Lieb Cellars: Très Èlégant May 21, 2016

http://liebcellars.com/

The somewhat industrial looking outside belies the very attractive inside.

“I love Paris” was being crooned on the sound system as we entered Lieb Cellars’ elegant tasting room on Oregon Road. Oregon Road, you may ask? If you’ve been to Lieb, you’ve probably been to their tasting room on the corner of Sound Avenue and Cox Neck Road, but this is their second location, and a lovely one it is. As we walked through the parking lot, we heard birds singing and looked out at a bucolic scene of farm fields and vineyards.

Typical scene along Oregon Road–plowed field ready for planting!

We were greeted by a friendly hostess who escorted us to a table with comfortable chairs in a corner of the attractive tasting room. Many people were sitting outside, but it felt a touch too chilly for us to sit out there. However, I could definitely see coming here on a warm afternoon and getting a glass of wine (suggestions at the end of this review) and some snacks—I’m particularly interested in trying the duck paté—to share with friends.

The hostess will show you to your table.

The pleasant waitress explained to us that they now do table service, though one could still sit at the bar, and handed us menus. The four drink options included 5 of primarily their Bridge Lane whites or 5 Bridge Lane reds for $16, 6 Reserve wines for $20, or 5 “Director’s Cut” options for $12. The last list included their sparkling cider, Rumor Mill, which I liked when I had it in the past. Since we have sampled the Bridge Lane offerings several times at their other location, we decided to go with the reserve list. The waitress brought us a package of slim bread sticks to cleanse our palates along with a tray bearing our first three tastes on a paper with numbered and named spots for each one.

The menu also includes non-alcoholic drinks for the designated driver.

2011 Reserve Blanc de Blancs $30

Although this is a Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine, it was served in a regular wine glass, which might have accounted for the paucity of bubbles (or it might have been open for a while). Despite the bubble issue, this is a perfectly pleasant sparkling wine, not too dry, with some minerality and tastes of unripe pear and the typical yeasty toasty aroma. But if I wanted an inexpensive sparkler I’d go for a Cava or Asti Spumonte—or, if I was determined to have a Long Island sparkling wine, one of Sparkling Pointe’s better wines, such as Brut Seduction. They use pinot blanc grapes for this, aged 36 months.

Three whites

2014 Reserve Pinot Blanc $22

Of course, this is also made with pinot blanc grapes, and is, our server told us, their “signature wine.” I’m not sure why, since, though it’s not bad, we did not particularly care for it. It is steel fermented with 0% residual sugar, we were told, which might account for the perception I had of something metallic about the smell and taste. “Like licking foil,” I said, which my companion thought was a rather strange thing to do. It might be better with food, such as something in a cream sauce, since it is quite crisp.

2015 Sauvignon Blanc $26

This is a new wine for Lieb, and so far our definite favorite. The aroma is complex, with notes of honey, fresh cut grass, pineapple, and maybe a touch of cat pee (or that smell when you’ve had cut flowers in a vase too long). The taste is also complex, and I compare it to kiwi and something green with a touch of smoke or funk. My husband says, “I could drink a lot of this.” It may not be a crowd pleaser, since it is rather dry, but we like it a lot. We took a mental inventory of our wine cellar and decided not to buy it, but we might change our minds at some future date.

One can also sit at the bar.

2014 Reserve Merlot $24

Now it is time for our reds, and rather than change our glasses the waitress quickly flips over the paper in our little tray to reveal spaces named and numbered for reds. Even though there are a few drops of wine in each glass, we don’t get new glasses, as she pours out our tastes and gives a brief rundown on each wine. The merlot, she notes, also has a bit of cabernet franc in it, and all the reserve reds are aged ten months in Hungarian oak. We feel the merlot is a fairly typical Long Island merlot, with dark fruit aromas and tastes, including plum and cherry, plus a touch of earthiness.

The reds, including our favorite of the day, the Meritage.

2014 Reserve Cabernet Franc $40

I would hope for more depth and complexity in a $40 bottle, though this is a perfectly competent red and would be good with pasta. Aromas of plum and tobacco and dark fruit tastes, as one would expect.

2013 Reserve Meritage $35

Described simply as their Bordeaux blend, this is our favorite wine of the day. Though the aroma is similar to the cabernet franc, the taste is much more interesting. Cherry, chocolate, plums, perhaps a touch of leather or tobacco. It could have more body, but we like it enough to also contemplate buying a bottle. I ask our waitress what the proportions of the various grapes are in the wine, and she disappears into the back for quite a while, during which we decide that cabernet sauvignon probably dominates over the merlot. When she returns we discover that we are right, as she hands us a printout with a detailed rundown on the wine: 47% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 17% malbec, 2% cabernet franc, and 1% petit verdot. Plus more detail than we need, though it is interesting to see the comments on the type of yeast and bacteria used. Winemaking, we have often heard, is both an art and a science. Also, this is aged 16 months in Hungarian oak. As we have heard before, 2013 was an excellent year, and this is a good example of the lovely wines made from that harvest.

Comfy chairs and couches abound.

Reasons to visit: prettily bucolic location on a back road with comfortable seats and an appealing array of snacks and variety of tasting menu choices; the Reserve Sauvignon Blanc and the Reserve Meritage. If I were coming to have the duck paté, I would pair it with the Meritage, though a selection of their cheeses and charcuterie could also go well with a glass of the Sauvignon Blanc—or the Rumor Mill sparkling cider. No limos or buses (though they allow both at their other location).

Despite the cool weather, several groups opted to sit outside.

Laurel Lake: The Personal Touch May 14, 2016

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting, Uncategorized and tagged with cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, chardonnay, chardonnay estate reserve, CJ's America Grill, gewurztraminer, Juan, Laurel Lake, merlot, NoFo, North Fork, Pinot Gris, pinot noir reserve, syrah, Wind Song Red, wine tasting May 16, 2016

http://www.llwines.com/

Juan sat down next to us at the bar and explained his ideas about winemaking. Although there were several large groups at Laurel Lake, and Juan was actively helping to serve them, he and the servers behind the bar also took the time to answer our questions and solicit our opinions about the wines—which were largely favorable except for one, which I will discuss later. Introduced to us as “our winemaker from Chile,” Juan told us that he enjoys talking to customers and finding out what they do and do not like about his wines. “The wines reflect the personality of the winemaker,” he told us, including whether the winemaker is a man or a woman. If so, then Laurel Lake’s wines should be outgoing and friendly and easy to like.

The main tasting room manages to be both spacious and cozy.

The menu offers flights of four tastes for $15, of a fairly generous pour, out of seven whites and nine reds. We opted to share a flight of whites and a flight of reds, skipping, for example, the rosé and the moscato. We also skipped the riesling, which we noticed comes in a pretty blue bottle. That price has actually gone down from our last visit, in 2014, when it was three tastes for $15. In general, the prices for the wines are quite reasonable. We noticed people eating snacks brought from home, although once their food truck arrives Laurel Lake no longer permits outside snacks.

The music group on the porch, with a view of a group enjoying the warm weather outside.

As we sipped, a music group set up in the large porch to one side of the attractive tasting room. The large groups also headed outside, so the main room remained relatively calm. We also noted a small but amusing collection of wine-related gifts.

Some of the gift items

We don’t need a mouse pad, but if we did…

2015 Pinot Gris $21.99

Pinot Gris is the French equivalent of Pinot Grigio, one of my frequent choices when opting for a glass of house white, as it tends to be reliably dry. I would be perfectly happy if I had gotten this as a glass of house wine, as it is dry and mineral-y, with a touch of sweet fruit. It smells a bit like asparagus, we decide, wondering if our current diet of local asparagus has influenced that thought. Lobster bisque, we decide, would be a perfect pairing.

2014 Chardonnay $18.99

This is their steel fermented chard, with an aroma of not-quite-ripe pineapple and some mineral. The taste is again a combination of dry and a touch of sweetness, and fades quickly. Evanescent, we say. As the wine warms a bit in the glass we also taste a hint of pineapple or tropical fruit. We note that people coming to the bar are quite insistent about wanting their wines really cold. We prefer wines not quite as cold, so you can really taste them. I decide that chicken cordon bleu would be a good accompaniment.

The pour is fairly generous.

2013 Chardonnay Estate Reserve $23.99

The tasting notes inform us that this spends 12 months in oak, and we have a discussion with one of our servers about preferences for oaked vs. non-oaked chards. “Which do you like?” she asks, and we realize that it depends. In general, we don’t like the really heavy buttery taste and texture of a heavily oaked chard, but a bit of oakiness is often quite pleasant. As is this wine. If you like Long Island chardonnays you should like this one, with its slightly vanilla smell and touch of citrus and tropical fruit taste. Nice long finish, too.

2014 Gewürztraminer $22.99

It could be an aperitif wine, or a dessert wine, or a wine to have with blue cheese and charcuterie, we decide, but it is a bit too sweet to enjoy just by itself. The tasting notes say to have this with spicy food, a frequent recommendation for sweeter wines, but we feel you’d lose some of the subtlety of this wine if you did. The aroma is complex, as is the taste.

Wind Song Red $17.99

The tasting notes say this is “like a nice Chianti.” I don’t think so! We feel quite misled by the note, which is an issue we take up with Juan, who sheepishly admits they were written for a previous iteration of this blend. They needed an inexpensive red crowd pleaser for the menu, hence this wine, the only one that has us looking around for a dump bucket. A blend of merlot, syrah and a “mystery ingredient,” which, after a guessing game, Juan admits is chardonnay (!), this is quite a sweet red. We compare it to red candy or fruit salad. Fresh glasses with most tastes, by the way.

2012 Pinot Noir Reserve $29.99

We’ve been on a raspberry pie kick at Briermere recently, with raspberry peach last week and raspberry plum this, and the wine smells to us like those pies. With 18 months in oak, this has some tannins at the end, and is a fairly light red. I could see it with veal chops.

2011 Syrah $19.99

My husband refrains from singing “Que sera, sera” when we choose this wine, for which I am grateful. This is our favorite of the day, with delicious aromas of dark fruit and rich tastes of dried plum (a.k.a. prune) and other fruits. It would go well with pastas and meats, and we decide to buy a bottle.

One cabernet

And the other cab

2011 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve $25.99

Our server, having engaged us in various discussions of our choices, asks if we would like to divide our final taste between the steel fermented cab sauv and the oaked one. Sure, we’re always up for that sort of interesting comparison. The steel cab has a funky aroma and is very dry and tannic, really rather austere. The Reserve is interesting and complex, also dry and tannic, with tastes of black raspberry and maybe a few other flavors. We buy a bottle of that, too.

Reasons to visit: an intimate space that also has ample room on the porch and outside for groups; the chance to chat with Juan or the very friendly and knowledgeable servers; the Pinot Gris, the Syrah, and the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve; reasonably priced wines for Long Island. While we were there, the owner of CJ’s American Grill came in and we noted that we like their wine policy, which is to feature local wines at a moderate price. Oh, and yes, the wines are outgoing and friendly and easy to like.

Nice decor

We liked the syrah.

We indeed felt welcome.

Sign of spring!

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.

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.

Comtesse Thérèse February 17, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Aquebogue, blanc de noir, cabernet sauvignon, Canadian Oak, chardonnay, Comtesse Therese, Hungarian oak, merlot, NoFo, rose, Russian oak, sauvignon blanc February 22, 2013

http://www.comtessetherese.com/index.html

It was what Winnie-the –Pooh calls a “blustery day” (This is what happens when you hang out with a 21-month-old.), and we thought we’d check out the Jazz on the Vine program at Jamesport Vineyard. When we couldn’t find a place to park, we left and headed a little way down the road to Comtesse Thérèse, a combination bistro and winery. We had only been there in the summer, when the tasting room is a charmingly disheveled back patio, with cast iron furniture and a view of the herb garden (and of the chef as he steps out of the kitchen to pick some herbs), so we weren’t sure what to expect. The wind blew us around the front and through the door of the restored old house, where we quickly found ourselves in a cozy bar with a friendly and accommodating bartender. Fortunately, since we had promised our granddaughter music, there was quiet jazz playing in the background. The four of us settled into a corner of the bar and looked over the menu. The option of 4 tastes for $8 sounded good, and the bartender intelligently figured out how to give us tastes of 8 wines—four and four—so we could sample a wider selection. Although we didn’t stay for a meal, we have eaten there in the past and been very pleased with its French bistro-style food and emphasis on local produce.

2011 Chardonnay $13

The bartender starts us all off with their steel-fermented chardonnay, which is on sale. An aroma of fresh-cut grass heralds a taste of steel and green apple, with some honey notes. It is surprisingly mellow for an all-steel chard, and a bit unctuous, according to our son-in-law. Very buyable, which we both accomplish.

Russian Oak Chardonnay 2009 $22

Ooh, nice legs, we say. This chard spends 4 months in oak, and we do detect an oaky aroma. The flavor is light, with some notes of Meyer lemon—or maybe lemon dots!

2011 Sauvignon Blanc $28

I think I smell a trace of something metallic as well as the more typical honeysuckle. Nicely dry and a bit grassy, all we need now is a dozen local oysters!

2011 Rosé $22

Well, Croteaux remains the standard of excellence for NoFo rosés. This one has a nice raspberry aroma, but has not much character and is somewhat monochromatic. Well chilled on a hot day it might be fine, and the finish is nice.

2011 Blanc de Noir $24

We like this rosé better, with its apricot aroma and edge of citrus flavor, though it is a bit sweet for our taste.

2008 Hungarian Oak Merlot $24

My notes for this wine are somewhat obscured by a 21-month-old’s “decoration,” but then I gave her a page from my notebook and another pen so she could take notes just like grandma. Although this wine doesn’t have much aroma, it has a pleasant cherry flavor with some earthiness at first and tannins at the end.

2007 Aquebogue Estate Merlot $25 (for the 08)

Noticing our serious approach to the tasting, the bartender gives us the 07 Merlot rather than the 08 because, he says, it is better. We do like it. It has nice fruit with some acidity to add interest.

2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon $30

This one is a favorite with our daughter and son-in-law, who buy a bottle. It has aromas and tastes of black fruits, like plums. It would be good with lamb, because it has enough acidity to cut the fat.

2007 Canadian Oak Cabernet Sauvignon $32

And we prefer this one, and buy a bottle! This is somewhat heavier than the Estate Cab Sauv, with more complexity and cherry flavors as well. It would pair well with steak. The bartender informs us that they are the only winery in the area to use Canadian oak.

Before she opened her own tasting room, we met “Comtesse Thérèse”—actually Tree Dilworth, an attractive young woman—at The Tasting Room, now The Winemaker’s Studio. We had a delightful conversation with her, and were impressed with her passion for wine, but no, she is not actually a “Comtesse”!

Reasons to visit: Cozy attractive bar area in the winter, charming garden in the summer; 2011 Chardonnay,2011 Sauvignon Blanc, 06 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 07 Canadian Oak Cabernet Sauvignon; you can go on after the tasting to have a meal in the pretty, intimate bistro. Oh, and if you want to take notes, they have lots of feather pens.

Lenz Winery 8/25/12

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, gewurztraminer, Lenz, merlot, NoFo, Old Vines, Winery August 30, 2012

The first round at Lenz

http://www.lenzwine.com/

After a 28-mile morning bike ride, we are ready for some refreshment, and so we head to the Lenz Winery, on the main road, one of a row of wineries. They have an attractive barn-like tasting room, as well as some outside tables, and they sell some of the art that is on their walls as well as a small selection of wine-related tchatchkas. A chalk board suggests one ask about their cheese tray, but we don’t. There are two tasting menus, the Estate wines, 6 for $10, and the Premium wines, 5 for $14. Being good at sharing, we order one of each, and our well-informed and bright server asks if we would like him to coordinate them so we can taste the wines in groups. We do!

The first round consists of three wines, the 2010 Blanc de Noir ($15), the 2006 Cuvee ($30) and the 2008 Gewurztraminer ($20).

1) The Blanc de Noir is a rose, with a sweet beginning and a tart finish, and a taste of green tomatoes. It would work with oysters.

2) Champagne! The 06 Cuvee is a methode champagnoise sparking wine that is quite good. They use pinot noir grapes. Although the aroma reminds us of cut grass that has been left in a pile for too long, the flavor is dry and good, with notes of green apple. This wine, the server tells us, is aged for 6 months.

3) In the past we have liked their gewurz, but this one does not thrill us. Neither here nor there, is one comment. Some sweetness, some spice, a bit of ginger.

The second grouping lets us compare three chardonnays. I love this type of tasting, since it is always so fascinating to see how the same grape can be so different depending on how it is treated.

4) 08 White Label Chardonnay $12

This mostly steel fermented chard has a honeysuckle aroma, and though it is a bit sweet is is nicely balanced and not too citrusy. Very buyable!

5) Gold Label Chardonnay $20

This is an oak-aged chard, and has the expected vanilla/caramel notes with a roast pear aroma. It starts tart and ends a bit acidic. Though it has a bit too much flavor for simple foods, it might be really good with a seafood in cream sauce dish.

6) Old Vines Chardonnay $25

“Old vines” because the vines are 25 years old, this variety is “only made when we have good grapes,” we are told. This is in the tradition of a white Burgundy, with flavors of spice, pears, and some vanilla. Excellent!

Now we move on to the reds, with a grouping of two cabernet sauvignons and a merlot/cab sauv blend, again facilitating fascinating comparisons.

7) 08 Cabernet Sauvignon $23

The aroma reminds us of one of our favorite NoFo treats: Briermere blackberry pie! Soft, simple, and uncomplicated, this would make a pleasant sipping wine. Good!

8) 08 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot (plus other grapes) blend $17

Another right bank Bordeaux. We feel this could use more time to age, as it is very soft and dry, with no aroma. Not bad for an everyday Bordeaux, however.

9) 2002 Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon $40

Yum! The server tells us this wine has had 10 years in the bottle to “calm down,” an interesting way to put it. He also says it could sit another 10-15 years, but we doubt that. We go on to have a discussion of the cabernet sauvignon grape, which, he says, has thicker skins than other grapes, and so needs more time to ripen, meaning that it is also more subject to the vagaries of weather and thus more difficult to work with. They’ve done a good job with this one, which has lots of fruit, an interestingly complicated aroma, but not much tannin. Though expensive, this could be worth the price.

The last grouping pairs two merlots.

10) 07 Estate Select Merlot $23

How can a wine smell like coconut suntan lotion? I don’t know, but this one does! Though it is dry, we taste lots of fruit and sense plenty of tannins. We like this one, and buy two bottles, one for a friend and one for us.

11) 02 Old Vines Merlot $55

We sense some of the earthy terroir aroma of the Long Island merlot, but only a little. Again, this is dry, with tastes of black cherry and chocolate. Though good, we don’t think it is worth the price.

Reasons to visit: some good reds, especially the Old Vines Cab and the Estate Select Merlot; the chance to do some comparative tastings across grape types; the Old Vines Chard.

NoFo Wineaux

Wine notes from Long Island's North Fork

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