Dan's Papers - May 16, 2008 - Over the Barrel... with Lenn Thompson

The local wine scene is largely dominated by some of its biggest producers, places like Wolffer Estate, Lenz Winery and the Ps - Pindar, Palmer, Peconic Bay and Paumanok. Each has a wide range of wines in its portfolio, but merlot is a constant. Each makes at least two different versions each vintage, sometimes more.

These are the big fish in the little pond that is Long Island wine.

But there are little fish too. Every vintage, it seems, welcomes new wineries.

To such newcomers - one a yearling, one in its infancy - have much less diverse portfolios. In fact, each only has one wine - merlot. Both are available at The Tasting Room, in Peconic, Long Island's only co-op tasting room. It sells wines from wineries without their own tasting rooms.

Medolla Vineyards, owned by John and Denise Medolla, snuck up on a lot of people with their first release - a 2002 merlot - last spring. That wine, a classic North Fork merlot that, at $22, was one of the best deals in local vino. It straddles the line between Old and New World with a nose that offers tobacco aromas along with raspberry and cherry fruit. Medium bodied, the flavors are similar to the nose with some minty, eucalyptus nuances and well-incorporated, ripe tannins. Well balanced with a nicely long finish, it's still available and worth seeking out.

Last weekend, I got to taste a pre-release sample of Medolla Vineyards' 2003 Merlot ($15), a lighter, everyday-style red. 2003 wasn't the year that 2002 was for local merlot and the wine - and its price - reflect that difficulty. The nose shows lots of oak, which comes through as toasty vanilla aromas, with sweet red cherry fruit and tobacco as well. Medium-light on the palate, cherry is the primary fruit flavor here with tobacco, vanilla and subtle green pepper notes. It's nowhere near as rich or intense as the 2002, so it's a bit of a letdown. With relatively low tannins and nice acidity, it's best enjoyed with food.

Christiano Family Vineyards is one of the North Fork's newest labels, owned by Claude and Barbara Christiano. Claude is retired now, but during his career as Vice President and Assistant Treasurer of Pfizer Inc, he traveled extensively, sampling wines from wine regions the world over. Along the way, he learned a lot about differences and similarities in grape growing and winemaking techniques. He is also a founding partner in Monte De Oro Vineyards in southern California.

In much the same way that Medolla's 2003 release tells the tale of that growing season, so too does Christiano's first release about 2004. 2004 was a cooler, but relatively typical year and Christiano Family Vineyards' 2004 Merlot ($19) shows that with an understated nose with light black cherry, black plum and vanilla smoke aromas. The palate is medium bodied and elegantly textured with pleasing dark berry flavors accented by plum and just a little oak. Soft, integrated tannins bring just enough structure. All in all, it's a nice wine at a decent price. Drink soon. I don't think this one will age long term.

To learn more about these wineries, visit www.medollavineyards.com and www.christianowines.com.