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Earlier this week I mentioned Channing Daughters Winery's winemaker, Chris Tracy, his focus on traditional methods and the parallels he draws between Long Island and Friuli. Well, here is yet a wine that proves those points.

Channing Daughters Winery's 2006 Envelope is a blend of 70% chardonnay and 30% Gewurztraminer. That may not seem all that interesting, but wait. Inspired by the “Vino da Meditazione” wines produced in the Friuli region of Northeast Italy, the fruit that went into this wine was hand-harvested, de-stemmed and fermented on their skins in an open top fermenter. Basically, its a white wine that was made like a red wine.

And the results are fascinating. So fascinating in fact that this is a wine that I probably wouldn't have enjoyed or appreciated just a few years ago, but I certainly do now.

A dark gold, almost orange, color in the glass, the nose is intense with dried apricots, peaches, golden raisins, honey-roasted nuts, flowers and a deluge of baking spices.

The medium-bodied palate is exotic with roasted hazelnut, dried fruit, Gewurzty floral and spice notes and hints of peach and vanilla. The finish is War and Peach long and very much painted by that 30% Gewurztraminer. Some would call this a weird wine, and they'd be right. But weird isn't always a bad thing, is it?

I enjoyed this wine over the course of a full week and it changed every day. Sometimes the floral notes jumped out. On other occasions, the dried apricot or spice stepped forward. It didn't quite all come together for me at once, but this is one of the most interesting, thought-provoking wines I've had in a while.

Producer: Channing Daughters Winery
AVA: Long Island
ABV: 13%
Price: $40
Rating: (3 out of 5 | Recommended) 

(Ratings Guide)

The Long Island Merlot Alliance(LIMA) has announced that Donnell Brown will be taking over as the group's Executive Director, taking over for Len Dest whose other commitments led him to step down.

Brown has worked in marketing and public relations for more than 15 years, and has been a serious student of wine for a decade. She holds Intermediate and Advanced (pending) Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and is an active member of the James Beard Foundation, the Slow Food East End Convivium, and a member of the Board-led Outreach Committee for the Peconic Land Trust, a land conservation organization dedicated to the protection of working farms (including vineyards) and natural lands on Long Island.

Richard Olsen-Harbich, a founding member of LIMA said of Brown “We are excited to have the enthusiasm and energy of someone who is as passionate about East End wines as Alliance members are,” said Richard Olsen-Harbich, a founding member of the Long Island Merlot Alliance, and winemaker at Raphael. “Donnell’s professional skill and keen interest in local, artisanal, food-friendly wine will fuel our mission: to establish the East End of Long Island as the premiere terroir for red wines in the U.S., a bridge between the Old World and New World of merlot and merlot blends.”

Hopefully, Brown will be able to help the group grow its membership and also become more publicly active in the local wine community.

In this video from my PALATE 2009 Comparative Tasting at Atwater Estate Vineyards, winemaker Vinny Aliperti talks about his 2007 pinot noirs (from Atwater and Billsboro Winery) and how the 'heartbreak grape' just didn't break that many hearts in 2007, a great vintage for reds in the Finger Lakes region.

When people not familiar with Long Island wine ask me to name my favorite winemaker or winemakers, Chris Tracy from Channing Daughters Winery always makes the list. In a wine community stridently devoted to making fine wine from Bordeaux varieties, he takes his cues from northern Italy.

Many consider him an extremely creative winemaker, but what looks like creativity is really just a focus on and devotion traditional methods. That doesn't mean he's not creative though, as this blend shows.

Channing Daughters Winery's 2007 Mosaico ($29) is a field blend of 32% pinot grigio, 29% chardonnay, 14% sauvignon blanc, 12% muscat ottonel, 7% Tocai Friulano, and 6% Gewurztraminer that comes from a co-planted block in their Sylvanus Vineyard in Bridgehampton.

This is, simply stated, a beautiful expression of that Sylvanus Vineyard. Aromas of crisp apple, spring flowers, brown spice and Clementine orange mingle on an intricate, seamless nose.

Medium-to-light bodied with clean acidity, this blend's fruit flavors range from apple and pear to peach to honeydew melon. There is a floral-spice vein that runs through it as well. It finishes fresh and minerally.

Producer: Channing Daughters Winery
AVA: Long Island
ABV: 12.5%
Price: $29
Rating:    (3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious) 

(Ratings Guide)

There are wineries on both sides of this heated debate, but it seems as though the number of New York wineries against Governor Paterson's proposal to allow grocery stores, convenience stores, delis, gas stations, etc. (wherever beer is sold today).

I haven't seen a list of wineries who support the proposal, but here is the list of those willing to come out against it. Note that this is a list of wineries who oppose the grocery store portion of the proposal, not just wineries who oppose the overall proposal.

Long Island

• Bedell Cellars
• Bridge Vineyards
• Castello Di Borghese Vineyards & Winery
• Corey Creek Vineyards
• Duckwalk Vineyards
• Jamesport Vineyards
• Laurel Lake Vineyards
• Lieb Family Cellars
• The Lenz Winery
• Martha Clara Vineyards
• Macari Vineyards and Winery
• Onabay Vineyards
• Osprey’s Dominion
• Palmer Vineyards
• Paumanok Vineyards
• Pellegrini Vineyards
• Pugliese Vineyards
• Pindar Vineyards
• Raphael
• Shinn Estate Vineyards
• Vineyard 48
• Wolffer Estate

Hudson Valley

• Adair Vineyards
  
• Applewood Winery
  
• Brimstone Vineyards
• Brotherhood Winery
• Baldwin Vineyards
• Benmarl
• Cascade Mountain Vineyards
• Clinton Vineyards
• Glorie Farm
• Millbrook Winery
• Palaia
• Stoutridge Vineyards
• Warwick Valley Winery
• Whitecliff Vineyards

Finger Lakes

• Hermann Wiemer
• Ravines Winery
• Chateau Lafayette
• Casa Larga
• Keuka Spring Vineyards
• Willow Creek
• Dr. Frank
• Chateau Frank
• Bully Hill
• Hunt Country
• Torrey Ridge
• Earl Estates
• Glenora
• Knapp Wine Cellars
• Imagine Moore Vineyards
• Eagle Crest Vineyards
• Rooster Hill Vineyards
• Swedish Hill
• Goose Watch
• Penquin Bay
• Thirsty Owl
• Montezuma
• Fulkerson Winery
• Hazlitt Winery
• Standing Stone
• Crooked Lake
• Heron Hill
• Wagner Winery
• Lucas Winery
• Lamoreaux Landing Winery

Niagara Wine Trail

• Arrowhead Springs
• Niagara Landing
• Honeymoon Winery

Lake Erie

• Johnson Estates
• Merritt Estates

Thousand Islands

• Yellow Barn Winery
• Otter Creek
• Thousand Islands Winery
• Seaway Cold Hardy Grapes & Vineyard

All of the "discussion" surrounding Governor Paterson's proposed changes to the New York wine industry is having some perhaps unexpected consequences.

Jim Trezise, of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation  sent the following in and email to some of those involved in planning for April's New York Wine Month:

The reason for the postponement is the controversy surrounding the issue of wine sales in grocery stores, which at least temporarily has created much uncertainty as to whether the liquor stores would participate in the promotion. For your information, NYWGF is neutral on this issue, as are many wineries, but for many stores “neutral isn’t good enough”. It is truly a shame that wineries are the “collateral damage” (innocent victims) in a battle that is not theirs.

We hope that when the dust settles we’ll be able to revive this program, and that we’ll have a budget to support it. We appreciate your interest, and will keep you informed.

As I've already mentioned, I co-hosted a comparative tasting as a part of PALATE 2009 last week. The tasting was held at Atwater Estate Vineyards, where 12-15 people had the unique opportunity to taste wines made by Atwater's winemaker, Vinny Aliperti, fromi both Atwater and Vinny's own winery, Billsboro Winery.

We should some video of the event and have three clips pieced together, starting with this introduction where you'll not only see yours truly in his LENNDEVOURS video debut, but also see me almost burn myself on the wall-installed heater behind the tasting bar.

I also reveal the true pronunciation of this blog's name.

Check back in a few days for a clip about the 2008 rieslings we tasted and also one about 2007 pinot noir.

Roman Roth, winemaker at Wolffer Estate is perhaps best known for the wines he crafts from merlot, including the $125 Wolffer Estate Premier Cru and the wines he makes under his own label, Grapes of Roth. I've also lauded Roman fort he great things he does with the chardonnay grape.

But, as much as I enjoy those wines, I think some of the other wines he makes are under-appreciated, including this Wolffer Estate 2006 Pinot Noir ($35).

As we all know, pinot noir can be difficult both in the vineyard and in the cellar. They don't call it the ‘heartbreak grape’ for nothing. Add Long Island’s humidity and inconsistent weather from year to year to the equation and you almost wonder why wineries even bother. I know of at least one winery that doesn't anymore, growing pinot only for sparkling wine nowadays.

But it most years, Wolffer Estate makes a varietal pinot table wine, and it's often among the region's best.

If you're a lover of fleshy, syrah-oaked pinot from California, you should look elsewhere.

Lively, bright bright cherry and cranberry aromas are backed by hints of baking spice, cigar box and dried herbs on an alluring nose that evolves and changes throughout the course of the evening.

Medium-light bodied, the palate is fronted by cherry and juicy cranberry flavors with a smoky, spicy and savory quality beneath that kept me going back for sip after sip. I take my time with the wines I review, but I took even more time with this one. The long, balanced finish has just a hint of leaf tobacco along with sweet red cherry flavor. With fresh acidity and light, fine-grained tannins, this is a wine that shines brightest at the dinner table. And isn't that where wine is meant to be, anyway?

Producer: Wolffer Estate
AVA: The Hamptons, Long Island
ABV: 13%
Price: $35
Rating:    (3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious) 

(Ratings Guide)

I'm enjoying Finger Lakes wine country at the moment, but I did bring along this bottle of dolcetto for WBW #54 hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, David McDuff of McDuff's Food & Wine Trail.

The theme this month, A Passion for Piedmont, was one I was very curious about as these aren't wines that I explore often. And sadly, I'm pretty sure that I haven't really explored them any further with this wine.

I don't think bottle wasn't corked, but I think (hope?) that there was something wrong with it. It had a strong musty, stale flavor and the nose was almost non-existent. That's really all I can say about it.

Maybe someone can recommend another Dolcetto D'Alba that will give me a good example and understanding for the wine?

On February 26 at 6:00 p.m., my good friends Jared and Tracy from Grand Cru Classes, a wine education center on the North Fork, will be hosting a special seminar titled "Long Island Wines: From Potato Farms to Parker Points" at the newly launched City
Winery in Manhattan. They'll be discussing the history and growth of the Long Island wine industry, highlighting the recent successes and recognition the region has received.

The 90-minute program will include a guided wine tasting, featuring the following six wines, all of which have been graciously donated by the respective wineries. 

• TBD, Sparkling Brut, NV
• Waters Crest Winery 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
  
• Peconic Bay Winery 2005 La Barrique Chardonnay
  
• Comtesse Therese 2007 Rosé
• Macari Vineyards 2004 Cabernet Franc
  
• Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2004 Estate Selection Merlot.
  

 This is a great and unique way for New Yorkers to learn about the wines being made in their own back yard. The local wine region doesn't do as much outreach direct to consumers in NYC as it probably should, so check it out.

Get more information and register today.

Yesterday, Nena and I woke up sad to be leaving Seneca Lake and the Finger Lakes, but we still had a few winery visits in us.

We drove to Ithaca and then tasted our way north along Route 89, visiting a handful of wineries on the western shore of Cayuga Lake, including Thirsty Owl Wine Company, where we learned about this large, old block of Chancellor vines that were planted in 1972.

For me, the stop of the day was Hosmer Winery, where we discovered some delicious rieslings and surprisingly good examples of seyval blanc and pinot gris. More on those later though.

We'll be back on Long Island tomorrow, and I hope to get working on the backlog of posts I owe you guys over the weekend.

From left to right: Katie Feulner, Jason Feulner, Lenn Thompson, Nena Thompson, Evan Dawson, Morgan Dawson, Melissa Dobson, Rich Dobson

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent

Everyone who loves wine has a memory that stands out with perfect clarity thanks to a single bottle of wine. We remember the meal, the lighting in the room, the conversations shared over the bottle. This is the power of wine.

It is far more than a beverage.

If we are fortunate, we have not one special wine memory, but many. I will never forget the moment I drank the first sip of Rosso del Bepi from Giuseppe Quintarelli. I can tell you how many people were in the room and what they were saying when I drank my first glass of Ravines 2005 Pinot Noir. I remember being frozen in place, unable to move as I first tried Jean-Michel Stephan's Cote Rotie. And my wife and I will always smile as we recount the opening of a bottle of  Hermann Wiemer 1994 Riesling.

Last night I added a new wine memory to the collection.

As Lenn mentioned, he joined Jason, Melissa, me, and our spouses for a LENNDEVOURS dinner at the new Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel. Lenn brought several bottles of Long Island wine for the occasion, and one of them was a bottle I had long desired to try: the Grapes of Roth 2002 Merlot. We split the meal between Finger Lakes whites from the restaurant menu and Lenn's cache of Long Island reds. Before we even ordered we opened the Grapes of Roth and poured it into our glasses to encourage the wine to open up.

My experience with Long Island wines remains rather limited, so I was excited not only to drink more Long Island wine, but to drink a wine with such a strong reputation. But some of the most satisfying wine memories are rooted in surprise. When we finally arrived at the main course -- a simple and perfectly cooked Filet for me -- I picked up the glass like a child picks up a wrapped present. After taking in the rich, intense nose, I found that the wine was... good. Very good, even. I did not expect the intense spice and white pepper on the palate, and it was a gorgeous match with the beef.

But "very good" wine does not engender lifelong memories. And so I can concede my utter astonishment with the next wine that Lenn opened -- the Paumanok Vineyards 2000 Grand Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon.

This nose of this wine was like pure, fresh asparagus. Maybe -- if you peeled back the asparagus -- you could find some roasted Brussels sprouts. There was very little fruit in the nose (I'm assuming it's receded with some bottle age). And I loved it immediately.

That's because the wine brought a delicate balance of dark fruit and green flavors on the palate. It evoked my favorite French wines without seeming like a pale knockoff. It was long. And I'll always remember the look on Nena's face when she caught me staring at the glass, agape after my first sip. "Isn't this amazing?" she said.

To conclude a story that is undoubtedly too long already, let me reiterate my small sample size in tasting Long Island wines. Most have been quite pleasant, but none has moved me like this. But now I am emboldened to seek out more. I hope to get a better feel for what Long Island's varietal characters are. If they are anything like the 2000 Paumanok, well, I'll just have to find a way to expand my wine budget.

What are your special wine memories?

Today, I'd like to thank the folks at Atwater Estate, including winemaker Vinny Aliperti (left),  assistant winemaker, Justin Boyette (right), and owner Ted Marks for their hospitality as we co-hosted a comparative tasting of 2007 wines. We had around 12 people join the tasting and I think it was a huge success, and even more fun.

Nena shot some great video (we hope) and I'll be writing another post about the event, probably next week.

I'll be writing up a full post in the next week or so, but our first Finger Lakes stop today, at Anthony Road Wine Company, was simply a great experience. Meeting winemaker Johannes Reinhardt, assistant winemaker Peter Becraft and also the owners, Ann and John Martini, was a pleausure.

And then we tasted the wines, which clearly reflect Reinhardts philosophy and impres sed across the board. As a special treat, we got to taste a few not-yet-bottled 2008 dessert wines. Keep an eye out for them next summer/fall.

Beyond those two, my wines of the day were the 2007 Dry Riesling ($16) and the 2007 Martin-Reinhardt Selection Riesling ($22). But, we'll talk more about those when I can thumb through my notes and write a proper post. For now, I'd just like to thank the entire Anthony Road team for their hospitality and for taking two hours out of their busy days today.

We just got back to our beautiful hotel room at the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel after a fun wine and cheese session that was part of this week's PALATE festivities. Stay tuned for more on the session, which proved one thing -- everyone tastes and enjoys different things when you're talking about pairing wine with cheese.

Still, we tasted some great (and I mean I'm-going-to-seek-some-out-before-we-leave-town great) cheese and some tasty local wines. Stay tuned for more information and pictures.