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Channing Daughters Winery's winemaker, Chris Tracy, is a magician with white wines. For the most part though, I find his reds a notch or (and sometimes two) below the level of those beautiful whites. He's no less creative with the reds though.

Take this Channing Daughters Winery 2005 MUDD ($40) a blend of 48% merlot (from Sam McCullough’s Vineyard in Aquebogue), 36% cabernet sauvignon (from Mudd Vineyard in Southold) and 16% Blaufrankisch (from CDW's estate in Bridgehampton).

I don't know many winemakers who would take a Bordeaux-styled blend of merlot and cabernet and throw 16% Blau, which is most commonly known as Lembeger in the U.S., into it, but Chris did. While this wine did spend 21 months in barrel, only 25% was new oak (50% in one-year oak and 25% in neutral oak). A combination of French, Hungarian and American oak was used.

The result is a smooth, supple wine with an interesting, complex nose with aromas of sugar plum, cherry, cinnamon, black pepper, cured meat and cocoa powder. Tasting this wine over the course of two days, it was interesting to see how each of those compoments stepped forward and then back at different times.

Medium-light in body, the tannins are low here, but food-friendly acidity brings just enough structure. The flavors closely match the nose -- plums, cherries and spice -- with a minerally, meaty note that appears right after the sweet cherry/raspberry mid-palate and carries through to the medium finish where just a little raw oak creeps in with all that spice.

There is a lot to like here, especially if you like what Blaufrankisch brings to the table like I do, but for $40 I think most people want a bit more structure and longevity. I'd recommend drinking this over the next year or three. 120 cases were made.

Producer: Channing Daughters Winery
AVA: Long Island
ABV: 12.5%
Price: $40
Rating:  (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)

(Ratings Guide)

After weeks (maybe months) of preparation (much more than I ever anticipated), I'm finally ready, willing and able to announce the newest endeavor I've undertaken -- TasteCamp EAST 2009, a wine blogger event that will bring more than a dozen wine bloggers to Long Island wine country May 1-3 this spring.

The concept for TasteCamp is a simple one: getting enthusiastic bloggers together in a region that is new to them to taste as much wine as possible and speak to as many winemakers as possible over the course of a weekend. Most smaller, lesser-known wine regions in the world would love to get their wines in front of bloggers, but with TasteCamp, the bloggers will go to them.

So, in partnership with the Wine Bloggers Conference folks, TasteCamp was created by yours truly and a small band of fellow bloggers, including Melissa, Erika, John and Becky.

With me at the helm, it should come as no surprise that we're doing the first one right here on Long Island, with plans to hold the event in the Finger Lakes and Virginia over the next couple of years.

The idea behind adding "EAST" to the end of the name is that if people want to take the concept and run with it in their respective locales, they should. I'd love to know that someone wants to plan TasteCamp NORTH up in Michigan wine country, or maybe TasteCamp SPAIN. Are you listening Catavino? These events are meant to be for wine bloggers, by wine bloggers. And to be about the wines.

Anyway, back to this year's event...

When I first started knocking the idea around in my head, and anyone who knows me knows that I'm a man of a million ideas (follow through is sometimes an issue, however), I thought I'd be lucky to get a half dozen bloggers to say "yes," come to Long Island, and spend the weekend tasting.

But before I knew it, through inviting a few East Coast WBC 08 alums and some other East Coast wine bloggers, we were completely booked before I even had a chance to write this post!

That's the downside to the first one -- we're still getting our feet wet with this and Long Island wine country is a relatively small strip of land. We just had to cap it at 30 people. For that, I apologize. (If you'd like to come to TasteCamp EAST 2010, shoot me an email and we'll get you on the invite list.)

For 2009, the festivities will start Friday, May 1 with a reception and dinner at Raphael, co-sponsored by Raphael and the Long Island Merlot Alliance. The plans are still forming, but it looks like we'll be the first to taste a couple single-vineyard sauvignon blancs from Raphael and also get a preview of LIMA's 2006 Merliance as part of a three-year vertical of that co-produced wine.

The plans for Saturday, May 2 are still coming together, but I can tell you that we'll be making visits to five different wineries, including lunch at Shinn Estate Vineyard, which will featured the wines of and be co-hosted by Shinn Estate Vineyards, Jamesport Vineyards and Macari Vineyards. After lunch, I'm hoping that, in conjuntion with the Long Island Wine Council, we'll be able to give wineries that we won't have time to visit a chance to pour for the group.

I'm sure that a lot of people will be traveling back home early on Sunday May 3, but we'll be shooting down to the South Fork of Long Island, aka the Hamptons, to visit Wolffer Estate and Channing Daughters Winery as well. For the beer lovers in the group, we may even stop off at Southampton Publick House on our way back west.

Keep an eye out for more details as they are worked out. And again, I really am sorry that we can't accept any more attendees!

Special thanks go out to PJ Sedgwick, a friend of mine (even if she doesn't drink wine) who created the TasteCamp EAST logo.

The official announcement is coming later this week, but I've just learned that Clovis Point has decided to become the newest member of the Long Island Merlot Alliance (LIMA).

LIMA was formed in 2005 to develop quality standards in the production of classically-styled Long Island merlot and to establish Long Island as the leading region for merlot in the New World. To date, LIMA has been rather quite on the public scene, focusing on vineyard research and conducting tastings to identify the qualities that help define "typical" Long Island merlot.

The group, which includes Raphael, Pellegrini Vineyards, Sherwood House Vineyards, and Wolffer Estate Vineyard, also co-produces a 100% merlot wine each year, named Merliance.

I know that the group has been working to grow membership, but the going has been slow. Hopefully this is just the first of many new members.

Robert Parker's Bitch from Josh Hermsmeyer on Vimeo.

Here in New York, we don't really need to worry about Robert Parker or James Laube -- they don't taste NY wines for their respective publications. For Parker's Wine Advocate, David Schildknecht covers New York and for the Wine Spectator, people like Thomas Matthews, Mitch Frank and James Molesworth taste and write about the wines of New York. 

Still, this video put together by Tina Caputo of  Vineyard and Winery Management should be of interest to anyone who drinks or makes wine. And of course I'd be remiss not to give my buddy Josh Hermsmeyer a shout out for his contribution. Love the t-shirt.

Maybe one day NY winemakers will have to get "Lenn Thompson's Bitch" t-shirts made?

No chance. Even if I did hold any weight in the industry, I like balance, elegance and terroir, the types of wines that I hope winemakers like to make for themselves, not for anyone else.

I think that Vignoles, a French-American hybrid grape, gets a bum rap. Sure maybe Ravat 51, as it is often called (J.F. Ravat was the creator), probably does its best work in late harvest/dessert-style wines. Take high sugar and natural acidity and add tight clusters that make it susceptible to noble rot and you have a grape well suited to sweet dessert wines that are well balanced and even complex. But Vignoles isn't a one-trick pony.

While it's true that Vignoles is never going to have the elegance, delicacy or grace of a well-made riesling, this Keuka Lake Vineyards 2007 Reserve Vignoles ($18) was the standout at a recent tasting of Finger Lakes whites.

It pours a pale yellow and the nose is rich and fruity with intense ripe (almost over-ripe) pear aromas mingling with those of musk melon and peach skin. A faint, distant note of gravelly minerals never really stepped forward, but really added to the complexity.

Medium-to-full bodied, the palate is similarly ripe and intense. The musk melon flavors come first, with the pear flavors emerging more on the mid-palate. The naturally bright acidity of Vignoles is there every step of the way, from the attack all the way through to a long, peachy finish that ends with a flavor that reminds me of the way my parents old gravel driveway smelled after a summer rain storm.

This is a wine that I'd love to pour for anybody who scoffs at the ability crosses and hybrids to make delicious, balanced wines.

Producer: Keuka Lake Vineyards
AVA: Finger Lakes
Price: $18
ABV: 12.5%
Rating: (3 out of 5 | Recommended)

(Ratings Guide)

As much as I love the Gewurztraminer grape, I've never tasted a Traminette (a cross of Gewurzt with the French-American hybrid Joannes Seyve 23.416) that I cared for. Yes, there is a lot of Gewurztraminer character in most, but something is always missing for me.

This McGregor Vineyard 2007 Traminette ($16) showed great potential on the nose. It was floral, but reservedly so, with lychee and loads of spice character. Would this be the first Traminette to prove me wrong?

Sadly, no. The palate shows nice, ripe pear, apple and more of that delicious gingery-spice. The flavors, on the whole, are nice, even if the palate is a bit too floral.

But the mid-palate is just a bit flat, and would be almost flabby if not for decent acidity that keeps it near-clean. The finish is long and tropical, but a bit too sweet as well, which is a surprise given only 1% RS.

Producer: McGregor Vineyard
AVA: Finger Lakes
Price: $16
ABV: 11.8%
RS: 1.00%
Rating:    (2 out of 5 | Average)

(Ratings Guide)

April 4 and 5, Jim Waters, winemaker and co-owner of Waters Crest Winery will host two-session home wine making course.  

Jim started out as a home winemaker and he definitely knows his stuff. If you've ever thought about making wine at home, I can think of few better sources for knowledge and expertise.

The sessions run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days and the $400 cost (a spring discount from $450) includes everything you need to make 5 gallons of wine and a copy of The Art of Wine Making.

Jim's facilities are on the small side, so space is limited. Call 631-734-5065 or email info@waterscrest.com to save your seat.

It snuck up on me and then past me yet again. LENNDEVOURS turned 5 yesterday.

When I think about this blog, what it started out as, and look at what it's become, I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was excited when someone (other than a friend or family member) commented on something I had written here.

Actually, it was just yesterday. I love when a winemaker chimes in to tell us more about how he or she made a wine and what framed the decisions. I love when someone tells me that they liked a wine that I didn't, or vice versa. And most of all, I still love when people challenge what I (or one of my contributors) have written.

If everyone agreed, would wine be any fun?

I just thanked everyone responsible for the success of this site
so I won't take up any more editorial space. But, thank you again. And here's to another 5, 10 or 50 years of LENNDEVOURS.

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent

Some of the best winemakers in the Finger Lakes are now making vineyard-specific wines, providing consumers with more information about what they're drinking, and allowing consumers to compare the different qualities delivered by different sites. Sounds like exactly what the Finger Lakes needs, right?

Well, to a point.

First, the good news: Many of the single-vineyard wines released from the 2007 vintage are intensely distinctive, and they stand as the model for what single-vineyard wines should be. They come from a perspicacious trio, three winemakers who prioritize site selection.

LENNDEVOURS readers already know about our high regard for the Ravines 2007 Argetsinger Vineyard Dry Riesling. Hot on the heels of that wine come a pair of single-vineyard gewurztraminers from Red Newt and a series of single-vineyard rieslings from Hermann Wiemer. If you're interested in magazine scores, it's worth noting that Red Newt's 2007 Sawmill Creek Gewurztraminer cracked the 89-point barrier in Wine Spectator with a score of 90, and the 2007 Curry Creek Gewurztraminer (which winemaker Dave Whiting says will ultimately be a better wine) grabbed 89 points. And I had the chance to not only taste the Wiemer 2007 wines, but winemaker Fred Merwarth tasted me through the 2008s in tank (and still fermenting). I was inspired by how much individuality each wine was already showing.

For Merwarth, this is a natural next step.

"Hermann sought out special places to grow grapes, and we want to show our customers what each site brings to the table," he says, noting that he and Wiemer spent the past decade separating the juice by vineyard in individual tanks. "Magdalena is one of the warmest mesoclimates in the Finger Lakes, and it makes a richer wine than the HJW Vineyard. Magdalena is always going to give you this juicy wine that is balanced with acidity. The HJW is almost cutting with its minerality. We think people will enjoy finding the differences, and it helps them identify which profile they might prefer."

Whiting has been thinking about taking this step for a while at Red Newt.

"I can stand in a vineyard, throw a stone fifty feet, and where it lands will give me an entirely different profile of wine," Whiting says. He's particularly excited about Curry Creek, which might end up with a kind of "Grand Cru" status for Finger Lakes gewurztraminer. "That wine should age really nicely. We think we've found quite a unique place for that grape."

At Ravines, Hallgren offers a cautionary note: "I don't want single-vineyard designation to lose its meaning through dilution," he says. "Right now it's heading in a good direction. Red Newt and Hermann Wiemer do things the right way. But I hope the entire region doesn't see it as a trend to make more money. If people start making single-vineyard wines simply to command a higher price, the concept will be as meaningless as 'reserve' wines. Single-vineyard should mean something. The winemaker should be able to explain to you why the site is special, and what sets it apart."

Merwarth points out that there are almost certainly special sites in the Finger Lakes that have yet to be discovered. "Morten's absolutely right. The search is far from over, but that doesn't mean we should see a bunch more every year. The baseline for a single-vineyard wine has to be a repeatable profile. You've got to know what you expect from that site, cause if it's always changing, there's no reason for your customers to trust you."

Single-vineyard wines offer an exciting glimpse into the intricacies of our sense of place, and that's because the people making them have patiently scoured the region for the best locations. For now, it is a slow-developing trend to be celebrated.

What single-vineyard wines am I missing? What single-vineyard wines have you tried? If you'll excuse me, I'm off to uncork the 2007 Hermann Wiemer Magdalena Dry Riesling and the 2007 Hermann Wiemer HJW Dry Riesling. I can't wait to discover and enjoy the difference over tonight's dinner.

Alie Shaper, proprietor of Brooklyn Oenology one of a couple wineries popping up in Brooklyn, sent me an email over the weekend letting me know that she's joined the wine blogosphere and is even posting some video to her blog. The one above is from the New York Wine Expo a few weeks ago. 

By the way, Alie makes her wines out here in Mattituck at Premium Wine Group with fruit she buys from the North Fork. One of the coolest things about BOE is their wine labels, which feature artwork from Brooklyn artists and are printed as stickers that can be removed very easily from the bottles.

Welcome to the blog world, Alie.

Just a quick video, compliments of assistant winemaker Peter Becraft, of the bottling line at Anthony Road Winery.

This is the bottling of their 2007 cabernet franc-Lemberger blend.

I'm definitely not one of those wine writer-types who dismisses hybrid grapes. I've had some terrific wines made from Vidal. Have enjoyed several different styles of Vignoles. And, I even like Seyval Blanc when it's done well.

Some winemakers treat Seyval a bit too much like chardonnay for my liking, aging it in oak, which just isn't a good idea. Others leave a significant amount of residual sugar in the finished wine, trying to appeal to the white zinfandel set. Jeff Dencenburg, winemaker at McGregor, did a little of both with this McGregor Vineyard 2007 "Emery Vineyards" Seyval Blanc ($16), but he didn't overdue either.

This wine was partially fermented in French oak barrels, was blended with 20% chardonnay, and has 1.25% residual sugar.

So pale that its nearly colorless in the glass (all of the McGregor whites I've had recently were like this), the nose is rather neutral with overripe pear and subtle hints of oak-spice.

There is a bit more flavor on a medium-bodied palate, still led by pear and apple flavors. There's a bit of citrus here too and some definite spice that comes from that barrel fermentation. That residual sugar is balanced fairly well by acidity -- only really peeking through on the mid-palate -- and the wine finishes citrusy and clean, if a bit short. I've had far worse Seyval, but I've had better too.

Grapes: 80% Seyval Blanc, 20% chardonnay
Producer: McGregor Vineyard
AVA: Finger Lakes
Price: $16
ABV: 11.6%
RS: 1.25%
Rating:    (2 out of 5 | Average)

(Ratings Guide)

"Man, these California wines suck!"

Last fall at the 2008 Wine Bloggers Conference, that quote could be attributed to me regularly. It was something I said out loud, in an exaggerated manner -- mostly to make my fellow wine bloggers laugh. And it worked. Lots of laughs, eye rolls and comments about thin, underripe reds from New York.

I mean, they know me as the New York wine guy, so why not play that up by putting down those overripe, overoaked high-alcohol cocktail wines from California?

Oops, I did it again.

All jokes aside, not all California wines suck. They sell way too much of it -- some at incredibly high prices -- for that to be true. There must be something worth while. What is it about these wines that people love so much?

I don't know. But I want to at least attempt to find out.

And, I'm going with the King of all California wines, Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon. I'm soliciting recommendations from all of my bloggers/Twitter/wine friends for their favorite Napa cabs $50 and under. I know, this excludes the big boys that get the high-90s scores from the glossy publications, but hey, these are tough financial times for everyone.

So, if you have a favorite Napa cab that is $50 or less, let me know. Within the next few weeks, I'm going to get as many of these wines together as I can and host a blind tasting, throwing cabernet sauvignon from other regions into the mix as well.

Keep an eye out for a full tasting report when I'm done with this little experiment. And, if you have some suggestions for my next wine/AVA to explore, leave a comment.

Is there anything better than driving through wine country, stopping off at a winery that you hadn't planned to visit, and discovering a gem? It's one of the wine world's great joys and it happened to me and Nena on our last day in the Finger Lakes a few weeks ago.

As we drove up the western side of Cayuga Lake, we spotted a sign for Hosmer Winery. The winery we had planned to visit wasn't open yet, so we stopped in at Hosmer... and we're glad that we did. The wines impressed almost across the board. This was one of the wines that we liked best, so we bought a few bottles and I included one in my weekly tasting on Sunday.

In my experience, Cayuga rieslings are richer in their fruit profile and less minerally than those grown on Seneca or Keuka Lakes. This Hosmer Winery 2007 Riesling ($12) is a great example of that. The nose is ripe with big peach, candied lemon peel, overripe pear and somewhat tropical aromas most prominent with subtle floral-herbal and pencil eraser notes.

This is a medium-light bodied riesling with intense peach, melon and candied, almost honeyed citrus flavors. The mid-palate is fruity, round, lightly sweet and the finish is medium-long with a gentle dryness brought about by well-balanced, well integrated acidity.

And for $12? I wish more wineries brought this sort of quality at that price point. This is a killer value.

Producer: Hosmer Winery
AVA: Cayuga Lake
Price: $12
ABV: 11.2%
RS: 2.5%
Rating: (3 out of 5 | Recommended)

(Ratings Guide)

By Melissa Dobson, Finger Lakes News Correspondent

What exactly are Facebook and Twitter? Do these platforms offer benefits to small businesses like wineries? 

These are questions that are asked of the Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing team quite frequently. And after I also noticed a swell of interest in social media from businesses here, Morgen McLaughlin and I presented a full-day workshop to provide an overview of the most popular social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. 

Of the 60 attendees, more than half represented local wineries, and several others were in the tourism business. Our goal was to familiarize attendees with the platforms and their ability to help attract eyeballs and online word of mouth in a cost-effective medium that is seen as an equalizer for small businesses and a great way to keep on the radar of customers.

After leading with facts and figures of the social media landscape, I showed a video from a recent Fox Business News report highlighting Ford Motor Company's use of social media conversations to engage their customers, ran through what social media is vs. what it isn't, showed videos of Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk demonstrating social media best practices, and presented worst practices to avoid. 

During the interactive workshop, we talked through the platforms and demonstrated a live Twitter  conversation with several wine "tweeps" (people on Twitter). We set up a new Twitter profile live for one of the participants and many others in the room followed along on their laptops and set up their own new profiles.

The afternoon was devoted primarily to Facebook. Morgen McLaughlin presented Facebook metrics relating to the Finger Lakes Wine Country fan pages and group pages. We demonstrated how to set up pages, share information to promote others (one of my favorite features) and how to link to other business pages within Facebook. 

Another key topic was the wine blogosphere and how to best engage with bloggers. We concluded with my assessment of where the wineries and businesses of the Finger Lakes region currently stand in terms of social media adoption. We understand that our region is taking initial steps and has some catching up to do but I've already noticed that many of our workshop attendees really are excited and jumping into the social media pool. 

I had several people approach me after the workshop with enthusiasm about getting their social media presence established to engage their fans and create "raving fans" and "tribes" of their own.

I've been vocal in my appreciation for winemakers who eschew the overblown use of oak in their chardonnays. I can appreciate well-made barrel-fermented chardonnay, but it's not a style I drink a lot of. Maybe it's the riesling lover in me, but I tend to like a purer expression of fruit and the vineyard in my whites.

That doesn't mean that I love every no-oak chardonnay that I come across.

This McGregor Vineyard 2007 Unoaked Chardonnay ($17) is not one of the better examples I've had.

Such a pale green-tinted yellow that it's nearly colorless, the nose is similarly light and austere with primary green apple aromas and hints of wet gravel. The palate, which has flavors identical to the nose, is medium-light bodied and very acidic, almost harshly so. I love acidity in white wines, but the malic acid, just-bite-into-an-underripe-green apple tartness is too much here, throwing the wine off balance.

My friend Loisa Hargrave, the founding mother of Long Island wine, once told me that the prefers unoaked chardonnays with a bit of bottle age. This might be a wine with which to test her theory that they age well in the short term. I'd like to try this again in 18 months or so.

Producer: McGregor Vineyard
AVA: Finger Lakes
Price: $16
ABV: 12.1%
Rating:    (2 out of 5 | Average)

(Ratings Guide)