By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher
Of the 40 or so producers on Long Island, only a handful make pinot noir, and of that handful and even smaller group does it well. Osprey's Dominion Vineyards made one of the best in the 2005 vintage, one of the better vintages in the relatively brief history of Long Island wine.
Winemaker Adam Suprenant didn't bother making it 2006 and with good reason, it wasn't a great year for reds.
But Osprey's varietal pinot noir made a return with the warm, dry 2007 growing season.
That ripeness certainly isn't hidden at all. This Osprey's Dominion Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir ($40) is a medium-dark garnet and has intense dark fruit aromas of black cherry, pomegranate and cranberry, subtle notes of lavender and whisps of smokey, toasty oak.
The palate shows a deep core of rich black cherry, a little bit of that smoke from the nose, vanilla and cinnamon spice. Fine-grained but still grippy tannins and okay acid combine to bring structure. The finish is medium-long but there's a little raw oak on the end.
Right now, I think the oak is a little too noticeable, but this is still a young wine so that rawness will probably fade. Once it does, this wine could rival that beautiful 2005.
Grape(s): Pinot Noir
Producer: Osprey's Dominion Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Rating: 
(3 out of 5 | Recommended)
(Ratings Guide)