Sauvignon Blanc is slowly becoming the white wine of Long Island. There are some vineyards across the Island that are doing interesting things with Sauvignon Blanc. Some are making White Bordeaux blend. Some are blending it with Chardonnay, some are making Ice Wine with it, some are even adding a little Cabernet Franc to make a rose colored wine. Then some are barrel fermenting it to give it more body and structure.
Shinn Estate Vineyards 2009 “Haven” ($36) is a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Semillion that was barrel aged. A true White Bordeaux blend. Both grapes are found in bordeaux and are blended together at varying amounts to produce a variety that resembles old world France.
Haven is named after the soil that Cornell University gave to the General Soil of Long Island — well-drained and formed as very fine sandy loam after the ice age many moons ago.
On the nose I was hit a wide array of dried tropical fruit, like mango and pineapple with hints of dried apricot and peach. juicy star fruit and blanched almond lead the way with hints of banana, fig and white pepper. What mostly captivated me was this hint of asian tea.
On the palate brought flavors of grapefruit, pineapple and spice with hits of orange zest and citrus pith.
A lush and viscus mouth feel with bright acidity and nutty creaminess.
The finish brought more tea leaf aromas with a hint of nuts and spice.
There may not be too much of this left at this point, but I wanted to share this with you because when the 2010 is released and all subsequent offerings of “Haven” make sure you go out and try this.
Undertaking Wine 
I did a tasting at Shinn last month for my birthday and absolutely loved it! Can’t wait to go back for more! 🙂