Posts Written OnDecember 08, 2009

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Doing a "Wines of the Year" is something that I've wanted to do on this site for a long time, but until the past year or so, I didn't think we had the people in place to do it and do it well. But, with Bryan and Evan on board and covering their beats so enthusiastically (with the help of people like Tom, Jason and Julia) I felt comfortable announcing the project and taking it on. With our intrepid band of wine geeks in place, I looked through the wine reviews I've published here on the…

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Today's review is going to be a quick one, but it's a wine that I know several of my readers enjoy — and with good reason. One of the better under-$20 wines made on Long Island, the Macari Vineyards NV Sette ($17) is a blend of 50% merlot and 50% cabernet franc. Its plummy on the nose with spicy oak, tarragon and a briny, minerally streak that, depending on who you ask, has something to do with their vineyards being adjacent to the Long Island Sound. Medium-bodied, the palate features more plum and some cherry flavors…

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Escarpment Editor While there were many notable wines released this year in the Niagara region, I chose mainly vinifera selections as the regional finalists based on the fact that all these wines are major accomplishments for such young vineyards and wineries. You can’t help but notice that my picks for the best whites of the year are chardonnay heavy. It’s not a coincidence; we are in a cool climate and chardonnay seems to ripen consistently on the Escarpment bench land as well as on the lake shore. The editors have been asked to write a bit…