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  More goodness has just arrived from W ö lffer Estates Vineyard , the fall 2020 wine club selection.   The quarters' selection includes a 2021 Gew ü rztraminer , 2020 Malbec , 2019 Lombardo Merlot , and a   2019 Caya Cabernet Franc (Fig 01).   W ö lffer provided a wonderfully detailed write-up (Fig 02, 03) on all the wines, and after reviewing them, we look forward to holding on to the wine to serve at the holiday dinners.  Unfortunately, wines of exceptional quality are limited in quantity, with some being for members only, making them hard to acquire, so we will savor them while they last.    #longislandwineries #vineyardviews #wineryvibes #liwine #licharacter #longislandwine #northforkwineries #longislandwinery #longislandnorthfork #northforker #discoverlongisland #topwineries #northforkwinetrail #liwinecountry #liwine #lisustainablewinegrowers #nywinegrapefdn #nofo #wolfferestate FIG 01 - W Ö LFFER  ESTATE FALL CLUB  16 SEPT 2022 FIG 02 - W Ö LFFER ESTATE FALL CLUB  16 SEPT

  First, select a large rack of ribs, Stew Leonards – East Meadow has a fine selection.   Second, pick an excellent Bar-B-Que sauce; Jim Beam Maple Bourbon (Fig 01) is a fine one, for example.   Next, into a vacuum seal Sous Vide bag, add the ribs cut in half, a bottle of Bar-B-Que sauce, and an extra-large shot of good Bourbon, then seal the bag with minimal air inside.   Next, toss the bag of Ribs into a Sous Vide water bath at 167 F for about 4 hours (Fig 02).   While waiting for the ribs to slow-cook, open a good bottle of wine.   A W ö lffer Estate 2010 Umbra is a fine well aged Merlot.   The Umbra 2010 is a hardy Merlot with a very light touch of Cabernet Sauvignon, a delicate nose, rich fruit, and smooth tannins.   Enjoy with friends while the ribs cook.   After about 4 hours, remove the ribs, drain the juices into a small sauce, and simmer over low heat to thicken.   While the sauce is reducing, char the ribs on an outdoor Bar-B-Que over an Infrared Searing Station for abou

  Now, with all the second-quarter wine in stock, it is time for some home cooking to pair with the wine.  The seafood and other ingredients came from New Wave Seafood and Stew Leonards-East Meadow , as fresh ingredients are essential.   The Shrimp are six large ones mounted on 2 Rosemary infused Olive oil-coated bamboo skewers.   Then using the assembled   Shrimp, sprinkle them with a dash of Old Bay , spray with EVOO, and set them aside to rest in the fridge for several hours.   The Asparagus is young pencil size with about 1 ½ inch of the bottoms cut off (reserve ends for soup).   The marinate consisted of an envelope of Kraft Good Seasoning Zesty Italian salad dressing mix, Persian Lime infused EVOO and well-aged White Balsamic Vinegar .   The Asparagus was marinated in the mixture for at least 4 hours.   Next, the Shrimp and the Asparagus were grilled on an outside Bar-B-Que infrared searing station.   The Shrimp for about 1 minute per side and the Asparagus for about 4 minut

  Last but far from least, one of the South fork wineries, Wolffer Estate Vineyard June club, arrived during the first week of June to close out all the clubs except for Lieb.  Rounding out the fifty-four bottles of wine for the first week of June was eight from Wölffer, consisting of 4 wines (Fig 01).  The four are a fine selection of lighter, brighter summer wines, as discussed by Roman Roth in the winemaker tasting notes (Fig 02).  The selection includes 2021 Summer In a Bottle Long Island White (Fig 03), 2021 Grandioso Ros é (Fig 04), 2021 Summer In a Bottle Long Island Ros é (Fig 05), and 2021 Own-Rooted Merlot Ros é (Fig 06).  All of the wines in this group are fantastic, with a few in the 90+ point score class.  The wines are perfect for a sunny summer afternoon on the rear deck overlooking the park and paired with some cheese and charcuterie. #longislandwineries #vineyardviews #wineryvibes #liwine #licharacter #longislandwine  #longislandwinery #northforker #liwinecountry

  Summer is officially here, and it is time for the next wine club pickups and deliveries.   The summer pickup was structured as if we were on a ‘mission from God’(FIG 10).  The pickup runs covered six wineries, 152 miles in about 5 hours, retrieving fifty-four bottles of wine, including ten bottles for friends with some clubs in common with us.  First, of course, we needed the SUV to fit everything, so Jo became the designated driver, and I did the tuck and roll at each winery to dart in, grab the wine, and go.  We made stops at Pellegrini Vineyards (Fig 01), Lenz Winery (Fig 02), Sparkling Pointe (Fig 03), Sannino Vineyards (Fig 04), Terra Vite Winery & Vineyard (Fig 05), and Roanoke Vineyards (Fig 06).   Deliveries from Kontokosta Winery (Fig 07), Raphael Winery (Fig 08), and W ö lffer Estate Vineyard (Fig 09) round out the early June 2022 Clubs.   Each club selection will be covered in a separate posting and the late June pickups. #longislandwineries #vineyardviews #wineryvib

  A disclaimer first that neither Jo nor I are big fans of sweet wines, but I do sometimes enjoy a delicious dessert wine.  The Wölffer Estate – 2020 Diosa Late Harvest White Table Wine is a fantastic dessert wine, not what I would consider a White Table Wine.   Last year, the wine arrived in our inventory as part of the Wölffer Estate December Club shipment.   As we are not significant sweet wine drinkers, we regifted the Diosa to our Niece & Nephew, who are sweet wine aficionados.   The Diosa is a home run, and I received a few photos and comments about the wine (Figure 1).    Kelly paired the wine with a block of Brei but without the Fig compote (Figure 2).     Kelly’s comments were straightforward: “ I couldn’t find fig, but at least I had brie.   TJ and I loved this.   Very sweet, the apricot really kicks you in the face, and then the honey takes over in the end.   Pleasant surprise definitely needed vanilla ice cream for the autumn,

  Today’s Wölffer Estate wine was included as part of the March 2022 Club shipment and is very different and unique from the traditional Merlot than was expected.   The Wölffer Estate Lorena 2010 is a 100% Merlot from the Long Island AVA .  The wine is described by Wölffer as made from Partially Dried Grapes (think raisins), has a remarkably different flavor profile than a Long Island Merlot, and is much closer to an Amarone.  The Lorena 2010 presents in the glass with dark opaque red color with a slight fringe of brown (Figure 1).  The nose is rich with the scent of raisins, prunes, and a hint of overripe plums.  Gone are the classic Merlot notes of Bramble, red cherry, or hints of baker’s chocolate.  The mouthfeel is full and rich with well-structured velvety tannins and a bright spark of acid.  Instead, the Lorena 2010 presents the traditional rich dark fruit flavors of a fine Amarone and high alcohol content (16.2% ABV).  The technical data sheet from Wölffer describes in detail

  The Wölffer Estate Grand Prix Club March 2022 arrived today with six bottles of goodness (Figure 1).   Today’s selection included 2020 Perle Chardonnay (2), 2020 S é millon (2), 2021 Estate Ros é , and a 2010 Lorena (Merlot).  Each looks to be a fascinating wine, and we will be trying each over the next few weeks with a posting to follow.  However, in the meantime, the Wölffer Estate tasting notes are attached to provide a bit of tantalizing intrigue while awaiting the actual tastings (Figure 2).  Of particular note is 2010 Lorena Merlot, which is well-aged and should show remarkably well and required additional comment in the introduction to this month’s wine club letter (Figure 3). FIG 1 - WOLFFER ESTATE MARCH 2022 CLUB 12 MAR 2022 FIG 2 - WOLFFER MARCH 2022 CLUB WINES FIG 3 - WOLFFER MARCH 2022 CLUB INTRODUCTION

  We are working through the last club pick-up run and still have dozens more wines to try.  Today we went for the Wölffer Estate 2019 Malbec Cellar Series .  Malbec’s origin is from the southwest of France and is better known as C ô t.  However, almost 75% of the world’s Malbec comes from the Mendoza region in Argentina.  The profile of the wine is vastly different between the regions, and it will be interesting to see how close Long Island is to one of these regions.  The 2019 Malbec shows a dark, dense ruby red color, dark rim, and slender legs (Figure 1).  Notes of Raspberries, dry leaves, and a hit of old leather all come forward on the nose.  The palate is tart fruit flavors, including plum and cherry.  The Tannins and medium to light, well-balanced acidity, a pleasant lingering finish contribute to a glass of fine wine.  The addition of Merlot does show through adding to the long finish.  Overall, this wine is the perfect sipping wine with friends and leans closer to a French e

  The Wölffer Estate Grapes of Roth 2020 Virgin Berry Dry Riesling is one of our favorite Rieslings from New York State.   The Wölffer Estate Riesling is a Négociant-Éleveur wine, a fancy French term meaning that the grapes were not Wölffer Estate grown but instead sourced from a local vineyard focusing on producing the most delicate fruit.   The source of the Riesling grapes comes from the Reilly Cellars Vineyard in Cutchogue , nestled between Bedell Cellars and Pindar Vineyards .   Reilly Cellars has had a long history of sourcing fine grapes to many of the wineries on Long Island, and these seedless Riesling grapes are no exception.   In addition, the fruit was gently handpicked, destemmed, and fermented with wild Yeast, further highlighting the unique Long Island Terroir. The wine was cellar temperature (60 ⁰ F) and showed a striking golden straw color in the glass (Figure 1).   The nose has the clear note of Honey Suckle, Green Apple, Lime, and a hint of Jasmine.   Noticea

  A few days ago, we had some friends over, and of course, we had to share some wine.  One of the wines was the Wölffer Estate 2019 Syrah (Figure 1), one of the fine wines in W ö lffer’s cellar series. Syrah grape was originally from the Rh ô ne valley in France but has spread worldwide, becoming the most planted grape in Australia, known as Shiraz .   The Wölffer version of this wine captures the classic French profile.   The color is a very dark red rim to black opaque through the body in the glass.   The nose burst forth with notes of ripe blueberry and plum, with vanilla, leather notes after the wine had a chance to breathe.   The mouthfeel is a solid medium with some legs noted in the glass.   The palate is expressive fruit of sharp black cherry with a peppercorn finish.   The tannins are notably present and well-structured with medium acidity.   The 2019 Syrah is a young wine, and it could have benefited from five or more years in the cellar but still showed very well at t

  A few weeks ago, we enjoyed a Wölffer Estate 2020 Antonov Sauvignon Blanc that was rich, complex, and very enjoyable.   A commentary on the Wölffer is posted and today the Lenz Winery 2019 Sauvignon Blanc will be contrasted to the Wölffer 2020 Antonov Sauvignon Blanc.   The color in the glass is bright yellow and very clear with just some little legs (Figure 1).   The nose fills the glass with Gooseberry , Honeydew Melon, and Herbaceous (think cut Grass, Green Bell Peppers) notes.   The Lenz's nose perfectly juxtaposes the Wölffer, which has more herbaceous notes followed by the fruit.   The Lenz Winery 2019 Sauvignon Blanc is much crisper, closer to a New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and did not show any of the creaminess from oak as the Wölffer did.   The acid was more notable but still very well balanced with less fulness in the mouth.   The Lenz Sauvignon Blanc is a fine wine to pair with Bluepoint oysters with a slight preference to pair the richer Wölffer with

  Wölffer Estate does it again with a rich, vibrant 2020 Gewürztraminer Cellar Series (Figure 1) that paired wonderfully with a Salmon dinner (Figure 2).   The wine was first tasted alone as an accompaniment while cooking dinner, then paired with the Salmon for dinner.   The 2020 Gew ü rztraminer showed a shimmering yellow gold color in the glass with some nice legs.   The nose had distinctive Lychee, Rose, Honey, and Ruby Red Grapefruit notes.   The mouthfeel was a medium body.   The acid is slight and just a bit off-dry.   The fruit flavors burst across the palate with Lychee and a hint of Pineapple.   The finish was pleasantly long and the Gew ü rztraminer paired with the dinner perfectly.   Attached below (Figure 3) are all the technical details and tasting notes of the 2020 Gew ü rztraminer from the Wölffer Estate website.   The Salmon dinner was a quick pan-seared piece of Salmon finished in a lemon butter sauce with many capers (I love capers).   Once again, a fine wine t