I went to Macari Vineyards with Lenn Thompson the Founder and Editor of The Cork Report. We went an visited with Gibson Campbell there. Kelly Koch makes the wines. Joe Macari is the vineyard manager.
Gibson Campbell
Lenn Thompson
The Macari family and Gibson gave a full tasting of the range. Here's a few quick notes on the wines that really stood out.
Without question the hit of the tasting was the Macari Sauvignon Blanc Katherine's Field. Bright, with big green apple, tropical notes, and a lovely bright citrus ending, this was a spectacular wine. Awesome!
The Macari Lifeforce was also exceptional. The flavors were slightly more reserved. Made in a cement egg shaped fermenter, this wine had a leaness that was lovely, with slightly more backbone and an elegant finish. It was a very complex and balanced white.
The next big favorite was the Macari Horses Sparkling Cabernet Franc Bright strawberry and cherry is this sparkler. Refreshing and fun. A terrific burst of summer!
Then there were two Cabernet Francs. The Macari Cabernet Franc Lifeforce was lean and streamlined. A bright, fresh, delicious Cab Franc with bright and ripe cherry, hints of red raspberries.
The Macari Cabernet Franc Reserve was a big complex red with ripe and dark cherry, dark raspberry, and lovely tannins. A beautiful, complex red with a lot going on. One discovered new flavors with every sip and fruit that lingered on the tongue for a long time.
If you want, you can see the video here of our tasting on THE GREAT AMERICAN WINERY STROOPWAFFLE: EPISODE 1 MACARI VINEYARDS.
And here's a bonus!
So back in April we were looking through the cellar for wines to try and I found this bottle of Macari Dos Aguas 2007. The bottle had been released in 2009. The wine gets its name for the two bodies of water near the bound the North Fork: Long Island Sound and Great Peconic Bay. I reviewed the wine back in 2010.
The 2007 edition of this wine was a blend of 45% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot, 15% cabernet franc and 4% malbec all grown by co-winery owner Joe Macari. Amazingly, this wine only got better! I have always thought this was one of the most imminently drinkable reds on the North Fork. Always suprised each time I tasted it.
The dark, stewed fruits like plums, dark cherries, and other jammy flavors were still there. Fresh and impressive. The notes of tobacco and spice which I thought would have overpowered the wine by now, did not. They were in balance. As were the tannins. As with many quality older reds, the flavors were now more integrated, blended, and the over all effect made the wine more drinkable.I loved this wine the first time I tried it. And a decade later I was just as happy. That's saying a lot! Congrats to the staff at Macari!
All in all, a great array of wines from Joe, Alexandra, and Gabriella Macari and Kelly Koch!