After leaving Paumanok Vineyards we headed over to Shinn Estates Vineyards for lunch and of course some wine tasting. Shinn Estates also doubles as a B&B and we ate in the dining room that separates the guest rooms and where the owners Barbara Shinn and David Page live. Prepared for us was a beautiful feast with quite a few vegetarian friendly items that I of course didn’t write down. But my friend and fellow Taste Camper Erika Strum put up the list of what we ate on her blog yesterday, so I snagged it.
What we ate: rocket salad with a mustard-thyme vinaigrette, peconic bay calamari, piccolini pasta with asparagus, spring onion, lemon and fire-roasted shiitake mushrooms with ramps and fregula and crescent duck breast with sea salt, pepper and apricot-mustard sauce.
To go with all this fabulous food we had 8 or so wines to pair with it all. Providing the wines were of course Shinn Estates as well as Jamesport Vineyards and Macari Vineyards. While we sipped and savored all the food and wine, wine makers from each of the estates gave us a good rundown of what they are all about, as well as their philosophies on sustainable viticulture.
What we drank:
2008 Shinn Estates Sauvignon Blanc (blended with 4% Semillion)
nose: grassy, gooseberry, lemon rind, slightly tropical
taste: lime, grass, general citrus note, touch of grapefuit
mouthfeel: clean and crisp, razor sharp acidity
finish: long and clean
2008 Macari Sauvignon Blanc
nose: “tight”, lemon, grapefruit
taste: citrus, minerality
mouthfeel: touch of effervescence, bright acidity
finish: medium in length, nice mineral note
2008 Jamesport Sauvignon Blanc
nose: tropical with apricot and guava
taste: lime, apricot
mouthfeel: softer acidity than the previous two, but still crisp
finish: short – medium in length, clean
2008 Macari Rose
nose: watermelon rind, strawberry
taste: fuji apple peel, mineral/slate
mouthfeel: slight effervescence, medium body
finish: long for a Rose
2006 Jamesport Pinot Noir (Sarah’s Hill)
nose: cedar, walnut, cherry, cassis
taste: cherry, slightly chemical, truffle and herbs
mouthfeel: medium body, beautiful acidity
finish: medium – long in length, bright red fruit flavors
2007 Shinn Estates Cabernet Franc (barrel sample, release date 2010)
nose: mushroom, red currant, raspberry and cherry
taste: hazelnut, caramel, boysenberry, clove, thyme
mouthfeel: full body, smooth and velvety with a nice hint of spiciness towards the back of the palate
finish: long with earthy mushroom and nut flavor lingering
2005 Jamesport Cabernet Franc
nose: earth, toast, black currant, fresh herbs
taste: cherry and spices
mouthfeel: slightly hot, full body with leathery tannins
2005 Shinn Estates Reserve Merlot
nose: mocha, black cherry, coconut and boysenberry
taste: cocoa, cranberry and cherry
mouthfeel: full body, big velvety tannins
finish: long and fruity
The wines are all very nice and the pairings worked out great with the delicious food. After lunch we headed out to the vineyard with David and Barbara to talk more about their vineyard practices. I wrote about it last week and put up a video here.
Next up was a trade style tasting in the Shinn barrel room with quite a few Long Island wineries including Lieb Family Cellars, Sparkling Pointe, Croteaux Vineyards, Harbes, Bouke, and the The Old Field. I was too diligent during this part of the tasting but did take a few notes here and there, and here are a couple of my highlights/legible notes!
2007 Croteaux Vineyards Merlot “3” Rose
nose: toast, vanilla, strawberry, coconut
taste: strawberry, watermelon rind, sour cherry, SLATE
mouthfeel: clean, crisp, crisp acidity
2007 Lieb Bridge Lane Chardonnay
nose: apple, “rich”, a slight bread yeast component (??)
taste: tropical, coconut, apple and pear
mouthfeel: full body, round and smooth
Thanks again to Shinn Estates for hosting us for lunch and to all the wineries that poured their wines for us. It was my pleasure.
Cheers!
Anything Wine 
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Why don’t you ask some of these “producers” about how natural their wines are. Ask about chaptalization, the yeasts they use, oak chips, mega-purple. You know L.I. gets a lot of rain and humidity. A lot of mold and fungus rot on the vines. Ask if they are spraying their vinyards down with tons of pesticides. Some wineries compare their growing conditions to that of the Loire Valley, see if you can find an honest Cabernet Franc for $12. People need to know what is in their glass.
Drew,
Excellent post! Thank you very much, These are all important questions, many of which were asked and answered at theTasteCamp lunch by a very savvy audience. We look forward to meeting you on your next visit out to the North Fork. Bring all of your questions.
not sure that too much teinturier grows out in long island….