Last Night's Bottle - Wolffer Estate 2007 Pinot Noir

The new first semester starts tomorrow & I have been drinking more this week in anticipation of what lies ahead in addition to the fact that I won't be able to check in as often once I have "real" work to do.

So for my final hurrah before the work kicks in we decided to blast open another bottle of LI's finest, the Wolffer Estate 2007 Pinot Noir.  If I'm not mistaken, this was a pickup from last year's birthday bender.

Wolffer Estate 2007 Pinot Noir

Strong mineral, spice & tobacco aromas jump from the glass and up your nose like a punch in a bar fight.  Ok, perhaps it's a bit more subtle than that.  The bouquet is lively and I'll simply leave it at that.

Smooth flavors of vanilla, oak & dark fruits lend themselves to richer than expected tannins.  A medium bodied wine with a lean long finish.

I found the wine to be somewhat lacking in texture, but the bottle still possessed admirable character.  Generally speaking, pinot tends to be a stubborn grape to harvest & perfect in winemanking.  Obviously, there are storied vineyards that have the edge over the LI offerings simply based on climate and experience alone.  But Wolffer does a fine job of producing a classy yet distinctive pinot noir on the South Fork, that's right...South Fork of the island.  For what LI wines have to offer in this category, I would rate this as a buy.  Easily this wine is better served over dinner than to hand off to those greedy guests who only stop by because they know you don't skimp out when it comes to the juice.

So until next time...wish me luck.  I'm off to learn more about how to get rich and die trying.

Cheers,
ES

http://www.wolffer.com/

Last Night's Bottle - Palmer 2007 Merlot

A few weeks ago I misplaced some notes I made about the Palmer 2007 Merlot.  And last night I discovered that we had another bottle on the rack and that it was time to do it all over again.  Then a funny thing happened on my way to the computer, I found my original notes.  The good news is that not much had changed since the last time which proves to me that I'm pretty consistent with my reviews.  As for my overall mental capacity, that remains horribly inconsistent.

Palmer 2007 Merlot

For those outside of LI, Palmer is one of the large scale premier wineries of the NoFo.  I also heard recently (within the last year) that they were currently up for sale.  Had I known, I wouldn't have spent my millions in the bars of upstate NY as an undergrad.

As for the wine.

I have found many LI wines to be especially earthy.  Obviously there is a distinct characteristic to the soil here.  But in many cases the reds seem to be under ripe.  The flavors aren't as rich as I would hope.  It's not necessarily a bad thing, it's mainly a matter of preference.

The Palmer possesses an earthy aroma with notes of plum & oak.  The wine is soft with tannins, fleshy with flinty undertones and a modest amount of acidity.

Upon final thought, I found it to be flat & somewhat simple.  The flavors were not as layered as I would have preferred.  And as previously mentioned, somewhat underdeveloped.  Having tried most if not all of the Palmer offerings I would suggest passing on the Merlot. On the other hand, I strongly recommend their Sauvignon Blanc.  It is by far one of my favorites of the East End.  And if you have the time get out to their tasting room, it too should not be missed.

Until next time...

Cheers,
ES

http://www.palmervineyards.com/

Last Night's Bottle - 2009 Cupcake Red Velvet

Sometimes I tend to be biased when it comes to wine.  It's safe to say we probably all are to some extent.  I tend towards red as opposed to white, I don't usally like wines Pindar that don't indicate what varietal they are & I almost always shy away from fancy girly names & labels.  And then there is Cupcake.  This bottle broke 2 of my 3 general rules.  But as they say, some rules are made to be broken.

While I do prefer the standards, I am not ignorant to the fact that some of the best new winemaking is heavy on blends.  Some might feel that blends might disguise the fact that the grapes used in them are not grade A.  Although a valid discussion, the casual drinker will not often find there to be a difference.  For me, it allows winemakers to get more creative and bring something to the market that you haven't already had before.

The 2009 Red Velvet may not be the holy grail of an inexpensive blend, but I assure you that you will most likely not be disappointed. This wine is a blend of 47% Zinfandel, 29% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petite Sirah.

The nose provided a mix of creamy yet jammy aromas.  Notes of cranberry, cocoa & blackberry stood out almost immediately.

The palate was strikingly similar.  Medium bodied, yet lively at the same time.  Velvety Silky texture mixed with dark fruits & mocha with an extended finish.  A well rounded wine but perhaps a touch too sweet.

I often find myself trying to place wines in their proper environment.  In this instance my vote would be for a good starting wine.  What I mean by this is that it fits in nicely at either the very beginning or end of the evening.  Not something I would encourage you to place on your dinner table, but perfectly good to hand off to your guests when they trade you their coats at door.  And no, I wouldn't dare to suggest serving it with Red Velvet cupcakes.  I'll leave that for the marketing geniuses to figure out how much raw creativity oozes from making such a statement.

And with that, I leave you. 

Until next time...

Cheers,
ES

http://www.cupcakevineyard.com/

I may have had something to drink over the holiday.

Casalini 2010 Pinot Grigio

Considering most of the holiday break was spent doing things around the house I had been neglecting the rest of the year, it wasn't quite the restful 10 days I had been hoping for.  Nevertheless, I found time to drink a bottle here & there.

The bottle was a gift and most likely a lift from our guest's own liquor cabinet.  Oh stop, we've all done this.  Re-gifting wine is as common as changing one's underpants...it happens everyday.  Moving on...

Contrary to the time of year, I was somewhat excited to enjoy a bottle of what I would typically classify a summer wine.  I drink so much of the red stuff that this was a welcome change of pace.

The Casalini was as expected.  Light & fruity (apple & lemon) with a crisp finish.  While I did find it to be a  bit flat at first, it is more obviously a fault of mine than of the wine itself.  I need a few sips to really find a wine's groove. Upon second & even thirds, there was a mildly grassy feel and even provided some of the bite I initially thought had been absent. 

Overall, I wouldn't classify this as one of the most complex wines I've ever had but it was bland fine.  Definitely not terrible.  Although, I would quickly suggest something else at this price point ($9.99).  Yet at the same time, I wouldn't expect that you would be kicked off the picnic blanket if you brought a bottle of this along to share.  Perhaps one of it's strongest qualities is that it's a screw off which makes it a little easier to pop on a whim.

I hope you all had a Happy New Year and look forward to what lies ahead.

Until next time.

Cheers,
E.S.

The LI vineyard closest to NYC is...

...Loughlin Vineyard.

I've heard the rumor of a vineyard in Sayville for a while but haven't really found the time to investigate until this past weekend.  Lucky for me I did a little research before hand or I would have never been able to find this shack in the high marsh grass of the south shore.  Now don't read that as a bad thing.  I am always up for a good adventure and this was no different.

A few traffic lights east of town, tucked away off a dirt road just north of 27A lies one of the most unexpected treasures in the quaint village of Sayville.  The family owned and operated Loughlin Vineyard has been producing a mix of red, white & blush since 1985. 

Estate grown & bottled in Sayville, the wine is strictly sold from this wood shack which is heated by an old wood burning stove and run by Mr. Loughlin himself.  With production hovering around 1000 cases per year Mr.Loughlin cheerfully proclaims, "that's why the wine is so expensive".  At $22 a bottle I'd say it was a bargain just based on the experience alone.  In addition to the non-existent tasting fee & free cup of wine "because it's the holidays".

Typically I would spend some time writing a long winded and partially inebriated review of the wines, but this is one time it has so much less to do with the product than it does the atmosphere.  On a biting cold day, walking into the charming rustic shack was shocking yet strangely homey.  Decorated with a pebble floor and some classic photos of days gone by we were immediately greeted by the old man who looks like he would rather be fishing than pouring wine into plastic cups.  Again, he could have poured me kerosene and I wouldn't have known the difference.  I was too intrigued with my surroundings.  *Don't worry, the wine was actually pretty good.

In the summer, there's a perfectly good stretch of vines with some lawn chairs scattered about for your enjoyment.  Of course there is music on the weekends & even a wooded path if you'd prefer to take in more of the Souci Lake nature preserve, but that's obviously for another day.

I suppose my only real advice is to get out and see this place for yourself.  If you're tired of the genpop madness of the NoFo, this place is the polar opposite of that.  Not a chance in hell I will give you directions because that's half the fun.  I expect that if you really want to get here, you'll figure it out on your own.

Chances are I won't be checking back in until after the holidays so I wish everyone the very best.

Happy Holidays!

-ES

http://www.loughlinvineyard.com/

Last Night's Bottle - Coppola 2009 Diamond Claret

As time goes on I'm getting much better at this.  Not the blogging, but the drinking. I used to only drink wine coolers & zima (insert sarcasm here), but now I blog about wine...go figure.

So as the title states, I popped yet another bottle of vino last night before wrapping multiple strands of white lites around the most oddly shaped Christmas tree in recent memory. I suppose I should have taken a picture to share with the group.

*This is not my tree.*

Coppola 2009 Diamond Claret

 

Winemaker's notes:

2009 was an excellent vintage that featured only light spring rain, warm summer weather and no abrupt climate changes at season's end. This allowed us to be highly selective during harvest, choosing the very best fruit only when completely ripe. The result of these amazing conditions is a perfectly balanced and elegantly textured wine with supple tannins, rich fruit concentration and alluring notes of spice and wood. It is a lovely accompaniment to filet mignon topped with bleu cheese, grilled lamb chops or truffle buttered potatoes.

My notes:

Nose consistent of fruity flavor with a helping of spice.  Well balanced & buttery with a perfect blend of acidity. Subtle oakiness (thats right I said, oakiness) with a sweetish & savory finish. $18.99

Grape for grape, Coppola puts out some of the most recognizable and well rounded wines for the value.  I rarely if ever find myself saying, "This wine kinda sucks".  While I will state that some of their pricier bottles are not that much better than their more common brands, the label itself is always a standard in my rack.

That's all for now.

Until next time,

ES

http://www.franciscoppolawinery.com/

Last Night's Bottle - Colores del Sol 2009 Malbec

The holiday season has officially begun. Last weekend turned out to be what felt like one of the longest ever with my cousin in town and I must say my old bones are still paying for it days later.  Or it could just be that I have been pre-emptively training before I dominate the holiday dinner table in two weeks. Either way, I'm psyched for the holidays.

Last night I sampled a bottle of Colores del Sol Malbec for the very first time.  I most likely bought it wandering around the wine store looking for something different to try.  This was probably one of my better blind purchases.

From the bottle:
The vineyards producing Colores del Sol, in Argentina's most famous Mendoza region, are among the highest, sunniest, and driest in the world. This memorable Malbec brims with the enticing aromas and robust flavors of dark cherry, juicy blackberry & delicate rose petals. Sweet oak & mocha notes, with hints of smoke, glide over rounded tannins for a bold , full-bodied wine.

From my senses to your eyes:
A plum, blueberry & floral nose. Initially there is a subtle sweetness with a smokey bite. Low acidity, somewhat on the lighter side, but ultimately smooth & supple on the palate with a soft finish. $6.99

I tend to be drawn to some of the S.American wines based on price alone.  And in this instance I am pleased to report that I made a fine choice.  Based on the value & quality this wine is an easy buy. For those looking at less expensive bottles, I would surely recommend the Colores del Sol.

Until next time, happy tasting!

-ES

www.coloresdelsolwines.com