Well folks, LENNDEVOURS’ first wine tasting event went off pretty much without a hitch. We ended up with 14 wines from 12 Long Island wineries and one Finger Lakes winery, and 12 tasters.

It was interesting to see how different people reacted to different wines. For the most part, Nena and I tended to like similar wines (not a surprise) but there were only a few that everyone liked. Similarly, there was only one (maybe two) that everyone disliked.

Easily the most entertaining part of the evening (and the next morning) was reading everyone’s comments. One friend in particular, we’ll call her Jenn for our purposes (and becuase it’s her name), had some extremely funny notes, which will be shared later in the post.

Everyone was asked to give each wine a letter grade (A through F) and after I "crunched the numbers" I can proudly say that the average grade for all wines overall was a C…which is…well…average. Nicely done people.

I’m not going to devote an entire post to each wine…but here’s at least a little something on each:

Wine #1: Gristina Semi-Dry Rose (from Galluccio Family Wines)

• Overall Grade: C
• Lenn’s Grade: D
• Nena’s Grade: C-

For both Nena and I, this one was just sweet and unbalanced. Their dry Rose is much better, but it wasn’t available for this tasting.

Wine #2: Domaine CC Rose (from Bedell Cellars/Corey Creek Vineyards)

• Overall Grade: B-
• Lenn’s Grade: A-
• Nena’s Grade: B+

I thought it had great acidity to go along with strawberry and blueberry aromas. It wasn’t sweet at all…which probably explains why "the masses" didn’t like it as much as I did.

Wine #3: Castello di Borghese Fleurette

• Overall Grade: D+
• Lenn’s Grade: D-
• Nena’s Grade: D-

Deemed too sweet and a little "hot" by many tasters (including me). But, it was popular with a couple members of the tasting panel.

Wine #4: Raphael 2003 Saignee

• Overall Grade: C+ 
• Lenn’s Grade: B+ 
• Nena’s Grade: B- 

One of my favorites before and during the tasting. Again, great acidity set against nice fruit, which probably hurt it’s scores.

Wine #5: 2003 Macari Rose

• Overall Grade: C+
• Lenn’s Grade: B+
• Nena’s Grade: A

Made from 40% Cabernet Franc, 29% of Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot, this one had much more complexity than the others. Even a little creaminess.Very smooth. One of the more beautiful in the glass as well. One of Nena’s favorites.

Wine #6: Paumanok Vin Rose

• Overall Grade: C-
• Lenn’s Grade: B-
• Nena’s Grade: B+

A touch sweet, but nicely balanced. I’m honestly not sure why it didn’t score a bit higher.

Wine #7: 2003 Ackerly Pond Vineyard Rose

• Overall Grade: N/A
• Lenn’s Grade: N/A
• Nena’s Grade: N/A

We got a bad bottle. The nose was a cross between rotting green bell pepper and compost. I’d like to try the next time we’re out at the wineries. It’s very popular in the Hamptons.

Wine #8: 2002 Martha Clara Cabernet Franc Rose

• Overall Grade: B
• Lenn’s Grade: B-
• Nena’s Grade: A-

While not sweet, this one had enough lush fruit (cranberry mostly) along with enough acidity that it was fairly popular with everyone. It was the clear "winner" overall.

Wine #9: Laurel Lake Vineyards 2001 Lake Rose

• Overall Grade: C+
• Lenn’s Grade: B+
• Nena’s Grade: D-

A bit of an anomaly because the grades Nena and I offered were so drastically different. Some thought it a bit "hot" but I enjoyed the red cherry flavors and, again, acidity. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon…and you could tell.

Wine #10: Atwater Estates Somerset Blush

• Overall Grade: C
• Lenn’s Grade: B-
• Nena’s Grade: B+

Unique for two reasons. First, it was our only non-Long Island wine. Second, it’s a blend of Cayuga and Catawba grapes. Definitely sweet, but amazingly amounts of acidity really balance it nicely. Great for sipping at the pool. Slightly grapey with cotton candy and strawberries.

Wine #11: 2003 Martha Clara Rose

• Overall Grade: D
• Lenn’s Grade: C-
• Nena’s Grade: F

Sweet and definitely aimed at the White Zinfandel crowd. It did have some nice fruit though. The label is cute…but that didn’t help Nena much…as you can see.

Wine #12: 2003 Wolffer Estates Rose

• Overall Grade: C+
• Lenn’s Grade: A-
• Nena’s Grade: A

My favorite going into the event…and I’m glad I liked it blind has well (haha). Probably the best of the lot for with food because of mint hints to go with strawberry, blueberry and even a little spice .

The acidity did turn a lot of people off though.

Wine #13: Pellegrini Vineyards 2003 East End Rose

• Overall Grade: B-
• Lenn’s Grade: A
• Nena’s Grade: B

My favorite of the night. Tart, fruity and interesting. I think it stood out (even this late in the tasting) and other people liked it as well.

Wine #14: The Old Field Vineyards 2001 Blush de Noir

• Overall Grade: C
• Lenn’s Grade: B
• Nena’s Grade: B