Posts Written OnMarch 2014

Merliance Seeks New Executive Director

Merliance—the alliance of Long Island producers of quality merlot and merlot-based blends—seeks an Executive Director to run its non-profit trade association. The group, formerly known as Long Island Merlot Alliance, needs to replace Donnell Brown, who has left the group to become SeniorMarketing Manager at Wolffer Estate. From the announcement: [box_light]Our Executive Director will work from home on a part-time basis (approximately 16 hours/week), ensuring our organization runs smoothly, gains stature and new members, achieves our marketing and research goals, and annually produces our cooperative blend, also called Merliance. Our ideal candidate is a self-starter, capable of/comfortable with working independently from home,…

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The New York Cork Report Turns 10

It’s going to sound horribly cliche to say this, but when I started the New York Cork Report (then known as LENNDEVOURS), I never imagined that I’d be writing a post on it ten years later. It was a diversion. A creative outlet. A way for me to easily tell my friends and family about the wines I was drinking and discovering here on Long Island. But here we are. It has been — and continues to be — an amazing experience. Because of the words on these virtual pages, I’ve met, tasted with, worked with and learned from too…

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Channing Daughters Winery 2012 “Sylvanus Vineyard” Blaufrankisch

I’ve since become quite fond of the grape, but I have Channing Daughters Winery and winemaker Christopher Tracy to thank for introducing me to blaufrankisch (also known as lemberger) with the winery’s 2003 bottling. That 2003 was 100% Blaufrankisch, but over the years, Tracy has blended it with merlot some years and with this Channing Daughters Winery 2012 “Sylvanus Vineyard” Blaufrankisch($28) he blended in 25% Dornfelder. Meaty and fruity, the nose shows layers of black-and-blue berry fruit, briar, violets and spice. Medium-bodied and ripe, the palate shows concentrated dark fruit flavors framed by both fresh acidity and grippy tannins. Spicy note linger…

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What We Drank 2014.03.12

Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor:  SingleCut Beersmiths Full Stack IIPA Long Island has enjoyed a beer renaissance in the years since I moved here just over a decade ago. Breweries continue to pop up all over the Island. Beer bars (or at least bars with a handful of good beers) are increasingly common. But my section of Long Island has been slow to get on board, with only one or two options if I want to go out for an interesting pint of beer. No more. We’re still not drowning in craft beer options, but there are a handful of places…

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Red Tail Ridge Winery 2011 Blaufrankisch

It’s extremely rare to find wines that taste exactly the same year-to-year in New York State. And that’s okay. Vintage variation is just part of the package. Not tasting the same isn’t the same as wines not being delicious every year. Winemakers on the East Coast understand what they need to do in cooler years versus the warmer ones. Harvest decisions change. Winery decisions change too. Red Tail Ridge makes some of the best blaufrankisch in New York — and not just in warmer years like 2010 (that was a great wine, though). Though in different ways, I liked the…

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Frontenac: Mutant Vintage

It was very tempting to approach this subject indirectly through a wine science fiction sort of allegory. The tale of a race decimated by plague and forced to breed with other relative species in order to survive. The social stigmas faced by the viable offspring:  the challenges of relocation and settling of new lands,  the strange and divergent characteristics that began to appear in subsequent generations. It’snot far off, as a version of the inter-specific hybrid grapevine story, and of the unexpected mutants that currently exist among us, in the form of the cold climate grape called Frontenac. The Frontenac grape…

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Macari Vineyards 2012 “No. 1” Sauvignon Blanc

Macari Vineyards winemaker Kelly Urbanik Koch made one of my favorite wines of last summer, from sauvignon blanc. This wine, Macari Vineyards 2012 “No. 1” Sauvignon Blanc ($27) is a completely different animal, however. Half the fruit for this wine was skin fermented in a 500L barrel and the other half was left on the skins for one night in a stainless steel tank. Notes of canary melon, fresh hay, white flowers, Meyer lemon and tangerine mingle on a nose that is muted right out of the fridge but opens up a bit more as it warms to room temperature. Broad and…

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#TasteNY Virtual Tasting to Return April 10 with Bellwether Wine Cellars

It’s been a long time coming, but today I’m happy to announce the return of #TasteNY — our Twitter-based virtual New York wine tasting event — on Thursday, April 10 at 7 p.m. Joining us will be Kris Matthewson from Bellwether Wine Cellars, a young label focusing on single-vineyard riesling and pinot noir in the Finger Lakes with a decidedly hands-off winemaking style. During the event, which can be followed using the #TasteNY hashtag on Twitter, wine lovers from across the country will be tasting and discussing three wines: 2013 Dry Rose of Pinot Noir 2012 Wild Ferment Riesling 2012…

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Dr. Konstantin Frank 2012 Gewurztraminer

  I’m not sure why exactly, but Finger Lakes gewurztraminer doesn’t get nearly the attention that it should. It sits firmly in riesling’s racy, trendy shadow, but the category consistently impresses with varietal character and depth — all with the kind of acidity that makes Finger Lakes whites so appealing. Dr. Konstantin Frank 2012 Gewurztraminer ($15) delivers what can be great about Finger Lakes gewurz at a great price point. Big lychee-meets-rose pedal aromas dominate the nose with underlying notes of candied lemon peel, pear and just a bit of peach pit. Broad and mouth-filling, but with nice focus, the…

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What We Drank (March 5, 2014 Edition)

Gibson Campbell: 2004 Chateau Lynch Bages, Pauillac It’s not often I get to drink good Bordeaux.  In fact, I almost never do. That’s why this bottle was so exciting for me.  The age of the wine was not evident at first glance with bright ruby around the rim and a dark garnet core. It’s a classic Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and petit verdot. It opens up on the nose with cooked mushroom and cooked beef. After some time in the glass, a soft oak character and cigar-box notes start to show. The palate shows more fruit…

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