Posts Tagged“shinn estate”

Long Island Vineyards Could See Early Bud Break in 2012

The earliest anyone can remember seeing bud break in Long Island vineyards was mid-April in 2010 — a vintage that ended up being one of the longest and warmest on record. Bud break in 2010 was about two weeks earlier than average. But, after a mild winter and with temperatures currently in the upper-50s and 60s this week — Long Island vineyards coudl see bud break even earlier in 2012. “The potential for an early budbreak this year appears higher than normal. If the weather continues to trend the way it has over the winter season it is increasingly likely that an early…

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Shinn Estate Vineyards 2007 Petit Verdot

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Tonight, let's take a look at the last of the Shinn Estate Vineyards 2007 reds that I tasted recently (there are at least 3 other un-released wines that I haven't formally reviewed yet) — Shinn Estate Vineyards 2007 Petit Verdot ($35/500ml). Much like malbec, is a petit verdot has spent more time in a leading role in recent years. But, also like malbec, there isn't really enough planted for it to become anything more than a member of the supporting cast in red blends and in small-production, almost-novelty wines like this one. This wine certainly qualifies…

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Shinn Estate Vineyards 2008 Rose

By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher This isn't another one of those "rose is making a comeback" pieces, but dry rose is one of the under-appreciated pleasures of cool climate wine regions. The natural acidity that cool evenings and long, slow growing seasons retain is key. In the Finger Lakes, there are more dry roses (in addition to the sweet ones) being bottled every year, but here on Long Island, dry rose has been a part of many wine programs for years. Sometimes, they are made by blending red and white grapes, but some of my favorites are made primarily…

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Shinn Estate Vineyards in the New York Times

By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher Eric Asimov, chief wine critic for New York Times, has long been interested in Long Island wine, particularly Long Island merlot. He has previously said that Long Island makes some of the best merlot in America. In his column this week, he writes about a recent visit to Shinn Estate Vineyards in Mattituck, NY. It's a great piece that I think accurately depicts the winery's place in the Long Island wine world. It will come as no surprise to many of my fellow wine bloggers (the ones who came to TasteCamp anyway) that one…

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Shinn Estate Vineyards 2005 Nine Barrel Merlot

By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher As you've read here and elsewhere, to tell the story of the 2005 vintage is really to tell two separate tales — one before the October deluge and one after. That deluge lasted eight days and dumped as many as 20 inches of rain on some vineyards. Some wineries weren't willing to risk waiting, harvesting their reds before the rains hit. One even stopped picking chardonnay, leaving it to the elements, to pick reds.  The before-or-after decision wasn't a simple one, nor was it one-dimensional. If you waited until after the rains, how long…

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Shinn Estate Vineyards 2008 Coalescence

By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher Merriam-Webster Online defines the word coalescence: "to unite into a whole" or "to arise from the combination of distinct elements." Given that, the folks at Shinn Estate Vineyards have chosen an unique, apt name for this blend of 54% chardonnay 23% sauvignon blanc 13% viognier 10% merlot, Shinn Estate Vineyards 2008 Coalescence ($14 at the tasting room). The four wines were vinified separately, and then came together, or "coalesced" into one wine. That 10% merlot, which was actually merlot blanc, gives this "white wine" a mere suggestion of pink. This bottle showed a little…

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Anthony Nappa Wines 2008 Anomaly

By Lenn Thompson, Publisher and Editor When Anthony Nappa, winemaker at Shinn Estate Vineyards, interviewed for the job, he had two questions of his own for the owners, could he bring his dog to work, and could he make his own wine? I've seen his dog at the winery myself and with the release of Anthony Nappa Wines 2008 Anomaly ($18), the second question is answered as well. His second wine, the Anthony Nappa Wines 2008 Nemesis, will be released this weeked. Both are available at Shinn's tasting room and both wines are 100% pinot noir sourced on the North…

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Is Southold Holding up Wind Power at Shinn Estate Vineyards?

By Lenn Thompson, Publisher and Editor I hope that we can all agree that alternative energy sources are a good thing — and that they are a large part of our future. Things like solar and wind power can, and will, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. And they are sustainable. The wind will always be there. So will the sun. We hope so anyway. So these are renewable, persistent sources of energy. Not surprisingly Shinn Estate Vineyards has already started to use these alternative sources, putting solar panels on top of their barrel storage building. Owners David Page and…

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Quick Q&A with Anthony Nappa, Winemaker, Shinn Estate Vineyards

Anthony Nappa (left), winemaker at Shinn Estate Vineyards, on the 2008 crush pad. For the first Q&A of 2009, we pose our standard questions to Anthony Nappa, winemaker at Shinn Estate Vineyards in Mattituck, NY. Anthony is still a relative newcomer to the region and is one of the East Coast's youngest winemakers.  What (and where) was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking? Outside of Boone’s Farms when I was young, I didn’t drink much wine except on holidays with the family, mostly Italian wine or homebrew. Asti Spumante at Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving is still a favorite.…

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New York Wine News and Notes (12/8/08)

A few New York wine news items from the last several days: Shinn Estate Vineyards 2005 Estate Merlot was mentioned over on Eric Asimov's wine blog, The Pour, last week. Eric has long been a proponent for Long Island merlot and I think this wine, year in and year out, is one of his favorites. (Read my review) Shinn Estate also received an 89-point score from the Wine Spectator for their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that I've not tasted. Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez, winemaker at Martha Clara Vineyards, also let me know that Premium Wine Group, the custom-crush facility where…

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