Posts Tagged“merlot”

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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WTN: Channing Daughters Winery Over & Over – Variation One (Long Island)

I think that most fans of Channing Daughters Winery (and they are an ever-growing army) would agree that it’s a white wine shop.  Sure, they make a few different red wines too, but most pale when compared to winemaker Chris Tracy’s stellar white wines. So, when saw that they had released a new red blend, for $35, I thought maybe it was just another over-priced Long Island red. And there are plenty of those to go around. But Tracy’s newest creation, Over & Over, isn’t like all of the other blended reds being made here. In fact, it’s unlike any…

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WTN: Raphael 2002 First Label Merlot (North Fork of Long Island)

Editor’s Note: Yes, I do still write for my blog. When Richard Olsen-Harbich, winemaker at Peconic’s Raphael, started his winemaking career, it was in the Finger Lakes region of central New York. As you all know, the Finger Lakes region is best suited —  and best known —  for its aromatic white wines, particularly riesling. Much of the time, the classic red varieties of Bordeaux struggle to ripen in central New York. Some wineries make wines like merlot and cabernet sauvignon anyway, but many of the better ones are made using fruit (or bulk wine) grown here on Long Island.…

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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…

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WTNs: Pellegrini Vineyards’ New and Upcoming Releases (North Fork of Long Island)

I tell anyone who will listen that they should try new wines whenever possible. That’s how we learn about new regions, grapes and winemakers. It’s how we expand our wine knowledge and grow as wine drinkers. But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t — and shouldn’t — come back to long-time favorites as well. Pellegrini Vineyards — and its Vinter’s Pride Encore — are just the kind of favorites worth coming back to. It was one of the first red blends I tasted on Long Island and remains one that I enjoy every time I taste it, regardless of vintage.…

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WTN: Pellegrini Vineyards 2003 EastEnd Select Merlot (North Fork of Long Island)

2003 wasn’t a great year for North Fork reds. I’ve written about it before, but basically there was a rainy period in October (after a good growing season) and two rounds of frost that resulted to many sub-par wines from that year. Particularly reds. And Pellegrini Vineyards’ 2003 EastEnd Select Merlot ($15), which is normally a decent, gulpable seems to have fallen victim to that bad weather. The nose is promising enough, offering straightforward black cherry aromas with a little earthiness and smoke. But the palate is disappointing and disjointed. Fairly light in body, there’s some cherries, dried leaves and…

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WTN: Bedell Cellars 2005 Reserve Merlot (North Fork of Long Islandd)

Long Island’s 2005 vintage was one for the record books–on a couple fronts. There was the rain. Some vineyard locations received 17 inches of rain an eight-day period–an eight-day period that happened to coincide with with the grape harvest. Most of the white grapes has come in already, but most reds had not. And there were the near-drought conditions before the rain (less than two inches over three months). Those conditions led to smaller-than-usual fruit and some of the most intense fruit ripness in Long Island’s short wine-producing history. Those 17 inches of rain wreaked havoc and several vineyards sustained…

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WTN: Ackerly Pond Vineyards 2004 Merlot (North Fork of Long Island)

Over the past decade-plus, there has been an interesting phenomenon in Long Island wine, though it’s probably mere coincidence. It seems that even-numbered years tend to be cooler than the riper odd-number years, which include the well-regarded 1995, 2001 and 2005 years. Of course this isn’t a hard and fast rule. And it certainly doesn’t mean that there aren’t terrific wines in the cooler years. In fact, some of the most underrated wines–both red and white–that I’ve tasted lately have come out of the 2004 vintage, a slightly cooler, but still typical local year. Founded just less than a decade…

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WTNs: Vineyard 48 Current Red Releases (North Fork of Long Island)

Vineyard 48 (formerly Bidwell Vineyards) might be a winery on the rise. In general, I’ve found their white wines to be their best, particularly the sauvignon blanc and riesling, which are actually better than some local bottlings priced much higher. But, the reds have been somewhat more inconsistent. A nice cabernet franc here. A soft, but integrated meritage there. And some others with somewhat coarse tannins. 2005, a soon-to-be-class vintage, provided an opportunity for complete grape ripeness and winemaker Matthew Berenz, formerly of Pindar, took full advantage. He’s made the neophyte winery’s best reds yet. The Vineyard 48 2005 Vignetta…

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WTN: Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards 2002 Merlot (North Fork)

Sometimes I get completely and utterly sick of tasting merlot. It’s the most-planted grape on Long Island and every winery makes at least one varietal bottling–and often more than that. Hell, Wolffer Estate makes four ‘levels’ of merlot. And, despite growing conditions that are excellently suited to the grape, there is a lot of bad merlot being produced. It’s sad really, because when grown in the right way and treated the right way in the winery, merlot leads to this regions most consistently delicious wines…even if the best ones will cost you at least $30 and up to $125. Osprey’s…

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