Exploring Long Island Wine Country, Part Three

I love Mattituck.  I mean, I could easily see living there--what with the ocean so close by, a charming Main Street, acres of farmland, and Shinn Estate Vineyards, what's not to love?  We had the perfect afternoon to wrap up our 24 hours on the North Fork. 

We picked up some delicious sandwiches, cheeses, and olives from the Village Cheese Shop.  Every town ought to have a place like this--tons of beautiful cheeses in the case, including that incredible Ouray made by those Hudson Valley nuns at Sprout Creek Farm; yummy gourmet products to tempt the palate and the wallet, and a selection of good, crusty breads.  This place would be on my weekly agenda if I lived anywhere near here.

Lunch, however, had to wait a bit.  We were signed up for the vineyard tour of Shinn Estate Vineyards, led by co-owner Barbara Shinn herself.  After eating at Barbara Shinn and David Page's restaurant in Greenwich Village, Home, last August, I couldn't wait to see the place that produced such fantastic wine.  What was really special was the opportunity to see a sustainable agriculture philosophy lived holistically.  Everything Shinn and Page does from vine to table is imbued with their reverence for the earth and passion for food and drink that ignites the palate. 

This commitment to sustainability is literally the foundation of all they do at Shinn.  For starters, Shinn Estate is located on property that is protected by a covenant that will ensure that it will always be used for agriculture--so the effort to preserve Long Island's farming heritage in some form will last long past the current generation of owners.

Before Shinn and Page came along the land that is now vineyards was previously planted with corn, rye and barley.  Now, in addition to growing grapes they consider themselves clover and grass farmers too.  Under each row of grapevines cover crops of native plants, clover, and grass help to enrich and feed the soil which in turn feeds the grapes.   Their operation is over 90% organic and is proof that going organic doesn't mean sacrificing taste.

Speaking of tasting, after the vineyard walk on that hot day all I could think of was wine and lunch.  We ended our tour back in the tasting room where I tasted a fight of limited production wines.  My favorites were the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc--this beautiful light straw colored wine offered nice grapefruit notes on the nose and a balanced mineral and citrus flavor on the tongue.  I also loved the 2004 Cabernet Franc--just 175 cases were made of this wine--another argument for the development of this grape in New York.  Lastly, there was that 2004 Reserve Merlot--a wine that could make me fall in love with Merlot all over again.  It was very nice--typical merlot profile with just a bit of heat on the finish--could it be that splash of Cab Franc (11%) and pinch of petit verdot (2%)?  Whatever it was, it was working for me.  The perfect ending to all that walking and wine was our picnic lunch right outside the tasting room--did I mention that I could live here? 

This blissful 24 hours could have ended right then and I would have been happy but Lenn had one more winery for us to visit--Roanoke Vineyards in Riverhead.  By way of introduction Lenn said, "I know you like small, artisinal producers".  How could we pass it by? 

Roanoke's tasting room has only been open three years but it clearly has a dedicated following.  Like Corey Creek, Roanoke shares a vineyard manager and winemaker with Wolffer Estate so we had the opportunity to taste some of their wines as well.  In fact the Wolffer 2003 Reserve Chardonnay ended up being one of the purchases of the day.  I also liked the 2006 Rose--it actually had some lemon notes that drew me in. 

However, the purchase of the trip--the purchase that made the whole excursion worthwhile--was the 2001 Grapes of Roth red, named after winemaker Roman Roth who had the opportunity to "do his own thing" to fantastic results.  This Merlot already had a lot of buzz with talk of how Long Island could compete with California with reds that were cellar worthy.  Well, believe the hype.  This was a mature and complex red, balanced, not too fruity, and if you've ever wondered what drinking the finest velvet might be like--this is it.

Our visit to Roanoke was supposed to be our last stop on our way back upstate, but we got curious on our drive to  Roanoke--a couple of things caught my eye:  the Garden of Eve farmstand and Briermere Farm .  There are no photos of this last stop--we only pulled in because of the line of cars looking for parking that snaked out of the lot onto Sound Avenue.  What was the deal we asked?  The deal is pie--the most incredible, flaky crusted, fruit jammed pies I've ever had.  If I could get back to the North Fork for some great wine and out of this world pie before the winter hits--I'll be a truly happy woman.  Well, five wineries down, only 35 or so more to go...

A sign too tempting to pass by.

Two week old lambs goats---too cute!

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2006 I was tasting wine at the New York Wine and Culinary Center.

Comments

[Kathleen]

Wonderful post! I'm glad you enjoyed your visit to Long Island. I've heard many good things about the South Fork too, I'll have to check it out soon.
Kathleen
Albany, NY

[Jay]

You've made me 100% homesick: I'm from Aquebogue, quite literally a few doors down from Paumanok on Main Road. Thanks for commenting on The Wine Chicks - you seem a kindred culinary spirit!

[Jennifer BB]

Hi Kathleen, if you get down there, drop a line and let us know how you liked it.

Jay--we are indeed kindred spirits. I love your blog! I really wish there was a way to get all of the NY State food and wine bloggers together--wouldn't that be a blast?