Posts Tagged“cabernet sauvignon”

Damiani Wine Cellars 2012 Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon

You won’t find a lot of varietal cabernet sauvignon wines in the Finger Lakes — with good reason. Generally speaking, later-ripening reds aren’t as well-suited to the region as other types of grapes. That said, Damiani Wine Cellars typically bucks that trend and makes some of the better cab in the region. Damiani Wine Cellars 2012 Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon ($45) isn’t as good as the outstanding 2010, but it still balances ripe fruit with oak and savory notes well. The nose shows a melange of aromas — sweet blueberry compote, blackberry, savory dried herbs, soy sauce, and dusty, earthy cocoa powder. Mouth-filling and slightly chewy,…

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Keuka Spring Vineyards 2013 Wiltberger Vineyard Field Blend Dry Rose

Last year, Keuka Spring Vineyards winemaker August Deimel crafted one of the NYCR tasting panel’s top two 2012 roses, so when he sent  the 2013, it didn’t take me long to get it in the tasting queue. Keuka Spring Vineyards 2013 Wiltberger Vineyard Field Blend Dry Rose ($17) is completely different from that stellar 2012.  It’s a field blend — a blend of lemberger, cabernet franc, merlot — and smells of trawberries and cream with hints of peppery spice and spring flowers. The dry, medium-bodied palate is richer than the 2012, with watermelon and red cherry flavors backed by more of that…

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Wolffer Estate Vineyard 2010 “Cassango” Cabernet Sauvignon

Made with 89% cabernet sauvignon from Martha Clara Vineyards on the North Fork and 11% “Christian’s Cuvee” merlot from the winery’s oldest estate merlot block, planted in 1990, Wolffer Estate Vineyard 2010 “Cassango” Cabernet Sauvignon ($40) offers aromas of mixed cherries and currants accented by spicy, toasty oak with dried leaf earthy notes. Supple bordering on soft, the medium-bodied palate features red cherry and cola flavores layered with toasty oak, loamy/dried leaf earthiness and savory dried herbs on the long, fresh finish. AVA: Long Island ABV: 13.3% Brix: 21.2/22.8 TA: 3.9 g/l pH: 3.75 Oak Program: 20 months is French and American oak Production: 146 cases…

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Damiani Wine Cellars 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Damiani Wine Cellars 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve ($45) — proved me wrong. I can admit it.  I have to. Finger Lakes pinot noir — and to a lesser extent Blaufrankisch — have been coming on strong in recent years. But cabernet sauvignon? I’ve been less then enthusiastic after tasting seeral. Maybe cabernet can only get here in one or two out of ten years, but this wine is a new benchmark for the variety in the Finger Lakes. Its concentrated, brooding nose offers aromas of blueberry, currant and plum with a savory/umami edge and an integrated dose of oak and…

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Lenz Winery 2007 “Old Vines” Cabernet Sauvignon

Should a region that is a mere 40 years old have wines that are labeled “Old Vines”? That’s a discussion for another day, I suppose, but the vines that lead to Lenz Winery 2007 “Old Vines” Cabernet Sauvignon ($40) are among the oldest cabernet vines on the North Fork. So, maybe it’s all relative? What is not up for debate is winemaker Eric Fry’s skill for making traditionally styled wines — rather than modern, polished ones — even in hot, dry years like 2007. This wine shows ripe fruit on the nose — mostly in the form of black cherry…

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Standing Stone Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

You just don’t see cabernet sauvignon labeled 12.2% abv very often. In fact, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen one — even from the cooler climes of the Finger Lakes. But that was truthfully the first thing I noticed upon pulling this Standing Stone Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ($24) for tasting recently. The first thing that popped into my head — fair or not — was “Is this going to taste underripe?” No, but it’s also probably not what most customers expect from cabernet either. Fruity on the nose, it offers a melange of cherry, blackberry and blueberry fruit…

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Vote for Red: Brooklyn Winery Places Its First Red Wines on the Ballot

Last night marked a historic moment in the short history of Brooklyn Winery. Framed by a timely election-themed backdrop, the first red wine grapes that entered the facility — still a construction site in 2010 — made their public debut as finished wines. The new portfolio of wines were unveiled as part of an exclusive sneak peek for “friends of the winery” — investors, neighbors and the like. The wines, like politicians, weren’t shy. Winemaker Conor McCormack deemed them “big reds,” and they lived up to their billings. The “candidates” were each introduced by pre-recorded stump speeches — humorous videos that extolled the platforms and…

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Roanoke Vineyards 2009 Marco Tulio

I’ve said it before, but it is worthy of a reminder — in your excitement to taste Long Island’s 2010 reds, don’t skip over or dismiss the 2009s.  A dry, warm autumn rewarded those growers patient enough to let their fruit hang and soak up those last bits of sun. Roanoke Vineyards 2009 Marco Tulio ($24) is a blend of 66% cabernet franc and 34% cabernet sauvignon. Anyone who knows Long Island wine knows that Roanoke Vineyards makes some of the best cabernet franc in these parts, and that this wine is two-thirds franc is obvious from the first sniff.…

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Roanoke Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Merlot dominates the Long Island wine landscape. It is the most-planted grape and the one that many wineries have built their red wine programs around — and with good reason. It ripens dependably and leads to some of the North Fork's best wines. Roanoke Vineyards makes merlot too of course — often very good merlot — but over time they've built a reputation for the consistent dependability and quality of their cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, as well as blends based on those two grapes. There aren't many local cabernet sauvignon bottlings that I can…

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Bedell Cellars: A Trip to the (Wine) Library

Four library reds at Bedell Cellars Bedell Cellars is one of the true jewels of the North Fork wine industry. You have history — it was founded in 1980 by Kip Bedell who still serves as founding winemaker. You have an influx of new capital — the result of Michael Lynne purchasing the winery in 2000. And you have terrific wines coming out of a state-of-the-art winery and modern tasting room. One thing seems to be a constant through the many changes Bedell Winery has gone through in recent years — quality wines that are among the region’s best. On…

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