WTN: Brooklyn Oenology 2005 Chardonnay (North Fork of Long Island)

Posted January 20, 2008 by Lenn Thompson in News & Events

A couple weeks ago, Sasha wrote about Brooklyn Oenology’s debut this fall. Eating local has become a part of every day life for many of us, but drinking local hasn’t quite caught on. But, as we all think about how we can reduce our carbon footprints, drinking wines made closer to home makes perfect sense. Shipping wine across the country or around the world — in those heavy bottles — burns a lot of fossil fuel, emitting a whole lot of carbon dioxide.

For Brooklynites, Alie Shaper owner of and winemaker for Brooklyn Oenology (BOE) is making it that much easier to drink local with the release of BOE’s first two wines, a chardonnay and a merlot from the 2005 vintage. (See Sasha’s piece about Brooklyn Oenology’s debut from a couple weeks ago).

Both wines were made on Long Island’s North Fork at Premium Wine Group, a custom-crush facility where several producers make their wine. Eventually, Shaper will bring the winemaking operation too Brooklyn.

Today, we’ll focus on the 2005 Chardonnay ($15), made with grapes Shaper purchased from from three North Fork vineyards: Castello di Borghese, Galluccio Family Wineries (now owned by Macari Vineyards) and Martha Clara Vineyards.

It’s a wine that straddles New and Old World styles. A tight, somewhat weak nose offers a little of the expected citrus and apple aromas and just the faintest hints of baking spice.

A lively, but slightly disjointed palate offers nice fruit flavors of apples, mandarin oranges, green grapes, and tropical fruit with a little vanilla and spice. But, as much as I love (demand?) acidity in chardonnay, here it’s a little harsh and tart. In fact, it finishes downright sour. I think that all of the components are here, they are just all over the place. Maybe it will settle down with more time in bottle, but with only partial malolactic fermentation, it may not.

Grape(s): Chardonnay
Producer: Brooklyn Oenology
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $15
Rating: (1.5 out of 5 | Not Recommended-to-Average)

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