North Fork, Long Island wines: Lenz and Paumanok
Tasted Sunday, September 3, 2006 by dougsmith with 736 views
Introduction
My wife and I got together with Mikhail and Svetlana for a day in the North Fork. It was a good opportunity to get a quick introduction to the winemaking local to New York.
Flight 1 - Lenz (7 Notes)
Unfortunately there appeared to be some sort of mis-communication with the team at Lenz today. We had scheduled in advance (or so we thought) a tasting and tour with the winemaker Eric Fry; he would be busy in the early afternoon, so we made a point of rousing ourselves early and showing up at the door around ten in the morning. The only problem? No Eric Fry, and no notion of where he was. Unable to contact him (his phone was busy), and left with a tasting room staff unable to take us on a tour, we consoled ourselves with tasting the wines.
Lenz shows some real abilities with their red varietals, particularly Merlot. The Gewürztraminer is also worth a look, though a bit steep in price. Other white varietals are perhaps more questionable, at least to my palate.
Flight 2 - Paumanok (17 Notes)
It was a tremendous pleasure to get to meet and spend, as they say, "quality" time with Charles Massoud and his son Kareem, who pulled out all the stops to introduce us to their very fine lineup of NY state wines. My impression after a day spent tasting through the lineup is real surprise at the overall consistency of their efforts. All down the lineup it is universally interesting.
Flight 3
We also tasted through a few 2005 barrel samples from Paumanok with Kareem Massoud, the winemaker.
* Cabernet Franc: Medium ruby color with tobacco and floral notes, quite light on the palate. 87-89 pts.
* Merlot: Medium ruby color, animal/raw meat nose that Kareem termed 'reductive'. On the palate, black fruit and earth, light to medium bodied. 86-88+ pts.?
* Cabernet Sauvignon 'E-Block': this is their 'lighter' block, according to Kareem, with red cherry and floral notes. 87-89 pts.
* Cabernet Sauvignon 'B2-Block': this is free-run juice from a 'heavier' block. Deeper colored than 'E', with notes of spice, menthol and black currant. 88-90 pts.
* Petit Verdot: Deep ruby with a black center; undoubtedly the deepest colored North Fork wine I've yet seen. It had an appearance of silky ink. In the mouth, plum, blackberry and nutmeg, very silky and full. 89-91 pts.
Closing
It's very encouraging to find such good wines -- particularly reds -- in our own New York State. Once again, our thanks to the Massouds for their hospitality. It was a great opportunity to get a feel for what LI 'terroir' can produce.
2003 Lenz Chardonnay White Label 79 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
Light lemon color. Very green on the nose, with strong notes of asparagus and grass; oak in the background.
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2004 Lenz Chardonnay Gold Label 82 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
Light lemon color. Green notes; buttered asparagus. Some oak as well.
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2004 Lenz Chardonnay Old Vines 84 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
Medium lemon color. Nose of spice, apple, asparagus and butter. A bit thin on the palate.
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2004 Lenz Gewürztraminer 86 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
Light lemon color. Intense, varietally correct nose of lychee and rose petals. It is, however, lacking in the mid-palate with a dilute finish.
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2001 Lenz Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines 88 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
Deep ruby color. Nose of black currant, smoke and spice. On the palate it has youthful dry tannin and a long finish. This probably needs a few more years of cellaring to show its potential.
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2000 Lenz Merlot Estate Selection 89 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
Deep ruby color. Notes of tart plum, cocoa, leather. Good balance on the palate with a nice finish.
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2000 Lenz Merlot Old Vines 90 Points
USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
Deep ruby color. Complex nose of blackberries, coffee and asian spice. On the palate it has excellent acid balance and a long finish. The youthful tannins show that this wine needs another few years in bottle to show at its best.
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