Can an Old World approach to viticulture matched with traditional winemaking methods result in a Meritage with the finesse and austerity of a Bordeaux? One winery is betting on it.
Long Island: Macari Tasting
With 500 acres—178 of which are now cultivated with vines—Macari has one of the largest wine estates on Long Island. More interesting than the size, however, is their approach to viticulture. In the Old World tradition, the wines produced here are meant to reflect their origins—the soil and climate and location that are unique to their fields and give their grapes special characteristics.
Careful attention is paid to vineyard management. Extensive soil preparation, organic composting, cover cropping and consideration for wildlife and terrain come into play, as do row spacing, trellising and canopy management. When all these variables come together in the right way, the resulting grapes should have their own composition and balance and a signature of complex flavors. Many of the qualities of the resulting wine are already determined. All that is left is to continue the care and use natural and traditional winemaking techniques to craft what goes into the bottle.
For us, as consumers, the proof is then what comes out of the bottle after we uncork it. I recently tasted a number of Macari wines at the tasting room and then again at home with meals to determine if the convictions and reasoning of the Macari family really make a difference. Of their new releases, Bergen Road 2000 is by far the most ambitious. A Meritage blend of cabernet sauvignon (45%), merlot (35%), cabernet franc (13%) and malbec (7%), it is produced only in vintage years when the grapes are at their best. The wine is aged in barrique, a barrel design with origins in Bordeaux, for 18 months prior to bottling.
With a deep ruby color, a full body, and a nose of cherry and dark fruits with hints of vanilla, the wine promises a serious experience. The taste is balanced and ripe, though young tannins are apparent in the finish. The style is more Old World than New, exhibiting finesse and a certain austerity, as well as indications of an ability to age well. It should mature over several years, achieving a Bordeaux-like character.
The wine is priced at $40 at the vineyard. There happen to be a large number of red wines in stores now priced in the $35 to $40 range, so competition is out there. Some of these are good buys but many are not any better than my favorite $20 wines. Time will tell if the Macari Bergen Road 2000 is worth the price. I’m going to take the chance and cellar a few bottles to test and report on over the next year or two. If they reach their potential, they will have been a very good buy.
For more immediate drinking, I’d recommend the Macari chardonnays. The 2001 Reserve, recently released, has a rich, almost creamy taste, a result of barrel fermentation no doubt, but also, I would like to think, a reflection of the fields where the grapes were grown. The wine is priced at $21. Their 2002 Estate chardonnay is a crisp, steel fermented wine, tart and sassy in its green apple flavor, and a good match with summer menus. Formerly $15, it is currently on sale at the tasting room for $12.
The 2003 sauvignon blanc is described by the winery as herbaceous and grassy, but I found the wine to be less in the big fruited New Zealand style and more like a Sancerre—dry, restrained and sophisticated, with a mineral and citrus bouquet. It is priced at $16 a bottle. That is not expensive, but you can get quite a good Sancerre or even a Pouilly-Fume in that range. It might be interesting to do a side-by-side tasting. The Macari Vineyards handsome tasting room is located off Sound Avenue in Mattituck.
