Lenz Winery

Lenz Winery's winemaker, Eric Fry, has been making wine on Long Island as long as anyone — nearly 30 years. In his time on the North Fork, he's earned a well-deserved reputation as a stickler for traditional methods and traditional wines. His reds have fared well in blind tastings against some of Bordeaux's premier wines. His sparkling wines — and those he makes for other wineries — are perhaps the region's best.

And his recently released Lenz 2005 “Old Vines” Chardonnay is one of Long Island’s better values in barrel-fermented Chardonnay — a category that is dominated, even here, by over-oaked, over-priced wines. It’s debatable whether or not any vines on Long Island truly qualify as old — I think these vines are still less than 30 years old — but that’s a discussion for a different time.

The barrel influence is more understated here than in many barrel fermented Chardonnays — including Fry's own Gold Label Chard — coming through as spice, fig and vanilla nuances to ripe pear and apple aromas. The palate is well balanced, with pear, apple and citrus flavors accented by just a little golden raisin and fig. Medium-bodied and with a understatedly creamy mouthfeel, the acidity is very nice here, unlike many other 2005 Chardonnays I've had. The finish lingers nicely too.

This white paired exceptionally well with the turkey pot pie my wife made with Thanksgiving a few weeks ago.

Reviewed March 19, 2008 by Lenn Thompson.