our tasting on this pretty porch.

Pellegrini Vineyards September 7, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Uncategorized and tagged with cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Catapano Farms goat cheese, chardonnay, gewurztraminer, Medley White, merlot, North Fork, pellegrini, petit verdot, rose, Vintner's Pride September 11, 2013

http://www.pellegrinivineyards.com/

Friends often ask me, “What’s the best vineyard on the North Fork?” My general answer is, “It depends on what you like.” However, probably the best all-around vineyard is Pellegrini, for several reasons. It is large enough so that if you go with a group you will be able to find a table where you can all sit together. It is small enough so that you can stand at the bar and have a good conversation about the wines with the servers. Both the whites and the reds are good, though we tend to prefer their reds, which we feel are better than the general run of reds. It does lack the somewhat frenetic party atmosphere of some places, however, and they tend to focus on the wines rather than agritainment. Oh, and many of the wines are reasonably priced for the North Fork.

Pellegrini is also good for a group because if you like you can mark your selections on a clearly laid out menu that is also a map telling you in what order to drink the wines (top to bottom, left to right) and take the tray to a table outside overlooking the vineyards, which we did. One of the friends in our group of eight had brought along bread and cheese and hummus, so we had a lovely afternoon tasting, laughing, and snacking.

The tasting menu has a variety of options. The Bar Tasting is $6 and gives you three one-ounce pours which you can choose from a menu of ten wines to be drunk at the bar. The Flight Tasting is $12, and gives you three two-ounce pours, plus a one-ounce “complimentary” pour of their rosé, chosen from 13 options, which you then take to a table. There’s also a Vintner’s Flight for $14, four one-ounce pours of higher-priced wines, and a Wine and Chocolate Flight for $16 for four reds plus chocolates.

As wine club members, we were entitled to four free Flight tastings, which worked perfectly, since all the couples were happy to share. Since we belong to the only-red-wine category of the club, we decided to taste some of their whites. Amongst the group, we tried quite a few wines, so I’ll be adding in some notes from other people as well.

A tray of whites, with one rose.

East End Select Rosé $14.99

This is the “complimentary” taste, a steel-fermented blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. As usual, we compared it to Croteaux’s rosés, and it is good, but not as good. It has lots of the strawberry aroma and taste one expects in a rosé, but not much else. Our friend characterized it as a “meet and greet” wine, nice to have at a barbeque on a sunny day.

2. 2012 Pellegrini Vineyards Gewürztraminer $19.99

I detect some of that cat pee smell which Gewürztraminer often has. We taste honey, but it is not too sweet, with some nice fruity notes.

3, 2012 Pellegrini Vineyards Stainless Steel Chardonnay $19.99

Nice crisp apple taste, but a bit too sweet is the word on this one. We still prefer the Channing Daughters Scuttlehole Chardonnay.

4. 2012 Pellegrini Vineyards Medley White $21.99

Another steel-fermented wine, this one is a blend of 59% Sauvignon Blanc and 41% Chardonnay. I get a mineral aroma, perhaps of wet rock. It tastes fine, however, with a balance of sweet and acid, with perhaps too much sourness at the end.

I have a few notes on other wines from my friends. Meanwhile, the non-drinker in the group had this to say, as he watched us carefully sip and discuss each taste, “If people chose their mates as carefully as they taste wine, there would be fewer divorces.”

Some red tastings plus a view of the vineyard.

5. 2007 Pellegrini Vineyards Petit Verdot $39.99

As I’ve said, we like their reds, and this, as Rod Serling used to say, is a case in point. A blend of 93% Petit Verdot, 6$ Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in French oak for 20 months, this is a lovely wine, and the favorite of the group. It is somewhat earthy and leathery, but quite richly fruited.

6. 2007 Pellegrini Vineyards Cabernet Franc $23.99

My friend sniffs and says, “Coffee, chocolate, pepper!” Those elements are in the taste as well, plus lots of cherry. She’d like it with pizza which, since she makes her own, is high praise.

7. 2007 Pellegrini Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon $24.99

This one, according to the group, is a bit too acidic to drink on its own, but would be good with food. Nice berry flavors with some peppery notes at the end.

8. 2010 Vintner’s Pride Encore $49.99

Another blend, this one is 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Petit Verdot. Light and fruity, everyone says, and dry, with basically no finish.

After the tastes, one friend buys a bottle of the Petit Verdot, which we happily share as we munch on Catapano Farms goat cheese and enjoy the cool and sunny late summer afternoon.

Inside the tasting room.

Reasons to visit: good all-around winery, good reds, pleasant atmosphere, good for a group or for just a couple, the Petit Verdot.

McCall’s Wines 8/31/13

Posted by nofowineaux in Uncategorized and tagged with Ben's Blend, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, McCall's, merlot, North Fork wines, petit verdot, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, Westhampton Beach September 2, 2013

http://www.mccallwines.com/

After an excursion to Westhampton Beach for an art show, and a visit to a friend’s house for a smaller art show, it was time for a different type of art, so off we went to McCall’s Winery. Mr. McCall does treat wine-making as an art, concentrating for the most part on producing some of the best reds around, with only a few whites. He and Mrs. McCall were both on hand, which was fortunate, as there was quite a crowd, including at least one bachelorette party (we could tell by the white veil on her head…). As Mr. McCall had told us on an earlier (much less crowded) visit, he used to be a Coca-Cola distributor, but then became interested in wine making. In addition to his vines, he also tends a herd of grass-fed cattle one can see munching said grass in a field next to the winery, and whose meat can sometimes be bought at Love Lane Market. I described the tasting room, in a repurposed stable, in an earlier entry, and most people are out on the grass at picnic tables.

The tasting menu now offers four levels of flights: Vintner, at three two-ounce tastes for $8; Cellar Master, with three for $10; Premium, at three tastes for $10; and Estate, at four for $16. We decide to share two flights, the Premium and the Estate. Mrs. McCall is serving us, and she carefully monitors the order of our wines, interspersing the two flights for the best path through the tastings. As a result, I have marked the wines from the Estate flight with *.

2012 Sauvignon Blanc $24

We start with the only white we’ve tasted at this winery, and it is quite pleasant, with aromas of honeysuckle and citrus, and a taste that combines wildflower honey and kumquat, with some minerality. It is somewhat tart. Mrs. M. admits she’s never tasted a kumquat, and we decide this does not taste like the candied ones one gets, but rather like a fresh one.

2. *2010 Pinot Noir $45

We thought we’d be moving on to the Cab Franc, but Mrs. M. suggests we have this instead, as it is fruitier. And indeed it is. “Mmmm,” we both say. The day before we had bought some lovely purple plums at Briermere (along with the obligatory pie), and there is a flavor here that reminds me of them, plus a hint of cinnamon. Robust, they call it. Yes, indeed.

3. *2010 Pinot Noir Reserve $60

I love doing this—tasting two wines from the same varietal in succession. So interesting. This one was aged an additional six months in French oak, and we overhear Mr. McCall saying that 2010 was the best year for his wines so far. This is really good, and right up there with other high-priced wines in its taste and complexity. It has much more depth than the other Pinot Noir, with aromas of coffee and chocolate and lots of dark fruit. I bet you could cellar this one.

4. 2011 Cabernet Franc $28

Now we get the Cab Franc, which is our least favorite of the day. We smell a brambley aroma, and some tastes of blackberry, but also a bit of an olive taste, which is somewhat off-putting.

5. *2007 Merlot $30

Poetically, my husband compares the aroma to the woods at dawn, evoking memories of when we used to go camping, and I would step out of the tent and inhale that dewy scent. As we agreed the last time we were here, this is definitely better than most North Fork Merlots, with very cherry tastes and good tannins and structure. Buyable, though we don’t buy any this time.

6. 2008 Merlot Reserve $28

We can see why McCall’s began their wine-making with the ’07 vintage, since it is certainly better than the ’08. This one has a bit of the barnyard smell and taste one often finds out East, and is a light wine with some pepper at the end. Perhaps with more time…

7. *2007 Ben’s Blend $54

This Bordeaux blend is named in honor of their winemaker, who sadly passed away. However, this is quite a legacy. The blend is 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. We detect scents of cedar and forest, with lots of tastes of berries and plums, plus some chocolate. I could definitely see cellaring this one.

Mr. McCall chats with his guests.

Reasons to visit: some of the best reds on Long Island, the chance to chat with Mr. McCall, who is quite enthusiastic about his wines; Ben’s Blend and the 07 Merlot; a pleasantly rustic setting.

Grapes protected from the birds with netting

NoFo Wineaux

Wine notes from Long Island's North Fork

Tag Archives: merlot