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The Long Island vintage of 2010 is undoubtedly one of the best in its history. To their credit, no one in the wine trade here has declared it a “vintage of the century,” an alarmingly frequent occurrence in some European wine regions. This prudence may be due to the youthful provenance of winemaking here—it began in Cutchogue in the 1970s—or to the fact that the twenty-first century itself is not very old.
Conversations with a sampling of winemakers from among the sixty vineyards on Long Island indicated that 2010 was a grape growing dream. Kareem Massoud, winemaker at Paumanok Vineyards, described “an early bud break and flowering, followed by a sunny, hot and dry summer, idyllic ripening conditions, with a season finishing an unprecedented three weeks ahead of schedule.”
The real test of the wines will not come until the more intricate reds, now barrel aging, are released in future years. But whites and rosés from the 2010 vintage are landing on store shelves and restaurant menus—and the ones I’ve tasted are delicious. Look for crisp, fresh aromas such as citrus, melon, berries and summer fruit, matched with clarity and a bit of body and structure even in the simplest whites.
Channing Daughters, with its interest in Italian grapes, has added a fourth rosé to their Tre Rosati line. This one, made from the Refosco grape, has the aroma of alpine strawberries and an alluring, robust taste. Try their lively and focused Sauvignon Blancs as well. Wolffer Estate Vineyard is offering a vibrant white blend called simply, Classic White, and an elegant, ambitious Grandioso Rosé from the 2010 harvest.
Paumanok Vineyards has for years bottled Chenin Blanc and the 2010 version is a brisk, spirited expression of this Loire grape. Look also for their subtle, sophisticated dry and semi-dry Rieslings. Bedell has produced a food-friendly, deeply floral Voignier, as well as a Gewürztraminer, that lovely aromatic varietal with a bouquet suggestive of lychees—both of them tasty and adventurous choices for summer sipping.
Mother Nature presented Long Island vintners with the rare and precious gift of almost perfect weather last summer, which they have now passed on to us—not a free gift exactly but reasonably priced in the $15 to $30 a bottle range.