Posts Written OnAugust 2008

Now this is something a little different and definitely delicious.  Winemaker Roman Roth has outdone himself with his Wolffer Estate 2005 Claletto Cabernet Sauvignon ($85), a wine that makes his 2005 Barbera (Long Island’s first) seem absolutely pedestrian. Made with 100% cabernet sauvignon (from Roanoke Vineyards on the North Fork) a portion of the grapes were allowed to dry on the vine, resulting in an Amarone-style wine that brings a lot of flavor and alcohol (15.9% ABV) to the glass. Extremely dark, and inky in the glas, this wine has dense, warming aromas of speck-wrapped roasted figs, anise, blackberries and…

Millbrook Vineyards & Winery’s recent ad campaign is both disappointing and annoying. I think it sets the "drink local" movement back at least ten years. As you can see to the right, they are lauding themselves as having "All the beauty of France, all the taste of California." Not wanting to take anything out of context, it’s important to note that I understand what they are trying to do here. With gas prices and the economy the way that they are, the "staycation" (a vacation where you stay close to home) is a hot trend. They want people to know…

You’ve probably noticed that LENNDEVOURS has a new sponsor, the California Wine Club. When the first contacted me, I wasn’t interested… and with good reason. This is a New York wine blog and I don’t sell advertorial. But, when they offered to send me the monthly club shipments and let me write open, honest reviews of the wines if I want to, I became a bit more interested. When they told me that they’d be up for me doing blind tastings against New York wines, I decided they were a company worth partnering with. So, please welcome the California Wine…

Barbera from Long Island? It would appear so. I didn’t even know that it was being grown anywhere locally (outside of Alice Wise’s research vineyard at the Cornell extension), but there is 1/3 of an acre grown at the North Fork’s Indian Neck Farm. And, every last grape from that block went into the mere 71 cases of Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2005 Cassina Barbera ($40), which was named for a 14-year old Hanoverian Warmblood, and is 78% Barbera, 12% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. Medium-dark crimson red with a lighter, brick rim, the nose is inviting with red cherry, rose…

Wolffer Estate Vineyard, one of Long Island’s most recognizable and accomplished wineriesis celebrating its 20th anniversary with six limited-release wines that "push the boundaries of Long Island winemaking." Roman Roth, hired by Christian Wolffer in 1992, is known as one of the region’s premier winemakers and these new wines both exemplify and no doubt challenged his winemaking acumen. Each is named for a horse from the Wolffer Stables, a 100-acre, 80-stall facility that apparently has the largest indoor riding field on the East Coast. I got to taste four of the six wines last weekend, and today we’ll start with…

Day two of The Art of Balance was just as interesting and just plain awesome as the first day. I’m still working through how to share the NY-related information best, but in the mean time (again) here are some pictures from the day. This one is of Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez (winemaker at Martha Clara Vineyards), Vinny Aliperti (winemaker at Atwater Estate and Billsboro Winery) and Richie Pisacano (vineyard manager for Wolffer Estate and co-owner of Roanoke Vineyards). At the time, they were discussing mechanical canopy trimming if I remember correctly.

You’ve probably noticed that our resident beer guru, Donavan Hall, hasn’t been contributing to LENNDEVOURS much lately. Well, he had a good reason for that. He was putting the finishing touches on The Beer Hall Guide to Long Island, one book that every beer lover on Long Island needs in his or her library. Donavan knows more about beer on Long Island than anyone I know. Plus, he’s one heck of a writer, so no one is more qualified to write such a book. I haven’t picked up my copy yet, but I will this weekend at the North Fork…

This event has been a long time coming, but I’m happy to announce that LENNDEVOURS and Roanoke Vineyards will be co-hosting an event on Sunday October 19 at Roanoke’s tasting room in Riverhead. The concept is a quarterly wine bar event that will include a preview of an unreleased Roanoke Vineyards wine, local wine celebs/speakers, light Mediterranean fare and discounts on wines by the glass. Best of all, proceeds from ticket sales will go to a different charity each time. We’ll also be inviting one or two other wineries to pour one of their wines as well. And to make…

Day one of The Art of Balance was great yesterday. Winemakers from Friuli, the Rheingau, the Finger Lakes and Rías Baixas. Lots of information was shared, the panel discussion in the afternoon (moderated by Paul Grieco, co-owner and sommelier, Hearth, Insieme, and Terroir in New York City was interesting (and a bit controversial at times) too. I’ll post more about the information in coming days. But for now, a few pictures:

In about an hour, I’ll be hopping into the car and driving out to Stony Brook University’s Southampton campus for The Art of Balance: Cool Climate/Maritime Wines in a Global Context, a symposium that I hope will be as educational as it will be fun.Looking at the agenda, which is filled with lectures, tastings and panel discussions led by prominent winemakers and vineyard managers from top cool climate/maritime wineries, I can’t imagine that I’ll be disappointed. I had planned to do some live blogging on-site, but organizers weren’t able to pull WiFi access together for me because I’m not a…