Posts Tagged“2008”

Lenz Winery 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot

For affordable, Old World-leaning red wines, you largely can’t go wrong with Lenz Winery. Winemaker Eric Fry makes food-friendly, balanced wines year in and year out — and doesn’t chase jamminess or high-alcohol in hot years. Lenz Winery 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot ($17) doesn’t have a catchy proprietary name, but it does delivery a lot of complexity and surprising cellar-ability for the money. The nose is fruity, but not one-dimensional with cassis and black cherry fruit interspersed with notes of cigar box and brown spices. Medium-lighter bodied, the palate shows intense — but not at all gobby or jammy — fruit…

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Lenz Winery 2008 Estate Selection Merlot

Lenz Winery and winemaker Eric Fry have earned their reputation on the backs of old-school, Old World-styled wines made on the North Fork of Long Island. What isn’t discussed nearly enough, however, is the value their wines deliver. In a region where winery prices have escalated significantly over the past five years, the prices for Lenz wines have remained near-constant. The most expensive red, their Old Vines Merlot, is $55 and their most expensive white, their Old Vines Chardonnay, is $25. At those prices, those wines are typically good local values, but perhaps the best value — consistently, vintage after…

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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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Lenz Winery 2008 White Label Chardonnay

There are very few Long Island wines at $12 worth putting in one’s mouth. With what it costs to make wine here, that price range just isn’t one that is played in often — and when it is, it’s even more rare for the wine to be good. Lenz Winery 2008 White Label Chardonnay ($12) is a nice, straightforward chardonnay with low oak footprint that will appeal to a wide range of drinkers and complement an array of foods. Yellow apple and Bartlett pear dominate the nose, but there are also subtle tropical fruit and citrus blossom notes, and a…

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Macari Vineyards 2008 Estate Merlot

You’ve probably read that 2008 wasn’t a superlative vintage on Long Island. Compared to 2005, 2007 or 2010 that’s probably true, but over time I’ve found that with an extra year or two of bottle age, many 2008s come together nicely — offering far less intensity than those lauded years, but also a bit more complexity and a lot more food-friendliness. And as if that weren’t endearing enough — very few 2008s fall victim to the “let’s see how much we can charge for this” pandemic. Macari Vineyard Estate Merlot ($19) is a well-priced red that will improve an array…

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Lenz Winery 2008 Gewurztraminer

Lenz Winery 2008 Gewurztraminer ($20) is — just about every year — Long Island’s best gewurzt and at $20, is typically one of the lowest-price gewurztraminers as well. Aromas of musk melon, black tea, lychee, pineapple, rose petal and spice combine to create a complex, varietally correct nose. Less singularly floral than some gewurzt, this one combines richness with freshness for perfect balance. Melon and pineapple fruit flavors are accented by notes of jasmine, ginger, lychee and a sprinkling of baking spice. Dry, concentrated and with a medium-long finish, this is a classic example of winemaker Eric Fry’s gewurzt. Producer: Lenz…

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Checking in on a Finger Lakes Legend: Good News if You Still Own Anthony Road 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling

It’s the rare wine that has everything lined up in its favor — stellar vintage, top producer, affordable. The Anthony Road Wine Company 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling was available for around $14 or $15 when it was released in 2009. Then it won the Governor’s Cup award, and that availability dried up, but to ARWC’s credit, the price did not go up. But here’s the one problem — so many Finger Lakes wines never see a year in the bottle, let alone two or three or five. The reviews came early and often for this Anthony Road wine, and consumers knew…

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Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2008 Vidal Ice Wine

Late harvest and ‘iced’ wines — those made with grapes frozen in commercial freezers before processing — are common in New York. Real deal ice wine is not. This is the real deal and you can certainly taste the difference. Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2008 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine ($38) smells like juicy ripe peaches and apricots drizzled with floral lavendar honey. The nose is intense and ever-moving as the wine warms to room temperature. The palate is explosive in its concentration and complexity, bursting with stone fruit flavors along with those of hay, honey, cooked sugar, golden raisin, dried apricots and lavender…

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Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2008 Meritage Reserve

The Niagara region of New York continually forces me to rethink what I know about recent vintages in New York. Often the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley and Long Island have quite similar seasons. Hurricanes or frost events aside, if a year is warm and dry in the Finger Lakes, it tends to be in the Hudson Valley and here too. It’s similar for cooler years. Take 2008 for example. It was a cool, somewhat cloudy summer for much of the state and the wines, particularly the reds, reflect that. That’s not a value judgement. That’s East Coast, cool-climate winemaking. Vintage…

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