Posts Written OnMarch 20, 2013

Mattebella Vineyards 2009 Famiglia Chardonnay

Mattebella Vineyards 2009 Famiglia Chardonnay ($17) is a well-priced chardonnay that offers aromas of juicy pear, lemon-lime citrus and white flowers. Light-to-medium bodied, the palate delivers fruit flavors of pear and melon, with more citrus and a dusting of white pepper. Only a small percentage (under 20%) spent time in barrel, but that there is a touch of creaminess on the midpalate. Well-integrated, the acidity could be a bit more pronounced, but this wine is far from flabby. Producer: Mattebella Vineyards AVA: North Fork of Long Island ABV: 12.9% Price: $17*| Buy now from Empire State Cellars (3 out of 5, Very good/Recommended)

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Standing Stone Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

You just don’t see cabernet sauvignon labeled 12.2% abv very often. In fact, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen one — even from the cooler climes of the Finger Lakes. But that was truthfully the first thing I noticed upon pulling this Standing Stone Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ($24) for tasting recently. The first thing that popped into my head — fair or not — was “Is this going to taste underripe?” No, but it’s also probably not what most customers expect from cabernet either. Fruity on the nose, it offers a melange of cherry, blackberry and blueberry fruit…

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Coffee Pot Cellars to Open Cutchogue Tasting Room

  Coffee Pot Cellars, winemaker Adam Suprenant’s private label, will open a tasting room at 31855 Main Road in Cutchogue, just east of Peconic Bay Winery on the opposite side of the road. Suprenant, who is also winemaker at Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards, launched the brand in 2011. “The Coffee Pot Cellars business model has always included plans for a tasting room. Together with my fiancee Laura Klahre, the owner/beekeeper of Blossom Meadow, we have been looking to open a retail outlet to market my wine as well as her honey, beeswax candles crayons and lip balm for the past two years,”…

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