I don't know much about Long Island wine, but I do know that people are starting to pay attention. When Alie first contacted me, I went by her office to taste some of the previous year's offerings: the merlot and the chardonnay. She adds a little petite sirah to the merlot, giving it a much-needed backbone, and the chard was intriguing. I said yes.
Along with three cases of this wine for participating, I also asked for a bottle each of the new chard and viognier, bacause my intial impressions and a little research on LI wine suggested that the whites might be the ones to watch. The viognier is really a summer wine; we had it with some asian-inflected soup, and it was perfectly good, but it positively cried out for a summer picnic with bbq chicken, sesame noodles, and sunshine. The chard was really good, as I had hoped. It's got a refreshingly complex profile and nicely restrained fruit with some interesting minerality underneath.
The red blend is a combination of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot, malbec, and syrah. For a Bordeaux blend, it's styled more like a Burgundy (which is a good thing in my book.) It's pleasantly tart and light-bodied, with some nice spices under the fruit, and it's not too hot, tipping the scales at 13.6% alcohol. Another perfect picnic wine (and it makes a great gift!)
4 comments:
How completely perfect it is that your art is now gracing a wine label.
You know you can change the date and time of "Publish Post" so we don't all have to know you sat on this for three days, right? I have carpal tunnel for all the Refresh I've been hitting.
This is funny that you called the post what you did. I was having a moment yesterday while cooking for the whole office. Castanzan, it was.
Eesh, nice art, too. It reminds me of a hot electric stove element.
Trippy label, very mod...I covered the Long Island wine scene back in the early 1990s, when pretty much everything sucked. You are right what whites are their best offerings, but LI merlots are generally very good...but they are ALL overpriced because the cost of their production is so freakin' high. General rule: a $25 bottle of Long Island wine tastes like a $10 California wine, or an $8 Italian or Spanish.
I can't think of a more fitting label to wear your art. You know, being the huge wino that you are.
I love that design too. I would totally buy that bottle.
And now I am desperately craving bbq chicken, sesame noodles, and sunshine....
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