Tag Archives: Riesing

Rose Hill Vineyards and Inn: Celebratory Weekend       July 6, 2025

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
The logo reminds me of Gertrude Stein’s poem, “Rose is a rose is a rose.”

It had been a busy weekend. Aside from it being the Fourth of July, a family member was celebrating one of those “big” birthdays, and we had a large gathering at our home on Saturday, so on Sunday, the actual birthday, we wanted to go somewhere close to home and quiet.  We also had a few other requirements to meet the needs of our guests: dog friendly, okay for children, good wines, roomy enough to seat eight, and somewhere they hadn’t been before.  Rose Hill fit perfectly, plus, being somewhat off the main wine route, we knew it would be quiet, even on this July 4th weekend.  Our guests had been to the location when it was Shinn, but not since the new owners and the renovation.  So off we went to Oregon Road (so-named, according to one local, because it was so remote “it might as well be in Oregon”).

In addition to the patio, they have seating out on the lawn.

We were greeted by a very friendly young man, who quickly assessed our group and showed us to a table on the shady patio, where we felt quite comfortable despite the warm day.  One member of our group, who had spent some years on the West Coast, opined that the patio had a “California vibe,” with its natural wood, flowers, and relaxed feel.  There is also a gift shop, inside a building where one pays one’s tab.  Two young shoppers assessed the offerings as “cute but pricey.”

Some of the gift shop offerings, plus a view of the patio.

The youngsters were supplied with their own bottle of fizzy pink lemonade ($15), which they quite enjoyed, and we ordered roasted spiced nuts (not spicy) and olives for the table, medium-sized bowls for $12 each. Meanwhile, we perused the menu (accessed through a QR code on the table) for the tasting options.   

In addition to the sparkling water, free carafes of cool tap water are supplied.

Rose Hill (named for a street the owners had lived on) offers three flights: Summer, Classic, and Red, each featuring five wines for $30.  My husband and I decided to share the Summer flight, one guest also chose that one, and another decided on the Classic Flight (a third couple had already been to a couple of tastings, so they opted to share a glass of the Brut Rosé and a bottle of Saratoga sparkling water).

This is a screen shot, so it is a bit blurry!

Cat, our charming and efficient waitress, brought out the flights, pointed out the tasting notes below each glass, and we began.  Of course, as happens when we do a tasting with friends, there was a lot of conversation not related to wines, so my comments might be a bit brief.  I’ll go through our selections first.

  • 2024 Palmilla   $34

First and best!  This is a blend, primarily of chardonnay, plus albariño, gewürztraminer, and a little semillon, which I only know because someone (an owner?) stopped by our table, so I was able to ask.  Anyway, we all like it, noting an aroma of pineapple and other tropical fruits, and a flavor of pineapple and mango, plus some citrus.   

  • 2024 Concrete Blonde                $48

I happen to know that the name refers to aging in a concrete “egg,” rather that wood or steel, which tends to give wines more depth.  In this case, the sauvignon blanc is very light, with a faint aroma of earth or clay, and some herbal flavors.  My tasting buddy likes it better than I do.

The Summer Flight: one always tastes from left to right.
  • 2024 Riesling                   $28

“Off dry” means the wine is not dry, but happily this wine, though a bit sweet, is not too sweet to sip, though I think I would prefer it paired with a nice plate of Pad Thai.  Good.

  • 2024 Grüner      $28

Though One Woman’s Grüner is one of my favorite North Fork wines, this tastes quite different.  The assessment at the table is “A lot of people would not like this wine, but we do!”  It is interesting, very herbal, with an aroma that combines spice with a touch of menthol, almost medicinal.  It would pair well with a cheese tray, like the one I assembled for our party, with some of Love Lane Cheese Store’s delicious offerings, including their truffled brie, Cambazola blue, Mimolette, a smoky Gouda, and Catapano’s cranberry flavored goat cheese.

  • 2024 Rose Hill Rosé      $34

This is a just okay rosé, made from merlot, dry, with the expected strawberry aromas and flavor.  A nice dish of pasta with shrimp would pair well with it.

Now to the Classic Flight, of which I had small sips.

The Classic Flight.
  • 2022 Brut Rosé                       $48       

This is mildly bubbly, with some nice yeasty aromas and a bit of a bready taste.  Pleasant.  It is primarily chardonnay, with some pinot noir, which gives it the pink tinge.

  • 2024 Coalescence                 $28

Shinn had a wine they called Coalescence, which I really liked.  This one was judged “forgettable” by my table mates, though I thought it was okay.  It’s a blend of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, riesling, semillon, and pinot blanc.

  • 2023 Chardonnay                  $34

There are a LOT of chardonnays on the North Fork, and I would choose some of those over this one, which is assessed as “meh.”

  • 2023 Mojo                 $34

This is a very light red, an unoaked cabernet franc, with tastes of pomegranate and berries and a touch of earthiness.  Nice.

  • 2022 Wild Boar Doe              $52

Say the name out loud, and you will realize that this is a Bordeaux-style blend (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, and malbec).  It is also our other favorite of the day, which one guest describes as “juicy and delicious,” and another as “a star.”  Lots of dark fruit taste, with some notes of spice and figs.  Yum.

Our “well-behaved” dog, who was allowed on the patio–and attracted several pats, as well as the attention of a couple of other dogs who passed by.

Reasons to visit:  pleasant setting off the beaten track; dogs allowed on the patio, though not inside; standard menu of snacks; the Palmilla and the Wild Boar Doe, in particular, though we also liked the Grüner; they have an inn, in case you want to stay the night.

Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard: Wine (and Beer) on Tap                 July 19, 2017

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

http://www.baitinghollowfarmvineyard.com/

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Though it looks like a Nineteenth Century farmhouse, most of the building is quite new.

Yes, a number of the wines here flow from a tap, and so does a selection of local beers.  And if that doesn’t sound to you like a winery that is serious about its wines…it certainly felt that way to us.  On the other hand, if you read the tasting notes on the reverse of the menu, it certainly seems as though someone cares about the juice of the grape.  Then again, the youthful servers, while perfectly pleasant—and one of them was engagingly chatty—didn’t have much to say about the wines, needing to check some notes, for example, to tell us what percentages of various grapes went into a blend.  And that seemed to suit the customers we saw just fine.  Most of them appeared to be visiting Baiting Hollow as you would a convenient bar, ordering a couple of tastes or glasses to take to a table to have, perhaps, with a cheese tray.

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The server is filling a beer or wine glass from the taps.

The tasting room, situated inside what looks like an old farm house (but is mostly not, as we remember passing by as it was being built), has a small bar but quite a few tables and seating areas, and there is also an extensive outdoor patio which looks like it can accommodate a large crowd.  There’s also a barn on the property where they care for rescue horses.  A portion of the proceeds from certain bottles of wine helps to fund this endeavor. The place also features an array of objets for sale.

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Objets for sale.

The tasting menu offers one taste for $4, three for $9, four for $11, or six for $16.  There are also three more expensive wines available for $5 per taste.  We decided to share one tasting of six wines, as that would enable us to sample most of their offerings.  It was a wise choice, for the pour was often quite generous.  We took our time, happy to be in air conditioning and out of the July heat and humidity.

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One view of the bar.

  1. 2015 White Satin $27.99

“I love this wine,” enthused our server.  “It is very like a pinot grigio.”   She was right, we decided, as we sipped this dry, minerally, and refreshing white blend (of what, we don’t know).  The aroma was both floral and mineral.  The wine also had a trace of a salty taste.  It would be fine with raw oysters or clams.

  1. 2013 Riesling $26.99

Though both the menu and our server described this as “off dry,” we found it a bit too sweet.  Though the aroma had the honeysuckle smell riesling often has—and no cat pee!—the taste was so light that, blindfolded, I’m not sure I would identify it as a riesling.  I did detect some peach flavor.  The mouth feel was interesting, however, as it was rather unctuous.  (We decided to skip the chardonnay, as it is oaked.)

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The Pink Satin looks very pretty on the zinc-topped bar.

  1. 2016 Pink Satin $22.99

Given the current rage for rosé, we thought we should try one of Baiting Hollow’s three rosés, and so asked our server which was the driest.  She suggested Pink Satin, and it was a good choice.  This could certainly be a summer sipper, “not too sweet and not too tart,” opined my husband.  We then had a discussion of the aroma, which I insisted had notes of gasoline, as well as fruit and mineral.  The taste made me think of macerated strawberries, and also of Croteaux 3.  Good.

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  1. 2007 Merlot $26.99

With each taste, our server offered us a clean glass if we desired, so when we switched to reds we accepted her offer.  This was one of the wines with extensive notes in the tasting menu, so we were particularly interested to try it.  The aroma was nice, mostly cherry and chocolate.  The wine itself, however, was very simple, with slight tannins and something unpleasant at the end.  Maybe a woody taste?  “It might be okay with food,” opined my tasting buddy, “but nothing too overpowering.”  I agreed.  The menu notes that this could “bottle age for countless years.”  I would say, don’t count on it.

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The horse which provided the name for the wine.

  1. Mirage $27.99

This Bordeaux-style blend of 26% cabernet franc, 44% cabernet sauvignon, and 30% merlot is one of the wines the profit from which supports their horse rescue operation.  As we admired it in the glass, we felt it had nice legs and a pretty color.  The aroma was less promising, with only faint whiffs of cherry and tobacco.  The taste was also unexceptional, though it is nicely dry, with some fruit tastes.

  1. 2013 Cabernet Franc $28.99

One thing we noticed was that the prices are all quite reasonable, with only a few of their premium wines over $30.  This was our favorite red of the day, dry, with good tannins, and tastes of dark fruit. It would pair well with lamb chops.  It also smells really good, like plums and other dark fruits.  But we did feel as though it had a very short finish.  “It evanesces,” I declared.

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One part of the tasting house.

Reasons to visit:  it’s the first winery you come to on Sound Avenue after you leave the Expressway, so it’s a convenient place to start or end a tasting tour; they have lots of entertainment (check the web site) and food options; beer on tap in case you’re traveling with a non-wine-drinker; reasonably priced wines; the White Satin, the Pink Satin, the Cabernet Franc; you can contribute to their horse rescue operation and possibly visit the horses.  However, this is not a place to come if you are interested in serious conversations about wine!

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Just one part of the extensive outdoor patio area.

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Just a few rules…