Posts Tagged ‘long island’
Last-Minute Wine Gifts Under $50
Still need to pick up a nice bottle of wine for a holiday dinner or as a gift? Here are some options, all under fifty bucks.
Sandeman 10 Years Tawny Port
What better drink to enjoy by the fire after a holiday meal than a classic Port? This one has been aged for you — for at least 10 years in oak barrels — and delivers an exquisite array of berry, spice, and nut flavors on a silky texture that keeps going and going in a lush, complex finish. Drink it alone or match it with creamy cheeses, cheesecake, creme brulee.
Montes Montes Napa Angel Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
The Chilean winery’s “Purple Angel” is a scrumptious blend of Malbec and Petit Verdot, but they also produce a similarly Bordeaux-style Cabernet from California’s Napa Valley. Their “Napa Angel” has big ripe tannins and bold, full flavors that would match perfectly with prime rib, venison, and stews. Enjoyable now but will also improve with a few years’ cellaring. Oh, and the lovely angel on the label is fitting for the holiday season. Learn more about Aurelio Montes’ project in California at the Napa Angel website
Under $20
Clos de los Siete
The “flying winemaker” Michel Rolland is known for his wizardry in Bordeaux, and has taken that knowledge international. One of his most recent and most promising projects is “Clos de los Siete”, a blend of Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon that recalls Rolland’s roots in Bordeaux. Rich, layered, and complex, and at under twenty bucks it drinks like a wine twice its price. If that’s not enough, its label features a gold, seven-pointed star that looks like it belongs at the top of a Christmas tree — though I highly recommend you DO NOT attempt placing a bottle of Clos de los Siete atop one.
Macari Sette 7 NV
Another Bordeaux-style blend that will match well with beef, game, and similarly hearty holiday dishes, this comes from Long Island, New York. Its ripe tannins, black fruits, and earthy nose give this wine a “masculine” character when drunk on its own, but it softens nicely when paired with protein.
Wines for Thanksgiving: Peconic Chardonnay
Peconic Bay Winery Chardonnay “La Barrique” 2007 · North Fork, Long Island, NY, USA
We’re kicking off the annual “Wines for Thanksgiving” suggestions with this Chardonnay from Peconic Bay Winery.
This is a big flavored, fruit-forward wine that has both aromas and flavors of spicy vanilla oak, ripe pear, and honey. The honey vanilla flavor and the buttery texture meld well with the white meat and simply prepared stuffing drenched in similarly simple gravy. For a wine so ripe it finishes with little to no heat. The one thing it does finish with is a hint of tannin layered on the tongue, believe it or not.
In addition to the fact that it will go well with the traditional roast turkey and stuffing, it also happens to be from the North Fork of Long Island, NY — a fact that makes it all the more fitting, considering that the very first Thanksgiving shared by the pilgrims and indians supposedly took place in Massachusetts, only four hours away from the Peconic Bay vineyards.
You should be able to find this wine in and around the NY-metropolitan area for about $15-20. It’s also available directly from the winery.
a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-8 v-8 ~ 90 Points
Where to buy this wine
Find this wine at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap
Or, visit the Peconic Bay Winery website
More Thanksgiving wine suggestions coming soon …
Chardonnay Review: Macari Reserve
Macari Chardonnay Reserve 2007 ♦ North Fork, Long Island, NY, USA
When it comes to wines from the United States, North Fork, Long Island, New York, is not exactly mentioned in the same breath as, say, Napa Valley, but nonetheless this small region does produce drinkable and enjoyable wines. Its Northeast geography lends itself to less consistent and predictable summers, with a climate and soil type that is not necessarily ideal for “traditional” grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot. Very generally speaking, Long Island summers are better suited for varietals such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Cabernet Franc, which tend to flourish in cooler climes.
However, that doesn’t mean that more popular varietal wines can’t be made on the East Coast — there are a few top-notch wineries that are able to bottle wines that you might guess came from the “left” Coast. One such wine that might fool you is Macari Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve, a rich and luscious example that benefits from a full year in French Oak barrels — just like they do it in Napa.
Tasting Notes – Macari Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 2007
Bright, fragrant nose of tropical fruits, sweet peach, overripe pear, pineapple, banana, along with a bit of vanilla and butterscotch. In the mouth it has a sweet fruit flavor, showing ripe pear and some other white fruits. A distinct candied peach flavor arrives in the finish. Acidity is low. Texture is smooth, almost oily. Enjoyable on its own, can work with some low-fat foods.
a-8 t-8 b-7 fc-7 v-7 ~ 87 Points
Find this wine at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher, WineZap, or Vinquire
