My wife, Sandy and I, spent the long 4th of July weekend on Long Island. The main purpose of the trip was to see my mother in law, but a trip to the island wouldn’t be complete without spending a day tasting wine in the Long Island Wine Country.
Long Island, just east of Manhattan is 125 miles long and about 25 miles wide. It is comprised of Brooklyn, Queens, and Nassau and Suffolk counties. About 80 miles towards the east end, the island splits into a North Fork about 30 miles long and the South Fork about 45 miles long. Each fork is about 10 miles wide. The South Fork has long been the famous place where “the beautiful people” visit and live during the summer. Everyone has heard of “The Hamptons”; well that’s where it is. The North Fork had always been an agricultural area famous for it’s “pick it yourself” farms. Until now!
In the early 70’s, the Hargrave family planted the first vines and the rest is history. The Hargrave Vineyard is now the Castello di Borghese Vineyard, owned by Prince Marco Borghese a direct descendant of the medieval Borghese’s of Rome, hence, the Prince before his name. Long Island now has about 60 vineyards and 38 wineries producing over 500,000 cases of exceptional wines from 20 varietals, for a total of about 3000 acres of grapes. The terrior is famous for it’s Pinot Noirs and Merlots. (Note: NY is the third largest wine growing state in the country.)
Robert Parker and others might disagree but I am going to list MY top 5 wineries of “The Long Island Wine Country”.
5. Bedell Cellars – (www.bedellcellars.com) 57 acres. It has long been famous for it’s Bordeaux style merlot blends. The winemaker is John Levenberg of Napa’s Paul Hobbs Winery. The consulting oenologist is Pascal Marty, formerly of Chateau Mouton Rothschild. I particularly like their 2001 Reserve Merlot. It sells for around $30.
4. Osprey’s Dominion – (www.ospreysdominion.com) 90 acres. Just distinguished as “The Winery of the Year” at the New York State Wine and Food Competition, with 7 medals for 7 entries including “Best Red” for it’s Cabernet Franc. The winemaker is Adam Supernant. Memorable among their wines are their Meritage, their Cabernet Franc and my favorite, their 2002 Reserve Merlot ($30).
3. Raphael Vineyards – (www.raphaelwine.com) 60 acres. Raphael’s is, by far, the most beautiful of all the estates in the North Fork. One might say it’s the “Ferrari-Carano of Long Island”. It is owned by the Petrocelli family and is named for their father. It was established in 1996, still relatively new, but is one of the finest. The winemaker is Richard Olsen-Harbich and they use Paul Pontallier, of Chateau Margaux, as a consulting oenologist. They are one of the few estates that hand-harvest 100% of it’s crop. They produce about 5,000 cases a year. They, according to their ads, are dedicated to producing a world-class merlot. After tasting their 2001 First Label Merlot, I believe they have succeeded. It is $30, but was on sale for the weekend for 2 bottles for $50.
2. Castello di Borghese – (www.castellodiborghese.com) 85 acres. As stated before, this is the vineyard credited with founding the Long Island wine industry. Their winemaker is Stan Schumacher. They are famous for their Merlots and their Pinot Noirs. Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate said their Merlots have "beautifully textured flavors and [a] clean, rich finish suggested by one of Bordeaux's finest St. Juliens." After tasting their Pinot Noir, Paul Marks, Wine Critic of the Boston Globe said "this is what California and Oregon ought to be making." I can tell you that I loved their 2001 Reserve Pinot Noir, more than reasonably priced at $38. Also notable was their 2002 Reserve Cabernet Franc. ($32)
1. Lenz Winery – (www.lenzwine.com) 68 acres. One of the oldest wineries on the North Fork, it was established in 1978. It is noted for it’s Pinot Noir, yet has only 3 acres planted. They are also noted for their Merlot, amazingly only 9 acres planted. Quoted from their website, ”Lenz merlots have been singled out ever since the 1985 vintage, but it was the 1993 vintage, however, that showed what the region can do with this variety. Lenz 1993 Merlot has stood comparison with the acknowledged best merlots in the world, from France (Chateau Petrus) and California (Duckhorn). From this vintage on, the Lenz merlots, all estate grown and bottled, reach a new level of intense concentration, rich complexity and varietal character. We generally blend some cabernet franc and a small percentage of cabernet sauvignon into the merlot. Interestingly, our merlot needs cabernet to soften it and round it out. Unlike in other regions, we find the cabernet to be softer than the merlot. This will sound like a role reversal to French and California producers.” In a recent professional blind tasting (held at the New York Yacht Club on March 15, 2006), the 2000 vintage Lenz Old Vines Merlot compared very favorably with a Chateau Petrus from the same 2000 vintage. Details of the tasting are on the Lenz website. See photo. Details missing from the photo (behind a big head):
Chateau Petrus Score 91.9 $2,650 per bottle
Lenz Old Vines Merlot Score 90.9 $55 per bottle
The Long Island Wine Country was an eye opener. If you are ever in the area, don’t miss a chance to try some of their fine wines. Due to recent changes in regulations, you can now order wines from most of the New York wineries. “Uncork New York”.
