Let me just say that my first impression of Tastecamp 2009 on Long Island was WOW! Lenn put together a weekend that I will not soon forget. Somehow, he mixed unprecedented access to winemakers and unreleased wines and a gourmet culinary experience ranging from an upscale wine pairing dinner to basically being a guest at Shinn Estate’s Inn, with a casual two day wine tour – all with a great group of other passionate wine bloggers.
It all began with a visit to Raphael in Peconic on Friday. After receiving my nametag and thanking Lenn for hosting us, I made a beeline for the tasting bar where I was welcomed with a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. Lately it has been this white grape that I’ve been thirsting for on the North Fork, and this one didn’t disappoint. Fruit forward, bright acidity with a hint of grassiness. It was quickly followed by another Sauvignon Blanc from “heavier soils” on L.I.; this means silt instead of sand, and three year-old vines. Although not as good, I was encouraged by the start of the evening, we were tasting terroir and no one was even using the word.
I quickly realized that this night wasn’t just a Raphael library tasting, it included all four Merliance wineries. Pellegrini, Wolffer and Sherwood House all had several vintages to taste as well. With some of these wines being as old as the early- to mid-nineties, most were surprisingly still showing well. With the oldest ones, it did seem though that as the fruit faded, leaving the oak to steal the show.
The meal was amazing and I did find an excuse or two to open some Niagara wines for my tablemates, a few winemakers, and, well, anyone who made eye contact. Raphael’s winemaker, Rich Harbich, was the first of several winemakers I met this weekend that mentioned they enjoyed my Niagara contributions to Lenndevours. Land prices, soil variance, potential varietals and climate were topics I was too eager to discuss.
The next morning began similar to the night before…with big reds (for NY anyway) at Roanoke Winery. Rich from Roanoke presented his wines with the same passion that I consumed them. It seemed that the thirty-odd merlots I had the night before might have tainted my appreciation for these well-extracted reds at 10 am the next day. Of the wines tasted, I enjoyed the youngest of the flight, the Marco Tulio from 2007. It probably wasn’t a coincidence that it had the lightest oak treatment and smoothest tannins of the group.
Paumonok, with whom I’ve developed a fetish for their whites in recent visits, didn’t disappoint. The ‘07 Sauvignon Blanc was just what I remembered and the unreleased ‘08 Chenin was easily as memorable as their ‘07. I wasn’t exactly holding my breath for more reds but a trip to the barrel cellar convinced me that I was ready. The ‘07s were luscious. Some 16 months in oak and still fruity and fresh, these samples did live up to all that vintage hype bouncing around the media.
The next stop on the tour was Shinn Estate and they are the whole package. Combine meticulous biodynamic methods, acclaimed chefs, great wines and a gorgeous B &B together and they form the utopia that is Shinn Estate Winery. We were all lucky enough to be the guests of David and Barbara Shinn that afternoon and they brought their A-game. We were presented with a gorgeous spread of local ingredients, perfectly executed in a most comfortable atmosphere. I really dug the duck with the Shinn 2007 Cabernet Franc barrel sample. That franc was the single best wine I tasted last weekend, although not a surprise if you’ve read my posts in the past. If listening to Barbara Shinn and Joe Macari talk about vineyard and winemaking practices doesn’t make you want to buy a farm and redefine country chic, then I can’t help you either.
In my experience, Bedell makes some great high-end reds but it’s their $20 ones that show better than anything else. Unfortunately we were treated with their “before recession” cuvées, which pushed the price envelope higher than anything we had seen that day. The cheese plate was delicious though and I think everyone needed a breather anyway.
Eric Fry of Lenz showed us why he is one of the coolest winemakers you will ever meet. Meticulous and serious in his methods, he is relaxed and hilarious in his presentations. After tasting and spitting dozens of samples standing around drain outside the tank room, it was obvious that each of us had our own form and delivery while spitting. I was sold on his reductive winemaking techniques and pre-aged approach to L.I. merlot.
Can you believe after all that fun we still had a BYOB BBQ to attend that night? Incredibly we all made it there without naps. It would have taken three days for all of us to finish the wine we brought, but we did make a good dent into the stash. My faves were the ‘02 St. Nicolas de Bourgeuil and the Clos Apalta. The first was everything I like about Loire reds in a nicely aged package, but the ‘05s I’ve had seem to bring the same vege-ashtray-graphite-red apple skin-deliciousness with a tighter core of fruit. The Apalta was great, just not over $100 great. I do think that it’s the Carmenere that carries that wine and I’m sure there’s some Carmenere blends around $30 that would do the trick.
Since I was driving back home on Sunday, I had to opt out of the South Fork wineries. Unfortunately missing out on Channing Daughters Winery will always haunt me. I bought into the L.I. as Friuli several years ago. While having met Giraldo Dorigo in Southhampton last summer I came to appreciate what L.I. could learn form the Northern Italians. I just wish I could have been there to taste that influence with Christopher Tracy and the rest of the blogging crew.
All in all the weekend was a great success. Hanging out with a large group where everyone can be as wine geeky as they want to be was a blast. I can’t wait to see everyone at the next Tastecamp, I just know I wouldn’t want to be the person organizing it. The bar for Tastecamp 2009 was set extremely high.
