Lenz 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines

Wine Recommendation:
Lenz 2001 "Old Vines" Cabernet Sauvignon

Winery and Vineyard Notes:
Lenz Winery is located in Peconic, on the North Fork of Long Island, in New York. This is a distinct geographic region as well as a designated AVA for US wines. Founded in 1978, the winery has some of the most mature vineyards in the country. Lenz grows only vinifera grape varieties: chardonnay, gewürztraminer, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and pinot noir.

The eastern end of Long Island has several distinctive features as a wine growing region, such as: a long, frost-free growing season, the most sunshine hours in New York State , the ideal heat range for growing and ripening a wide range of grape varieties , deep, well-drained soils , even, year-round rainfall, and water on three sides to moderate winter lows and summer highs.

Proprietor's Notes:
This is our first cabernet sauvignon release to be designated ‘Old Vines’. And what a vintage to pick for the first such release! It has already showed its quality when it ranked 1st in a flight with Château Latours of the same vintages, in a recent professional blind tasting.

This intense wine is very dark, almost inky. And it has the rich, deep plum flavors we normally see in our Old Vines merlot. There are also notes of cassis, raspberry and black pepper. This wine tastes very, very good now but it will age gracefully for a decade and even more. Only 375 cases of this wine were made in 2001.