Posts Tagged“grapes of roth”

The Grapes of Roth 2006 Merlot

The first Grapes of Roth merlot release since Wolffer absorbed the brand, the Grapes of Roth 2006 Merlot ($44) reflects the less-than-perfect growing season, but still maintains the reputation the label has earned since debuting with a 2001 merlot. Nutty oak and loamy earth lead the way on the nose, with understated fruit in the form of dried cherries and blueberries beneath. Meaty and mouth-filing, the palate features cottony tannins that frame restrained, slightly tired fruit flavors that mingle with toasty oak, graphite and a dried mint note. On day one, the finish shows a slightly bitter edge that softens…

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Roman Roth Named Partner at Wolffer Estate Vineyard. Grapes of Roth Brought In-House There.

Congratulations to veteran Long Island winemaker Roman Roth who today was named a partner at Wolffer Estate Vineyard by new owners Joey and Marc Wolffer. In addition, Roth will move his private label “Grapes of Roth” under the Wolffer Estate umbrella. Sagaponack, NY (February 11, 2013) –  Roman Roth, the Winemaker at Wölffer Estate Vineyard for 21 years, has been named a partner by new co-owners Joey Wölffer and Marc Wölffer. “It is great timing to name Roman a partner just after his 20th anniversary and during the 25th anniversary of the estate.  Roman’s dedication and incredible passion has helped build the…

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The Grapes of Roth 2009 Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Another impressive 2009 riesling from New York? Yes. And this one is from Long Island. Because he mostly works with Bordeaux reds and chardonnay locally, people wondered what German-born winemaker Roman Roth (Wolffer Estate, Roanoke Vineyards) would do with local riesling. When Roth introduced his private label, The Grapes of Roth, several years ago, he started with a merlot, but introduced his first riesling not long after. And of the three rieslings he’s made under the GoR label, Grapes of Roth 2009 Riesling ($22) might be his best yet. Roth purchases the fruit for this…

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The Grapes of Roth 2003 Merlot

Roman Roth, the German-born winemaker at Wolffer Estate and Roanoke Vineyards, released the first wine under his own The Grapes of Roth label in the summer of 2006. That 2001 merlot, was a beautiful wine from one of Long Island's best vintages. It also received a 91-point score from Wine Advocate. His 2002, which garnered a 92-point score, will probably prove to be the longer lived of the two. Last weekend, I tasted the newly released The Grapes of Roth 2003 Merlot ($50) for the first time. While not without its own merits, it just doesn't stand up to the…

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The Moment When a Finger Lakes Wine Lover Was Sold on Long Island

From left to right: Katie Feulner, Jason Feulner, Lenn Thompson, Nena Thompson, Evan Dawson, Morgan Dawson, Melissa Dobson, Rich Dobson By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent Everyone who loves wine has a memory that stands out with perfect clarity thanks to a single bottle of wine. We remember the meal, the lighting in the room, the conversations shared over the bottle. This is the power of wine. It is far more than a beverage. If we are fortunate, we have not one special wine memory, but many. I will never forget the moment I drank the first sip of Rosso del…

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New York Wine News and Notes (12/8/08)

A few New York wine news items from the last several days: Shinn Estate Vineyards 2005 Estate Merlot was mentioned over on Eric Asimov's wine blog, The Pour, last week. Eric has long been a proponent for Long Island merlot and I think this wine, year in and year out, is one of his favorites. (Read my review) Shinn Estate also received an 89-point score from the Wine Spectator for their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that I've not tasted. Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez, winemaker at Martha Clara Vineyards, also let me know that Premium Wine Group, the custom-crush facility where…

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Has Gary Vaynerchuk Gone “New World” on Us? Or Just Crazy?

I love my readers. You guys are the best. Within minutes of Gary’s latest episode of Wine Library TV going live, I had a half dozen emails in my in box about it. As you can see above, he tasted Grapes of Roth 2002 Merlot on todays show and…well…he didn’t come away impressed. He even went so far as to call it a "pedestrian effort" and he says he’s had several bottles of $25 Bordeaux that compare. Of course he also said that it’s built to age. Why would you want to age a pedestrian wine, Gary? We all have…

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The 12 LI Wines of Christmas: #6 Grapes of Roth 2001 Merlot

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. Roman Roth isn’t a name that long-time readers of LENNDEVOURS are unfamiliar with. His primary gig is as winemaker at Wolffer Estate, but he also serves (or has served) as winemaker or consultant for wineries like Roanoke Vineyards, Shinn Estate Vineyards, Vineyard 48, Martha Clara Vineyards and Scarola Vineyards. His Grapes of Roth 2001 Merlot ($50) was the first release from his own label. He has recently released the 2002 vintage, but I…

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Coming Spring 2008: Grapes of Roth Riesling

Roman Roth shared some exciting news (at least for riesling lovers) with me over the weekend. He’s making a Grapes of Roth 2007 Riesling. Roman found 4 tons of fruit at Split Rock Vineyard in Greenport, and as he put it "The grapes looked great when I first saw them with a low yield of 2 tons per acre and so I jumped at the opportunity. We have been babying it here at the winery. At the moment it is fermenting at extremely low temperature of 56 Fahrenheit and it is looking good." Just like the GoR merlots, only about…

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Long Island Wines in the Blogosphere

You have probably noticed already, but Long Island wines have made their way onto a few other blogs of late. Just before Xmas, Eric Asimov from the New York Times wrote about The Grapes of Roth 2001 Merlot on his blog, The Pour. Eric is clearly a fan of Long Island wines, making him one of the first prominent wine writers to wake up. The Wine Cask Blog, long one of my favorites, has also been reviewing the Lenz Winery portfolio of late, including: Lenz Winery 2000 Cuvee Sparkling Lenz Winery 2001 Old Vines Merlot Lenz Winery 2004 Old Vines…

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