Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead never produced a 2008 Cabernet Franc.  It went into other blends.  It just was not good enough to stand out on its own.

Martha Clara Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Franc ($22) brings a well mixed bag of fruit, spice and earthy herbs, with dried herbs taking the lead.

The nose brings your traditional Cabernet Franc aroma’s raspberry, cherry, and earthy spice.  The cherry stands out bit more at first.  Then a dried mix of herbs stands out with some smoke and a hint of brown sugar to round out the nose.

The palate brings more earthy, spice notes with more dried herbal notes.  Cherry and raspberry take a back seat on the palate.  Bright acidity with smooth tannins that are well-integrated into the wine.  It was balanced with a finish of coca powder, mint and subtle cherry.

Sláinte!

Rich Olsen Harbich, winemaker at Bedell Cellars did not make this wine, Kelly Urbanik started it, Rich finished it.

The Bedell Cellars 2009 Cabernet Franc ($30) is a beautiful wine that shows why Cabernet Franc when in the right hands, is perfect for the Long Island Region no matter the vintage.

On the nose, loads of cherry, raspberry, dried strawberry and cedar lead the way with notes of dried herbs like sage and thyme are in the back ground.  Earthy spice notes emerge with a hint of vanilla bean.

The palate brings more cherry and raspberry with a hint of bay leaf and more earthy aroma’s.  Some smoky, sweet tobacco/cedar box flavors also develop with time in the glass.

Unfortunately, this wine is sold out at the winery, however, I have noticed it at a few local wine shops.

Sláinte!

Related articles

• A Visit to Bedell Cellars (undertakingwine.com)
• Long Island Vines: Cabernet Francs of the East End – Review (nytimes.com)
• A Quick Visit with Rich at Bedell and a Glimpse into 2010 (eastcoastwineries.blogspot.com)

Waters Crest Winery 2007 Campania Rosso ($50) is a limited production wine; only 77 cases of this wine were made.  I believe that this is sold out in the tasting room, but you may find it on restaurant wine lists out on the North Fork and NYC.

On the nose, delicious note of plum, cherry and chocolate dominate with  earth, spice and smoke.  Secondary aromas that develop as the wine sits in the glass are notes of cardamom, dried oregano hints of vanilla, bacon, lavender and tobacco.  There is a delicious note of an old wine cellar; a note I really like in a red wine.

On the palate, plum, spice, smoke, toasty oak and crushed pepper jump out of the glass right away.  Flavors of cinnamon, mint, currants, tobacco, earth and hints of vanilla round out the palate.

Bright acidity is up front with smooth velvety tannins.  The finish is long with hints of dried cherries and dried herbs.

Some might balk at the $50 price tag, but knowing that this is from the great 2007 vintage and all North Fork fruit, it has the ability to age.  If you have a bottle or two, you are lucky, hold onto them and open them up in a few years, they have the ability to age for a while.

Sláinte!

I should not compare, and I will try not to.  Comparing vintages is fun, but at the same time it is like comparing kids each one is different.  I was always compared to my younger brothers in school because they were smarter than me.  I hated it.  So 2007 is long gone and now we have the next vintage to look forward to.

Shinn Estate Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Franc ($38) is a wonderful followup to its 2007 counterpart.  2008 was not that stellar of a year.  It was nothing like 2007.  But in 2008, with the right practices and the right work in the vineyard and in the cellar, some places were able to get ripe fruit flavors.  And this 2008 from Shinn Estate Vineyards is nothing but ripe.

On the nose there is classic Cabernet Franc aromas — raspberry and cherry; dried herbs like basil and sage; exotic spice like cardamom, coriander and anise.  Notes of fresh earth and juicy fruit bramble mix with some whole black peppercorns.  Hints of dried flowers, bay leaf and savory herbs round out the aromas.

On the palate the aroma of dried savory herbs, like sage lead the way but slowly give off the hints of ripe raspberry and cherry.  Cedar and hints of spice mingle with hints of vanilla, mint and eucalyptus.

The chewy tannins are up front with beautiful bright acidity.  This wine needs decanting.  Once the wine was open for a few hours, it really started to shine.  Complex and packed with nuances — it just kept evolving in my glass

The finish carried the vanilla note with hints of berries and mint.  I was very intrigued by the vanilla.  It added a “sweetness” to the wine.  Not a sugary sweetness, a sweetness that kept me coming back to the glass.

It was interesting, after I tasted the wine, I started to tweet about it.  I was asked how it compared to the 2007.  I said it was a nice follow-up among other things.  Early the next day, I went back to my notes from the  2010 Shinn-Dig I had attended the year earlier and this is what I said about this wine back then:

…. 2008 Cabernet Franc from Shinn Estate Vineyards ($38).  Loads of berries right up front on the nose; Raspberry, cherry, boysenberries and currant.  It was spicy and herbal with some mint and dried basil.  The spice elements of the wine were exotic and arousing, some cinnamon, anise, cardamom and coriander with a  fresh black pepper kick.  It was earthy and tasty.  It was the first wine that I needed a second glass during the tasting and it went perfectly with my second helping of the Duck and lentil stew.  This showed very traditional Shinn elements and is a great follow-up to the current release, the 2007 Cabernet Franc.

Related articles

• Tasting the Future: Shinn Estate Vineyards Shinn-Dig (undertakingwine.com)

This is the Gorton Clan’s 4th time we have attended the Shinn-Dig.  It is a family event where my parents, Mike and Patty, my brothers Tim and Matt and this year my Grandparents join Melissa’s parents, Dave & Edith for a fun, relaxed evening of wine and food.  We never leave disappointed.  And we always leave with multiple cases.Usually Melissa’s sister Stacy and her husband Darren join in, but due to a conflict, they could not be there.  However, Aunt Stacy was kind enough to watch Gabe for us.

We tasted through four wines (three white’s and a rose) from the 2010 vintage and four reds from the 2009 vintage.  I have to say that there was not one wine that disappointed and there were a few wines that really surprised me the table that night.

When we arrived we found out we were in the Farmhouse with David.  Barbara Shinn, co-owner, was handling the group of about 30+ in the tasting/tank room and Anthony Nappa, winemaker, was handling anther 30+ in his office, the barrel cellar.  There was 30+ in the Farmhouse kitchen.  There was a total of 12 in our group and the entire group had a wonderful time.

Thanks Ralph Ron DiGennaro for the photo

We munched on some delicious cheese and homemade pita chips, had some delicious olives and the hit of the night was a bean spread.  David always prepares a hearty stew to warm us and help enjoy the wines.  Tonight he prepared a delicious duck stew that was packed with flavor and made us feel as if we were home.  The night ended with some delicious home-made cookies that Barbara made.  I am not a coconut fan, but there is something about her coconut macaroons that just ends the night perfectly.

Wile we were nibbling, talking sipping wine and enjoying the night, David talked about the vintages, about the wines we were going to taste and more importantly he spoke about the vineyard practices and where Shinn Estate Vineyards was going in the future with some new wines and how they were doing on their bio-dynamic certification.  Some of the wines we tasted tonight were the first ever organically and bio-dynamic grown wines on Long Island, true history in a bottle.

I am going to talk about the wines we tasted.  The were all delicious, ripe and all showed beautifully.  Some were still not finished or polished, but you could taste to possibility and what the future would hold.

Shinn Estate Vineyards 2010 Coalescence: this is a return to the original meaning of coalescence — the union of diverse things coming together to form one.  Coalescence is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Merlot.  The juices are blended and fermented together at the time of pressing.  The Merlot juice and Pinot Noir juice is pressed right away as to keep it as clear as possible.  Looking at the bottle there is a slight tint to the wine, but this does not distract at all, in fact, it makes it more appealing.  Notes of Lemon and Lime with tropical fruit and notes of peach and slight aroma a fresh herb.  The wine is lively and bright with acidity.  Notes of grapefruit and citrus lead the way on the palate with hints of salinity beach rock and fresh-cut herbs.  There is a delicious tropical finish with nice minerality.  The mouthfeel is what really caught my attention.  It was lush and viscus.  A must for your summer meal adventures.  This was a huge hit at our table.  It is available in the tasting room.

2010 “First Fruit” Sauvignon Blanc:  Year in and year out, this is one of my favorite Sauvignon Blanc on Long Island.  Notes of grapefruit and fresh herb fill the glass with elements of beach rock, peach, lemon, kiwi and mango.  This wine was racing with acidity, tongue tingling acidity.  Tasting it, I was picking up some more grapefruit with hints of honeydew melon.  It had me craving oysters and scallops.  This will be released next week.

2010 Chardonnay:  Stainless steel fermented, this is the wine that captured all of our attention.  It was my favorite of the night.  A cloudy glass was poured for us — this happens to be the only “unfinished wine” as the lees are still be stirred — it did not distract from aroma and flavors.  Apple, pear, white almonds and hazelnuts with hints of mango, peach and spice filled the glass.  There was a richness that I was picking up on the nose, buttery and creamy like, but I could just not pinpoint it.  When tasted, there was bright acidity, with apple and spice showing through.  Then came elements of fresh tropical fruit, pineapple, mango, star fruit and warm spice notes.  There was a bit of heat I was picking up on the finish, but remember, it is still not finished.  I think our group bought a case or two of this, and we never buy a case of Chardonnay.  This is one to watch.

2010 Rose:  The color may have been lighter than in years past — this is no wimpy rose — this is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with Cabernet Franc taking the lead.  Watermelon and Strawberry dominate the nose with hints of fresh-cut herbs and fresh morning grass.  Strawberry, raspberry, and watermelon carry on the palate with bright acidity.  Fresh herbs like oregano and basil also make an appearance with a delicious dried raspberry finish.  This will be released soon.

A delicious bowl of Duck Stew, photo again from Ralph Ron

We now moved onto the red wines from the 2009 vintage.  2009 was a bit of a tough vintage, most people thought that the vintage would be ruined in June of 2009, thanks to all the overcast and rain, but things improved.  Eventually things came up to speed.  The grapes developed and ripened well into October.  An extended late summer helped make some of the best 2009 wines.  Some have even said that due to the long growing season, 2009 might be the best yet.  the 2009 wines have been delicious across the island, we will soon see some of the 2009 reds and we will see where they stand.  But for now, here is what we tasted of Shinn Estate Vineyards 2009 red lineup.

2009 Merlot: As it was being poured into my glass there was an intense aroma of cherry and plum coming out of the glass.  NOtes of Strawberry, spice and earth were then followed by Licorice.  The reminance, what I like to call the last few drops of wine in the glass after it has been finished, showed some raisin and prune notes.  Tart cherry and spice were on the palate with more licorice.  Notes of Cinnamon, cardamom and plum continued.  The finish was long with hints of vanilla bean and coffee beans.  This was a hit at our table.

2009 Wild Boar Doe:  This is one wine that year after year is a favorite of mine.  I have said before and I will say it again, when I taste this wine, blind or not, I immediately am transplanted to the vineyards.  If there was a wine that symbolised Shinn Estate Vineyards, in my opinion, this would be the wine.  Packed with an earthy nuance and concentrated berry on the nose, I found this more earthy and spicy then in years past, with notes of smoke, meat and vanilla with hints of blackberry cherry and cedar.  The spice also takes center stage on the palate.  Cinnamon, cardamom and clove lead the way followed by notes of chocolate and baked berry fruit.  Delicious and balanced this is a serious wine that when released will be one to watch.

2009 Nine Barrels:  Anthony Nappa, Shinn Estate Vineyards winemaker, takes the best nine barrels of Merlot and blends them together with a small percentage of Malbec and Petite Verdot.  Another favorite of mine and of the table this year, notes of Blackberry, blueberry and dried raspberry and plum filled the glass with hints of dried flowers and grilled fig.  Earth and exotic spice are secondary aromas with hints of vanilla, smoke, cedar and earth.  Big cherry and plum notes appear on the palate with notes of coffee, smoke and spice.  Vanilla and blackberry lead a minty finish.

2009 Cabernet Franc: This is a big wine, not showing the traditional herbaceous notes that you see from cool vintages, like the 2009.  This was reminiscent of the great 2007 vintage.  Notes of raspberry and cherry lead the way followed by mint and dried herbs.  Exotic spice follow behind with notes of earth, and dried flowers.  The palate brought flavors of tart sour cherry, mint and bay leaf.  Velvety ripe tannins with hints of smoky spice.  a dried herbal finish  mixed with notes of vanilla and dried raspberry.  Bright acidity carry this wine with well-integrated tannins.  A very delicious wine.

2009 Cabernet Sauvignon: A very enticing nose.  Loads of Blackberry, plum, boysenberries all fresh and ripe with hints of concentration.  Earthy and spicy with a minty, eucalyptus, and smoke undertone.  This was a big wine, still young in its development.  Tannic and notes of tart cherry pie filled the palate with hints of black pepper spice.

What we tasted that night...From the Shinn-Dig Blog

The night was filled with laughter, food and wine.  David told stories of the two vintages and gave us updates on their quest for Bio-Dynamic Certification.  Since Coalescence was bottled we walked out with 3 cases of it, as well as alot of other people too.

One nice addition to the Shinn-Dig this year was raffle drawings in each dining area.  In the farmhouse one person walked away with a Magnum of Wild Boar Doe from the 2005 vintage with others walked away with magnum of 2005 Nine Barrels and 2005 Cabernet Franc.  Another 3 people won bottles of champagne.  There was one more prize, the grand prize, a two night stay at the Shinn Estate Vineyards Farmhouse.  The winning number was chosen before the event and number 99 was picked.  My wife had Shinn-Dig order form number 99.  What a great way to end the night that was filled with such great wines.

Now, we need to see who will watch Gabe for two nights this summer!

Related Articles

• Long Island Vines: Shinn Estate Vineyards Wines Are Food-Oriented (nytimes.com)
• Organic Wine Journal: Futures Dinner at Shinn Estate (organicwinejournal.com)

My notes that day had words of herbal, raspberry, cherry, smoke, black pepper, ripe tannins and juicy acidity.  I found that the freshly opened bottle showed the tannins being big and up front.  They were good tannins, but since this was a young wine, it really needed the justice of having some time open.  To breathe, even in a decanter if possible.

Peconic Bay Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc ($28) is a wine that needs time to open up and flex its muscles at first, but later on, it shows its delicate side and show’s why Cabernet Franc, when grown in the best of seasons, shines on Long Island.  And why it is now sold out.

This is a blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot.  It spent 18 months in french oak barrels before it was bottled.

At home over the course of 3 days of tasting, this Cabernet Franc expressed itself beautiful.  Loads of raspberry, strawberry and cherry notes filled the glass.  Deep aromas of fruit concentration.  Notes of cedar smoke and tobacco with hints of vanilla and dried herbs.

The tannins were big and up front, but over time the mellowed on the palate to bring flavors of mixed berry pie — raspberry, blackberry and cherry.  subtle herb notes like mint and a touch of rosemary.  The acidity was juicy and made me keep coming back for more.

I am not good at predicting a wine’s shelf life, but I do know that the combination of Tannins and Acidity will help this wine age for some time.  If you are luck enough to have a bottle or two, hold onto them, they will for a while.

Sláinte!

courtesy of Peconic Bay Facebook Page

It has happened to us all before.  We go out to eat at a restaurant and the experience was not up to par.  You come home underwhelmed and say to yourself, “not going back there”.  Could have it have been the service; could it have been the atmosphere; could it have been that you were just not feeling it that day?  Any one of those could have been your excuse — but what is your excuse if you don’t give them a second chance?

I had an underwhelming experience at Peconic Bay Winery seven years ago.  Yes. Seven. Years ago.    And to wait 6 years to give Peconic Bay a second chance was wrong.

It goes something like this about 7 years ago — I can remember the day clearly, it was mid-week.  Melissa, my girlfriend at the time, who is now my wife, went out to wine country to do some tastings as we did a lot in our early days of dating.  We decided to ride along, Route 25 this time – we normally ride along Route 48, it just closer for us. We packed a cooler and decided to stop for lunch at a vineyard, buy a bottle of wine and enjoy the day, atmosphere and food that we packed up that day.  The vineyard was going to help us with the wine to round out our little one day get away.

courtesy of Peconic Bay Website

We decided upon Peconic Bay Winery, it was the white Adirondack chairs out front that caught our eye.  They looked inviting and settled up for some good times. I can’t tell you what wine we had with lunch – it was 6+ years ago.  But I do know that we were satisfied with the wine.  What we were not satisfied with were the surroundings; It seemed we sat so close to the road, our view was of King Kullen and the chairs were not that comfortable.  I recall Melissa saying in so many words, too bad our view is of King Kullen and the shopping center and it’s so noisy with the traffic of Route 25.  Because of those reasons, we never went back.

Flash forward to the fall of 2009.  We find ourselves at Peconic Bay Winery with about 15 funeral directors as a group visiting farm stands and vineyards on the North Fork.  We tasted the top flight as a group.  Luckily we had reservations – the place was packed.  I started to have reservations about this tasting.  Thoughts ran through my head, “how are they goingto do this?”, “”its too uncomfortable to taste”, “they will forget about us.”

NONE of those fears in my head came true.  Not a single one. We tasted 6 wines that day.

All poured effortlessly, by a very attentive staff.  They seemed calm and collected on such a busy day.  When we were all done with the one tasting, they were ready to pour the next one.  They explained the wines, answered our questions and made us feel as if we were the only ones there.  I walked away very happy and wanting to taste more of Peconic Bay.  Was this the 6-year-old second chance that was 5 years too late?  Probably, but I wanted to see it again and I wanted to see if I could see King Kullen.

Back in late May or early June (yes it was that long ago), Jim Silver, Peconic Bay’s General Manager asked when I was going to visit them.  In a few e-mails he liked what I was dong here on the blog and had hoped that I could visit soon.  I did visit and I am glad I did. Things have changed for the better at Peconic Bay Winery.  There is now trees that buffer the sound of Route 25.  You can’t see King Kullen from the Peconic Bay “meadow” just off the tasting room.  There are now comfortable Adirondack nautical color cushioned chairs with umbrellas that look very cozy — Makes you want to read a book or taste some wine or just relax and waste the day away.  There are gas fire pits that add atmosphere and are on for late night wine tasting events.

But more importantly, at least to me are the wines.  Deliciously made there since 1979, one the oldest vineyards on Long Island.  The seem to fall under the radar.  Not sure why considering they have some of the best priced wines on Long Island.  Not one offering is above $28.  They are also the first winery to produce a brandy made from distilling their own finished Merlot wine.  On top of all the fine wine at Peconic Bay, they also have a Tapas menu which has been prepared in advance by chef Tom Schaudel of “aMano” restaurant in Mattituck. Above all of that are the wines, here are some that made an impression on me at the time when I tasted:

courtesy of Peconic Bay Website

• Peconic Bay Steel Fermented  2007 Chardonnay ($24) Melon apple and grassy straw with a zing of acidity and a note of wet stone.  Apple and pear round out the mouth with a creamy spicy note. (This is sold out)
• Peconic Bay 2008 Riesling I believe that the 2009 is released, but I have a bottle of the 2008 that I plan on reviewing here soon.
• Nantique Esprit de Blanc ($18) blended wine that represents “ABC” anything but chardonnay.  It is blended with Riesling, Chardonnay and some Pinot Grigio.  If you are looking for a Sauvignon Blanc style, than this is your wine.  If you like Pinot Grigio, then have a glass of this.  The nose is reminiscent of Riesling with peach and apricot and tropical fruit.  Floral with hints of honey-dew melon and grapefruit.  Clean crisp and refreshing with great zinging acidity and nice mouth feel.
• Nautique Esprit de Rosé ($18) This is made with 2009 red grapes with little skin contact.  It is a bled of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.  The story goes that the 2009 reds were not ripening, so the idea was to use the lots for their New Nantique line of wines.  I am glad they did, because this was on of my favorite Rose’s from the 2009 vintage.  A full post on this wine will be here soon.
• Peconic Bay 2007 Merlot ($28) Dark fruit like plum and blackberry dominate the nose with hints of earthy slate.  The dark fruit continues on the palate with hints of pepper and spice with subtle hints of cherry and a great showing of dried herbs.  Big tannins and great acidity makes me think this is one to age in your cellar.
• Peconic Bay 2007 Cabernet Franc ($28) Again, you will see a post here in the future on their Cabernet Franc.

It is safe to say that Peconic Bay Winery is a must if you are out on the east end visiting wine country.  They make delicious Riesling, crowd pleasing white & rose blends, chardonnay two ways and age worthy reds.  I can tell you this for sure, as a new dad, you will see me a few times at Peconic Bay, if not for the music and entertainment, than you will see me chasing after my son as he runs his legs to sleep at Peconic Bay Winery.

courtesy of Nautique Website

Gabby tending to the vines. Taken by Scott Sandell

For years, Gabby Pisacano, father of Richard Pisacano, (vineyard manager at Wolffer Estate Vineyards and co-owner of Roanoke Vineyards, along with his wife Soraya) tended to grapes.  But because of one single bottling from the 2006 vintage, Gabby became a celebrity, a person of folklore and a man with a cult following of wine enthusiasts.

It was the winter of 2005, Gabby had been working under Rich, tending to the red wines vines that grow on the Roanoke Vineyards site on Sound Avenue in Riverhead.  Gabby had a thought and he demanded that he take over the 12 eastern most rows of Cabernet Franc.  You can see those rows from the tasting room; off the side patio look to the vines and the 12 rows  in front of you are Gabby’s.  Rich really had no choice, and he gave those rows to his father.  Gabby is the only one who tends to the vines, no one else touches the fruit.

Gabby’s thought on the Cabernet Franc is a simple thought, that he could manage the “Twelve Rows” as they are widely known, “if he ultra-manicured the vines, so that each grape had perfect exposure to the sun and wind, and that there was plenty of space around the fruit for the breeze to circulate, his rows would avoid any disease pressure and ultimately deliver pristine fruit.” that according to his bio on Roanoke Vineyards website.

Gabby can be seen walking the “Twelve Rows” with and x-acto blade cutting out a berry from every cluster that does not look right.  At harvest time, Gabby watches with a close eye as “The grapes are de-stemmed, then they run down a conveyor belt where ten people watch and remove any funky grapes. The Gabby’s fruit was, and has been for each vintage, totally pristine.” according to Scott Sandell, media and creative director at Roanoke Vineyards.

So the formula to making this wine is simple, Gabby in the vineyard, Roman Roth in the cellar making the wine and most importantly once it is in bottle, age.  Be sure to age this wine.  While we know that this is something that is hard to do, I has been for me in regards to all wine, I will try to hold on to a few of these for the long haul, like in 10 years or so.

Just like Gabby’s 2006 I tasted this over the course of 5 days.  Here are my notes on the tastings:

Day One: On the nose I was getting ripe concentrated fruit.  Cherry and blackberry come to mind.  It was earthy with a floral and a tea leaf aroma.  There was some heat on the nose, remember it was a hot year so the alcohol was a little higher than the 2006 version.  There was some green herbal notes as well, like dried sage and mint.  When I tasted the wine, I was picking up more of the concentration of fruity berries.  It was spicy, fresh ground black pepper spice and cardamom.  There was some mint and euculaptys as well.  It was smooth and velvety with rich tannins and great acidity.  It was a bit tight at first, it needed time.  You could taste the youthfulness of the wine.

Day Two: This hit my wheel house; Earthy, dried cherry and grilled jalapeño pepper.  Dried sage, bay leaf and peppercorns, whole ones not crushed.  It tasted like baked berry tart.  Raspberry, blackberry and plums with more of a peppercorn spice finish.

Day three: A bouquet of flowers and fresh topsoil, spice, black pepper and dried mint and basil.  The fruit on the nose was not as prominent, diminished some by the spice.  The taste brought some tart cherry and some heat.

Day four: The earthy funk continues with more of a mushroom and forest floor note.  The wine is more green on the palate as well.  It is a good green, not an under ripe green.  The fruit is there, it is just hidden.  A few extra swirls in the glass and you can pick up some of the cherry notes.  There is also some exotic spice elements that share the palate with the good greenness of the wine.

Day five: this on my last day of tasting, it was showing more green, basil, mint, sage on the nose, but on the taste, the fruit reappeared; dried cherry and baked berries with a hint of cedar.  Earthy and spicy with a hint of smoke.

So now after all this, what have I learned about Gabby’s Cabernet Franc.  I have learned that meticulous detail, care and attention given to vines, the fruit they bear and the wine that they make can produce one of the finest cabernet franc’s I have ever tasted.   These are the same grapes from two different vintages; the 2006 vintage and the much heralded 2007 vintage.  The 2006 at the time was not considered a stand out vintage.  But in tasting various 2006′s, it appears that these are doing very well as time goes on.  While 2007 is wonderful, you can tell, this is still young and maybe needs another year in the bottle.  The 2006, one year after release, is tasting deliciously good — and will continue for years to come.

Another thing I have noticed about this 2007 offering is that it is showing greener than the 2006.  I would almost say that the 2007 Gabby’s is a Franc lovers Franc, considering the good green notes it is showing.  I think that this is varietal correct.  This 2007 may be the greenest of the 2007 Cab Franc’s that I have tasted, and that is a good thing.  2007 vintage was a hot one and on some Cabernet Franc’s I tasted, I noticed some not as green, the good green, which is something I like in my Franc.  There is no mistaking the 2007 Gabby’s Franc as Cabernet Franc.  Roman Roth, the wine maker, I think kept it real and did not try to make Cabernet Franc into something it is not supposed to be.

My goal is to re visit the 2007 next September 25th, when Gabby releases the 2008 Gabby’s Franc.  I tasted the 2008 in barrel in late June and it was classic Gabby, clean, ripe cherry, minty and spice.

If you are lucky enough to have some of the 2007, it is sold out, hold on to them and taste again in a few years.  If you missed out, you may get a chance again, Roanoke dose release them every so often to wine club members, and if you are a member you are in luck.  If not, I would consider investing in their club, if just for the opportunity to get your hands on some Gabby’s Franc in the future.

At the time my wife was pregnant and she was strict about drinking wine.  She begged of me to wait until the baby came to open this bottle.  So I waited, and waited till he was born.  When Gabriel was born and I could not wait to pop that cork and get to know this much heralded wine.  I waited for the right moment, the right meal, the right occasion — That occasion came when Scott Sandell, of Roanoke (he designs the labels on the bottles) offered me a sample bottle of Gabby’s 2007 Cabernet Franc to review here on my blog.  I now thought that this was perfect; I could taste both Cabernet Franc’s, along with my wife, side by side and note the differences and similarities.  I am glad I did.

The tastings lasted over the corse of five days.  Most wine never lasts more than 3 days on my table and I am happy to say that both wines were still showing on the 5th day.  Today this is part one, the study of the 2006 Gabby’s Franc.  This is sold out and when it was available it sold for $38 per bottle.  There was 148 cases produced and it is a blend of 92% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot.

When I opened up this bottle, you can see a good amount of sedimentation on the cork.  This may scare some folk, but fear not, it is not bad.  It is a sign of a wine being unfiltered — it’s not a bad thing at all, just something for you to get used to.  I have and in fact I like seeing a little sedimentation on the cork.

On the nose it was bursting with ripe cherry –both bing and dark black cherry.  There was a hint of currant and strawberry with some menthol eucalyptus.  Elements of mushroom came through as well.  Dried herb and earthy woodsy leaves were showing with a hint of vanilla and freshly ground espresso.

The taste brought some more dark cherry and dark coca powder with a smidge of vanilla and black pepper.  There was elements of currant and exotic spice.  The acidity was vibrant and it carried very well with some velvety smooth tannins.  Some roasted jalapeño seemed to appear in the glass after a while of swirling.

The finish was long with a toasty vanilla, ripe cherry dried herb and ground espresso carried the wine in the end.

On day two a floral note appeared with hints of cherry and blackberry.  More concentrated than the first day with a hint of fresh bay leaf.  The taste was spicier and showed more earthy forest floor notes.

Day three was more about the earth.  Earth on the palate and on the nose were dominant.   There was a sprinkling of concentrated cherry and plum and dried cranberry.  The tannins were still showing well and the acidity was still carrying this wine.  There were more notes of espresso and vanilla on the finish with a hint baking spices like nutmeg, anise and cinnamon.  This was my favorite day of this wine, next to the first day.

By day four you would think that maybe this wine was done.  I thought it would have been more spice and earth.  But to my surprise, there was fruit in my glass.  Plum and blackberry seemed to dominate with a smoky note.  There was some blackberry compte flavors on the palate. With some exotic spice.

On the fifth day the fruit was gone.  Notes of cedar and dried leaves with some dried herb and spice.  There was more heat to the wine on the fifth day, acidity seemed to be gone and tannins as well.

It is sad to know that this wine is sold out.  I would have loved to have picked up more of this wine and to taste over the years.  If you have some, it is one to hold onto and try years from now.  If it is ever offered in the future from Roanoke, I strongly urge you to pick up some and keep for years to come.  I know I will.

Later this week I will review of the soon to be released 2007 Gabby’s Franc and story about how Gabby’s Franc became Gabby’s Franc.

Sláinte!

This week, I was invited by Anthony Nappa (winemaker at Shinn Estate Vineyards) and Sarah Evans (Sous Chef at Luce & Hawkins) to their house in Southold for a Calm Roast and BBQ.  I was not sure that I could make it – with work and it being on a Wednesday, I did however go and I was glad I went. 

The food was awesome and there was a local striped bass that was caught by a local fisherman that morning.  I now know where to turn when I need fresh fish.

There was also a nicely arranged vertical tasting of Shinn Estate Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Nine Barrels Merlot and Cabernet Franc from 2005, 2006 and 2007.  That alone could have been the highlight.

Then, Ron Goerler, from Jamesport Vineyards popped a cork on this bottle, Jamesport Vineyards 2000 Cabernet Franc.  This is the oldest Cabernet Franc I have tasted to date.  And it was a winner.  Drinking young, I would have guessed it was a 2005.

On the nose there was some juicy black cherry and currant.  There was an earthiness to the wine with a hint of leather and spice.  There was some dried herb and a little eucalyptus too.

When I tasted it, there was some more earthy elements with a hint of dried herbs and spicy peppercorns.  The cherry carried over on the taste and was more pronounced on the palate than on the nose. 

There was great acidity and beautiful velvety tannins that rounded out the wine.  Well balanced and well made and still carrying strong.  A bunch of us tasted this with some grilled clams and it really opened up the flavor spectrum.   I could not resist the clams and the Franc.

Another highlight of the night was just the opportunity to relax and have a good time with people who are passionate about wine and Long Island’s bounty.  Chatting the night away about wine, food and good times.  Something I was looking forward to and maybe prefer to do when tasting wine with good people — relax and enjoy the wine and listen to the conversation.

Thanks Anthony and Sarah for hosting a great mid-week get together!  Thanks Ron for bringing this to the BBQ and allowing us the opportunity to taste this well made and still alive wine.

Sláinte!

I picked up this, Pugliese Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc ($15) at a wine shop not to far from work.  The wine shop had alot of releases from Pugliese Vineyards.  But this caught my eye.  First it was Cabernet Franc and secondly it was from the great 2007 vintage.

On the nose I was picking up loads of cherry and dried cranberry.  There was a dried herbal note like dried basil.  It was woody and smoky with some peppery spice.

The taste brought more cherry flavors with some tobacco and earth.  There was also some cedar notes that seemed to take control of the wine.  The tannins were strong and chalky and had a moderate earthy finish.

Sláinte!

On the nose there is alot of Cabernet Sauvignon elements; big juicy berries some of them dried and some of the baked kind.  There is nice spice and leather and tobacco here to, but there is the hint of dried herbs and some cherry that adds nice depth to the wine, thanks to the Cabernet Franc.

The taste was of juicy blackberry jam.  The fruit is concentrated and very mouth filling.  The tannins are just right, and they are the food tannins that really make this wine sing.

On the finish I was picking up some chocolate and some earthiness which was really nice.

This was a solid wine and I was craving some grilled duck breasts with this glass I had at the tasting room, where it is available for $34.

Sláinte!

I remember visiting Palmer Vineyards almost every time I went out to the North Fork.  My wife and I enjoyed their Gewürztraminer and sauvignon blanc.  And Palmer was the first tasting room that I had Cabernet Franc.

So when I saw this bottle of Palmer Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc Proprietors Reserve ($27) in a wine shop, I had to pick it up.  If not for the memories, then for the fact that it is from the 2007 Vintage.

On the nose I was getting loads of ripe red fruit.  Raspberry and strawberry come to mind first followed by a salinity note.  It was a bit toasty with a fair amount of oaky woody cedar.

The taste was offering some ripe red fruit and some cherry tart and dried herbs.  Some mint and eucalyptus.  It had a spicy black peppery note to it, which I love.  There was a little tobacco and leather there too.  I was picking up some oaky notes to the wine which seemed to overwhelm the other flavors of the wine, in my opinion.

It had great acidity with mild tannins.  The tannins did soften as the wine sat in my glass.  And the acidity level was just right for your evening dinner.

I had a hard time getting past the wood and oak notes of the wine.  I did however enjoy the ripeness of this Cabernet Franc for the spicy notes and the ripe fruit.

Anomaly = deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule.

I’ll let you decide what to consider this 2007 Cabernet Franc from Shinn Estate Vineyards ($39).  Go and taste it now, it’s in the tasting room.  Then go buy some because this wine has the legs to last a long time in the cellar.

But before you taste this, here is my impression of this, beautiful, wonderful, outstanding wine.

I know this wine well.  I have tasted this wine twice before I wrote this post.  The first time I opened it, it was to enjoy and not take notes.  The second time I did this in a professional manner, decanting over the course of a few days.  I tasted this about a year ago at the annual Shinn-Dig’s where Shinn Estate Vineyards offers their wines at future events for larger than normal discounts.  You get the opportunity to taste through the future releases alongside a wonderful winter stew prepared by chef and co-owner David Paige while munching on local cheese, bread, greens and some very tasty olives and nuts.  While we are enjoying the future wine of Shinn Estate Vineyards, Barbara Shinn, David and winemaker Anthony Nappa walk around and answer questions about the vintage, the food and about their vineyard as they explain their farming practices.

I remember the taste of this wine then and knew it was going to be something special.

I also knew this wine, because it has been all over the blogosphere and TwitterVille for months.  Wine Bloggers who attended TastCamp 2009 had a barrel sample and this may have been the most memorable tasting at the weekend long event.

Melissa and I also tasted this wine on our anniversary weekend at the Shinn Farmhouse after a vineyard walk and some 2008 barrel tastings with David.

Every time I read about this and every time I tasted this, I came away with the same feeling.  This was something special.  But I also came away saying, “where is the fresh greenness of this wine?”

On the nose I was getting big, big berry notes; some raspberry, blackberry and come currant along with black cherry and some wonderful plum.  I was picking up some mint and a little eucalyptus and some exotic spice like cardamom and some coriander.  There was an earthy quality that was reminiscent of a fresh open bag of topsoil.  There was a little fresh bay leaf in there too. 

The taste was unfolding with each sip along the way.  The juicy fruit that was on the nose was up front on the palate, but behind the fruit was some wonderful spice and crushed black pepper.  The bay leaf was more present on the palate.  The tannins were big and chewy.  But oddly, because of the high alcohol content, compared to other releases, I found this wine to be in balance.  The alcohol level of over 14% was not overwhelming the flavors and it did round out this wine to make it just about perfect.

The finish was long with some tobacco leaf, roasted coffee, chocolate and exotic spice.

I decanted this wine for my formal tasting for 10 hours.  I also tasted this over the course of 3 days.  By day two the wine seemed to be more in balance, the alcohol seemed more reserved, the fruit elements of the wine were bursting all over and the acidity and tannins were helping bring this wine together.

Recently, Thomas Matthews of Wine Spectator gave this wine an 88 score.  While at first I found this stunning, I have grown to understand the grade.  When I think of Cabernet Franc, I tend to think of green vegetal notes that appear in the wine.  This is one element that I really like in a Cabernet franc and why I put Cabernet franc as my favorite varietal.  Those vegetal green notes, like tomato leaf, fresh basil, bell pepper or roasted jalapeño pepper are missing from this 2007 Cabernet Franc from Shinn Estate Vineyards.  While I had hope that this would have received a higher point, because it is a wonderful wine, I now understand the score.  If Mr. Matthews judged this wine, knowing it was a Cabernet Franc, and found the green vegetal notes missing, than I understand the score.  Had there been some tomato leaf or a little roasted pepper, would this have received a 90 or better?  We will never know.  I would however love to try the only Cabernet franc to ever score a 90 from Long Island, Schneider Vineyards 1995 Cabernet Franc, just to see the difference.

The vegetal notes were not present, more than likely, because of the 2007 growing season that Long Island was given by Mother Nature.  It was a long, dry and hot season.  The fruit ripened and there was very little fruit loss.  Could this wine have ripened too much?  I doubt it.  Is this how it Cabernet Franc is supposed to be?  Not necessary.  Could this be the perfect, quintessential Cabernet Franc?  If so then in that case, it is a benchmark.  But I will call this Cabernet franc an anomaly, because this grape in the year 2007 has deviated from the norm in Cabernet Franc, unless the 2008 vintage turns out the same as the 2007.  (I will let you know how the 2008 Cabernet Franc and other reds and whites from 2009 are when I attend the Shinn-Dig on February 27.  There is also another one on March 6th that may have some seats left).

I will be honest, when I first tasted this, I had a hard time considering this a Cabernet Franc.  Yes the cherry and the spice notes were there that you normally see in a Cabernet Franc, but I was missing some tomato leaf.  In my mind, as a Franc Fanatic, I was looking deep for the vegetal notes, and could not find any.  Some would consider, mint, eucalyptus and bay leaf as being the green notes.  I never considered them as being green.  But they are in fact green, just not the green I have come to find in Cabernet Franc.  I have moved pass the fact that this lacks greenness.  I have accepted this wine as one of the best wines I have ever tasted.  This is a wine that Franc Fanatics will fall deeply in love with, just as I have.

I urge you; don’t miss out on this Cabernet Franc.  It is awesome and worth every penny.  The price tag may be a bit high, but it is no higher than the 2006 vintage, and this is way better than the 2006 vintage.

This is a wine that will last a lifetime and will be great to revisit in years to come.  I am going to make sure I have plenty of this wine for the distant future.  In fact, when my son or daughter is born this July, I plan on saving one bottle until he or she  turn 21, let them know about the 2007 vintage on Long Island, let them know that this was released the year they were born, and hopefully there will be other benchmarks we can taste that night as well.  So mark your calendar for the Benchmark Tastings on the night of July 21, 2031

This is also not my first post on the 2007 vintage on Long Island, and it won’t be the last.  A bunch of the 2007′s have been released and there are still alot more to come.  This is, in my book, one of the better Cabernet Franc’s from that banner year of 2007.

On the nose I was picking up some cherry, raspberry, green herbs, toasty cedar and some fresh turned earth.  There was also a subtle aroma of fresh tomato leaf, something I love in a Cabernet Franc, and at this time of the year, it reminds me of summer.

The taste was even better; blackberry, raspberry, currant and cherry were the fruit up front.  There was also some rosemary and fresh green herbal notes.  I was also picking up some bell pepper, another element of Cabernet Franc that I find enjoyable.  There was some spice and subtle vanilla notes at the end.

The finfish was long and enjoyable.

This Cabernet Franc is true to the varietal.  It has the perfect balance of tannins acidity and fruit to make this a wine that will last for a while in your cellar.  There is just the subtle notes of vegetal that make me happy and make me consider this a true Long Island Cabernet Franc.

Frank does not have a tasting room…yet.  But you can pickup his wine via Scarola Vineyards web page.  I am not sure of the retail of this wine, I don’t remember because I bought this over the summer.  It has not been released yet and I don’t know when it will.  But when it does, it will not be around for long.

I highly recommend you pick up this Cabernet Franc from Scarola Vineyards.

Sláinte!

According to their website, ”Macari is on the cutting edge of viticulture and is dedicated to a more natural approach to winemaking. Joseph Macari, Jr. is recognized as a pioneer in the movement towards organic and sustainable farming on Long Island, employing principles of biodynamic farming since the vineyard’s first plantings. Extensive soil preparation, rich composts, careful cover cropping and a consideration to wildlife and terrain makes Macari’s 180 planted acres stand out from the rest. Taking into account the health of the environment as a whole, and moving away from the harmful effects of pesticides to a more natural and meticulous caretaking of the soil and plants, ultimately yields premium wines.”

The bottle that I picked up in my local wine shop was $14.99.  A very nice value.  This is a non vintage bottle, meaning that there is no designated year that the grapes in the bottle come from.  But it is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc.  Two of the best from Long Island.

On the nose I was picking up some cherry, raspberry, plum and some dried herbs.

The taste was a little red currant and cherry.  There was also some roasted coffee bean and some element of ocean water and beach rocks. 

On the finish I was picking up some fresh mint leaves and some cedar and tobacco, just a little at the end. 

In conclusion, I would pick this bottle up at the tasting room.  It does retail there for about $17.  This wine could become a table wine at any dinner party.  It may just fine a place in my cellar for those easy drinking wine nights.

Thanks Passionate Foodie for the Picture

The event began promptly at 8PM with our host Lenn Thompson at Lieb Family Cellars. He promptly poured us our first wine of the night, Fox Run Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger. There was a bit more of the Lemberger in the bottle than the Franc, but none the less there was some Franc Qualities there. On the nose I was picking up a lot of Cherry and Cola. It was giving way to some great fruity berry aromas. There was some Raspberry and Black berry and blueberry in the glass. I could have dove right into this glass. The taste on the other hand was a bit of an issue. It was laden with puckering acidity. IT was overwhelming the wine, and made it difficult to pick up much, other than some very tart cherry. This was my first experience with Lemberger of any kind and due to the bouquet of this wine; I would love to try it alone as the varietal. As the time move on, the longer in the glass the acid was diminishing. I was getting the craving for a black & blue rib eye while tasting this wine. On the final sips I was picking up some plum, violets and strong blackberry notes. Later that night, while revisiting the wines, I was picking up some black pepper spice notes.

We then moved onto Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc. On the nose I was picking up some dried fruit. Some prune notes along with this intriguing and enticing barnyard note. It was quite funky. There may have been some old cheese rind in there as well. As I swirled the wine in my glass, the funk was at the back of the glass, faint yet distinct. The funk did leave the glass after awhile, and was enjoying the dried prune and dark fruit notes on the nose. There was a spicy note to the wine, that at first I had a hard time putting my finger on.  After some banter back and forth, between clove and other spice, it was pointed out by another tweeter, cardamom.  And I agreed.  But clove was still the common feeling in the tasting room.  At the end of the night when we retasted it, Henry got it right with clove, but really put it together when he said there was some sweet clove in there, reminiscent of a clove cigarette at the end.  There was and at the end, it was nice.

We then moved onto the Rooster Hill Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc.   This was very smoky.  There was some bacon, some berries, cherry and some fresh green mint.  There was a subtle note of eucalyptus at the end, but I kept returning to the smoky bacon.  I did not mind it, because it was not to overpowering, it did diminish over time.  On the palate, I was picking up some more of the bacon, with a hint of black tea.  It was enjoyable, but too much smoke was my problem with the wine, but I was impressed to this point with the quality of wine from the Finger Lake Region.

Then, my whole world changed, I made my reservations for TasteCamp 2010 right after I put my nose into the glass with Red Newt Wine Cellars 2007 “Sawmill Creek” Cabernet Franc, in it.  This Franc was fantastic!  Now, I may have wanted to dive into the Fox Run wine, but this I could have done laps in the glass.  Some fellow tweeters were nice enough to offer to throw me a life preserver.  One blogger, Richard over at The Passionate Foodie states that it, “brings back memories of Shinn (Estate Vineyards) Cabernet Franc (2007).”  I whole hardly agreed.  There were elements of eucalyptus, and fresh turned earth, some black cherry and raspberry and blackberries.  There was some exotic spice in the glass.  The taste was even better.  All of the fruit was up front with a wonderful exotic spice.  The wine was in perfect balance and harmony.   I could drink this for hours among friends or some duck breast for dinner would be perfect.  This wine was the best of the night in my opinion.  It had everything you look for in a Cabernet Franc, and then some.

The winning wine that night was, Red Newt Wine Cellars 2007 “Sawmill Creek” Cabernet Franc.  It was also the most expensive of the night at $39.00.  The runner up was Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc, which is retailing at $22.00 probably would offer you the best value, while offering you decent quality.  Fox Run Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger took the bronze medal, despite the fact that this was more Lemberger than Cabernet Franc in the bottle.  It is not released yet and the 2006 vintage is selling for $15.  This could be my new everyday table wine though.  And last on the list was the Rooster Hill Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc.  This too is not released yet, but, will sell for about $20.00.  It was a nice wine, I just could not get past the smoky bacon.

Henry, Gary, Lenn and I finished off the night at Lieb Family Cellars with a tasting of Bridge Land 2006 Cabernet Franc and a sampling of the recently released 2007 Syrah, named after Garry’s late winery dog Syrah, where 20% of the proceeds of this wine will be donated to The Animal Medical Center in New York City.

But I really enjoyed this night was a sparkling wine from Lieb, their 2005 Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine.  It goes for $35.00 and as I sat that night, I could drink this everyday.  So it goes to show you I truly do have Champagne Taste on a beer budget.

Many thanks to Finger Lakes Wine Country for getting these great Cabernet Franc’s out to us.  To Lenn Thompson for moderating this Twitter Taste Live Event, to Gary at Lieb Family Cellars for allowing us to stand around and use the tasting room for the night. And a big thanks to those who participated across the country, hopefully on the next one there will be more of us and more of you on Twitter Taste Live, rumor has it that the wines will be available for purchase…Keep your eyes glued to this blog for more information.

Oh, and yes, I promise not to leave Long Island too often.

Here is a little information about Taste Live:

TasteLive! is the worlds premiere online wine and beer tasting community. Our platform leverages the increasingly powerful social media tools of Twitter, Facebook, Posterous and other services to create a community that brings together consumers, bloggers, press, suppliers, brewers and winemakers across the world together to share in their favorite beverage. TasteLive! is a direct link between consumers and winemakers, no filter, no middle man. Never before have consumers had the ability to directly interact with the producers making the wine and beer no matter where they are in the world.

With the introduction of custom winery pages, Wineries, suppliers and trade groups will now have the ability to fully customize their online wine tasting activities and interact with their fans directly through their own TasteLive page. Never before have users had so many options to interact and taste wine with their favorite estates!

 

Ok so now what?  Well follow this little graph, again from the TTL people:

After you have done that graph thing above, then you can take part in this or any event here:

Taking part in a TasteLive event is simple. Begin simply by logging into TasteLive.com or creating a new account using your Facebook or Twitter account. From their surf to the Wineries directory or the event calendar to see what your favorite estates are up to. From there, get some "tweeps" together for an informal evening of tasting, grab a laptop and go to the Tastelive.com and enjoy!

 

Ok, so here is the information about tonight’s Taste Live Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc with Lenn Thompson.  Please be sure to go to http://tastelive.com/fingerlakewinecountry at 8PM when the fun begins.

 "I’m exited to announce today that I’ll be co-hosting a live Twitter tasting of four cabernet franc-based Finger Lakes wines as a part of TasteLive. My co-hosts are the folks from Finger Lakes Wine Country (FLWC), who have definitely embraced new and social media more than any other New York wine organization.

FLWC launched a TasteLive page a month or so ago, and this will be the first event to really kick off the page. There will be many more, so stay tuned for more announcements.

For this edition, we’ll be tasting these four wines:

Fox Run Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger

Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc

Red Newt Wine Cellars 2007 “Sawmill Creek” Cabernet Franc

Rooster Hill Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc

Too often, people dismiss red wines from the Finger Lakes, but I think participants are in for some surprises with these wines, even though I’ve only tasted two of the four myself.

We’ll kick off the tasting at 8:00 p.m. ET, and we hope that you’ll join us on Twitter and on the Finger Lakes Wine Country TasteLive Site."

~Lenn Thompson

If you are on twitter feel free to follow the action.  If you are not, then please go here and sign up.

Our host, Lenn Thompson, from the New York Cork Report is our host.  It will be held at Lieb Family Cellars.  I will be joined by Henry Powderly of Work in Progress. 

Once you sign on to twitter you can follow us by searching for the hash tag #flxwine.

I am looking forward to this event mainly because it will be my introduction to Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc.  I have only had one, and it was enjoyable.  These wines are all Cabernet Franc from the 2007 Vintage which was very similar to the unprecedented 2007 vintage we had here on Long Island.  It will be fun to compare as there will be a Long Island 2007 Cabernet Franc review here next week.

So, I hope that some of you will follow, and if you are lucky enough to have a bottle or two of these, then follow along.  And if you don’t have one to open, don’t worry, just open something else and enjoy.  When there are future events that I will be participating in and the wine is available for purchase, I will keep you posted with that information as it is available.

Have you ever been so close to something that you have never visited because it is just there and you will get to it sooner or later?

Have you ever read reviews and notes about a place that is on your radar but neglected checking on the place yourself?

Well I have and I am ashamed to say that I have not tasted Roanoke Vineyards wines since they opened back in 2004.  I spent many summers out in Baiting Hollow as a kid not too far from the tasting room.  Living in Rocky point, I am a mere 13 miles to the tasting room.  And sadly on all of my trips out east, I always travel past Roanoke Vineyards….usually zipping right by.

Well this will not happen anymore.  Thanks to a wonderful 2005 Merlot and a fantastic tasting room personality.

My visit started with a tweet, on twitter to Adam Ehmer, Roanoke vineyards tasting room guru.  It went something like this…

First a little history about Roanoke Vineyards, it is owned by Richard Pisacano and his wife Soraya.  Richard has been tending to vines on Long Island since the late 1977.  He is from Huntington, so he is a true Long Islander.  He has been the vineyard manager at Wölffer Estates since 1997.  He has been working closely with Roman Roth, the winemaker at Wölffer Estates.  Richard purchased his first vineyard in 1984 and began planting his own grapes.  He started to sell them to local wineries and also made a small lot of his own wine he produced.  He also produced a small amount of wine that local restaurants could buy and sell as their own brand in their restaurants. It was in 1997 when Richard joined Roman Roth at Wölffer Estates. He has been working closely with Roman Roth, the winemaker at Wölffer Estates ever since.

In 2004 Roanoke Vineyards’ Tasting Room opened on Sound Avenue in Riverhead.  The 10 acre property was designated with 7 acres which are dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

This is from Roanoke Vineyards website; it explains the direction and the type of wine they make at the vineyard:

At Roanoke, our goal is to make the highest quality, limited-production, hand-crafted, ultra-premium artisanal wines possible. We want our wines to express both the singular characteristics of our unique appellation (subtlety, refinement, elegance, culinary companionability), and the long-standing and legendary characteristics of the great wine traditions we admire (balance, harmony, smooth muscularity, earthiness, rusticity).

So on to the tastings; I agreed to meet Adam at 11am on that Monday and as it would be, we both pulled into the Roanoke Vineyards at the same time.  It took a little time to get into the tasting room since Adam had to jiggle the lock to get us in, but it was worth the wait.

It was nice to walk into a tasting room and be the only person there, Adam was able to give me some information and tell me about what Roanoke is all about and then I was able to taste what Roanoke is all about.

First up Adam started me with some of Roanoke 2008 Chardonnay.  Now, you must be thinking, “Didn’t you say that Roanoke only grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot?”  Well yes I did, but this Chardonnay comes from a planting of grapes that Richard planted just down the road on Sound Avenue back in 1983.  It retails in the tasting room for $18.00.

I tried this Chardonnay 2 ways.  Just off chill at about 55 degrees and also at chill at about 48 degrees.  And there was a big difference.  I have never had this done to me in a tasting room and it may not happen often, but if you have the chance try it.  It is quite interesting and fun.  You may not even realize you are tasting the same wine!

On the nose, at 55 I was getting some apple and some fresh cut grass.  There was also a toasty note that came from the small percentage that is in barrel ferment, most is all stainless steel.  I tasted some buttery notes along with some apple.  It had a small amount of acidity, and was in great balance.

On the flip side, the one at 48 degrees was amazing.  I almost thought I was drinking a Sauvignon Blanc.  There was the interesting citrus and tropical note on the nose.  The taste was even better; there was this zinging acidity that was really cleaned my palate.  I was also picking up some citrus zest.

We then went on to taste Wolffer Estate Pearle.  The advantage that you have by visiting Roanoke Vineyards is the opportunity to taste, on occasion some of Wolffer Estate wines and some of Roman Roth’s own, Grapes of Roth.  I was really digging this Chardonnay from Wolffer.  It had great balance and wonderful aromatics.  It was lush and toasty with just the right amount of fruit to balance this wine and make it one of my favorite Chardonnay.

I then tasted Roanoke vineyards 2008 De Rosa Rose.  This is an off dry rose that is a blend of 55% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Chardonnay.  Most rose’s that I have tried; the first fruit I pick up is strawberry.  This was a little different; I was picking up raspberry and a hint of peach.  There was this cool minerality about it that I just really enjoyed.  It brought me back to the summer.  Very nice and enjoyable and at $16, this is a great value.

Through the tasting Adam keep me entertained, helped customers find the right vineyard, offered suggestions and helped wine club members with their shipments and purchases.  We chatted for a bit about where we were from, what we are doing and where we are going.  Adam is a personality that fits so well in a tasting room.

Next up was Roanoke Vineyards 2007 Marco Tulio.  This is named after Soraya father, released on father’s day 2009 and it is the first release of the much talked about 2007 vintage.  It is a blend of  52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot.  A perfect blend of all of the fruit that is grown at Roanoke vineyards.  On the nose I was picking up some wonderful cherry and raspberry notes with some earthy fresh green herbal notes.  The taste was quite different.  I was picking up some Blackberry and plum flavors with a wonderful rocky minerality.  The best way to describe this wine…It smelled like Cabernet Franc, but tasted like Cabernet Sauvignon.  Retailing at $24, it could become my new go to cellar wine for that special occasion.

Next up is my favorite berry, Cabernet Franc.  This is Roanoke Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc release.  A 2007 Gabby’s is in the works and that should be a killer.  But this 2007 was bursting with alot of wonderful franc fantasticness.  On the nose there was alot of Cherry and raspberry and plum.  I was picking up some bell pepper and some fresh-cut green herb.  There was a touch of vanilla in the glass as well.  I could not keep my nose out of the glass.  When I taste this it was thirst quenching and mouth-watering all at the same time, if that makes any sense at all.  All of the elements that I was picking up in the glass, I was getting on my palate, with a kiss of chocolate at the end.  It had a nice long finish that ended with a little fresh ground peppercorn.  There was some great acidity and nice tannins that really the fruit shine through.  It was well balanced.  This is a wine and it kinda was like a teenager just passing their road test.  It would do well to decant this and I am sure that it will hold up a few days in.  I will let you know, because I picked up a bottle of this to try it out and see what happens.  It is retailing in the tasting room for $34.

Next on the list was Roanoke Vineyards 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon.  I am not a big Cabernet Sauvignon fan, and it could be because I don’t drink enough of it and is not my first choice.  But this is one that I enjoyed very much; I could not get my nose out of the glass.  ON the nose I was picking up some wonderful dark berries and some current.  It was a little woody with a sweet vanilla aroma.  There was some smokiness to it too.  The taste was even more intoxicating; big fruit, some chocolate covered cherry notes, grilled plum, blackberry and some boysenberries.  There was a little bit of a rosemary note to it that I liked along with an earthy minerality that was reminiscent of slate. This is in the tasting room at $40.00.

If you think that Adam ended with this, your wrong, he happened to pull out the big one for me, well maybe not for me, but he just happened to have one lone bottle on hand.  Roanoke Vineyards 2005 Merlot.  It was retailing for $45.00  It is sold out and it is too bad.   And if you happen to have one, hold on to it.  It will be worth it.  This Merlot receive 89 score from Wine Spectator, and this was the notes from the blind tasting: “The Roanoke Vineyards 2005 Merlot certainly testifies to the quality of the vintage, as well as to the talent of the team that produced it”

Adam poured this for me as we took a walk to look at the dormant vines.  On the nose I was picking up some wonderful red berry.  A touch of licorice was also in the glass.  It was soft and luscious.  The palate opened up with some wonderful blue berry and raspberry notes.  There were soft supple tannins that rounded this wine out.  This was awesome.

As Adam and I walked the vines and he showed me Gabby’s block and the other blocks, I continued to find new exciting elements in this wine.  There was alot happening.  He told me about the events that happen at Roanoke and what plans are in store for Roanoke, but my nose kept going back to the glass.  It was truly one of my favorite Merlot’s.  I am very sad to see it sold out, but I will always remember this tasting.

My tasting was just about over, and about ready to head on home.  I picked up a bottle of the 2007 Cabernet Franc and thanked Adam for his hospitality.  I had wished I had the opportunity to meet Richard and thank him for the fine wine he is producing.  But I am sure that time will come.

As I said farewell to Adam, I told him that I’ll tweet ya later, (something folks on tweeter say when they say goodbye).  I also have learned my lesson.  Don’t take things for granted.  All this time I missed on stopping by Roanoke, I missed out on some of Gabby’s 2006 Cabernet Franc and some 2005 Merlot.  This is something that I will make sure never happens again.

A few weeks later, Adam tweeted that gift boxes were being prepared with Gabby’s 2006 Cabernet Franc.  I told him to hold one, and I would be out soon.  That was Saturday, just after Christmas.  I gave myself a Christmas gift that I will not use for a while.  And when I do, you will find it here.

Schneider Vineyard is a small producer owned and operated by Bruce and Christiane Schneider.  They don’t have a tasting room, but their wines are rather tasty.  Their main focus is on Cabernet Franc, they are attempting to produce world-class, boutique style Cabernet Franc.  The Schneider’s began making wine on Long Island back in 1994.  You can find Schneider Vineyard wines in numerous hotels and restaurants across the island and in the city.  You can also find Schneider Vineyards in the “Tasting Room” out in Peconic on Peconic Lane.

This wine is their 2007 Cabernet Franc, “Le Breton”.  2007 is going to wind up being one of the best growing years on Long Island.  It was ideal for the fruit on the vines to set, grow, ripen and tasty.  There has not been a season like 2007, and who knows when you will see another like it. So when you see any red wine from long island, and it happens to be the 2007 vintage, you really cannot go wrong.  You will find various wines from various wineries with outstanding red wines.  This wine will be one of them.  

On the nose, there is a large amount of red berries.  I was picking up some raspberry and juicy cranberry.  There was a wonderful aroma of new leather.  I was also picking up some Tobacco, now when I say tobacco, I am not talking smoke.  I am talking about the smell of a humidor or the smell of a fresh rolled cigar.  I was getting the both of those aromas.  There was also this very cool earthy freshly turned dirt aroma.  It may not sound appealing to some, but it reminds me of the spring time.  I was also picking up the slightest aroma of fresh hay and straw.

The taste of this wine was even better.  At first it was on the spicy side.  It was overwhelming at first, but I knew that this wine needed some time in the glass to really open up on the palate.  I let it sit there for a while and eventually I came back and there were explosions in my mouth all over the place.

I was getting some Blackberries and raspberries with this subtle hint of boysenberries.  There was a menthol flavor that was moving in the direction of peppermint note.  There was a smoky element what was really cool.  I was also getting the slightest dusting of chipotle pepper powder.

The finish was long and spicy.  I was getting a minerality element that I could not put my finger on.

I re-tasted this wine the following day and another day later.  The fruit in this Cabernet Franc was really coming through and the other not fruit flavors were disappearing.

I really loved this wine.  I picked it up in my local wine shop for about $20.  And it was well worth it.  I would recommend you try this wine.  It is a great example of what Cabernet Franc is all about and how well it can be done here on Long Island.

I would pick this up again and I will be on the lookout for more wine from Schneider Vineyard…you should too.