First of all, Larry Perrine gets 20 points out of 100 for naming it Blaufrankish, which is the only grape name anyone should be allowed to use when making a wine with this grape. Like the Pharaoh in the Ten Commandments, I shall not allow any other name be used. So let it be said, so let it be written. Good going, Larry!
Larry Perrine was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Perrine went to local schools and developed an interest in growing plants and landscaping. By the time he came of majority, the California Wine Industry was booming and Perrine pursued the hard-to-find wines of the early 1970's winery start-ups.
After studying Soil Science and graduating from California State Polytechnic University, Perrine moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and pursued advanced soil studies and microbiology. On the side he became increasingly preoccupied with tasting and learning about quality wines of the world and the terroirs they were made from. This lead Perrine to move to the Finger Lakes Region in Upstate New York, enter Cornell's Graduate Program in Enology and Viticulture, and commit his life to Bacchus. It was there that Perrine began his studies of the soil/climate/wine interaction on Long Island, for which he is known.
Upon completing his graduate work at Cornell in 1985, Perrine moved to the North Fork of Long Island to work for Mudd's Vineyard, the Long Island vineyard pioneer and today the most important custom vineyard operator in the Long Island Industry. Shortly after, Perrine became a research viticulturist for Cornell on Long Island and developed the first formal Grape Research Program for this Industry. In 1988 he went to work for Gristina Vineyards in Cutchogue, where he made some of Long Island's finest wines from 1988-1994.
Perrine's viticulture and enology consulting career has spanned 11 years and over 20 vineyard and winery clients. He has worked with businesses in New York, Long Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Michigan. Perrine has also taught extensively in Manhattan at the International Wine Center, and for the Master of Wine Training Program.
Since 1995 Perrine has worked intensively with Walter Channing on improving his vineyard planting in Bridgehampton, Long Island. In 1996, he came on board as Managing Partner to work with the Channings to create and manage Channing Daughters Winery. Perrine is now President, CEO, and part owner of CDW.
Blaufrankish is a middle-European dark red or so-called black grape used for making red wine in country like Austria (where it has found most of it’s fame) and even Germany and northern Italy.
According to their tasting notes Channing Daughters is the only winery n Long Island who are growing this grape there.
This was a lovely medium-bodied dry red wine, with dark and bright cherry, Lovely fruit up front and well balanced on the back. Nice acidity. Soft tannins. Nice structure. Approachable. Easy drinking.
Not a huge fan of Blaufrankish, though I have tried a few I liked more recently. Put this in that category. A very, very well made, red. Lovely.