Dan's Papers - March 7, 2008 - The Third Annual Great Bordeux-Style Wine Tasting

Back in 2005, David and I clearly had tradition in mind when we held what we optimistically called our First Annual Great Bordeaux-Style Wine Tasting. The goal was to see how Long Island's fledgling wine region compares to those of the New and Old Worlds. What we did not have clearly in mind was how to go about this. Despite the lack of clarity, our first tasting, though a bit random, was nonetheless a revelation. Whether it would evolve into tradition was another question.

Decanted and poured blind nineteen blends from France, Long Island, California, Australia and Spain. The lineup was somewhat haphazard, with a 1997 Chateau Latour (a mediocre vintage from a great Pauillac chateau - it was rated a whopping ten points lower than the 1996 by Robert Parker) rubbing shoulders with a 2001 Opus One from Napa. What were we thinking these two could possibly have in common? As it turned out, aside from both being wine, not much.

...that nineteen is about ten wines too many, especially as it is difficult to get tasters to spit (the examples set by guest winemakers Eric Fry of Lenz and Stan Schumacher, then of Borghese, notwithstanding)...that if you taste wine in a hot summer month, central air conditioning, if you're not in a cool cellar, goes a long way...that winemakers cannot always pick their own wines out of a lineup. (This illustrates just how difficult it is to taste blind, even for the pros.)

But perhaps most importantly, we learned that it's unreasonable, if not moronic, to put Right (Merlot-dominated) and Left Bank (Cabernet-dominated) style blends head-to-head in what wine writer Hugh Johnson would clearly call a "combat" situation. The mightier - in this case bigger, higher alcohol, warmer climate wines - will almost always win. They simply stand out more. "There is no avoiding... 'taster's palate,' a seemingly inevitable drift towards the more concentrated wines in any line-up," writes Johnson. It's not that these wines are necessarily superior, and certainly not that they go better with food. "Who is to say how a wine tasted with other wines will perform solo at table?"

But while some results were predictable, others were not. In a lineup that included a 2000 Ch. Canon (St. Emilion) and a 2001 Ch. Lynch-Bages (Paulliac) along with ten Long Island wines, three locals captured spots in the top six - the 2000 Macari Alexandra, the 2001 Wolffer Estate Premier Cru, and the 2000 Lenz "Old Vines" Merlot, respectively - proving, in the tasting, that Long Island could indeed compete despite David's and my rather feebly constructed (though undeniably international) world stage.

Fast forward to late summer 2006. Invitations go out for the Second Annual Great Bordeaux-Style Wine Tasting. Guest winemakers include Roman Roth of Grapes of Roth (he is also winemaker at Wolffer Estate) and Eric Fry of Lenz. The Wine Advocate, Mr. Parker's newsletter, has recently published the results of taster David Schildnecht's early spring visit to Long Island in which numerous wines scored 90 points or better (including Roman Roth's 92-point private label 2002 Grapes of Roth, which is in the lineup). Everyone is talking about "Parker ratings."

We are confident and smarter, though carefully short of smug. And we are much more well-prepared. We are also, like everyone else in the Long Island wine region, suddenly paying a lot of attention to numbers.

We divide thirteen wines (still a few too many), which now exclude Spain and include only one from Australia and two from northern California, into Left and Right Bank-style flights. The vintages range more closely, from 2000-2002 (with one rogue local '04). There are seven local entries amid the baker's dozen, and all but two are rated 90 or higher by Mr. Parker (it's not that we consider Parker to be the last word, but here his ratings served as a benchmark for the lineup). Following are the results.

For reasons stated above, the 2002 Cardinale Proprietary Red (California) took first honors for the Left Bank category. But to be fair, this Pauillac-styled red is an excellent effort from the West Coast.

The top ranked Merlot was the 2001 Ch. Pavie (St. Emilion), which is the most Left Bank-like of the Right Banks with only 70 percent Merlot, 20 percent Cab Franc and 10 percent Cab Sauvignon. Long Island also scored well in the Merlot department: second place went to the '02 Grapes of Roth and third to the '02 Paumanok Assemblage.)

The supposedly perfect 100-point 2000 La Mission Haut-Brion came in next to last in the Right Bank race. This was probably because it is not yet mature - Parker recommends drinking after 2011. (Technically La Mission is Left Bank, but the 2000 is so atypically Merlot-dominant that it went in the Right Bank flight).

Also a bit surprising was second and third place in the Left Bank going to the 2002 Paumanok Grand Vintage Cab Sauvignon (rated 90) and the Lenz 2001 Estate Cab Sauvignon (88), outdistancing renowned Bordeaux First-Growth 2001 Ch. Margaux (93).

Comments from the group included compliments on the Merlot lineup - many considered it a close contest and a fair one. The Left Bank proved more troublesome. Though Long Island stood its ground, it is far more difficult for the region to ripen Cabernet Sauvignon and a greater, inevitable disparity was found in the lineup. The two winemakers also immediately ID'd the Aussie, calling it "flabby" and "hot."

These comments prompted us to take a whole new approach last fall as we planned the Third Annual Great Bordeaux-Style Wine Tasting. Held in November (we finally learned our lesson about the heat of summer) we focused exclusively on the Right Bank, entering only ten Merlot-dominant wines in the tasting. All wines, in an effort to create an ever-more-level playing field, were from the 2001 vintage.

Our guest winemaker was again Roman Roth, with his wife Dushy, along with guest expert/educator (and senior writer for this section) Christopher Miller with his wife Melissa, a rep for the prestigious distributor Winebow.

Though far more well-known for Cab Sauvignon than for Merlot, two entries, a 2001 Pahlmeyer Merlot (91), and a 2001 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot Vintner's Select Mountaintop (97) made from 100-percent Merlot, came from Napa and Sonoma, respectively. France was represented by a 2001 Cheval Blanc (93), and once again the 2001 Ch. Pavie (96), both from St. Emilion. The remaining six wines came from Long Island. Here are the results.

The Chateau Pavie, a great Premier Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux that retails for about $150, took second place. It was described by Mr. Roth as "classic, big, with layers of sweet tannins." A favorite in 2006's tasting, it is not surprising that this wine, with its relatively low Merlot percentage compared to most St. Emilions, once again stood out. The Cheval Blanc (retails for $300-400), another outstanding Premier Grand Cru Classe, came in third. It is a wine of great finesse, and would doubtless pair better with food rather than other wines. "Brooding and elegant," commented Mr. Miller.

On the West Coast, the Pride Mountain (about $125, but very hard to come by) tied for fourth place with the local Jamesport Merlot (sold out at the winery, but priced about $30 when available), though it would be hard to imagine two wines that have less in common besides price differential. Mr. Miller, who called the big Cali "a beastly wine," likened the far more elegant Jamesport to a "petite Bordeaux Chateau."

But the biggest news of the Third Annual Great Bordeaux-Style Wine Tasting was the winner: the Lenz Estate Merlot. This outstanding wine, 95-percent Merlot and 5-percent Cab Franc, retails for $23 at the winery, making it the least expensive entry in a very impressive lineup, and putting an end to the myth that Long Island wines are "all" overpriced. Mr. Roth called it "lush, elegant and layered" with "beautiful acidity," which is a Lenz hallmark. Mr. Miller praised its "very long" finish.

In conclusion, we feel that the Right Bank-style flight is the best way to compare Long Island's finest reds, its Merlot blends, to those of Bordeaux, which was the original idea back when vines were first planted here on the East End. While the "combat" style of pitting wine-against-wine in a tasting is far from perfect, it will have to do until we come up with something better. And, as it seems safe to say that our annual tasting has indeed managed to become a yearly tradition, it looks like we'll have a chance to do just that.

In the meantime, for those of you who've subscribed to the ABM (Anything But Merlot) rhetoric, open a bottle of 2001 Cheval Blanc. It is drinking beautifully right now, though will continue to evolve for another ten years, and is a perfectly stunning example of what Merlot can and should be. Don't want to pay the $300-400? Take a trip to Peconic and taste the Lenz 2001 Estate Merlot priced at $23. You can drink it tonight, but while you're there imagine how wonderful this wine will be in a few more years.