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Posts Tagged“merlot”

New North Fork Winery: Medolla Vineyards

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I got an email this morning from John Medolla, who along with his wife  Denise, just released their first merlot under the new Medolla Vineyards label-adding yet another producer to the North Fork wine scene. I hope Lisa Granik is paying attention. Medolla’s first release, a 2002 Merlot ($23) was produced at the Lenz Winery with Eric Fry (of Lenz) serving as consulting winemaker. Medolla Vineyards is one of the smallest in the region with an initial annual production of 500 cases. They hand harvest grapes from local vineyards. Both John and Denise work in the aviation industry, but their…

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WTN: Pellegrini Vineyards 2001 Merlot (North Fork)

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With the recent 2006 vintage, Pellegrini Vineyards in Cutchogue celebrated its 15th year. Australian-born winemaker Russell Hearn is known for making flavorful wines that tend to be good values in a local industry that is too often plagued by over-priced, under-delivering wines. True to his Australian pedigree, Hearn applies some of Long Island’s most cutting-edge techniques, but he doesn’t try to make Aussie-style wines — thankfully. North Fork grapes just don’t get ripe enough for those big, jammy, fruit bomb styles. Pellegrini Vineyards also makes enough wine every year that they don’t need to rush their wines to the store…

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WTN: Bedell Cellars 2003 Merlot (North Fork)

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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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WTN: Shinn Estate Vineyards 2004 Estate Merlot

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Shinn Estate Vineyards, still a relative newcomer to the Long Island wine scene, gets a ton of press for its "green" vineyard practices and its owners’ pedigree as Manhattan restaurateurs. I’ve written about them several times here on LENNDEVOURS and elsewhere. And yes, it’s true that David Page and Barbara Shinn employ several progressive sustainable and near-organic farming techniques in their North Fork vineyard. Their Greenwich Village restaurant, Home, is also a successful exhibition of local, seasonal food and wine. But it’s important not to forget about the fermented grape juice they bottle and stop with a cork. Their wines…

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Take THAT California?

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"Yes, California does produce some good merlot, though I could make a case that better merlot is coming from Long Island than from California, albeit in very small amounts." So says New York Times wine writer and wine blogger Eric Asimov in this week’s column "Panned on Screen, Merlot Shrugs and Moves On" Of course, the rest of the column goes on to sing the praises of Washington State as America’s best source for merlot. I’m not as familiar with Washington merlots as I am Long Island ones (obviously) so I’m not going to comment on that. But, that doesn’t…

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Clovis Point (Jamesport, NY): Current Releases

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Last week I wrote about Clovis Point, one of the North Fork’s newest wine labels, but I didn’t say much about the wines themselves. And many of you didn’t like that too much. I must have gotten at least ten emails saying "what about the wines, Lenn?" So, here’s a brief rundown of the wines Clovis Point currently has available on their website: Clovis Point’s 2004 Chardonnay ($13.50). This wine was fermented mostly in stainless steel with just a little barrel-fermented chardonnay and Gewürztraminer added. With bright fruit, super-subtle barrel notes and nice balance at this price point, this was…

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2003 Releases from Sherwood House Vineyards

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2003 wasn’t a great vintage for Long Island wines — and many of the wines I’ve tasted from the vintage support that statement. Many, particularly the reds, tend to be under ripe and lacking flavor. The whole growing season wasn’t sub-par, but one of the most important parts was. After a perfectly fine spring and summer, untimely rain and then two October frosts did the vintage in. Basically, frost kills the vines’ canopy, stopping photosynthesis and keeping the grapes from getting fully ripe. You can talk about “hang time” (on the vine) all you want, but without the sugar factory,…

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Tasting Vintage Variation — A Flight of “Flight”

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You can buy bottle after bottle of mass-produced, ubiquitous wines like Yellowtail Shiraz or Cavit Pinot Grigio without even looking at the year on the label. That’s because year-to-year variation is barely perceptible in those wines. Huge vineyards, huge production and blending options that lead to a “house style” all result in fairly consistent flavors year in and year out. That’s boring and lame if you ask me. That sort of cookie-cutter consistency is not the case here on Long Island, where even the largest vineyards are miniscule by world standards. And, with generally cool weather that changes considerably from…

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This Week On Appellation America (9/29/06)

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I don’t often write much about my Appellation America gig here on LENNDEVOURS. But, for those of you that don’t know, I’m the regional correspondant for both the Long Island and Hudson Valley regions. What this means is that in addition to helping build appellation consciousness for the two regions, I’m responsble for tasting and recommending their wines as well. It’s hard work, but somebody has to do it, right? The cool thing is that editorial really drives the Appellation America site — a rarity in the wine media world to be sure. Starting today, I’ll highlight my Appellation America…

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Lenz Merlot Classic, Roanoke 2004 Preview BBQ and Upcoming Events

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Fall is one of the most exciting — and hectic — times on the East End of Long Island. The grapes have undergone veraison — the green grapes have changed color and started to ripen — and harvest season has begun (for sparkling wine) and will continue well into November. The ever-popular pumpkins and mums are also coming in, so the crowds will be flooding their favorite farm stands and nurseries. They bring a lot of energy to the region — but they make it harder for me to get to the wineries because of the traffic. As with any…

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