TN: Kontokosta Winery North Fork Visit

WINE TALK
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KONTOKOSTA WINERY NORTH FORK VISIT - North Fork, NY (6/27/2014)

My wife and I went away for a mid-week escape from the city to visit the North Fork of Long Island. While there, we visited a few wineries to see what was being done. I was happily surprised at the number of new wineries, however, and folks seem to be really interested in following Organic and even Biodynamic practices, which is always nice to see. Kontokosta was the 2nd of 2 winery visits.

  • NV Kontokosta Anenometer Sauvignon Blanc - USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
    Tasted at the winery- fascinating blend of 2 vintages, the 2010 & 2011, all Sauvignon Blanc and all in stainless steel. Crisp, clean, this offered lovely bright citrus notes with just a hint of cat’s pee, and lots of minerality. The palate was light to medium-bodied, with a balanced mouthfeel that finished in a mid-length clean ending. Quite nice and refreshing.
  • 2013 Kontokosta Sauvignon Blanc - USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
    Tasted at the winery- riper/fatter than the NV Anenometer, this was however not too tropical, which is nice to see as I see lots of SB that is WAY too tropical for my tastes. Quite nice, with a slightly fat mouthfeel, end ending in a mid-length but clean and crisp finish.
  • 2011 Kontokosta Viognier - USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
    Tasted at the winery- I was a bit surprised that they were growing Viognier as the North Fork of LI is not the 1st place I’d think to find it. On the nose, this was peachy, fat and ripe, a tad big (almost too big), with some wood notes from its time in oak. In the mouth, similar notes could be found, with a somewhat fat frame dipping into a slightly watery mid-palate that ended with a surprising tart note at the back. Not bad, and I can see how this could be consumer-friendly, but not for me.
  • 2013 Kontokosta Riesling - USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
    Tastes at the winery- happy to see Riesling being grown on the North Fork, as I think it’s a good climate for the grape. The nose offered notes of white peaches, chalk and bright citrus. The palate was more of the same on a tart, medium-weight body, with a long finish. As it sat in the glass however, some hot notes crept forth, and some liquorice aspects popped out (not a bad thing as I like liquorice). Nice but keep it cold.
  • 2013 Kontokosta Rosé - USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork
    Tasted at the winery- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose offered candied watermelon aspects, with soft strawberries balancing it out. The mouthfeel was fat, with more of the same fruit notes fading to a medium-length tart finish. Rather simple, I can see this being nice if served very cold, but I prefer my roses with more minerality.

As usual, my reactions are the same for all North Fork wineries: the wines are not bad, but too expensive for what they are. It was nice to see them experimenting (the NV Anenometer Sauvignon Blanc for example), and the venue was quite pretty.
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If this was the second winery visit, which was the first?

I found the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc from Paumanok to be more like Sancerre than New Zealand, and was fantastic with oysters. The Kontokosta sounds similar. I hadn’t heard if this winery.

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Hi Diane, I wanted to stop in at Paumanok but we didn’t have the time. My first report is here:

I really enjoyed the NV Anenometer as it was crisp and elegant. The 2013 was a bit too ripe for me, but then again I like very lean whites.