Posts Tagged“Review”

Lenz Winery 2007 Estate Selection Merlot

If you’re looking for innovative, modern winemaking or flashy branding, The Lenz Winery probably isn’t for you. Lenz isn’t in the Long Island Wine Council and isn’t particularly active on channels like Facebook and Twitter. Instead, Lenz has relied on winemaker Eric Fry and his traditional, Old World-styled wines and the periodic, well-publicized blind tasting against top Boredeaux, to build its reputation. And it’s worked. Lenz has a devoted following and Eric’s reds are often among the most complex in the region. Carrying on a tradition of well-priced, age-worthy merlot, Lenz Winery 2007 Estate Selection Merlot ($24) offers aromas of…

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Damiani Wine Cellars 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling

I first tasted this wine as a part of Riesling Hour and it was one of the more popular wines amongst the Long Island wine industry folks who joined me for the tasting. This review is based on a subsequent tasting in my home. Light hints of apricot and lime bring nuance to a nose driven by sweet pear and green apple. Juicy, ripe and off-dry, the palate shows more sweet pear character along with flavors of peach and white grape — with snappy acidity that brings focus and verve. There is an interesting floral, green tea note on the…

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Flying Bison Brewing Brindle Porter

\A good porter feels like your favorite pair of jeans. It just fits — your tastes, the meal, the moment. I’m constantly in search of the perfect porter. It’s one of my favorite styles not least because brewing it correctly requires skillful composition and, I would argue, a sense of honor for the style’s history of comforting and sustaining the Industrial Revolution workforce. Flying Bison Brewing has produced such a beer. Brindle Porter, a limited release inspired by the classic English porter, pours a deep brown color with a one-finger head and wide, faint lacing. Hints of coffee, chocolate, and…

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Peconic Bay Winery 2009 “La Barrique” Chardonnay

Yes, another North Fork chardonnay. A barrel-fermented one at that — thus the name “La Barrique.” But wait. It’s not what you think. This is the rare barrel-affected chardonnay that I willingly went back to after my tasting was finished. I had two glasses, in fact. It almost makes me hate winemaker Greg Gove for proving my boredom over local chardonnay wrong. Aromas of pineapple, Golden Delicious apple, vanilla, and lemon verbena are accented by just a hint of butter. Overly toasty or raw oak just isn’t part of the equation. Mouth-filling but very well balanced, the palate shows similar…

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Billsboro Winery 2010 Dry Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor My Finger Lakes-focused colleague Evan Dawson and I sometimes lament what sometimes happens to Finger Lakes riesling when it’s fermented dry. Depending on the fruit and the winemaker, the wines can become shrill, hollow and overly austere. Casually, we refer to them as “lemon water riesling.” That’s not a compliment. It seems though that dry rieslings from longer and/or warmer growing seasons — like the long 2010 one — tend to avoid this problem more often.   Billsboro Winery 2010 Dry Riesling ($16) is an fine example of that. Made from fruit grown at Sawmill…

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Heart & Hands Wine Company 2009 Pinot Noir

Over a relatively short period of time, Heart & Hands Wine Company has almost become synonymous with New York pinot noir. There are other wineries making good versions of course, but on a consistent basis, there isn’t a producer I can recommend more for pinot. Co-owner and winemaker Tom Higgins carefully sources fruit from dependable growers and his passion for the grape manifests itself in meticulous cellar work. Heart & Hands Wine Company 2009 Pinot Noir ($20) — which is closed under Vino-Seal by the way — offers aromas of red cherries and cranberries sprinkled with brown spice, star anise…

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Naked Dove Brewing Company Helles

By Mark Tichenor, Rochester Beer Correspondent Color matters in the beer world. It’s a disappointing truth, but some people make snap judgments about, and shy away from, some styles just because of the color of the brew. It’s ironic because of the inherent self-deprivation; tragic because some drinkers who turn up their nose at all liquids not obsidian black would miss out on as wonderul a beer as Naked Dove Brewing Company Helles. Helles is the iconic golden lager style of Munich. It’s the rejuvenator you get a liter of when you drag your jet-lagged tourist butt into the Hofbräuhaus.…

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Atwater Estate Vineyards 2010 Riesling Bubble

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Sparkling riesling isn’t new in the Finger Lakes. A handful of wineries have been making it for years and a couple years ago, one even won the Governor’s Cup. Last fall, Atwater Estate Vineyards became the latest winery to make sparkling riesling, adding Riesling Bubble to its portfolio. Off-dry and force-carbonated, it also features modern packaging that definitely stands out on a store shelf (my picture doesn’t do it justice) and is closed  with a crown cap rather than a cork. A fruity nose shows ripe peach, candied green apple and hints of mint syrup.…

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Tousey Winery 2010 Cabernet Franc

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor When Ben and Kimberly Peacock took over the wine portion of Tousey Winery's business in 2009 — Kimberly is founder Ray Tousey's daughter — the portfolio was focused on hybrid grapes. "To be frank, that didn't suit our tastes," Ben told me, adding "So, we switched our focus to vinifera." To help make that switch, they've been working with Fox Run Vineyards winemaker Peter Bell in the winery and long-time Long Island grape grower Steve Mudd in their vineyards. I've already written about the pinot noir, and after tasting the Tousey Winery 2010 Cabernet Franc…

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Sixpoint Craft Ales Diesel

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor A good winter stout in a can. I dig it — great packaging and I have to admit I like the visual and tactile experience of popping a can of stout. Diesel looks scrumptious in the glass: an eponymous black and pours a nice one-finger head with beautiful lacing. Like many stouts, this beer needs to warm up to cellar temperature to before any of its wonderful flavors wake up. After a few minutes, rich malty aromas of toffee, coffee, and licorice emerge, making for a welcoming, sumptuous nose suggesting a winter ale; the palate,…

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