Dan’s Papers February 25, 2011 danspapers.com Page 27
NORTH FORK OVER THE BARREL
by Lenn Thompson
A Look at Long Island’s Premium Reds Over the next several columns, I’m planning to take a look at several categories and groups of Long Island wines – price points, styles, etcetera – to highlight some of my current personal favorites. This week, we’ll take a look at three of Long Island’s best splurge-worthy red wines. These wines aren’t priced for everyday drinking (at least I can’t afford to drink them every day), but they are worth the splurge. Not surprisingly, they all come from the hot, dry 2007 vintage. Long Island wines are not cheap – and likely never will be. Land is expensive here. And the types of hands-on, meticulous vineyard techniques necessary to make the region’s best wines are costly.
Long Island will never compete with some of the hot-weather regions of the world. If you’re used to drinking $9 Chilean cabs or Aussie Shiraz – and happy doing it – Long Island wine prices will seem high. If you’re happy drinking those $10-and-under wines, keep drinking them, but you’re going to miss out not only on local wines, but also the great wines of Burgundy, Barolo, Chateauneuf du Pape and many more. Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Tuthills Lane Vineyard Merlot ($60) Intense aromas of blueberry, black cherry and black plum fruit are accented by vanilla bean, sassafras, violets and speck. Bold, but well balanced on the palate, there are gobs of dark fruit here – blueberry, plum, cherry and even a little fig – with layers of cola and spice, vanilla, violets and cured/smoked meat. The spiciness leans toward the exotic, with sassafras, coriander seed and sumac. The real star here is this wine’s structure. The tannins are substantial, but also incredibly ripe, providing some serious grip without being hard or harsh. The finish is long and marked by a certain freshness as well as spicy-floral flavors. Macari Vineyards 2007 Bergen Road ($46) is a Bordeaux-style blend that shows off the ripeness of the 2007 vintage without going over the top with extraction or new oak. Intense aromas of black
plum, blueberry and blueberry compote burst from glass with lavender-rosemary herbal notes, sweet red cherry, bittersweet chocolate and espresso. On the palate it’s medium-to-full bodied, but again not overly extracted with ripe, fine-grained tannins providing a nice foundation for more ripe dark fruit and sweet herbal flavors. With a bit of air, the midpalate displays a distinct earthiness that leads into a long cherry skin finish touched with coffee and chocolate. Drink now – but decant – or nestle it into your cellar for a few years. Roanoke Vineyards 2007 Blend One ($44) is another blend, with scents of blackberry, currant and sweet cherries made more interesting with subtle notes of dried herb, spicy oak, loamy earth and even a little caramel buried in the nose. The full-but-balanced palate is ripe with well-integrated but still grippy tannins framing a core of intense, dark, almost-sweet fruit, caramel-vanilla oak and classic Long Island herb-earth components. The finish is long and a little spicy. There’s not enough room in this column to list all the splurge-worthy wines available today, but some of the others include Shinn Estate Vineyards 2007 Nine Barrels Merlot, Bedell Cellars 2007 Musee, Clovis Point 2007 Vintner’s Select Merlot, Pellegrini Vineyards 2006 Reserve and Peconic Bay Winery 2007 Lowerre Family Estate.
JAZZ DISCUSSION – 1 p.m., “Inside the “Out” side of Jazz” Series with Ed Green. Moderator Steve Watson, “Ellington, Jazz, the Opposites – and You.” Southampton Cultural Center, 25 Pond Ln., Southampton. 631-287-4377, scc-arts.org. Free. NAUTIQUE JAZZ & BLUES – 1-5 p.m., featuring Kerry Kearney. Peconic Bay Winery. Cutchogue. 631-734-7361. peconicbaywinery.com. Free. WINE ROUNDTABLE – 2:30-4:30 p.m., Lenz Winery, 38355 New York 25, Peconic. The Wine Explorer Series presents “Wines You Can’t Pronounce,” three flights of wines to taste and critique in 90 minutes. $50, Lenz subscribers $45. Bread, cheese and water also served. Reservations suggested. 631-734-6010. JAZZ ON THE VINE – 4:30 p.m., featuring Ahmad Ali, Sherwook House Vineyard, 1291 Main Rd. Jamesport. 631779-2817, sherwoodhousevineyards.com. $10 includes 2 hours of music and a glass of wine. WINTERFEST JAZZ – 4:30, featuring Groove Gumbo @ the Pavilion. Martha Clara Vineyards, 6025 Sound Ave., Riverhead. 631-298-0075. marthaclaravineyrds.com. $10 includes 2 hours of music and a glass of wine. LONG ISLAND COMEDY FESTIVAL – 8 p.m. Featuring Paul Anthony, Eric Tartaglione, Chris Roach and Harrison Greenbaum. Martha Clara Vineyards, 6025 Sound Ave., Riverhead. 631-298-0075. Licomedyfest.com. $20 in advance, $25 at door. MORE JAZZ – 1-5 p.m., featuring M. Stuck on Jazz. Sparkling Pointe Winery, 39750 County Road 48, Southold. 631-765-0200. sparklingpointe.com. Free SINGER/GUITARIST – 1-5 p.m, featuring Ken Sambolin, Duck Walk (Vineyards) North, 44535 Main Rd., Southold, 631-765-3500. Free. BACKYARD BIRDCOUNT – 2 p.m. North Fork Audubon Society presents Cornell & Audubon’s Great Backyard Birdcount for Families & Teens. Red House Nature Center, Inlet Pond County Park, Greenport. Join thousands of other observers across North America to count birds for Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Last year over 63,000 people in the US and Canada participated. Register at 631-804-2713. Free. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27 LIVE JAZZ – 1-5 p.m., featuring Gravity. Sparkling Pointe Winery, 39750 County Road 48, Southold. 631-765-0200. sparklingpointe.com. Free. SUNDAY UNPLUGGED – 2-4 p.m. with Robert Bruey. Peconic Bay Winery. Cutchogue. 631-734-7361. peconicbaywinery.com. Free. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 REIKI CIRCLES – Last Mon. of every month. Grace Episcopal Church. Meetings are held at the Peconic Bay
Medical Center, 1300 Roanoke Ave., Riverhead. 631-727-2072,
North Fork Events Kid Calendar pg: 31 Arts & Galleries Listings pg: 34 Day by Day Calendar pg: 39 LAST CHANCE: ADVANCE TICKETS – 2/25 last day for discount tickets to March 4 Red Dress Dinner. Eighth annual benefit for the American Heart Association. The Inn at East Wind, Wading River. “Just for Ladies” and “please wear special occasion red.” Includes one complimentary cocktail, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, DJ and more. Reddress2011@aol.com, 516-450-9121. $65 now; $75 at the door. SEAL CRUISES – Offered by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation. 631-369-9840, riverheadfoundation.org. COMING SOON – 3/12, 7 p.m. “Ocean’s of Hope,” an evening honoring Mark Miller of Miller Environmental Group. Atlantis Marine World, 431 East Main St., Riverhead. Includes dining, cocktails, dancing, silent auction. Sponsorships available. 631-369-9840. Tickets $150. SCHOOL EMPLOYEES DISCOUNT – Through February show your school employee I.D. and receive a free wine flight and 15% off. Martha Clara Vineyards, 6025 Sound Ave., Riverhead. 631-298-0075. marthaclaravineyards.com THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 COME TO TAIZE– 7 p.m., Spiritual Renewal Center at First Parish Church, UCC. 5267 Sound Ave (Route 48) on the corner of Church Ln. across from the Grange Hall in Northville (Riverhead). Contact Pastor Dianne Rodriguez, 631-608-3827. Free will donation. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 SAVE THE GRANGE LECTURE – 6:30 p.m. “Messages from Water,” lecture by Susan Friedman. The Grange on Sound Ave., Northwille (Riverhead). Doors open at 6 p.m. with banjo music by Warren McNight. Hosted by Jeff Frank, founder of the Nature Lyceum, and featuring refreshments. Donations go to “Save the Grange” for repairs on historic community building. 631-728-0218, thenaturelyceum.org. Free. WINTERFEST JAZZ WARM-UP – 7 p.m., featuring the King Scallop Ensemble. Hilton Garden Inn, 2038 Old Country Rd., Riverhead. 631-727-2733, liwinterfest.com. Free. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 VINES & CANINES – 11 a.m., Martha Clara Vineyards, 6025 Sound Ave., Riverhead. Bring your dog for a walk through the vineyard with one of the winemakers. A donation of a non-perishable dog food item will be given to select animal shelter foundations. 631-298-0075.
TUESDAY, MARCH 1 OPEN ARTS STUDIO/EAST END ARTS COUNCIL – 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., every Tuesday. 133 East Main St., Riverhead. Tables, chairs and cleanup sinks will be provided. Members, please bring your own materials. Meet other artists and have some fun working together. 631-369-2171. eeac.org LIVE MIC NIGHT – 7 p.m., MC and host Rocky Divello. Every Tuesday at Martha Clara Vineyards, 6025 Sound Ave., Riverhead. Bring your own dinner and friends! 631-298-0075. marthaclaravineyrds.com. Free. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 SOUP KITCHEN – Free soup kitchen for those in need. 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Weds. St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church Parish Hall. Sixth St., Greenport. 631-765-2981.
Newsday Rated #3 Fine Dining Top Ten 2009
THE MANOR JOINS LENZ ON TOUR
Lenz on Tour Prix Fixe Offered March 4 - March 13
$60 per person - $55 Lenz Wine Club Members Warm Stilton Blue Cheese Pear Halves Lenz 2007 Gold Label Chardonnay Roasted Garlic Crusted Rack of New Zealand Lamb Lenz 2005 Merlot-Cabernet Franc Valrhona Chocolate Terrine Lenz 2007 Blanc de Noir
3-Course Winter Prix Fixe • Sun.-Thurs. $35 per person Visit jamesportmanor.com for complete menus Serving Lunch and Dinner Daily Reservations 722-0500 or opentable.com 370 Manor Lane, Jamesport
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For more events happening this week, check out: