Posts Tagged“chardonnay”

Anthony Nappa Wines 2013 Sciardonne

Anthony Nappa Wines 2013 “Sciardonne” Chardonnay ($20) straddles the line between typical no-oak chardonnay and barrel fermented styles. Though it doesn’t see a splinter of oak, it’s still full-bodied and concentrated with fruity aromas of mandarin orange and peach backed by notes of pineapple, dried flowers and a bit of butter. Full-bodied and mouth-filling, the palate shows excellent balance with enough acid to keep it from tasting heavy or tiring and a nice little saline note on the end of a medium-long finish. Producer: Anthony Nappa Wines AVA: North Fork of Long Island Harvest Date(s): October 5, 2013 Vineyard Source: McCullough Vineyards…

Continue Reading

Macari Vineyards 2014 “Early Wine” Chardonnay

The release of very few Long Island wines can match the buzz generated when Macari Vineyards releases their “Early Wine” Chardonnay each fall, right after harvest winds down. It’s always the first wine from the new vintage to hit store shelves, serving as a harbiger for Thanksgiving as well as the winter holidays. You can think of it as Long Island’s Beaujolais Nouveau — except it’s delicious. Originally inspired by the jungwein (young wine) of Macari’s consulting winemaker Helmut Gangl’s homeland, Austria — where they are often served in heuriger shortly after harvest — the grapes for this wine wine were picked on September 8.…

Continue Reading

Fox Run Vineyards 2013 “Doyle Family Vineyard” Chardonnay

I don’t like a lot of domestic chardonnay, but I like this one a lot — and, at $12 a bottle, Fox Run Vineyards 2013 “Doyle Family Vineyard” Chardonnay ($12) could be the state’s best bang-for-the-buck rendition. I’d certainly reach for it over many bottles that cost up to twice as much from other parts of the state. It really over-delivers and is made in a style that suits the Finger Lakes well. Pink grapefruit, tangerine and sweet floral notes dominate a nose that is fruity, but still somewhat lean and minerally. Medium-light bodied, the palate shows similar flavors, with the…

Continue Reading

Lieb Cellars 2013 Bridge Lane Chardonnay

  When Lieb Cellars’ new Bridge Lane 2013 Chardonnay ($15) is released this summer, it won’t be available in a 3L box (it’s white blend cousin is available in one) but at $15/bottle and $260/disposable keg (retail) — which works out to $10/bottle — it’s one of the best white wine values to be found on the North Fork. In fact, positioned and sold correctly, it could help get local wines on more by-the-glass wine lists across the metro area.  Not, it’s not particularly complex or nuanced, but it is a fresh, versatile steel chardonnay that is as at home on the beach as it…

Continue Reading

Macari Vineyards 2013 “Early Wine” Chardonnay

With all of the chardonnay grown on Long Island, it is unthinkable to me that no one else is making wines like this one. Macari Vineyards 2013 “Early Wine” Chardonnay ($17) isn’t complex. It isn’t the best wine on the North Fork. It isn’t a world changer. What it is, is delicious. And fun. And too many wines forget to be both of those things. The grapes were picked in September 7, and not long after a short fermentation, the finished was bottled right after Halloween. The wine was released on winemaker Kelly Urbanik’s birthday, November 8. Notes of citrus —…

Continue Reading

The New York Cork Report Guide to Thanksgiving Wine

Thanksgiving wine columns. Editors demand them. Writers write them. Of course, people read them. They must. These “Perfect Thanksgiving Wine” columns are ubiquitous. We don’t like them here, though. We don’t think anyone should worry so much about wine pairings of any sort, for any meal. Wine pairing is often much more about avoiding bad pairings than it is finding the singular “perfect” wine for whatever is on your plate. Barbera is getting a lot of attention this year in Thanksgiving columns. It’s a great pick — fruity, low-tannin and crunch with acidity. But is it t he “perfect Thanksgiving wine?…

Continue Reading

Harvest 2013: Chardonnay for Sparkling Wine at Fox Run Vineyards

This morning, the team at Fox Run Vineyards hand-picked 3.75 tons of chardonnay that will become the winery’s blanc de blanc sparkling wine. It came in at 18 brix.   According to vineyard manager, John Kaiser , the vines were more fruitful than it appeared. “We had a huge crop last year and expected this year to be smaller, but we still ended up with more,” he said. The juice will be 100% barrel fermented and then transferred to stainless steel on heavy lees to continue to develop.

Continue Reading

Harvest 2013: Chardonnay for Sparkling Wine at Paumanok Vineyards

Yesterday, ahead of this morning’s rain showers, the folks at Paumanok Vineyards harvested chardonnay that will become their 2013 sparkling wine. Most people don’t know that Paumanok makes sparkling wine — mostly because winemaker Kareem Massoud only started his sparkling program with the 2009 vintage. That wine will be debuted at the winery’s 30th anniversary party later this month.  

Continue Reading

2013 Harvest Has Begun on Long Island: Macari Vineyards Chardonnay for “Early Wine”

It’s that time of year again — grape harvest in New York. I’ve heard a handful of reports that chardonnay and pinot noir are starting to come in for sparkling wine. This morning, the crew at Macari Vineyards also picked chardonnay for their 2013 “Early Wine” — a favorite here at NYCR headquarters. Evan and I will be pulling together harvest reports and stories from now through the end of the calendar year (and possibly beyond for those ice wines out there). In the meantime, we also invite any and all New York wineries to submit their harvest photos. We’ll…

Continue Reading

Anthony Nappa Wines 2012 Sciardonne (Chardonnay)

Well-priced and unoaked, Anthony Nappa Wines 2012 Sciardonne ($18) offers concentrated tropical fruit aromas with a hint of ginger and a distinct note of apples cooked down in butter. Rich and almost viscous, the palate is cut through by a lightning bolt of acidity that enlivens flavors pineapple and papaya, wild strawberry and butter. The finish shows a rustic, lightly bitter element, but shows nice length. Producer: Anthony Nappa Wines AVA: North Fork of Long Island ABV: 13.4% Price: $18* | Buy Now From Empire State Cellars (3 out of 5, Very good/Recommended)

Continue Reading