Palmerriesling

As you’ve no doubt already heard, many vineyards lost some their red wine crop last fall as the East End was pummeled with record rainfall. Unfortunately, Palmer Vineyards was one of the hardest hit, losing almost all of their reds — enough that their 2005 red wines were made using grapes from the Pacific Northwest.

But, because most of our area’s white wine grapes were harvested before the deluge, the dry, warm growing season expresses it self quite well in many of the 2005 whites I’ve tasted. Bright fruit that tends more toward the tropical than usual is common and the intensity of flavor is impressive, even if, in some cases, acidity is down.

Four recent white wine releases from Palmer Vineyards, however, are a bit-and-miss when tasted against other wines from the North Fork’s 2005 vintage.


Palmer Vineyards 2005 White Riesling ($17)
presents an appealing nose of lightly floral aromas coupled with lemon and lime zest. Light bodied and off dry, the flavors are straightforward with citrus the primary player while light acidity balances the gentle residual sweetness. Sure, the tense interplay of sugar, fruit and acid found in top-flight Riesling just isn’t there, but this is a well-made, easy-drinking introduction to the variety. It was my favorite of their new releases and seems a good foil for sweet, just-from-Peconic Bay scallops. If it were priced like last year’s bottling, $14, it would be a much better deal however.

Gewürztraminer isn’t for everybody. Its exotic, perfumed citrus character is quite unique and in the case of Palmer Vineyards 2005 Gewürztraminer ($17), the floral-perfumed aromas and flavors really overpower everything else. The aromas are suggestive of a rose garden with only subtle sweet spice notes. This vintage tastes drier than the 2004, which I thought was a little too sweet, but the 2005’s aggressive floral flavors are a bit too dominant. The finish is disappointingly short as well.

The least impressive of the new wines, Palmer Vineyards’ 2005 Pinot Blanc ($17) leaves one asking "Where’s the ripeness?" An almost colorless pale yellow in the glass, dim melon aromas must be coaxed out of a neutral nose by hearty swirling. The palate is similarly tight with only a little melon and vanilla, very low acidity. Even at last year’s price, $13, this would only be sufficient as an ice cold thirst quencher on a super hot day. At $17, I wouldn’t bother.

As I’ve noted previously, 2005 was a great year for North Fork Sauvignon Blanc so Palmer Vineyards’ 2005 Sauvignon Blanc ($17) was a welcome finish to the tasting. The aromas you’d expect with the variety are there — fresh cut grass and herbs, lime and grapefruit — and the fore palate is an impressive intermingling of fruit, herbaceousness and acidity. That initial burst of flavor fades a bit too quickly, but this is a pleasant, if simple, wine to serve with a variety of seafood or salads.

(To read the over-edited, advertorial version of this column, click the "Continue Reading" link below)

Ripeness
(new title)

As you’ve no doubt already heard, many vineyards lost some of their red wine crop last fall as the East End was pummeled with record rainfall. Unfortunately, Palmer Vineyards was one of the hardest hit, losing almost all of their reds — so much so that their 2005 red wines were made using grapes from the Pacific Northwest.

The rain was very brutal for every vineyard at the end of the season. It was also very discouraging considering that the weather last season was absolutley perfect for growing grapes, except for the very end of the season. However, wines this year did turn out to be good thanks to the outstanding skill that the North Fork winemakers have learned through experience practice.

Because most of our area’s white wine grapes were harvested before the deluge, the dry, warm growing season expresses itself quite well in many of the 2005 whites I’ve tasted. Bright fruit that tends more toward the tropical than usual is common and the intensity of flavor is impressive, even if, in some cases, acidity is down.

Four recent white wine releases from Palmer Vineyards are competitive when tasted against other wines from the North Fork’s 2005 vintage.

Palmer Vineyards 2005 White Riesling ($17) presents an appealing nose of lightly floral aromas coupled with lemon and lime zest. Light bodied and off dry, the flavors are straightforward with citrus the primary player while light acidity balances the gentle residual sweetness. Sure, the tense interplay of sugar, fruit and acid found in top-flight Riesling just isn’t there, but this is a well-made, easy-drinking introduction to the variety. It was my favorite of their new releases and seems a good foil for sweet, just-from-Peconic Bay scallops. If it were priced like last year’s bottling, $14, it would be a much better deal however. However at just three dollars more, I shouldn’t be complaining.

Gewürztraminer isn’t for everybody. Its exotic, perfumed citrus character is quite unique and in the case of Palmer Vineyards 2005 Gewürztraminer ($17), the floral-perfumed aromas and flavors really overpower everything else. The aromas are suggestive of a rose garden with only subtle sweet spice notes. This vintage tastes drier than the 2004 but the 2005s aggressive floral flavors are dominant.

As noted in this column previously, 2005 was a great year for North Fork Sauvignon Blanc so Palmer Vineyards’ 2005 Sauvignon Blanc ($17) was a welcome finish to the tasting. The aromas you’d expect with the variety are there — fresh cut grass and herbs, lime and grapefruit — and the fore palate is an impressive intermingling of fruit, herbaceousness and acidity. That initial burst of flavor fades a bit too quickly, but this is a pleasant, if simple, wine to serve with a variety of seafood or salads. The wine is an absolute delight and is a great representation of a great North Fork wine.

To buy these wines, visit the tasting room in Aquebogue or visit www.palmervineyards.com where you can also check out their always-busy event calendar.

The changes that were made may not seem significant to everyone who reads both versions, but as a writer who prides himself on fairness and integrity, I found them very disturbing.