Posts Tagged“2014”

Macari Vineyards 2014 Rose

Macari Vineyards 2014 Rose ($16), may be a bit of a kitchen sink of a wine, made with 49% merlot, 17% cabernet franc, 17% cabernet sauvignon, 10% chardonnay, 5% malbec and 2% viognier, but this dry, light pink wine is also fresh and delicious. On the paler side of local rose — not that it matters at all — it offers scents of citrus and citrus blossom, wild strawberry and watermelon with a little underlying earthiness as it warms. There’s more strawberry and citrus on the bright, balanced palate — but also a distinct peachy note. There’s good acidity but also a gently…

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Leonard Oakes Estate Winery 2014 Petillant Naturel Riesling

Pet nat — shorthand for Pétillant Naturel — wines are all the rage these days, particularly in New York City. These are lightly sparkling wines made in a style that, while new to the New York wine industry, is far from trendy or new. In fact, the method is as rustic and old as the wines are fun to drink. Unlike sparkling wines made using methode champenoise (as with Champagne), where yeast and sugar are added to a fully fermented base wine for a secondary carbonation in the bottle, pet nat is made via méthode ancestral, where the wine is bottled before primary fermentation —…

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Kemmeter Wines 2014 Sonero

“Balance” is a term that gets bandied about in the wine world. Collectively, “balance” has a meaning that most agree on — a wine is balanced when all the different components (fruit, residual sugar, acidity, tannin, etc.) come together in a harmonious way. A balanced wine doesn’t have protrusions or awkward components. But even if we can agree conceptually on this definition, there is a lot of room for interpretation. A wine that you find perfectly balanced, I may find too oaky. Similarly, what I consider balanced might have too much acidity for you. Context matters too — and that gets us…

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McCall Wines 2014 “Cuvee Nicola” Sauvignon Blanc”

Earlier this week, I read two articles (you can read them yourself here and here) lamenting the rise and dominance of dry rose in America — not because the authors don’t like rose, but because other summer-ready wines have been been marginalized. There is a lot of rose being made in New York right now — more than ever. Much of it is delicious and I drink a lot of it (all year long), so it’s probably not unusual that so many end up being reviewed on this site. That said, rose isn’t something I consider my “summer wine.” Finger Lakes riesling…

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Bouquet 2014 Sauvignon Blanc

Long Island sauvignon blanc has arrived and is just starting to get the attention outside of the region that it deserves. Quality is high nearly across the board while bright, steel-fermented versions will always rule the category, blending, skin contact, time in barrels of various ages add some diversity as well. But, it’s gotten hard to find good Long Island sauvignon blanc for less than $22. Bouquet 2014 Sauvignon Blanc ($18) is a rare find in that regard. The lightly saline nose is driven by lemon and grapefruit aromas and a subtle green melon note. Though a bit austere and light-bodied, the palate…

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Raphael 2014 “First Label” Sauvignon Blanc

Since his arrival on Long Island in 2007, Anthony Nappa — who serves as winemaker for Raphael as well as his own label after working for Shinn Estate Vineyards for four years — has shown a deft hand with North Fork sauvignon blanc. Perhaps Nappa’s time spent studying winemaking in New Zealand helped a little. Regardless, he makes some of my favorite local sauvignon, more or less regardless of who he’s making it for or where the fruit comes from. Sometimes they are crispy and lighter-styled. Other times they are concentrated and textural. Raphael 2014 “First Label” Sauvignon Blanc ($28) continues that tradition and…

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Barry Family Cellars 2014 “Pastiche” White Blend

When veteran Finger Lakes winemaker Ian Barry started Barry Family Cellars with his family back in 2011, he planned to focus on a core portfolio of riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet franc, while also affording himself the ability tinker and experiment here and there with other grapes and techniques along the way. If any of the wines that resulted from those trials stood out, maybe he’d add to that core group of wines. If my last name were Barry, I’d be pushing for Barry Family Cellars 2014 Pastiche ($22) to join the permanent lineup. It’s one of the best non-riesling Finger Lakes white wines…

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Bellangelo 2014 Cabernet Franc Dry Rose

It doesn’t always happen this way. Not every cabernet franc rose tastes like cabernet franc, but Bellangelo 2014 Cabernet Franc Dry Rose ($16) really does. It starts off with the types of bright red fruits that you’ll get from most roses — cranberry and red cherry in this case — but there are also underlying notes of Herbs de Provence and mossy earth that bring a bit of complexity without getting in the way of the fresh fruit aromas and flavors. Brisk and refreshing, it’s lighter bodied and begging to be enjoyed with food. Producer: Villa Bellangelo AVA: Finger Lakes Vineyard: Tuller Vineyard…

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Southold Farm + Cellars 2014 “Minor Threat” Cabernet Franc

Dry rose has never been more popular, but Southold Farm + Cellar co-owner and winemaker Regan Meador hasn’t made one in his label’s two vintages to date — but not because he has anything against the now-trendy style. “I’ve never made one before, for one,” he said when I asked him why he hasn’t made one yet, adding ” But, I wanted to explore a different side of cab franc. There’s a lot of good examples of rose cabernet franc, but I would rather see where else the variety could go.” Enter Southold Farm + Cellar “Minor Threat” Cabernet Franc…

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Kontokosta Winery 2014 Rose

Are you getting tired of reading my rose reviews? I hope not. I’m tasting and drinking a lot of new ones every week and you’re gonna read about the best ones here. To be sure, there is a lot of mediocrity in Long Island rose — with a strong dose of sameness. I tasted a tank sample of Kontokosta Winery 2014 Rose, and it’s anything but the same. With a large syrah component (50%), there is a savory herbal-white pepper edge to a core of slightly jammy wild strawberry fruit flavor. Mouth-watering and delicious, this was the first wine I went back to…

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