Sherwood House: No Robin Hood Here

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Blanc de Blancs, Brut Rose, cabernet franc, chardonnay, dip, North Fork, North Fork Potato Chips, Oregon Road Chardonnay, Sherwood House, Sherwood Manor, snacks available, wine tasting June 21, 2023

June 18, 2023

#Sherwoodhouse #winetasting #Northfork

The confluence of our anniversary and Father’s Day on a sunny afternoon made us decide to brave the weekend crowds and do a wine tasting. And the crowds were definitely here, as the time of year approaches when one plans carefully for left turns. There’s a traffic light on Cox Lane, for example. Many of the wineries we passed had full parking lots, with cars parked on the grass in some cases, but Sherwood House was not crowded.

*The building is unassuming, and easy to miss.*

*We were greeted promptly and given our choice of tables.*

We hadn’t been to Sherwood House since 2018, when it featured a somewhat complex menu of two different owners, so we were curious to see what had changed since we’d last been there. Not a lot externally, it turned out, but quite a lot in terms of the wines. The tasting room is still in a house, with a rather discreet sign on Main Road (I missed it and had to turn around!), adjacent to the William Ris Gallery. The pleasant garden area out front was occupied by a large table of bachelorettes, who were having a good time, so we asked if we could sit elsewhere. The lovely hostess escorted us to the back deck, which we had to ourselves. As we walked through the inside, we remembered sitting on the comfy couches in front of the fireplace on a winter visit. The overall esthetic is modernized rustic farmhouse.

The tasting menu lists one flight, of six wines for $35, but the server informed us that the final red, the Sherwood Manor, is no longer available, as they are phasing it out. It will be replaced by a merlot, which is not yet bottled. Five wines for $30 sounded fine to us, and we sipped the cool water we were served as we waited for our flight to be prepped. We also ordered North Fork potato chips and a dip, for $16 (a bit steep, though the dip, a blend of spinach, Greek yogurt, and lemon, with a touch of garlic, was very good).

*Our snack of a very good dip and a bag of chips.*

The flight came in cute little bottles, which we shared out into attractive large glasses. After we finished, we ordered a glass of the Blanc de Blancs as we sat and finished our dip (the rest of the chips came home with us), and the server brought us clean glasses so we could share.

2020 Estate Blanc de Blancs $60

We were glad to start with a bubbly, as it gave us a chance to toast our dual holiday. This is a rather classic sparkling wine, with a yeasty aroma, dry, with the taste one expects from a chardonnay-based wine, of citrus, plus a bit of a funky olive-y note. The cost, however, did give us pause.

*This is my half of the full glass of bubbly we ordered after the flight. Not a lot of bubbles…*

2020 Brut Rosé $55

Another sparkling wine, this one a very light pink, made from merlot, pinot noir, and “a splash” of chardonnay. It has not much aroma, and nice bubbles, but the taste is very light, so light as to be almost non-existent. As my tasting buddy quipped, “I can’t even remember what it tasted like now.”

2019 Oregon Road Chardonnay $37

Why Oregon Road? Because that is where their vineyard is, and they do some of their winemaking at Lenz. This is their steel-fermented chard, and it is a pretty classic North Fork chardonnay, with aromas of honeysuckle and lemon, and a nice dry taste of lemon and fruit. It would go well with scallops. On the other hand, you can get a liter bottle of North Fork Project chardonnay for $13 (sometimes as little as $10 if you buy three at the winery).

*The back deck was a pleasant place to spend an afternoon.*

2019 Estate Chardonnay $50

“Not objectionable,” says my husband. Talk about damning with faint praise…this is their oaked chardonnay, and it is not too heavily oaked, though it does have tastes of vanilla and is somewhat creamy. It smells sweet, with some touches of forest floor. I generally prefer steel-fermented chards, but I don’t mind drinking this one—though again, the price seems a bit much.

2019 Estate Cabernet Franc $60

The aroma is of cherries and other berries and tobacco, which seemed promising. However, the wine is rather light and nondescript, though quite drinkable. At a lower price it would be fine.

*Before or after your tasting you can tour the gallery.*

Reasons to visit: pleasant setting, with a pretty garden out front, a rustic porch out back, and comfy couches in front of a fireplace for winter visits; the Estate Blanc de Blancs, though overpriced, is quite good; a usual menu of snacks, with a very good dip; they use bamboo plates, which are recyclable. Note: they do not seem to have a web page, but you can find them on Facebook.

*Wondering what to do with all your corks?*

Sherwood House: One Stop, Two Labels October 25, 2018

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Blanc de Blancs, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, cheese tray, Cornus Reserve, Gilles Martin, Hound's Tree, Malbec, merlot, no outside food, North Fork, Oregon Road, petit verdot, rose, Sherwood House, Sherwood Manor, William Riis, wine tasting October 30, 2018

Sherwood House: One Stop, Two Labels October 25, 2018

The tasting room used to be a farm house, and it still has a homey feel.

https://www.sherwoodhousevineyards.com/

https://www.hounds-tree.com/

What happens when a vineyard is bought by new owners, who want to make their own style of wine, but the previous owners still use the same grapes for their wines? You get Sherwood House and Hound’s Tree wines, made from the same grapes but in different styles. Sherwood’s winemaker, Gilles Martin, likes the French style, while Hound’s Tree’s owners, who are from Oregon, use a West Coast style. Confusingly, the vineyard is located on the North Fork on Oregon Road.

The last time we were here, the server set us up with parallel tastings, but this time, in the absence of her suggestions, we did a tasting of the Sherwood Classic wines, and then the Hound’s Tree ones. There are actually four tasting options, but the two we did had no overlap. In addition to the set tastings, they will also craft an all white or all red tasting on request.

A fire in the fireplace was perfect on this chilly afternoon.

That’s quite an array of wines.

Since the room is so pleasant, and we realized we’d be there a while, we decided to get a small cheese tray, put together by Lombardi’s Market. $15. Did we want crackers with that? As opposed to what, eating the cheese by hand? That will be an additional $3 for a small sleeve of Carr’s Water Crackers. That seems a bit chintzy to us, especially since the cheese tray is rather meager.

The cheese tray is adequate for two, if neither of them is very hungry.

We settled at a table, in sight of the fire in the fireplace, and brought our tastings and our cheese to the table ourselves. Two other couples came in and took glasses of wine to sit on the couches by the fireplace. Through an open doorway we could see into the William Riis gallery, where art, sculpture, and antiques are for sale. Not a bad way to while away an afternoon.

The first five wines are the Sherwood Classics Flight, $30 for a fairly generous pour.

The sparkler and the chard

2016 Blanc de Blancs $45

This is only the second time they have released a sparkling wine, so it is new to us. Made from chardonnay grapes, it has a slightly vegetal aroma and is a pleasant dry sparkler. It has a slightly yeasty taste, and is light. You could definitely have this with a meal or some charcuterie.

2016 Chardonnay $3

Our server describes this as “lightly oaked,” and I agree that it is not overly oaky or buttery or butterscotchy. On the other hand, it is fairly nondescript, I say. Undistinguished, adds my tasting buddy. Bittersweet, with just a trace of butterscotch, even with the cheese it is just okay.

2010 Merlot $38

Better than the average North Fork merlot is our assessment of this dry and elegant red. It has aromas and tastes of cherry, as expected, but also some interesting layers of flavor.

2014 Cabernet Franc $40

Although this has a nice aroma of brambles and blackberries, there’s not much taste. It’s a soft red, with no tannins, and some minerality. Not a sipping wine, it would be okay with a burger.

2010 Sherwood Manor $45

The tasting ends with their Bordeaux blend, of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and petit verdot. The menu describes it as “preciously aged”—whatever that means—in French oak. I smell plums and other red fruit, but it is too cold to taste much, so I warm it in my palm. Ah, now I can taste it. This is quite good, a wine for steak, dry, with various fruit flavors. It’s also nice with the Marcona almonds on the cheese plate.

The view into the gallery

Interesting decor in the tasting room

Each taste comes in its own glass, by the way. Now we move on to the Hound’s Tree Flight, $25 for five tastes. We snack on our crackers and cheese a bit to clear our palates.

2016 Rosé $22

The aroma is slightly funky, and smells like fermented berries. Yum. This has more taste than the average rosé, though it is served too cold, of course. It is a blend of 70% merlot, 15% cabernet franc, and 15% cabernet sauvignon. We taste fruit and minerality, but it’s not overly fruity. This would be a good summer sipper.

When wine is too cold, try warming it with your palms.

2016 Chardonnay $26

What is acacia aged? The server has told us that this is aged in steel and acacia, but she can’t answer what that means. We sniff and get minerals and just a touch of citrus. My husband sips and says, “Watery.” It is very light. I say it is “not unpleasant,” which is not exactly high praise.

Pretty labels.

2016 Cabernet Sauvignon $29

By the way, we find the labels for the Hound’s Tree wines quite attractive. Although this has almost no aroma, it has, says my husband, “a distinctive taste which lingers in your mouth.” It’s dry, almost tart, with not much fruit at all and some tannins. Perhaps it needs to age longer.

2015 Merlot $29

Unlike the Sherwood merlot, which had lots of cherry aroma, this has almost no aroma. It is quite dry, with some tannins but no depth, and is drinkable but not at all complex. Innocuous, is a word we agree on.

2015 Cornus Reserve $45

Why “Cornus”? She doesn’t know, and the web site doesn’t even list this wine. In any event, it is their Bordeaux blend, of 62% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot, 12% cabernet franc, 4% petit verdot, and 3% malbec. Of all the wines we tried today, this is our favorite. It has red plum aromas, and a somewhat complex taste with red fruits and tobacco. The tannins make me think it could improve with age. It would pair well with lamb or mutton chops.

Reasons to visit: pleasant, cozy tasting room with a fireplace and comfy couches; the chance to compare two different styles of winemaking using the same grapes (with very different results); the Sherwood Merlot and Manor; the Hound’s Tree Rosé and Cornus Reserve; you can shop the interesting items in the next-door gallery. If I came there to sit by the fire and sip a glass of wine while listening the

music, I would get a glass of the Cornus.

Sherwood House Vineyard: Sip and Shop May 12, 2017

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with Apolloni Vineyard, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, Hound's Tree, merlot, North Fork, Oregon, Oregon Road, Red Blend, rose, Sherwood House, Sherwood Manor, white merlot, William Ris, wine tasting May 14, 2017

http://www.sherwoodhousevineyards.com/

https://www.hounds-tree.com/

I happened to snap this at a sunny moment.

On a cool spring day, when clouds and sun took turns dominating the sky, we stopped into Sherwood House’s tasting room, which we had not been to in almost two years. Though the tasting room looks much the same, with its cozy fireplace, there have been a number of changes in the winery itself. We immediately noticed that there were three options on the tasting menu: a Sherwood House flight of five wines for $16, a Hound’s Tree Estate flight of five wines for $16, and a flight of four Library and Estate wines for $24. We decided to go with one flight of Sherwood House wines and one of Hound’s Tree, tasting them side by side, since there seemed to be comparable choices on both menus.

The friendly and helpful server explained that Hound’s Tree was a new winery that had bought the Oregon Road vineyard from Sherwood House and was making wines in a West Coast style, in partnership with Appoloni Vineyards, a winery based in Oregon (the state, not the road!). Meanwhile, the owner and winemaker of Sherwood house planned to go on making their wines in their own style, which is influenced by French methods. What a nice opportunity to compare styles!

The shop adjoins the tasting room.

After our tastings we browsed the beautiful shop which adjoins the tasting room. It used to be called Material Objects, and is now called William Ris East. It features fine art, sculpture, and antiques (according to their sign), plus jewelry and pottery. We saw many pieces we liked, and if you are looking for some real art it is a good place to go. One caution: the pour in the winery is fairly generous, so don’t make any decisions on buying art if you’re not compos mentis!

Although the Sherwood House web page mentions music on Saturday afternoons, on this quiet Friday a singer/guitarist set up in a corner and serenaded us with Beatles tunes, among others. A party of women at a table, who were sharing a bottle of rosé and a cheese tray (bought at the winery and provided by Love Lane cheese shop), seemed to enjoy his performance very much, as did we. As we chatted with the server, she took note of my notebook and asked directly if we wrote for any publication, so we admitted that I did a blog. As a result, she gave us two extra tastes. I’ve labeled the Sherwood House choices SH and the Hound’s Tree choices HT.

We enjoyed the music.

2014 Oregon Road Chardonnay SH $19

This is a pretty typical North Fork steel-fermented chardonnay, with aromas of pears and minerals and tastes of unripe pear. It is both sweet and tart, so well-balanced, with a nice long finish. It is definitely a good food wine. This, like the other whites, is served too cold (not their fault—wineries are obliged to set their refrigeration at a specified temperature), but we warmed the glass in our palms to get a better sense of the wine.

2015 HT Estate Chardonnay $24

Really different! We get a vegetable aroma—roasted asparagus or Brussels sprouts—and maybe a slight burnt smell. The taste is also quite different, with some vegetal notes and lots of rock and minerality and even salt, as well as some pear. However, we like this one, too, and it would also be good with food. Maybe something rich, like a roast chicken, while the SH chard might do better with scallops.

2013 Estate Chardonnay SH $35

Nope, you won’t find this on the regular tasting menu, but our server thought we should try their one oaked chardonnay. 70% oak, she said, which explained why, though it has some of that butterscotch smell, it does not taste overly oaky. It had a touch of sweetness, but “not unpleasantly so,” opined my husband. Though not a sipper, this would stand up to many different foods. I could see having it with pork chops.

2015 Estate Rosé HT $22

A blend of cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot, this rosé has a deep pink color and a sweet aroma that I insist smells like red Twizzlers. My drinking pal suggests “fireplace” and cherry juice. In any event, it is a very dry rosé, with more citrus than strawberry taste. I wouldn’t choose it as a sipper, but I think it could be very nice paired with some charcuterie.

Oregon Road White Merlot SH $19

When we saw “white merlot” we immediately thought of Anthony Nappa’s Anomaly, which is a white pinot noir (no longer called Anomaly), but this is quite different. I described it as “evanescent,” as it is very light and the taste seems to dissipate very quickly. The aroma is of strawberries, salt, and minerals, and I actually think it would be fun to drop a few strawberries into a glass for summer sipping.

The two rose style wines provided quite a contrast in both taste and color.

2013 Oregon Road Red Blend SH $19

We agreed that this was the perfect price point for this very nice red table wine, a blend of merlot, cabernet franc, and cabernet sauvignon. My guess is the blend is heavy on the merlot, as I got lots of cherry in the smell and taste. My husband pronounced it a “perfectly acceptable” dinner wine. It is fairly dry.

2015 Cabernet Franc HT $28

Eh. Not particularly a fan of this one, which we felt was rather “tame,” in my husband’s opinion. Light for a cabernet franc, it is not a red you’d want to pair with a steak or other hearty meat. Maybe veal.

Though these two reds may look similar, they actually taste quite different.

2012 Merlot SH $38

This one we like better than the previous wine. It has mouth-watering tannins, lots of cherry taste and aroma, and also some scents of forest.

2015 Merlot HT $28

Again, we prefer the Sherwood House style, as we find this red just okay, with not a lot of fruit or depth. It’s not bad, just not very interesting.

2015 Cabernet Sauvignon HT $28

Aromas of dark fruits, like plums and berries, good tannins, dry, and tastes of dark fruit. Again, not exciting, but perfectly acceptable.

2012 Cabernet Franc SH $45

I like this one the best of the reds so far, although it has almost no finish. The aroma is a tad funky, with some notes of forest floor as well as dark fruits. Another nicely dry wine, it would go well with a cheese platter.

2010 Sherwood Manor SH $45

This is our other extra taste, and a good one it is. It’s the most interesting wine of the day, with lots of varied flavors and aromas and tannins that make us think it would continue to age well.

One time when we came here they were selling oysters on the porch.

More art from the gallery.

Reasons to visit: cozy tasting room with a fireplace that is in use in the winter; the opportunity to browse a gallery with beautiful pieces; the Oregon Road Chardonnay, the Sherwood House Estate Chardonnay, the Hound’s Tree Estate Rosé, the Oregon Road Red Blend, the Sherwood Manor; music even when it isn’t scheduled.

We think these crates can be used to store wine.

NoFo Wineaux

Wine notes from Long Island's North Fork

Tag Archives: Sherwood Manor

Sherwood House: No Robin Hood Here

Sherwood House: One Stop, Two Labels October 25, 2018

Each taste comes in its own glass, by the way. Now we move on to the Hound’s Tree Flight, $25 for five tastes. We snack on our crackers and cheese a bit to clear our palates.

Sherwood House Vineyard: Sip and Shop May 12, 2017