Corkclub_julyI try not to spam my own readers here on LENNDEVOURS with talk about the New York Cork Club, the wine club that I run with Greene Grape Wine in Brooklyn. I could (and probably should) tell you much more often about how I pick the wines independently, without the wine shop telling me to pick wines that they can make a ton of money on. I could tell you how I’m able to get wines that aren’t available to any other clubs or retailers. But I don’t nearly often enough probably.

But this month, we have two wines that I’ve enjoyed quite a bit recently and neither are easy to get your hands on.

First up is Bouke Wine’s 2007 White Table Wine ($18), which I wrote about last week. It is the
first release from one of the North Fork’s newest producers. It’s 40% chardonnay, 32% pinot gris,
18% sauvignon blanc, and 10% Gewurztraminer and has a surprisingly complex (at
this price) nose showing predominant apple and citrus aromas accented by those
of white flowers, pineapple and spice. The fresh, satisfying palate is
medium-light in body and offers green apple, peach and lemon zest flavors with
more spice. There is just the right acidity here to keep it lively. Make sure
that you don’t over-chill this wine. You’ll miss out on some of the depth and
complexity. It’s only available at The Tasting Room, a co-op tasting room for
tiny producers that don’t have their own tasting rooms. We were able to get some
for the club though, so you won’t have to drive out to Peconic.
 
The second wine, Ravines Wine Cellars’ 2007
Argetsinger Vineyard Dry Riesling ($24)
, is even harder to get your hands on. You might remember that sent winemaker Morten
Hallgren’s regular 2006 Dry Riesling to members last year, but this wine is even
better… and it’s his first-ever single-vineyard wine, with 100% of the fruit
coming from the Argetsinger Vineyard on Seneca Lake, one of the region’s
oldest. A pale yellowish green in the glass, this riesling from the hot 2007
vintage offers lightly floral aromas along with those of dried apricots and
fresh lime with a great minerally quality. The palate is lighter bodied and
lithe, but still fills the mouth with intense minerality, bursting citrusy-lime
flavors and an undercurrent of apricots. Several 2007 riesling I’ve tasted were
flat and lifeless, but this one is anything but. The acidity is almost electric
in its liveliness and the finish is lengthy, lingering with lime and slate
notes. Morten only made 150 cases of this wine, so it’s only available at the
winery. But, I was able to convince them to sell us enough for our club.

To learn more about the New York Cork Club, you can either visit the website or just email me. I’m more than happy to tell you about it. I don’t make a penny from it, so it’s clearly something that I’m passionate about.