ABC Wines of Long Island

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Bruno Donaggio

ABC is an anagram for “anything but Chardonnay” (or Cabernet Sauvignon). Chardonnay is one of the premier grape varietals in the world and on the east end of Long Island wine AVA, the most widely planted white grape with Sauvignon Blanc a distant second.

Many people get stuck in a rut and drink only one type of wine and that’s too bad since there are many varietals grown around the world and bottled other than Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Out on the North Fork everyone bottles some type of Chardonnay, but many wineries have a few acres of the other whites planted as well.

One Sunday afternoon I drove out East to sample a few.

One Women Winery 5195 Old North Road, Southold

Family run winery with the smallest tasting ‘shack” on the wine crawl.

2020 Gruner Veltliner

Medium gold in color, earthy and floral notes on the nose, ripe vegetal, asparagus on the fruit ending with crisp acidity.

Bedell Cellars 36225 Main Road, Cutchogue

One of the first wineries to open on the North Fork with grapevines planted in 1980. They bottle several outlier grape varietals.

2021 Viognier

Medium yellow with a greenish tint, big nose of green apples with green apple notes on the fruit ending with a nice crisp finish.

Palmer Vineyards 108 Sound Avenue, Riverhead

Another one of the original wineries out East, it was recently sold to the folks who own Paumanok Vineyards.

2022 Albariño

Medium gold, asparagus and white flowers on the nose, juicy apples on the fruit with moderate to low acidity ending with tart lime notes.

Cabernet Franc on Long Island

Posted on January 25, 2023 by Bruno Donaggio

Cabernet Franc is a vtis vinifera black grape that is an important part of the blend of Bordeaux wines. It’s also the primary grape of the Loire wines of Chinon and Bourgueil. The grape is the parent grape of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and was brought into France from the Basque region of Spain.

Out at the east end of Long Island wine country because of the growing conditions there, at one time it was touted as the grape that would put the Long Island AVA on the map.

It never dethroned Merlot as the primary red grape of the region but since it was widely planted, most wineries bottle it on its own or uses the grape in whatever Bordeaux Blend red wine they produce.

One Sunday afternoon I took a drive out to the east end wine country for a visit and sampled a few Cabernet Franc.

One Women Winery

5195 Old North Road, Southold

The one woman is Claudia Purita, the owner and wine maker at this certified sustainable winery. All the wines are from estate grown fruit. The tasting “shack” can barely hold a handful of people (a new tasting room is under renovation) but on nice days there is a patio out front to sit at.

2017 Cabernet Franc

Opaque medium brick, white pepper and crushed red fruit on the nose with bright red cherry fruit and black pepper and gun metal notes on the firm finish with silky tannins.

Roanoke Vineyards Tasting Room

165 Love Lane, Mattituck

The tasting room at the vineyard is for members only but the public is welcome to their satellite tasting room in Mattituck. It’s on Love Lane which is the shortest access between the two wine roads. A two block long business district with shops and a train station. There’s a nice deli across the street and next door to a cheese shop that serves fondue.

2020 Cabernet Franc

Clear medium red, sweet candy apple and some damp earth on the nose with silky, red leather fruit on the firm but balanced finish.

Clovis Point Winery

1935 Main Road, Jamesport

Named after the prehistoric projectile points found on the property, they have 10 acers under vine and the wines are estate grown.

2019 Cabernet Franc

Opaque black with a purple rim, big nose of toast and dark chocolate with bright black cherry and tobacco notes on the fruit ending with a good grip.

North Fork Tastings

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Bruno Donaggio

Took a drive to the North Fork wine country, was curious to try the new winery (EV&EM) that was under renovation the last time I visited the area.

Pellegrini Vineyards 23005 Main Road, Cutchogue

One of the early wineries in the area opened in 1991 with 70 acres of vines planted and a distinctive architecture for the winery and a wood beamed tasting room (with cherubs!).

2019 Stainless Steel Chardonnay

Unoaked, light gold in color with grassy cooked fruit on the nose, clean and crisp with lime notes at the finish.

EV & EM Vineyards 3165 Main Road, Laurel

Former Laurel Lake Vineyards, new owner completely renovated the tasting room. The winery was named after the owners two children, Everett and Emilia.

2019 Cabernet Franc

Clear dark brick with an amber rim with tobacco and green olives on the nose, silky red fruit, chewy and dusty with nice balance.

Paumanok Vineyards

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Bruno Donaggio

1074 Main Road (Rt 25), Aquebogue

Paumanok Vineyards is one of the original founding fathers of the North Shore Long Island wine industry. It was founded in 1983 by Ursula and Charles Massoud.

It’s the first winery you run into on the North Shore wine route (Main Road) as you are travelling Eastbound.

They are an under the radar winery that have been pumping out drinkable wine for years, they are one of the few wineries growing and bottling a Chenin Blanc.

The sunny tasting room overlooks the vineyard, and not surprisanly, the winery facilities are in a converted barn.

On this visit I decide to sample a couple of red.

2019 Estate Cabernet Franc

100% Cabernet Franc. Opaque black with a purple rim, crushed raspberry and bacon fat on the nose, juicy, silky dark fruit with some black licorice notes on the finish. Moderate tannins and acids, very drinkable.

2019 Estate Petit Verdot

100% Petit Verdot. Opaque black in color with crushed rocks and spicy crushed black fruit on the nose, tart black fruit followed by firm tannins.

Macari Vineyards

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Bruno Donaggio

Macari Vineyards in located in the North Fork of Long Island wine country at 150 Bergen Avenue in Mattituck. That’s right off of Sound Avenue which is one of the two main roads along with Route 25 (Main Road) of the North Fork wine trail.

It’s a three-generation family run winery that was started by Joseph T. Macari in 1995 who purchased an old potato farm. They do have another tasting room off the main road in Cutchogue but that seems to be closed most of the time.

On the afternoon I visited I noticed an unusual bottle sitting on the tasting table and decided to give it a try.

2020 “Horses” Cabernet Franc

This is a Pet-Nat (petillant naturel) wine topped with a metal stopper. Clear bright dark red in color with a light fizz to it and was earthy and crisp on the palate.

2017 Y. Rousseau Single Vineyard Tannat

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Bruno Donaggio

This wine is not something you see coming out of California very often, a wine from the Tannat grape varietal. The grape is native to the French Basque region in the southwest part of the country and grown in Gascony in the Madiran AOC.

It’s been grown in California for over a hundred year used primarily as a blending grape to beef up wines. It’s gotten a foot hold in Paso Robles but this version is grown in the tiny Clarksburg AVA which is West of Napa Valley and about an hours drive North of Lodi.

Yannick Rousseau, a French native born in Gascony is the owner/winemaker.

2017 Y. Rousseau Tannat, Clarksburg, California

A blend of 90% Tannat and 10% Syrah. Opaque dark purple to black with crushed blueberries, menthol and sage on the nose, juicy black fruit finishing with dark citrus notes, mouth coating tannins and moderate acidity.

McCall Winery

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Bruno Donaggio

McCall Wines 22600 Main Road, Cutchogue

McCall began producing wine in 2007. A couple of unique things about this winery are that they have 11 acres of Pinot Noir planted which is one of the biggest Pinot Noir vineyards on the East coast and that in addition to growing grapes, they also are a cattle ranch raising grass-fed Charolais cattle, which is an historic breed from France.

The tasting room is in a rustic former potato barn not too far from the huge wine turbine they have on property.

2016 Chardonnay “Reserve”

Dark gold in color with an aromatic nose of tropical fruits, big bodied with honey, melon, pineapple and mouth filling glycerin on the finish with some nice acidity at the end. Starting to show its age but still very drinkable in an old school California full bodied style.

2016 Cabernet Franc

Clear medium brick in color with an amber rim, black cherry and sweet spice on the nose with tar, leather and black fruit ending with some tart notes on the finish.

Clovis Point Winery

Posted on April 11, 2021 by Bruno Donaggio

Clovis Point Winery 1935 Main Road, Jamesport

Clovis Point Winery is one of the 3rd tier wineries that were opened after the start of the new millennium with about 10 acres of vines planted

They’re an under the radar winery making some very nice wines and on a sunny weekday afternoon, I stopped in to their barn tasting room overlooking the vineyards and sampled of couple of those wines.

2019 Sauvignon Blanc

Medium gold with lime and melon on the nose, medium fruit with citrus, spice, grassy notes and nice acidity on the finish. Nicely balanced.

2016 Merlot: 85% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Syrah, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot.

Opaque dark red with a purple rim, dusty plum, dark chocolate and black cherry on the nose, medium juicy fruit with dark chocolate notes on the finish, great balance with a long finish.

2016 Acacia Vineyards Pinot Noir Thornton Vineyard

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Bruno Donaggio

Now that the weather is warming up it’s almost Rosé season but in the meantime I’ll start with lighter bodied reds which often mean some Pinot Noir.

Acacia is a winery in the Carneros district of Sonoma county in California which bottle vineyard designated Pinot Noir.

2016 Acacia Pinot Noir Thornton Vineyard

Clear medium to light red in color, warm black plum, tree bark and red cherry on the nose, red leather, black cherry and cola notes on the silky red fruit with a nicely balanced, long spicy finish. Really nice, enjoyable glass of wine.

Touring Long Island Wine Country

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Bruno Donaggio

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With the lockdown edicts still in effect, travelling to Long Island wine country, not surprisingly, hasn’t been the same. Some tasting rooms are more restrictive than others and there is only so much hummus and potato chips I can eat in one day. So I enjoy driving around wine country and taking in the scenery and taking photos of interesting things. Last time out those interesting things were barns. Instead of stopping at multiple wineries I just stopped at one on the way back to the LIE to have a glass for the road.

Sherwood House Vineyards 1291 Main Road, Jamesport

One of the first wineries you run into travelling East on the main road, it’s connected to an antique shop with many of the shops artwork scattered around the grounds. The tasting room is very winter friendly with comfortable couches, a roaring fireplace and nice wine glasses.

2016 Oregon Road Cabernet Franc

Made from estate grown grapes. Medium brick in color with black pepper on the nose, medium to light bodied with some tar notes, black pepper and licorice on the balanced finish. Nice glass of wine.

2016 Oregon Road Red Blend

A blend of estate grown Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium brick in color, crushed red berries and anise on the nose, tight bright red fruit with a mouthful of tannin and a firm finish. I thought it was a little one dimensional.

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