TasteCamp 2009: An Interview with Dale Cruse
For this, our second post-TasteCamp interview, we talk to Dale Cruse, a website developer from Boston who is
"helping to change the wine world." He likes to eat, likes to drink, and
likes to write about both at his blog Drinks are On Me.
Was this your first time to Long Island wine country?
Yes.
Had you ever had any Long Island wines before? And if so, what was your impression of them?
Very few. I had the Bedell Cellars First Crush Red and a few of the Bouke wines. The Bedell was tasty but a bit soft. The Bouke wines I found to
be fun and drinkable. I was also impressed by the marketing savvy of
Lisa Donneson of Bouke.
After tasting a representative sample of the wines being produced on Long Island, what is your impression now?
I wonder what Long Island wineries are thinking deciding that merlot is
the grape they're going to stake their reputations on. To me, the merlots I tasted were all consistent but none were spectacular.
"Consistent but not spectacular" is not a descriptor I would stake my
reputation on.
What grape or variety, in general, impressed you the most?
Cabernet franc.
What grape or variety, in general, underwhelmed you the most?
Merlot.
Was there a winery or tour stop that stands out in your mind as the "best"?
In terms of the overall experience, I really enjoyed Lenz. There I was
reminded that a winemaker is equal parts public persona and farmer. I
enjoyed tasting wines "in progress" followed by the finished product.
That being said, I have to make special mention of lunch on Saturday (at Shinn Estate Vineyards).
Not only were the wines fantastic, but the food was easily the best I
ate all weekend. Very memorable!
If you had to pick one, what would your wine of the weekend be?
For me, that's easy: The Shinn Estate Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc barrel samples we
had at lunch on Saturday. If that had been available for sale, I
definitely would have bought some!
Dale - it was a pleasure meeting you on Friday - and a very thoughtful post. Just in response to your comments - I don’t think we as growers and winemakers on Long Island came up with a master plan to produce merlot. Rather over the course of 30 plus years experience in the vineyards and cellars and through trial and error, we’ve more or less let the grape varieties decide for us by observing which work best. We all know merlot has become “uncool” for many folks (thanks California) but if the idea is to let the terroir drive us - then that’s really what we’ve done.
Its really more about being true to the terroir and the ability to consistently ripen a crop of wine grapes in our climate - something that might be taken for granted but it definitely not easy to do every year.
That being said I sometimes wonder how much the merlot “stigma” plays into people’s taste buds.
Also, a great deal of Cab Francs on L.I. are blended with merlot to help flesh them out. I don’t think the discussion needs to be either or - rather I see both varieties as very different animals, with both playing a significant role. In most years Franc will take a back seat in my opinion but when its good - like in 2007 - its really sublime. Frankly I believe that our future will not be in varietal wines but blends of these with other red varieties (i.e. Petit Verdot, Malbec) will ultimately produce our finest red wines in the future.