TN: Two Long Island Reds; one of them good.

WINE TALK
#1

Two Long Island Reds; one of them good

2007 Bedell Merlot Reserve

Maturing ruby. Medium depth. Brick/orange rim.

Rich black cherry, blackberry, smoky/creamy oak nose. Hint of camphor, caraway seed & blackberry jam.
Rich, oaky black fruit.

On the palate: medium concentration. Fruit tails off before nice grainy/oaky finish.
Biggest fruit push is in the front palate, which is quite full & then falls off after the medium concentrated mid-palate.

90 Points


2003 Comtesse Therese Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Cloudy orange color.

Rich, fat, nutty asparagus & piquant pickle barrel.
Funky oak & hint of creamy coconut (surface yeast) on the nose.

Rich & oaky with concentrated fruit on the front palate. Attenuated finish which is watery, acidic & funky showing hint of stewed green veggies.

Obviously past it’s best at 7 years old.

77 Points

2003 was a cool year on L.I. & not conducive to the late ripening Cab Sauvignon, but the producers felt it was good enough for the Reserve moniker. Hmmmmmmmmmm . . .
A severe example perhaps, but one of the reasons I’m not a big believer in Cab Sauvignon in this particular cool climate.

Cheers!

#2

The colors don’t sound normal. I mean, brick/orange on a three-year-old merlot?

#3

Hey John,

The color on the “good” wine is not exceptional, but not bad & not that abnormal for a 3 year old Merlot.

You really see the density of a wine’s color saturation when you turn the glass almost on it’s side & look at the thin sliver of color of the wine at the rim of the glass.

The 2003 Cabernet was clearly over the hill, and not much of a winner in it’s prime, anyway.