"Man, these California wines suck!" Last fall at the 2008 Wine Bloggers Conference, that quote could be attributed to me regularly. It was something I said out loud, in an exaggerated manner — mostly to make my fellow wine bloggers laugh. And it worked. Lots of laughs, eye rolls and comments about thin, underripe reds from New York. I mean, they know me as the New York wine guy, so why not play that up by putting down those overripe, overoaked high-alcohol cocktail wines from California? Oops, I did it again. All jokes aside, not all California wines suck. They…
Posts Tagged“cabernet”
Standing Stone Vineyards 2005 Pinnacle
2005 Finger Lakes reds continue to show well in my weekly tastings. Of course, no one expects the region's reds to push the aromatic whites into the background, but it is clear that, in hot years anyway, elegant, balanced reds are possible. Standing Stone Vineyards' 2005 Pinnacle ($23) is a Bordeaux-style blend (or Meritage if you will) made with 89% cabernet sauvignon, 8% cabernet franc and 3% merlot. In the glass, it shows nice extraction and is a rich crimson-violet color. The nose is intense with Bing cherries, caramel-vanilla and hints of oak. The palate is lush with bright cherry…
I Guess Alice Feiring Doesn’t Like Long Island Wine…Or Hasn’t Tasted Much of It
Alice Feiring (you might know her as the writer behind Veritas in Vino) has written an opinion piece about the World’s Most Overrated Wines for Men.Style.com. So I’m clicking through the piece, expecting to see Beaujolais Nouveau, maybe Aussie shiraz mentioned. I really didn’t know what else would be included. Imagine my surprise when I saw "Long Island Wine" listed with Ms. Feiring saying: "The strawberries, potatoes, and corn grown out on Long Island are world-class. But grapes? Not so much (though you’ve got to give local winemakers credit for their perseverance). The fact is, soils are just too shallow…
WTN: Waters Crest Winery 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (North Fork of Long Island)
Waters Crest Winery isn’t new to me or to you guys. I’ve written about Jim Waters and his wines many times in the three-plus years I’ve had this blog. But, for those of you that are new to LENNDEVOURS, Waters Crest Winery is one of Long Island’s smallest producers and one that I’ve long loved mainly for its white wines. The riesling in particular is a favorite of mine. Being a small winery is one thing, but with his Waters Crest Winery 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ($55) winemaker and co-owner Jim Waters has taken "small batch" wine to a new level.…
WTN: Comtesse Therese 70% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Cabernet Franc (North Fork)
Some of the wines that display Long Island’s true nature–terroir if you will–are actually red blends, not the varietal merlots that are often lauded as the region’s best. I know, shocking. I should be strung up for suggesting such a thing. Of course not all blends are created equal. There are more than enough wines that fall into the "meritage" catetory that seem more like a way to use up extra lots of lesser reds than anything else. Theresa Dilworth, co-owner of and head winemaker for Comtesse Therese isn’t making one of those. This blandly named but far-from-bland blend of…
WTN: Lenz Winery 2001 “Old Vines” Cabernet Sauvignon (North Fork of Long Island)
The Lenz Winery has been making a lot of noise lately about its wines and how they rate against top-flight Bordeaux in professional blind tastings. It’s an interesting marketing hook to be sure. The recently released Lenz 2001 Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon ($30) is one of the wines that fared best. And I can see why. It’s obviously much more important that consumers like a wine (instead of critics), but something tells me this wine will be well received. "Old vines" doesn’t have any official meaning (much like "reserve") but this rich, deep purple-crimson cab is impressive nonetheless. The nose…