Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

Lenz Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

The Lenz Winery

2001 "Old Vines" Cabernet Sauvignon
(North Fork of Long Island)



The Lenz Winery has been making a lot of noise lately about its wines standing up favorably with the best of Bordeaux in blind tastings conducted with wine professionals, and their 2001 Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the wines that has fared best. It's obviously much more important what the consumer thinks, but something tells me this wine will be well received.

"Old vines" doesn't have any official meaning (much like "reserve") but this rich, deep purple-crimson cab is impressive nonetheless. The nose is dense with raspberries, blueberries and plums and a sprinkling of cracked black pepper and oak. Youthful, but ready for drinking today, blueberry, cassis and plum flavors live within this medium-full bodied red that features apparent, but very ripe tannins. With 45 minutes or so in the glass, black pepper and cinnamon flavors reveal themselves, adding complexity on a lingering finish. I find most local cabernet to be lacking, but this is one of maybe three that I've enjoyed lately.

Reviewed August 16, 2006 by Lenn Thompson.

The Wine

Winery: The Lenz Winery
Vintage: 2001
Wine: "Old Vines" Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: North Fork of Long Island
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: 750ml $35.00

Review Date: 8/16/2006

The Reviewer

Lenn Thompson

Lenn Thompson writes about New York wines for Dan's Papers,
Long Island Press, Long Island Wine Gazette, Edible East End
and Hamptons.com. Two words describe his taste in wine — balance and nuance. Lenn prefers food-friendly, elegant wines to jammy, over-extracted fruit bombs and heavy-handed oak. When reviewing, Lenn tastes each wine three times — alone right after opening, with food, and again the next day — believing that 90-second reviews are unrealistic and not how the average person enjoys wine.