By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher This isn't another one of those "rose is making a comeback" pieces, but dry rose is one of the under-appreciated pleasures of cool climate wine regions. The natural acidity that cool evenings and long, slow growing seasons retain is key. In the Finger Lakes, there are more dry roses (in addition to the sweet ones) being bottled every year, but here on Long Island, dry rose has been a part of many wine programs for years. Sometimes, they are made by blending red and white grapes, but some of my favorites are made primarily…
Posts Tagged“merlot”
Shinn Estate Vineyards in the New York Times
By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher Eric Asimov, chief wine critic for New York Times, has long been interested in Long Island wine, particularly Long Island merlot. He has previously said that Long Island makes some of the best merlot in America. In his column this week, he writes about a recent visit to Shinn Estate Vineyards in Mattituck, NY. It's a great piece that I think accurately depicts the winery's place in the Long Island wine world. It will come as no surprise to many of my fellow wine bloggers (the ones who came to TasteCamp anyway) that one…
Shinn Estate Vineyards 2005 Nine Barrel Merlot
By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher As you've read here and elsewhere, to tell the story of the 2005 vintage is really to tell two separate tales — one before the October deluge and one after. That deluge lasted eight days and dumped as many as 20 inches of rain on some vineyards. Some wineries weren't willing to risk waiting, harvesting their reds before the rains hit. One even stopped picking chardonnay, leaving it to the elements, to pick reds. The before-or-after decision wasn't a simple one, nor was it one-dimensional. If you waited until after the rains, how long…
Rockin’ with Reds at Damiani
By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent There are a few Finger Lakes wineries that have made the production of red vinifera the cornerstone of their business plan. What makes Damiani Wine Cellars, located on the eastern shore of Seneca, unique is the winery's original emphasis on red to the exclusion of whites. When the winery opened in 2004 after several years of experimentation, it offered a variety of reds and only a limited number of whites. "Well, we are red wine drinkers," shrugs Phil Davis, a second-generation grower who oversees the grape growing and production. Lou Damiani serves as the winemaker of the operation. Both Davis and…
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…
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…
Clovis Point to Join the Long Island Merlot Alliance (LIMA)
The official announcement is coming later this week, but I've just learned that Clovis Point has decided to become the newest member of the Long Island Merlot Alliance (LIMA). LIMA was formed in 2005 to develop quality standards in the production of classically-styled Long Island merlot and to establish Long Island as the leading region for merlot in the New World. To date, LIMA has been rather quite on the public scene, focusing on vineyard research and conducting tastings to identify the qualities that help define "typical" Long Island merlot. The group, which includes Raphael, Pellegrini Vineyards, Sherwood House Vineyards,…
Wolffer Estate 2006 Reserve Merlot
When I sit down to one of the Sunday morning wine tastings I conduct here on our dining room table, I never quite know what I’m going to get. I taste wine from every corner of New York State and, frankly, sometimes it can be an extreme sport. There is a lot of bad wine being made in New York, people. There. I said it. That’s one reason I appreciate Wolffer Estate so much. 99% of the time, I know what I’m going to get — elegance, balance and quality. This Wolfer Estate 2006 Reserve Merlot ($20) is a fine…
Donnell Brown is the New Director of the Long Island Merlot Alliance
The Long Island Merlot Alliance(LIMA) has announced that Donnell Brown will be taking over as the group's Executive Director, taking over for Len Dest whose other commitments led him to step down. Brown has worked in marketing and public relations for more than 15 years, and has been a serious student of wine for a decade. She holds Intermediate and Advanced (pending) Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and is an active member of the James Beard Foundation, the Slow Food East End Convivium, and a member of the Board-led Outreach Committee for the Peconic Land Trust, a…
Onabay Vineyards 2006 “Night Heron” Merlot
Onabay Vineyards 2006 "Night Heron" Merlot ($25) is a blend of 86% merlot, 9% cabernet franc and 5% syrah. That syrah worried me a bit because Long Island syrah, particularly in a cooler year like 2006, doesn't often impress.. But I had no reason for concern. I like this wine quite a bit. A nicely extracted medium-dark garnet, the nose offers nice dark fruit aromas of black cherry, black berry and even a little blueberry, accented by basil, thyme and a little smokiness. That same dark fruit character, black cherry and black raspberry this time, leads on an elegant, medium-bodied…