Long Island Wines.

I live on Long Island and try to get out there at least once a year (north and south forks). If you visited the hamptons then you were on the south fork which holds about 4 wineries or so. The north fork has many more than this. The wines that I have tasted from the area tend to be very very young (I am still working on describing what I taste) and over priced. Most bottles cost $15-20 and can be as high as $50-60 (Wolffer Estate on the south fork introduced the first $100 long island wine last year). My favorite is the Duck Walk blueberry port which costs around $15 for a half bottle (375ml). If you can find it, I would recommend it as a nice 'everynight' port. The only other bottle which I think deserves mentioning is the 97 Lenz 'Old Vines' Merlot which sells for $55.

Any other opinions on the area?? I'm always curious to hear what others have to say about the wines of Long Island...

cheers, dr

Some of my Long Island Favorites from various tastings over '01 & '02:

Chardonnay: Most of the wines from Lenz, especially a '98 Gold Label that was very powerful and carried a nice note of nutmeg spice. Pellegrini Vintner's Pride '00 that was exceptionally well balanced. Both were around $25. I hated the '00 Cru Chardonnay that was totally out of balance... with a $45 price tag to pay for all of that oak.

Other: Lieb Pinot Blanc and Martha Clara Viogner were worth buying for an everyday wine. Martha Clara also makes a good "icewine" called Ciel that I bought even knowing that they freeze the grapes after harvest. :( Pindar makes a really great Late Harvest Gewertzraminer also.

Cabernet Sauvignon: '98 Pellegrini Unfiltered showed better then a half dozen others tasted. The Lenz Estate Bottled Cabernet was runner up.

Merlot: Rivendell Merlot Reserve showed notes of Marzipan! and almond cream... Castello di Borghese Reserve was the most complex of the tasting.

I also really like the Macari Cabernet Franc '98 that strangely showed exciting notes of olive oil, roasted pepper and Spanish paprika. Not your typical Loire Cab Franc, but matched nicely with Filet Mignon, Oysters, Duck Fat and Smoked Paprika one night for dinner. Schneider Cab Franc was second choice.

Looking at my notes now I also see that I was fond of the Pellegrini Encore (Bordeaux Blend), and It would appear that Pellegrini is a standout all around.

I apologize for the vague notes, I had done most of my tasting over several visits at the Vintage NY store and some of the wineries. I just thought that I would throw my two cents in for conversations sake.

jason

: Any other opinions on the area?? I'm always curious to hear what : others have to say about the wines of Long Island...

Denis,

I was out on the tips of LI about 5 years ago and was impressed with what I found. Of the 5 or so places I went to, I liked Lenz best, followed by Bedell. Jamesport was fairly new when I was there (I think) and their winemaking seemed solid. Unfortunately didn;t get to taste more as this was a side trip to NYC but still fun. Nice to see a piece of the Island beyond suburbia of Nassau county!

Mark S

I need to amend my previous post:

The winery known as Gristina was purchased by the Galluccio family a couple of years back, and the present owners have built on a great foundation.

The wine I described, which was actually the vintage 2000 "George Alliere" Chardonnay (from an old plot on a rise out back (you can't call it anything else on flat Long Island)), rated a 90 in the Wine Spectator.

Great wines from the American Northeast rarely get noticed by the international community of wine reviewers, but the Galluccio family has been agitating for recognition for some time now. Their efforts evidently got the attention of some serious wine reviewers from the Wine Expectorator who were willing to "deign" to taste some of the local product, and came up impressed.

That's been the story of Eastern wines for years now. WHEN will someone of "serious" credentials acknowledge, un-condescendingly, that the East excels in some wine types?

We'll have to wait for the latest Tempranillos, Albarinos and Viogniers from Virginia, and Long Island Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and ice-wine from the Niagra Peninsula, and Riesling and Gewuztraminer from Finger Lakes, and Chardonnay from all over, to shake these pre-conceived notions that all Eastern US wine is made from the Concord and other "vitis labrusca" grapes which saved the local industry after Prohibition, but hence created a 70-year legacy of inferior product.

Sheesh. I'll save these comments for a rant, sometime.

In the meantime, those who are fortunate to live where they can buy these spectacular local wines, before the laws change to open up national distribution, should take advantage.

---Bob

amen!!!!!!!!