Macari Vineyards 2011 ‘Katherine’s Field” Sauvignon Blanc
Macari Vineyards is always one of my go-to producers for Long Island sauvignon blanc, particularly the Katherine’s Field bottling, which is made without oak. It always tells the tale of the growing season and doesn’t try to mimic sauvignon from the Loire or New Zealand or California. Macari makes Long Island sauvignon blanc.
2011 was a cooler year and one marked with heavy hurricane-related rain late in the season. Macari Vineyards ”Katherine’s Field” Sauvignon Blanc ($23) shows the coolness of the vintage, with melon, grapefruit, lemon zest and thyme notes and a lighter-bodied style, with fresh, clean acidity and surprising length.
A subtle hay note emerges as it warms a bit, leading into a saline finish that is often present in the region’s best sauvignon.
Producer: Macari Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
ABV: 12.5%
Price: $23*
(3 out of 5, Very good/Recommended)
As an aside to the comment about Long Island Sav Blanc being distinct I personally increasingly find more and more similarities between the LI Sav Blancs and better ones from New Zealand (estate grown and produced for the vineyards own labels rather than made and bottled under contract for the overseas markets). Of course given the climatic similarity between the North Fork and Marlborough as well as the progressiveness of the winemakers in both regions it makes sense that there would be a convergence of flavors and that they would be dissimilar from Old World offerings.