For
all of its purported similarities to Bordeaux, Long Island produces
surprising little Sauvignon Blanc. It’s the white wine grape of
Bordeaux after all. Yet, those that are made always seem to capture the
region’s uniqueness. The best taste like Long Island in a bottle.
Channing Daughters Winery, one of only three producers within the
Hamptons Long Island AVA, sources the grapes for its Sauvignon Blanc
from the Mudd Vineyard on the North Fork – where some of the Island’s
oldest Sauvignon Blanc grapes grow.
Winemaker Christopher Tracy is a white wine wizard – mixing and
matching both expected and exotic varieties to craft a wide array of
small-production whites.
While composed almost entirely of steel-fermented Sauvignon
Blanc, Tracy also adds a squirt of barrel fermented musque clone
Chardonnay to the mix. The result is a delicious, exquisitely balanced
white that, at $20, is one of better values in CDW’s
sometimes-expensive portfolio.
A super-pale greenish yellow in the glass, the nose is extremely
expressive with ripe grapefruit and lime aromas accented by distinct
minerality. Flavorful and light bodied, those same fruit and mineral
characteristics carry over to a refreshing, begging-for-fresh-seafood
palate.
When Long Island Sauvignon Blanc is at its best, it lives somewhere
between California and New Zealand with a hint of Sancerre – not
aggressively grassy or herbal like many New Zealand bottlings and not
nearly as fruity or tropical as many from California. This wine tastes
like the North Fork and the nearby Peconic Bay. This is Long Island
terroir.
(This review first appeared on Appellation America.)