Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

Channing Daughters Sylvanus

Channing Daughters Winery

2005 Sylvanus
(Hamptons Long Island)



Here on the East End, in the heart of Merlot country, Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton serves as a tasty oasis for white wine lovers. They make red wine as well of course, but white wine is where winemaker Christopher Tracy shines, with a varied roster of different and unique wines.

While most local wineries use Bordeaux as their model, Tracy and Channing Daughters Winery look to Italy for inspiration — northern Italian regions like Friuli and Trentino — because of the similarities of their cool maritime climate to our own.

Channing Daughters Winery is known for experimentation and the 2005 Sylvanus ($24) is a delicious, unique field blend of 44% Pinot Grigio, 43% Muscat Ottonel, and 13% Pinot Bianco. Pale straw yellow in the glass, it features aromas of flowers, melon and baking spice. Melon and orange peel flavors, with a discernable nutmeg note intermingle within a medium body with terrific acidity.

Of their recent white releases, this is my favorite because it combines complexity with the acidity I love. Only 208 cases were produced, so get yours today. Many of these wines sell out to the wine club.

Reviewed August 6, 2006 by Lenn Thompson.

The Wine

Winery: Channing Daughters Winery
Vintage: 2005
Wine: Sylvanus
Appellation: Hamptons Long Island
Grapes: Pinot Gris / Grigio (44%), Muscat Ottonel (43%), Pinot Blanc (13%)
Price: 750ml $24.00

Review Date: 8/6/2006

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.