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.

Lieb Cellars/Oregon Road August 9, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Bridge Lane Chardonnay, Bridge Lane Merlot, Bridge Lane Merlot Blanc, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, cox neck, Lieb Cellars, Malbec, Meritage, North Fork, north fork wineries, Oregon Road, Petit Syrah, petit verdot, Reserve Pinot Blanc, Right Coast Red, seashell wreath, Sound Influence Riesling, tomato bruschetta, wine club members August 13, 2013

http://liebcellars.com/

Tuscany? No, Oregon Road!

Suppose you like Lieb wines (as we do) and you decide to stop by their small tasting room on the corner of Cox Neck Road and Sound Avenue, only to find it…overrun sounds so judgmental, so let’s just say crowded…by the presence of a couple of limo groups. Never fear, you have a lovely alternative. Just go back onto Sound Avenue and continue a few blocks to Mill Road, turn left, then turn right onto Oregon Road and you will find yourself surrounded by farm houses and fields of sunflowers. You’ll pass Shinn Vineyards—also worth a stop, by the way—and eventually you’ll find Lieb’s second tasting room, carved out of a warehouse (sort of similar to the way their first tasting room shares quarters with the Premium Wine Group, which does the wine-making for quite a few of the North Fork wineries).

This tasting room does not accept limo or bus groups, so it is unlikely to be crowded. When we ask our server why the new room was opened, she gives just this reason, and notes that it is a nice place for their wine club members to come for a quiet tasting or glass of wine. They also have an efficient-looking little kitchen just off the room, where on the weekends they make snacks such as hummus, tomato bruschetta, oysters, and other non-cooked items (since they don’t have an oven on site). On this cloudy Friday, there is just one other group in the room, sitting around a table on the comfortable-looking modern wicker sofas. The room has a sophisticated, semi-industrial look, softened by a swag of cloth and a seashell wreath over the kitchen and a sea-view mural on one wall.

They offer six tasting options: five whites for $10, five reds for $10, a “summer fling” of six mixed types for $14, two sparkling wines for $7, a Reserve tasting of five for $12, and another summer tasting of four wines for $8. They also have a couple of Greenport Harbor beers on tap, in case your party includes a non-wine drinker. We decide to do a white flight and then a red flight, sharing as we go. The pour is fairly generous.

2011 Bridge Lane Merlot Blanc $12

But wait, you say, isn’t merlot a red grape? Yes, but if you don’t give it any time on the skins you get a white wine with some merlot characteristics. In this case, that involves some funkiness in the taste. We smell pine and mineral aromas, and the taste is sour, like grapefruit juice with some pineapple at the end. We wouldn’t want to sip this one, but it might go well with food that needs a strong white.

2. 2010 Reserve Pinot Blanc $18

Our well-informed server tells us that they are the only winery on the North Fork to make a Pinot Blanc, and so it is their signature wine. Again, this one is not for sipping, though it would have gone well with the lobster bisque I made from our leftover shells the other night. The aroma has a bit of the cat pee smell, and the wine itself is light and tart and citrusy, with a hint of sweetness at the end.

3. 2010 Bridge Lane Chardonnay $10

We like this steel-fermented chard very much, and the price is certainly right. Scents of cinnamon and mineral, with a bit of sweetness, lead to a classic steel chard with nice fruit, and not too much sweet.

4. 2009 Reserve Chardonnay $24

After eight months in oak, this is a lightly oaked chard, with some baked goods aroma. Very tasty, not too oaky, and again some sweetness at the end.

5. 2010 Sound Influence Riesling $24

Although this is an off-dry Riesling, we find the sweetness overwhelms the tastes of pineapple and tropical fruit and wildflower honey.

6. 2011 Bridge Lane Merlot $15

Now we switch to the reds, and we get a new glass, always a nice touch. Although we smell forest floor, the wine itself does not have any of that earthy dirt taste one sometimes gets. This would make a fine vin ordinaire, to have with pasta and such, as it has nice cherry flavors and just a little tannin. Buyable.

7, 2005 Reserve Merlot $22

18 months in French oak gives this wine an aroma of smoke and tomato. Hmmm…barbecue sauce? This is also a good pasta wine, and would stand up to a rich Bolognese sauce, as it has more tannins than the Bridge Lane Merlot. We taste cherry at the front of this relatively simple wine.

8. 2010 Right Coast Red $30

Here we have their classic Bordeaux blend: 58% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, and 4% Malbec. I’m assuming the name is a play on Right Bank Bordeaux! The aroma is almost meaty, it is so complex, and the wine itself is lovely, with lots of fruit. It would complement a rack of lamb very nicely, though the end taste is a bit sour.

9. 2008 Reserve Cabernet Franc $26

Our server describes this one as “nice and smooth,” as she also tells us it spent 15 months in French oak. We smell wet rock, and my husband says it smells like a typical Cabernet Franc, but “not to distraction.” Though not complex, this is a good red, with lots of fruit flavors.

10. 2005 Meritage $45

Another blend, this one has 75% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec and Petit Syrah, and 3% Cabernet Franc. This is only the third time Lieb has made this wine, we are told, and they only made 300 cases of it. We are underwhelmed by its aroma of sticky candy and just okay taste.

They don’t offer any wine tchotchkes for sale. We do buy both the Bridge Lane Chardonnay and the Bridge Lane Merlot. No reduction of tasting price with purchase.

Reasons to visit: you like a quiet tasting room in a bucolic setting; many of their wines, including the reasonably priced Bridge Lane Chardonnay and the Bridge Lane Merlot, are quite good; you want to come on a weekend and check out their snacks (I guess we’ll have to return!).

One Woman Winery August 5, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with chardonnay, D'latte, Dessert Wine, gewurztraminer, Greenport, gruner veltliner, merlot, North Fork, One Woman Tribute, One Woman Winery, rose, sauvignon blanc August 8, 2013

http://www.onewomanwines.com/

Apparently, one woman is all it takes to make some terrific wines; at least, if that one woman is Claudia Purita, the woman behind One Woman Wines. As her daughter proudly told us on a previous visit, Ms. Purita tends the vines by hand, picks the grapes, and makes the wine. The results are a pleasure to drink. Oh, and she even picks and arranges the gorgeous bouquets of wildflowers that grace the tasting room.

Flowers in the tasting room

We came to the winery this time on a breezy sunny Monday afternoon, when, until two other parties arrived, we were the only people in the tiny tasting room and on the only slightly larger deck area, where we drank our wines. If you are in a party larger than six or in a limo, you’d better have a reservation! The pleasant young women behind the bar were cheery and helpful, and guided us as we decided on what to pick from the menu of nine wines. Tastings are $6 for two tastes, $8 for three, or $10 for four, plus there are three reserve wines one can try for $4 for one or $12 for all three. Since there were four adults, we decided to share two tastings of four choices each, plus some reserves, while the two-year-old distraction ran races on the lawn. Because we were going back and forth between two tastings, the wines might not be in the absolute perfect tasting order.

2011 One Woman Tribute $23

Created to mark Ms. Purita’s five-year anniversary as a winemaker, this is a blend of all their whites. As a result, it has an unsurprisingly complicated aroma with peach and minerality dominating followed by a delicious taste that combines apricots (my favorite fruit) with a long citrusy finish. Dry yet fruity, this is a wine one could happily sip by itself or pair with almost any food.

2. 2012 Sauvignon Blanc $25

Another goodie! This one has a spicy aroma and flavor, with lots of lemon. It would be great with oysters. Very buyable.

3. 2011 Grüner Veltliner $20

Hmmm…what’s that smell? Eucalyptus! This wine also has plenty of fruit, with a nice tartness that makes us think of gooseberries. This is good, but…

4. 2012 Grüner Veltliner $20

…the 2012 is even better. Despite a slightly musty aroma under the eucalyptus, this is delicious, with a surprisingly sweet ending and a bit of a bubbly feeling on the tongue. As this is the only Grüner on the North Fork, it is worth coming here just to taste it.

5. 2011 Gewürztraminer $23

We smell pineapple and mango, then find the taste surprisingly dry, though with lots of tropical fruit. This one is rather delicate, so you’d want to pair it with a dish that wouldn’t be overwhelmed by it. Maybe scallops?

6. 2012 Gewürztraminer $23

As the servers noted, the 2012s are more flavorful than the 2011s, and that holds true for both the Gewürztraminer and the Grüner. Aromas and tastes of pineapple, and also spice and honey make this our favorite of the day, and we buy some to take home, thinking of Peconic Bay scallops on the barbecue.

7. 2012 Chardonnay $20

This is our least favorite of the day, a half oaked, half steel fermented chard with some vanilla and pine sap aromas and some oak and tropical fruit flavors.

The deck

8. 2012 Rosé $19

We get the usual notes of strawberry, with perhaps, as they say, some pomegranate. This is a dry, merlot-based rosé, with some earthiness and funkiness, though ultimately it is refreshing.

9. 2008 Estate Reserve Merlot $48

Lots of aromas to this wine, including wet forest and cinnamon. We taste spice and dark fruit, and all agree that it is an excellent merlot with all sorts of interesting flavors. This is part of the Reserve tasting, as are the next two.

10. 2010 Estate Reserve Chardonnay $38

Again, not a favorite. It has that cat pee smell some wines seem to get, and is too oaky for our taste, with lots of butterscotch.

11. 2010 Dessert Wine $39

Smells like the Gewürztraminer. It is sweet, but not just sweet, with some nice structure.

If you are counting, you will realize we skipped one wine—the sparkling wine. Perhaps next time we’ll try that. Meanwhile we buy the Gewürztraminer and the Sauvignon Blanc, and as a result the tastings of the standard wines, but not the reserves, are free. We also almost bought some gelato on sale in the tasting room, before we remembered that we had a Briermere pie for dessert. Gelato? Not surprising when you know that her husband owns D’Latte in Greenport. Later that night we have Peconic Bay scallops, barbecued on skewers with plum tomatoes and zucchini, along with roasted new potatoes and corn and sautéed zucchini, and the Gewürztraminer goes perfectly with it all.

Reasons to visit: you would like to drink some excellent white wines; you like peace and quiet among the vines (though they do have some evening events which might be livelier); you want to try Grüner Veltliner on Long Island; you like a nice dry Gewürztraminer; the Sauvignon Blanc.

Croteaux Vineyards July 27, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting, Uncategorized and tagged with 181 clone, 3, 314, boutique, croteaux vineyard, Herbes de Provence, Jolie, merlot, North Fork, Pomerol, Provence, rose, Sauvage, St. Emilion, Violet July 29, 2013

This gallery contains 5 photos.

http://www.croteaux.com/ It pays to join the club, even if you didn’t intend to! Croteaux has their own charming take on the wine club concept. In most, you sign up for regular deliveries or pick-ups of two or more bottles, and in return you get free tastings and reduced prices. At Croteaux, you automatically become a … Continue reading →

Jamesport Vineyards July 13, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with cabernet franc, chardonnay, East End Cinq Blanc, East End Merlot, Jamesport Vineyards, Jubilant, Melange de Trois, North Fork, oysters, riesling, sauvignon blanc, Sidor, SPAT, Wayside Market July 15, 2013

http://www.jamesportwines.com/

The last time we went to Jamesport Vineyards it had been to simply have a glass of wine and a plate of oysters, not a bad reason to visit as they are very well set up for that (more on the oysters later), but we felt it was time to do a complete tasting. The tasting room is in a 150-year-old barn, and is half bar and half a view through large windows into the wine-making operation. Though the room itself is small they have lots of space outside, and we see large groups immediately ushered to the outdoor space. They have a few t-shirts and other items for sale. Our server presents us with a list, but gives very little additional guidance, so we are left to decide for ourselves what to taste. A tasting is 5 wines for $13, and they have 13 wines in all, so we decide to share two tastings so we can sample 10 of their wines, which are served in attractive round-bottomed glasses. We skip the Rosé, the Pinot Noir, and the East End Cabernet Franc. We also notice that the list of bottles for sale is not exactly the same as the tasting list.

2011 Reserve Chardonnay $21.95

Our server informs us that this spends “a little bit” of time in oak and the rest in steel, so it is not too buttery, and she is right, though perhaps it could have used more time in oak, as it is very lemony and tart. The aroma is of wood and spice, and while not unpleasant we find it too citrusy.

2.East End Cinq Blanc $16.95

My high school French reminds me that cinq=five, and indeed, this wine is made from 5 grapes: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Blanc (in unknown proportions). The bottle has an attractive picture of a scallop shell, so we turn it around to read that this wine is made, as they say, “…in partnership with the SPAT (Southold Project in Aquaculture Training) program. This Cornell Cooperative/Community-based partnership encompasses an initiative to teach residents how to raise their own shellfish in the bays of the East End. The large scallop shell on the label pays homage to the bounty of the North Fork’s bays and creeks.” Fittingly, we feel this wine would go very well with local oysters! I detect an aroma of piney woods and a lovely crisp taste of gooseberries with some citrus at the finish. Very buyable!

3. 2012 Sauvignon Blanc $24.95

“This is my favorite white,” enthuses our server, and if she likes pineapple that would explain why. We like it too, but not as much as the Cinq, though it would also be good with oysters. An aroma again of pine forest precedes a taste with lots of pineapple, and maybe some pine, too.

4. 2010 Riesling $25.95

Off dry? Not really. An aroma of petrol, they say? We say cardamom, and we also say too sweet, and we also say time to dump the rest of the glass.

5. 2008 East End Merlot $16.95

Moving on to the reds, we start with their merlot, which we quite like, also. Aromas of blueberry and cinnamon, tastes of cherry and berry, and no earth means we’re happy. Some tannins, and the end is a bit sour. This is also buyable.

6. 2005 Estate Merlot Block E $??? (not on bottle list)

We smell minerals and wood, taste some cherry, but it is very dry and has no finish to speak of. Just eh.

7. 2007 Cabernet Franc $29.95

This is a relatively simple Cab, though with a nice long finish. Some cherry aromas, but not much smell at all, and nicely dry with good fruit.

8. 2007 Mèlange de Trois $29.95

Their Bordeaux blend, this is an amalgam of 49%Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 26% Cabernet Franc. Although there’s not much aroma, the taste is delicious, like ripe purple plums and what I believe are called “chewy tannins.” Whatever. It’s good!

9. 2007 Jubilant Reserve $44.95

Another blend, and this is a wow: 68%Cabernet Franc, 18% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5% Syrah, and 2.5% Petit Verdot. Yum. Aroma of dried figs, lots of complex ripe fruit tastes, and a lovely finish. Happy tongue. This would go great with a Porterhouse steak from Wayside Market.

10. 2007 Sidor Reserve $44.95

62% Syrah, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 9%Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot—They do like their blends here. And justifiably so! This is not as good as the Jubilant, but still really good, with nice tannins , dry, but lots of fruit, with an aroma of cedar and ripe figs.

I note one wine on the bottle list which goes for $100, pretty unusual for the North Fork.

We pay for our tastings and then move outside to the attractive stone bar, behind which are two people, a drink server and an oyster opener. We get a glass of the Cinq to share for $8 with a plate of a dozen oysters for $22. If you get them, get the cocktail sauce and grated horseradish, not because the oysters need any embellishment, but because both sauces are very good, especially the horseradish. They also offer some beers on tap and Margarita pizzas. A singer provides entertainment to the various groups scattered around the grounds at picnic tables. We sit on a cushioned bench at a small wooden table across from the bar and enjoy our treat. The oysters a bit small, but very fresh, with lots of liquid, and the wine goes perfectly with them.

Reasons to visit: you want to have a glass of wine and a plate of oysters; the East End Cinq Blanc, the East End Merlot, the Mélange de Trois, the Jubilant, and the Sidor; you want to sit outside and listen to music; you want to support SPAT.

Kontokosta Winery June 23, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting, Uncategorized and tagged with Anemometer Red, Anemometer White, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Greenport, Hellenic, Kontokosta Winery, merlot, North Fork, olive oil, Orient Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, viognier, windmill June 25, 2013

http://www.kontokostawines.com/

One great aspect of choosing to write about North Fork wineries for a blog is that there is not much risk of running out of material. Not only do wineries change their offerings with each new harvest—necessitating return visits—but new wineries are constantly springing up. Case in point, as Rod Serling liked to say, Kontokosta Winery in Greenport, which opened its very attractive doors on June 12^th. As you head east towards Orient Point on Sound Avenue you pass a flashing light, where you could turn to head into Greenport. Instead, stay straight and you’ll come to a gate on your left, which leads to a long gravel drive and then to a parking lot next to a large imposing building, bracketed by vines, a view of Long Island Sound, and a tall windmill, about which more later.

Inside, the spacious tasting room is sleekly modern in style, with a serene black and white color scheme. We note several tables where a happy party is taking photos of themselves and a long tasting bar. We find a space at the bar, where a lovely young woman explains the choices to us. All the servers are clad in black shirts with the Kontokostas logo on the chest, a discreet three red bars. One of the servers is a gentleman we recognize from several other venues, including the Tasting Room and Empire Cellars, and he assures us we are about to experience some terrific wines. A tasting consists of four one ounce pours for $10, chosen from a menu of ten wines, five white and five red. There’s also a three-pour tasting and wines by the glass. We opt for two four-wine flights, one of white and then one of red, both of which we share, skipping the rosé and the Blum Merlot.

NV Anemometer White $16

Why Anemometer, we ask, noticing the representation of a spinning anemometer on the bottle? The winery is very proud of its use of wind power, our server notes, and in fact everything on the property is powered by wind. Our friend from other venues notes that on a very windy day you can see the electric meter spin backward, so that LIPA ends up owing them money. On to the wine, which is a blend, though primarily sauvignon blanc. Refreshing, we agree, with an aroma of Meyer lemon and mineral, with tastes of citrus and honeysuckle at the end. This would be good for summer sipping, and also would go well with turkey dishes. Very buyable!

2. 2009 Orient Chardonnay $17

The grapes for this wine come from a vineyard in Orient, hence the name. A lightly oaked chard, this is just okay, and a bit sour. There’s plenty of orangey-lemon tastes, and some oak at the end, but we don’t find it particularly pleasant.

3. 2012 Sauvignon Blanc $25

Not surprisingly, we find this wine reminds us of the Anemometer White, though with some different tastes. Overall it is a bit sweet for us, with aromas of honeysuckle and green plum and tastes of wildflower honey with a vegetal note at the end. My husband says green beans…not sure I agree. This is the first wine they made here.

4. 2010 Viognier $25

Bedell is the only other North Fork winery to use this grape, so we are interested to see how it compares. At Bedell we had their 2011 Viognier, which we found very pleasing, with complex spicy fruit and citrus flavors. This one has aromas of blood orange and peach, with peachy tastes and some tannins, but not so complex.

5. Anemometer Red 2006 $19

I would expect this to be a blend, but it is 100% syrah, we are told. The aroma has some of that East End barnyard smell, plus red berry, and the taste reminds us of red sucking candy. While not for sipping, this would be okay with food, such as pork chops.

6. 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon $22

We smell ripe berries and plums, and not much earth, and taste lots of fruit, with a nice dry finish. I’d love this with a nice medium-rare duck breast, and it could stand up to steak as well.

7. 2007 Merlot $29

Again we smell that earthy barnyard aroma, plus some mineral. This is just okay—dry, with decent fruit, but a bit of a chemical acetone taste at the end. You could have this with a rich pork dish and it would be fine, but it is overpriced for what it is.

8. 2007 Cabernet Franc $29

“This is one of my favorites,” enthuses our server, and we can see why, as it is definitely the best of the reds, with lots of fruit and a lovely aroma of ripe berries, not too sweet but not too dry, either. Oh, she adds, all the reds are aged in new French oak.

After we finish the wines, we are offered tastes of three olive oils they are selling—all for $28—an extra virgin, a Minneola tangelo and a jalapeῆo lime. They’re nice, but we’ll stick with Vines and Branches. We also learn that the winery is proud of its use of recycled materials in its construction, which is partly reflected in their slogan, “Sound Life, Sound Wine,” or as they say on their FaceBook page, “Registered with the USGBC under the LEED New Construction 2009 rating system, our winery has been designed to meet the gold certification level. To meet these high standards, the building is constructed of 100% recycled steel and reclaimed wood siding, and will be powered by wind energy.”

The windmill!

We enjoy the view out the large window to the Long Island Sound on this lovely June day as we wrap up our visit with the purchase of a bottle of the Anemometer White.

Reasons to visit: You’re in Greenport without a car and you’d like to go to a winery; you’ve tried all the others and are looking for a new winery; Anemometer White and 07 Cabernet Franc; the chance to appreciate a lovely view while doing a tasting; you’re on your way to the Hellenic and have some time to kill before dinner.

Coffee Pot Cellars June 2, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting, Uncategorized and tagged with bees, chardonnay, Coffee Pot Cellars, honey, Meritage, merlot, North Fork, Osprey's Dominion, sauvignon blanc June 3, 2013

http://www.coffeepotcellars.com/

“I have to put out the wine tasting flag,” said Adam Suprenant, the owner and winemaker for Coffee Pot Cellars, “because people keep coming in wanting a cup of coffee!” He grinned affably and looked around his spare but pleasant tasting room, which just opened a week ago on Main Road in a building formerly occupied by a real estate office. Mr. Suprenant is the winemaker for Osprey’s Dominion, but he also decided to express himself with his own label, named, not for a pot of coffee, but for the lighthouse in Orient which supposedly looks like a coffee pot. He makes just four wines, so, he noted, “They’d better be good!” That they are; not a clunker in the bunch.

The tasting room features a very attractive bar made from reclaimed poplar wood, a small selection of wine-related items, and honey and beeswax products made by Blossom Meadow, a venture of his fiancée, who manages about 100 bee hives around the North Fork. Over on a shelf sits a demonstration hive, with a glass front so you can watch the busy bees at work.

We each had our own tasting, $7.00 for all four wines, or $2.00 per taste, and also enjoyed Mr. Suprenant’s comments on how he made each wine.

1. 2011 Sauvignon Blanc $17.99

Because not many vineyards grow sauvignon blanc grapes, Coffee Pot Cellars buys these grapes from Osprey’s Dominion, but Mr. S. makes the wine his own way. A slightly mineral aroma precedes tastes of citrus and honeydew, with a nicely long and interesting finish. Definitely a good raw seafood wine!

2. 2011 Chardonnay $15.99

“This is my Hurricane Irene wine,” Mr. S. notes, remembering how the intense rain and wind of the hurricane was followed two days later by heavy rain, forcing the early harvesting of the grapes. “The wine was very lean,” he adds, so he allowed some malolactic fermentation, but aged the wine in older oak barrels, avoiding the over-oakiness and butteriness of some chardonnays. We like this wine quite a bit, with its honey-vanilla aroma and just a hint of butterscotch amid the citrus flavors. Buyable!

3. 2008 Merlot $17.99

This is the wine Coffee Pot started with, and merlot is of course Long Island’s most-grown red wine grape. The fruit for this and the chardonnay all came from one vineyard in Aquebogue, from a vineyard where the grower only grows grapes for others, rather than making his own wine. That allows the wine to express its terroir, but not, we are pleased to note, with the earthy or dirt barnyard smells of some local reds. “People ask me if Long Island wines will age well,” our new friend says, “and I say depends on the wine. This one is doing quite well, and many will age for 6-8 years and just get better.” We smell a pleasantly brambly aroma and taste pleasant berry and good tannins, though not a lot of depth. Pretty color, too.

4. 2008 Meritage $21.99

After making just merlot, Mr. S. decided to try a blend, so he went to some winemakers at Premium Wine Group (at Lieb Cellars) to see if they had any wine they were not interested in using. After some mixing and tasting, he came up with this very lovely wine, mostly merlot, 19% cabernet sauvignon and 6% each petit verdot and cabernet franc. Smells like a Briermere berry pie to me! The petit verdot adds a bit of black pepper to the delicious fruit flavor, so it is sweet but not too sweet. “I’ll only make this in the best years,” he explains, and also describes how he puts the wine through an oxidative process to eliminate that earth flavor, and also filters out the yeasts so they will stay the way he wants them to be. Buyable.

We buy a bottle each of the Chardonnay and the Meritage, plus some honey and a box of cat-shaped beeswax candles.

Reasons to visit: A chance to talk to the winemaker and learn all about how he makes his wines; four quite tasty wines; honey and beeswax products; a nice quiet tasting room.

Macari Vineyards May 18, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting, Uncategorized and tagged with chardonnay, Collina, Cutchogue, Dos Aguas, Early Wine, Macari, merlot, North Fork, riesling, sauvignon blanc, Sette May 20, 2013

http://w ww.macariwines.com/

This weekend we went to what we call the “Irish” winery—not because it is Irish, but because a friend, hearing the name but not seeing it, thought it was McCary! In fact, so Italian (not Irish) are they that the Macari family has given several of their wines Italian names, including Collina, for the hills on which their vineyard is located, and Sette, for Settefrati, the town in Italy from which their family emigrated.

Macari has two tasting rooms, a commodious building just off Sound Avenue and another, formerly the Gallucio Family Winery, on Main Road in Cutchogue. We’ve been to both, but this time we went to the one on Main Road. As you enter, you see the road forks both up the hill and down. Both ways lead to parking lots, so you can pick either way, but the uphill one enables you to drop off passengers at the door. Both rooms have outdoor areas far enough from the road to feel pleasantly rustic.

We had an irrational prejudice against Macari because early in our winery-visiting days we walked in right behind a group of bachelorettes who stumbled out of their limo, beer cans in hand, plastic flowers in their hair, and proceeded to be quite raucous. Not Macari’s fault!

The Main Road tasting room is a pleasant space, with a curving copper-topped bar and a nice selection of gift items, including hand painted wine glasses and tea towels with the word Wineaux on them. A white flight of four tastes is $8 and a red flight is $12. They also offer artisanal cheeses and salumi for $7-10.00, including crackers. The servers are pleasant and well-informed, though it is a bit disconcerting to hear the same spiel delivered word for word to your neighbors at the bar. By the way, if you want to go you should go soon, as they are celebrating their 15^th anniversary with a very nice sale on many of their wines.

We opted to do one tasting of whites and one of reds, sharing as we went.

2012 Sauvignon Blanc $23

This bears the subtitle “Katherine’s Field,” and our server noted it is their “signature wine.” This steel-fermented white has aromas of herbs and baked pear (they say), and we think thyme and unripe cantaloupe. We also taste unripe cantaloupe, along with a tart acidity and not much fruit. Not really for sipping, but it would be a good oyster wine.

2. 2010 Riesling $27

Though this uses grapes from upstate, it escapes the sometimes over-sweetness one finds with that fruit. A flowery aroma precedes tastes of grapefruit and dried apricot which unfolds quite pleasantly on the palate. Good finish and, we conclude, a really lovely well-made Riesling.

3. Collina Chardonnay $13

The server describes this as their “house white,” and notes that it is a combination of oak and steel-fermented wine, which should make it quite pleasant but does not. I think of the taste and smell as reminding me of a vacation house that has been closed up too long, with a sensation of damp and slightly moldy wood. We dump the remainder in the spit bucket, something we rarely do. Even on sale for $10, I can’t see buying this!

4. 2012 Early Wine $17

This is a special production of their Austrian winemaker, and is called early wine because…it is picked early. In late August, they harvest these mostly chardonnay grapes, and age the wine not at all, yielding an almost clear liquid. We think it will be tart, but instead it is rather sweet, with aromas of grass or hay and tastes of pear with a slight edge of lemon. Not bad, but not for us.

5. Collina 48 Merlot $13

New glass for the reds, always a nice touch. Mostly Merlot, with 5% each of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon, this is a simple table-type wine that would be better with food than just sipping. We smell tobacco and bay leaf and taste some berry, but the taste leaves the tongue quickly and is quite dry and tart.

6. Sette Red Blend $19

Named for Settefrati (seven brothers), the village from which the Macaris emigrated, this is our favorite of the wines so far. A 50/50 blend of merlot and cabernet franc, this wine smells to us like a combination of cocoa mulch (try it on your garden some time, but I warn you, every time you weed you’ll crave a chocolate bar) and green olives, with nice plum flavors. Very buyable.

7. 2007 Merlot Reserve $36

After 16 months in French oak, this merlot is then aged for four years, so it was just recently released. We detect a bit of menthol in the aroma, and also berry pie (a smell you’ll recognize if you’ve ever been to Briermere while they are baking). The taste starts sweet, then becomes quite nice, with black cherry and enough tannins that our tongues tingle. Interesting, and quite good.

8. 2008 Dos Aguas $27

Two waters, we ask? For the Peconic Bay and Long Island Sound, the two bodies of water that frame the North Fork, she replies. A Bordeaux blend, Dos Aguas combines 70% merlot with 17% cabernet sauvignon, 8% malbec, 4% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Strongly spicy aromas of nutmeg and berries, maybe some plum, make us anticipate a delicious wine, but it is not to be. Really not much to this one at all.

They also have, available by the glass but not included in the tasting, a couple of rosés and some dessert wines as well as a few additional wines. We buy two bottles of Sette and two Wineaux tea towels (how could we not?).

Reasons to visit: pleasant tasting room and outside seating area in a rustic setting; 2010 Riesling and Sette Red Blend; some nice gift items; choice of two tasting rooms so if you want to go there you can be flexible as to your route.

The Winemaker Studio May 11, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Anomaly, asparagus, Bay View farm stand, Bordo, Briermere, cabernet franc, Dieci, Glorious Gin, Greenhook, Leo Family Cellars, Luminous Riesling, McKenzie Gin, Nappa, North Fork, pie, Pine Barrens Whiskey, pinot grigio, Sciardonne Chardonnay, Shiraz, SuHru, Winemaker Studio May 13, 2013

http://anthonynappawines.com/tws_home.html

I love spring on the North Fork. We stopped at the Bay View farm stand and bought fresh local spinach and asparagus and leeks and rhubarb and duck breast and bacon, and at Briermere for a blueberry crumb pie. And now a short pause for a disquisition on Briermere pies…Yum. Later that evening we had sautéed duck breast with a local red wine, garlic, and maple syrup reduction, accompanied by spinach salad with bacon and hard-boiled egg, with a dressing made from Vines and Branches olive oil and Cara Cara Orange White Balsamic vinegar, and steamed asparagus. All seasoned with artisanal North Fork salt! Pie for dessert, of course. With it we had Bordo wine from Anthony Nappa, about which more later.

After all that shopping we felt thirsty, so we decided to stop into the Winemaker Studio on Peconic Lane. This attractive store front used to be called The Tasting Room, and though the name and cast of characters have changed, the idea is the same: to showcase smaller wine producers who lack a place of their own. Run by Anthony Nappa, it features his wines as well as wines by others whose “day job” is as winemaker for other vineyards. They buy their grapes, some from upstate, and make their wines at Premium Wine Group, a facility housed at Leib Cellars but used by many. Nappa used to make wines for Shinn; Russell Hearn, originally from Australia, was the winemaker for Pellegrini until he and his wife Sue decided to make their own label, SuHru (Sue and Russell, with an H for Hearn); John Leo works for Clovis Point and also makes his Leo Family wines; and Erik Bilka works at Premium and also makes his own Influence brand.

The Studio has several features which causes it to stand apart from most tasting rooms, aside from the variety of different labels it offers, because in addition to wine it also offers a beer taste from Southampton Publick House, some coffee drinks, and local gins and whiskies, plus cheese or cheese and salumi platters for $15. The gin brands include McKenzie and Glorious, and the whiskies and ryes include Pine Barrens and Greenhook. If you go there for Happy Hour—from 5-7 p.m.—you might want to try them. The airy room includes a nice bar plus little tables and chairs, with art on the walls by local artists. Sometimes there is a dog or two in residence, though not today. Oh, and the room is attached to a pleasant little food shop which includes both local brands and some hard to find labels.

The wine menu offers nine tastes, at $2-$4 per taste, and we opt to share four whites and four reds, skipping the lone rosé. Chris, our server and we believe the manager of the shop, is impressively knowledgeable. We overheard him giving very good advice to some neophytes to the region on which tasting rooms to visit based on which wines they had liked of his selections. He also knows all about the wines he serves, and yet was tactful enough to let us sip in silence when he saw that was what we preferred.

2011 Nappa Anomaly $19

This wine is an anomaly because it is a white wine made from pinot noir grapes, and since it spends no time on the skins it is white, not the rosé one would expect. Yet the aroma reminds us of strawberry candy, a smell one would associate with a rose. However, the taste is very much its own thing: some earthiness, some citrus—perhaps key lime—some minerality, dry but fruity and quite delicious. It is all steel fermented, so it is quite a refreshing, clean drink.

2. 2012 SuHru Pinot Grigio $16

I often drink pinot grigio, but this does not taste like any I have had. The aroma is sweet, like white grape juice, with a bit of that cat pee smell. The taste is also sweeter than a typical pinot grigio, maybe because the grapes come from upstate. The tasting notes say pear, and I don’t disagree. Though many would like it, it’s not for me.

3. 2012 Nappa Luminous Riesling $18

This is another wine made from upstate grapes, and though Chris categorizes it as “on the dry/off dry cusp,” we find it a bit sweet. As is typical of the wines in this room, it is not typical! An aroma of honeysuckle heralds a goldenrod honey and pineapple taste, with a hint of citrus.

4. 2012 Nappa Sciardonné Chardonnay $18

Pronounce the name of this wine in the Italian manner, in which “sci” is pronounced like a soft “sh,” and you’ll get the joke of this Italian-style wine’s name. Although this is a steel-fermented wine it does undergo malolactic fermentation, and so has some of the buttery taste associated with chardonnays. However, it does not have that overly buttery flavor of an oaked chard, and the aroma of “pine forest after a rain”—my husband’s idea—is quite lovely. Very buyable.

5. 2012 Nappa Bordo $20

We sniff and discuss—tomato leaves? Maybe. Definitely vegetabley, with a hint of minerals. Good fruit, with some typical cabernet franc tastes of berries, but not too heavy. The color is a light and pretty red. This would go perfectly with the duck we just bought, we think, and are later proven correct. Buyable.

6. 2011 SuHru Shiraz $22

The syrah grape is called shiraz in Australia, and Hearn is from Australia, so…I tend to like syrahs or shirazes, whatever they are called, and this is no exception. A slight cardamom aroma leads to dry but good berry tastes with some nice depth. Unlike some shirazes, this is not overpowering. They say a taste of Earl Gray, but I don’t get it. However, this is definitely a buyable wine.

7. 2010 Nappa Dieci $35

To get the reason for this name, look no further than the date. A blend of 37% cabernet sauvignon, 44% merlot, and 19% cabernet franc, this is a Bordeaux style wine, though not as interesting as a French Bordeaux at this price point. However, it is a pleasant wine and would be good with food.

8. 2007 Leo Family Cellars Red Blend $40

Aromas of mineral, earth, and blackberry are not surprising for this merlot/petit verdot blend. This wine is really interesting, and we comment that it is a humble name for an ambitious wine with lovely depth of flavor. We also admire the label!

Intrigued by the liquors on offer, we try the McKenzie and Glorious Gins, and end up buying a bottle of Glorious Gin, which has a really interesting herbal flavor and makes a very good Gibson later that night. We also get two each of the Sciardonné, Bordo, and Shiraz.

Reasons to visit: A chance to taste some experimental and interesting wines in a pleasant setting; availability of local liquors and beer as well; Happy Hour ; with the little shop next store you could buy dinner (except for produce) and something to drink with it as well; an ever-changing roster of wines.

Osprey’s Dominion April 6, 2013

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, Flight Edelzwicker, gewurztraminer, Meritage, merlot, North Fork, Osprey's Dominion, Richmond Creek Merlot, sauvignon blanc, Unwooded April 8, 2013

http://www.ospreysdominion.com/

http://ospreysdominion.olhblogspace.com

Having a bachelorette party? Then this may just be the perfect spot for you. We saw at least five during our tasting at Osprey’s Dominion, and our server noted, “I need a drink. I just served three bachelorette parties in a row.” The first part of the long curving bar in the large, airy tasting room is reserved for limo parties, and they get a “special” menu with four tastes, with choices winnowed to two in each category. One group we noted had a rather extensive cheese and cracker platter, but we weren’t sure if they were served it or brought it. A guitar player in one corner varied his somewhat folksy play list to accommodate one group of women who danced in front of him.

On the other hand, we liked many of the wines, and our server had his spiel on each wine well memorized, with useful notes on each, and was happy to make suggestions as to choices and the order in which to drink them. However, another server who took over for him when yet another group of gigglers demanded his attention just poured, with hardly any commentary. We felt somewhat abandoned at that point.

A quick look at the gift items revealed a small assortment of not very creative choices, except for one neat idea: they will let you order a personalized label for some of their wines, though you have to order at least a case.

The menu for those not from a limo offers two options (aside, of course, from buying a whole glass): $8.00 for any five from the menu, or $5 for three choices. A blackboard outside also offered a special of $20 for two tastings and a serving of sausage, cheese and crackers. The “serving” consisted of a small sleeve of Ritz-type crackers, and a pre-packaged box with slices of mild pepperoni and fairly flavorless processed cheese. Not worth it, but we were hungry after a shopping trip to Greenport and a quick stop at our marina to look at our slip for the coming summer (where we spotted two ospreys on their nest, which may have subconsciously influenced our choice of winery). As we frequently do, we ordered different wines so we could taste ten of their offerings, and so tried many of their wines (their website says they have 23, but not all are on the tasting menu). We did not try their sparkling wine, their port, or their spiced wine (served warm).

2011 Sauvignon Blanc $15

Our server notes that this is a good place to start, as it is a fairly neutral wine. The aroma is somewhat flowery, and we note tastes of green apple and lemon. Good, and would be nice with oysters or lobster.

2. 2010 Unwooded Chardonnay $15

“This one is more like a pinot gris than a typical chardonnay,” says our server, and we can see his point. Like other steel-fermented chards it has a mineral aroma and tastes of citrus, especially lime. The first taste on your tongue is a bit sweet, but it quickly turns tart.

3. 2010 Gewürztraminer $20

“This one just jumps out of the glass at you,” said our server, who will soon be moving to North Carolina to take a teaching job. This is certainly a Gewürztraminer that does its own thing, and does not taste like a standard wine from this grape. The aroma combines fermented pear juice and some cat pee (or like the smell of water that flowers have stood in for too long), but is not unpleasant. The flavor is both sweet and somewhat nutty, with a tart finish.

4. 2010 “Flight” Edelzwicker $24

It was interesting to taste this German-style wine next to the Gewürztraminer, since it has some of that grape, as well as Pinot Gris and Riesling in it. We really liked it, and it is an unusual wine for Long Island, which is always fun. The aroma is somewhat mineral, with a slight trace of cat pee, and it tastes like ripe green plums with some sweetness and complexity. It is certainly buyable, though we don’t opt to do so.

5. 2007 Merlot $20

Now we switch to reds, and our server rinses our glasses once again. A lovely aroma of berry and ripe plum, with none of the dirt that one often finds in Long Island merlots meets our noses, followed by good fruit flavors of ripe cherry with hints of chocolate. This is a prize winner, and we agree, and are especially interested to see that it is on sale, for $39 for three bottles, so we plan to buy it. (The last time we were here, a couple of years ago, there was no charge for the tasting when we bought several bottles of wine. Not so this time.)

6. Richmond Creek Merlot $14

It’s so fascinating to find that two wines from the same grape and the same vineyard can be so different. As much as we like the 07 Merlot, that’s how much we dislike this thin, sour, very dry wine. It has no finish, which is fortunate, and I’d hate to have that taste linger on my palate.

7. 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon $20

This one’s just okay, with mineral aroma and a whiff of earth, not much fruit and few tannins.

8. 2008 Cabernet Franc $20

2008 was a very rainy year, and the cab franc suffers accordingly. Though we smell leather and plums, the wine itself is thin, with only a little fruit and not much finish.

9. 2007 Meritage $24

Somewhat of a Bordeaux blend, the Meritage has 67% Merlot, 17% Carmenere, 10% Petit Verdot, and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. We like its aromas of dark cocoa and fruit, and it tastes good, too, with all the ripe fruit flavors lacking in the previous two wines. Our substitute server has to consult a notebook to give us the varietal breakdown.

10. 2007 Reserve Merlot $35

Really good! Lots of ripe berry aroma and plenty of fruit with no dirt make this a better than average Merlot—and they’ve priced it accordingly.

Reasons to visit: Good for a large group, and very accommodating to bachelorette parties; they encourage picnickers in the summer to buy a bottle of wine and use the outside terrace while listening to music; the Flight Edelzwicker (called flight because the owner is also a pilot) and the 07 Merlot; good prices for most of their wines. But this is not the place if you like individual attention and a quiet atmosphere!

NoFo Wineaux

Wine notes from Long Island's North Fork

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