Posts Tagged“2003”

Moved by a New York Wine: Aged Finger Lakes Riesling (Uwe Kristen, DerKellermeister.com)

Editor’s Note: Thank you to our friend Uwe Kristen of Der Kellermeister for the second story in our “Moved by a New York Wine” series. If a New York wine has moved you, let us know. White wine is still considered to be less age-worthy than red wine. Which, of course, is not true. Riesling, in particular, can age for decades. Once bottled, wine is not a finished product. It is still very much alive. Give it some years to fully express itself and you shall be handsomely rewarded. I had been holding on to two Finger Lakes rieslings from…

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The Grapes of Roth 2003 Merlot

Roman Roth, the German-born winemaker at Wolffer Estate and Roanoke Vineyards, released the first wine under his own The Grapes of Roth label in the summer of 2006. That 2001 merlot, was a beautiful wine from one of Long Island's best vintages. It also received a 91-point score from Wine Advocate. His 2002, which garnered a 92-point score, will probably prove to be the longer lived of the two. Last weekend, I tasted the newly released The Grapes of Roth 2003 Merlot ($50) for the first time. While not without its own merits, it just doesn't stand up to the…

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WTN: Pellegrini Vineyards 2003 EastEnd Select Merlot (North Fork of Long Island)

2003 wasn’t a great year for North Fork reds. I’ve written about it before, but basically there was a rainy period in October (after a good growing season) and two rounds of frost that resulted to many sub-par wines from that year. Particularly reds. And Pellegrini Vineyards’ 2003 EastEnd Select Merlot ($15), which is normally a decent, gulpable seems to have fallen victim to that bad weather. The nose is promising enough, offering straightforward black cherry aromas with a little earthiness and smoke. But the palate is disappointing and disjointed. Fairly light in body, there’s some cherries, dried leaves and…

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WTN: Bedell Cellars 2003 Merlot (North Fork)

Red wines from the 2003 vintage — even those made with the region’s signature variety, merlot — have proved inconsistent in my tastings. Some wines, from some vineyards are delicious — elegant and classic Long Island. Others tend to be light on flavor and even a little ‘green’ in their under-ripeness. Some wineries didn’t even bother making first label or reserve wines in 2003, declassifying the vintage. So what caused this inconsistent vintage? Poorly timed rain and October frosts — two of them actually. Rain, obviously, can dilute flavors and frost kills the canopy. Without the engine to drive the…

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