Laurel Lake Vineyards 2004 Merlot

For you faithful blog readers, you'll recall that I blogged about visiting Laurel Lake Vineyards on Long Island, NY last spring and a tasting report of their 2003 Cabernet Franc. I have the distinct pleasure of reporting on another of their wines, the 2004 Merlot.

Laurel Lake Vineyards 2004 Merlot
Country of origin: USA
Region: New York
Appellation: North Fork Long Island
Stats: 12.5% ABV, dry, aged in French oak 12 months
Cost: $18 at the winery

Appearance: Clear dark ruby red. Excellent color for a cold-climate merlot
Aroma: Dried plums with a nice smooth vanilla-filled finish.
Taste: Full bodied with a silky finish. Well balanced. Mild fruit flavors of plum, black cherry and a subtle smokey undertone. Smooth tannins.

I'll refer you to my earlier posts for information about Laurel Lake Vineyards. I am very impressed with this wine. The intense color only hints at it's cold-climate origins. This is a wine that strengthens the growing reputation of Long Island merlot. For you nay-sayers that think CA is the only place in the US to grow and make quality wine, I challenge you to take a trip to Laurel Lake and learn what all an Eastern merlot can be.

Salute,
a Wine Student

Chateau Beauchene Les Sens de Syrah 2004

Country of origin: France
Region: Rhone Valley
Appellation: Cotes de Rhone
Stats: 13 % ABV, dry, 100% syrah
Cost: $15 at Colonial Liquor Store in Acton, MA

Appearance: Deep, deep, deep red.
Aroma: Dark black cherries and currants with hints of cocoa.
Taste: Silky smooth and subtle from beginning to end. Dark fruit with currants dominating. An almost sweet finish. This wine gives meaning to the phrase "smooth as silk".


Chateau Beauchene is located just south of Orange in the Rhone Valley. There's some family history here with Bernard family buying their first vineyard in 1796 after the French Revolution made former noble's estates available. The Bernard's bought Chateau Beauchene in 1986. This wine is made from 2 different vineyards, one to north of Orange on slightly stony and clayey calcareous soils and the other in Bollène with rounded pebbles mixed with sandy red clay. The Bernard's cultivate the vineyards using the principles of "agriculture raisonnée" with eye towards sustainibility The wine is made by complete destemming and a long 20 day maceration to extract polyphenols and anthocyanins.

I like the family crest on the neck of the bottle!


Salute,
a Wine Student

Sanford 2001 Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Sanford & Benedict Vineyards

Country of origin: USA
Region: California
Appellation: Santa Barbara County/Santa Rita Hills AVA
Vineyard: Sanford & Benedect Vineyards
Stats: 14.5 % ABV, dry
Cost: no longer available

Appearance: Ruby red, clear, big legs.
Aroma: Cherries with a raspberry finish, vanilla, and light oak.
Taste: Medium body, muted cherry fruit flavors, bright finish, slightly lingering finish of raspberries & pomegranate. High alcohol overtakes a lot of the fruit notes.

Pretty good by itself (which was how I drank it), I think this wine would probably be best when served with some fatty food to help calm the high alcohol and acidity. Something not too flavorful as the food might overpower the fruit flavors, like a creamy cheese.

Sanford Winery was the very first winery I stopped at when I first went winetasting in Santa Barbara. When the Sanford family owned and operated the winery, it definitely a laid back, hippy feel. The tasting room accommodated only about 10-12 people at a time with open windows overlooking the valley and vineyards, breezes blowing through, and lots of flies! For you "Sideways" fans, the tasting room and iconic pourer was featured in a gorgeous sunset shot and was one of the few wineries to use their real names in the film.

Richard Sanford was the first to plant pinot noir in Santa Barbara county in the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, and made some of my favorite pinots. In the early 2000s, they tried to reach more of a mass market and teamed with Terlato Wine International. In 2005 after the partnership had a falling out, the Terlato family purchased the majority interest in the winery and assumed control of the Sanford & Benedict and Rancho La Rinconada vineyards.

Richard Sanford has since started a new winery, Alma Rosa, using organic certified grapes from the new La Encantada vineyard that they had planted in 2000 and their home ranch vineyard El Jabalí. I haven't had a chance to try any of his new wines, but history should repeat itself.

Salute,
a Wine Student