So far, this has been a year of good surprises. A few weeks ago, I was with friends who had a bottle of
Scuttlehole Chardonnay in their fridge, and I loved it. When my original weekend plans fell through at the last minute, I made an impromptu visit to the Hamptons. My goal, check out
Channing Daughters Winery, they piqued my curiosity with their Scuttlehole Chardonnay.
As a reminder, this is me writing and me using my money. Channing Daughters & Co. have no idea who I am or that I am a writer. As a matter of fact, I was really shy when I was in the tasting room. I still have a lot to learn; their tasting room is a great place to listen, learn and taste some exciting wines made right in my backyard.
After an early morning visit to Montauk lighthouse and the Hither Hills Beach, I made my way to Bridgehampton's Scuttlehole Road. (
You turn off of Montauk Highway @ Grace Presbyterian church). This is Long Island Wine Country (
Hamptons AVA). Now, while I like some Long Island Wine, I have never been so intrigued. Channing Daughters uses grapes that I have never heard of in some of their blends, and they are really good blends. (
which is shameful, I am studying for my CSW. I need to crack down on memorizing my varietals).
This trip was an
amuse bouche. I am driving home with three bottles. But there will be more - after the tasting and talking with Ron and the man working with him, for the first time in my life, I joined a wine club. They are creating magic elixir using old style processes on the East End of Long Island. (
really, cluster pressing, stomped by foot,"Orange Wine".. The list goes on....) Is it possible that Chef/Winemaker Christopher Tracy is genetically related to Feran Adria, Mario Batali and Eric Ripert? After all, his wines are cutting edge (
with roots in the old world), a flavor of Northern Italy, served highly refined in small packages (
I saw production notes of 80 and 30 cases on some of their library wines. They sell out quickly - which is why I "joined the club") What finally pushed me to pull the trigger?
Envelope, their "Orange Wine".
I had been fretting about what bottle to bring to this year's
Wine Bloggers Conference in Oregon. There is a BYOB "Night of Many Bottles" and I'll be bringing something from Channing Daughters.
What I tasted (Tasting flight $10.00 - free to wine club members):
Cuvee Tropical `08 $18.00: A yummy, fresh white 92% Chardonnay and 8% Muscat, aged in stainless steel tanks. It is a crisp, exotic wine that I would love to try with a spicy Tuna Roll or Chicken Curry.
Mosaico `08 $29.00: I didn't want to dump this one. (
I was tasting then driving) Dry, but with an excellent mouth feel. A blend of :Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Ottonel, Tocai, and Gewurztraminer, this wine brought me back to Pimonte, Italy. I wanted to grab the glass and whip up a Mushroom Risotto. Trufles? Porcini?? Creamy Rice with a subtle bacon flavor. I want this wine. It would also be interesting with spicy salmon with a hint of soy & red pepper flakes. Maybe Shrimp Pad Thai? Really, the flavors are so unique that this may be the most versatile wine I have tried since
Barren Ridge's Vidal Blanc. Very few wines haunt me like that.
Clones`08 $29.00: Clones messed with my head. Just like the first time I had molecular gastronomy. When I smelled this wine, over and over again, I smelled the sweetness of the Gewurztraminer so, I expected sweet. But on my first sip realized that the sweetness was all in the nose. It is a dry, mouthful of wine, well structured. 90% Chardonnay, 6% Tocai Friulano, 1% Gewurztraminer, 1% Aligote, 1% Semillon and 1% Viognier. My mind went to Gremany, and then to
Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine for seafood. Could it be that I found a great bridge between Germany and France right here in the Hamptons? What a great American "melting pot" wine.
Rosso Fresco `08 $18.00 This is their go to burger/pizza wine. It is light, red and fruity. A big production, cased and kegged for restaurant use. 58% Merlot, 28% Syrah 10% Petit Verdot, and 14%
DORNFELDER. (
A German grape that I had never heard of, let alone tasted). At 12.5% ETOH, you could have a glass or two and not be too worried about a heavy head the next morning. Leave it to Channing Daughters to make a perfectly good consumer wine with an exotic twist.
Sculpture Garden `08 $30.00 After the tasting, I took a walk through this wine's namesake Sculpture Garden.
Walter Channing is the Sculptor/ Healthcare Venture Capitalist of Channing Daughters. His work is mostly in found wood. Back to the wine: A blend of 95% Merlot from the Sculpture Garden vineyard (
the statues are an oasis of space framed on one side by manicured vines that were planted in 1982) and 5% Blaufrankisch (
I'll admit, I rolled my eyes at this point and said "Blaufrankisch?") More German/Slovakian influence - exotic. This wine is pressed by foot. Now I want to go to see the pressing this Fall. (
it brings out my inner Lucy Ricardo!). The wine is dark and complex (dried red fruit with a hint of smoke) that will just get better and better with age. I'll call it a classic old world red wine with a "Burning Man" twist (
there IS a rainbow fence in the garden after all - and where there is smoke, there is fire- hence Burning Man). It is well balanced and I hope to have more of it in the future. At 12.7% ETOH, this wine is pure. No added sugar to bump the ETOH, it is pure and straightforward with complexity and depth of flavor. A lot like Channing's tree carved into a Corinthian column of vicious carnivores - natural yet refined with a stark reminder that you are experiencing life.
Mudd `07 $40.00 A red blend of 60% Merlot, 21% Syrah, 9% Dornfelder, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Blaufrankisch. 12% ETOH. It shares a complexity with the Sculpture Garden, but it adds an adventure in OAK. A lot of the flavor seems to have been refined in the racking. It is delicious, and not too tannic. Again, I didn't want to dump this wine. I bought a bottle. It is coming home with me. You'll hear a lot more about this wine.
The tasting didn't stop with the Mudd. (Although it could/should have) Ron and his friend/co-worker decided to blow my mind.
Envelope `09 $42.00 Channing Daughter's "Orange" wine. A "white wine, made like a red". 66% Chardonnay, 22% Gewurztraminer and 12% Malvasia Bianca. (
you got me again, what is Malvasia Bianca?!? ahhh vin santo...) You have to taste it to believe it. At first, I thought it was called "Orange" because I got a hit of citrus on my first sip, but it was fleeting, and then my mouth watered. I bought a bottle. You'll get a full review very soon.
I filled out my Club Membership then and there. In March I'll get my first delivery. It will be like Christmas every two months. Like I said, you'll be reading more about this winery.
Here are some pictures from the weekend:
