By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Barrel-fermented chardonnay isn't my favorite style. That's well documented. But, that doesn't mean I can't appreciate one that is well-made. This Lenz Winery 2007 Old Vines Chardonnay ($25) is one that I appreciate. In fact, I went back to this a few times after my tasting was complete and enjoyed it quite a bit. Of course, it's not completely barrel fermented either. Winemaker Eric Fry employs "limited barrel fermentation" and while this wine is aged in oak, Fry tends to "use older barrels that allow the wine to achieve greater complexity and flavor concentration but leave…
Posts Tagged“eric fry”
The Lenz Winery: Great Values and Splurges Too
My dad, sister, mom and Nena inside the Lenz Winery tasting room. As I mentioned on Sunday, Nena, Jackson and I took my parents and sister to visit a couple wineries on Saturday, including The Lenz Winery. Lenz is one of the North Fork’s most respected producers and employs one of the regions most gifted and charismatic winemakers – Eric Fry. If you ever find yourself in the Lenz tasting room and see a guy in overalls with a long ponytail and beard, that’s Eric. Say hello and he just might stop what he's doing to taste with you. One…
The 12 LI Wines of Christmas: #5 Lenz 2001 Cuvee
This post is a part of my 12 Long Island Wines for Christmas series that will run from now until Christmas 2007. See the entire series here. I can’t have a mixed case of Long Island wine for Christmas without including some bubbly can I? I knew that I had to include some sparkle to the 12 Long Island Wines of Christmas, but I wasn’t sure which to include. You rarely hear about Long Island’s sparklers, but there are several terrific ones, many of them made by Eric Fry. At first I was going to choose his Lenz 1994 RD…
WTN: Lenz 2005 Gold Label Chardonnay (North Fork of Long Island)
I’ll tell you about my favorite of the Lenz Winery chardonnays tomorrow, but today let’s focus on one that I didn’t like as much. Actually, I’ve never cared for winemaker Eric Fry’s Gold Label Chardonnay much, and his 2005 release ($20) is no different. It’s definitely made in the California style that is – thankfully – losing popularity among most wine drinkers. It’s medium-dark gold in the glass with a lot of oak on the nose, coming across with toasted marshmallow, sweet oak, and faint caramel aromas. There’s also some roasted apple there, but it’s subservient to the domineering oak.…
WTN: Lenz 2001 Cuvee (North Fork of Long Island)
I mentioned last week that I was thankful for Eric Fry and his local bubblies. As coincidence would have it, I tasted one of those very sparklers over the holiday weekend. Lenz Winery has garnered quite a bit of praise in the press by taking on high-end Bordeaux wines in blind tastings. Just this past weekend, Lenz hosted one such event where they poured 2001 Chateau Petrus, 2001 Peby-Faugeres, 2001 L’Evangile, 2001 L’Eglise Clinet, and 2001 Lenz Old Vines Merlot. I’m not sure that Long Island wine will get where it can go by constantly comparing itself to Bordeaux, but…
Long Island Wine Country: News & Notes (9/20/06)
* If you’ve driven by their tasting room on Main Road in Southold, you’ve probably noticed that Bedell Cellars is sporting a new logo. I always liked the old logo, but the new one is simple, clean and somewhat modern — and seems more in line with the design of their tasting room. * On October 1, Bedell will also release the latest member of its Artist’s Series family of wines — 2005 Gallery. The wine is a blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and viognier. The label was designed by artist Ross Bleckner and only 200 cases were made. Many…