A good friend of mine, Bill Luckey, a New York native of many years, and a long time friend, and I happily found our way down to Vintage New York not long ago. We needed to kill some time before a formal event late in the city in late December. I told Bill I knew just the place.
Bill had not yet been, so I introduced him to the delights of their tasting bar and policy, and off we went on a oenological tour of New York state. We visited some of the unusual suspects, but of course, we found some pleasant surprises. Herein are a few of them:
We started off with the 2000 Chateau Franc Blanc de Blanc from the Finger Lakes. It was dry, fresh, and effervescent. It had a touch of citrus and lovely floral qualities. It's not inexpensive, but it is worth every penny.
Our next favorite among many was the 2006 Vineyard 48 Sauvignon Blanc from Long Island. As advertised, it was "zesty, vibrant, and clean." A lovely touch of lemon. Extremely nice! A new favorite!
Another stunner was the 2004 Paumanok Assemblage from Long Island. Big plums and dark berries. Nice hints of toast and vanilla. A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a big, sophisticated red wine.
We left the shop feeling warm inside, bracing ourselves against the cold winter night, scarves, gloves, top coats, and bags of wine. We carefully and nervously handed over our bags of loot to the coat check person at our event, ever mindful to retrieve them when we left. And I brought them happily home to Dominique, who arched her eyebrow when I arrived late and with wine in hand.
All three can be found at Vintage New York. Enjoy!