Word of mouth is a wonderful thing. I was on a whirlwind trip to the North Fork AVA of Long Island with my friend Valerie from Wine Dog Review, we stopped in at Empire Cellars to check out some local wines, and a woman recommended that we swing by Lenz Vineyard and Winery in Peconic for a taste. I never looked back. After enjoying flights of their Estate and Old Vine wines, I was hooked. It's a luxury to be able to taste and buy wine at the vineyard where it is produced, but I am a woman on a mission, I'm going to try to visit every Vineyard in the North Fork AVA... all 57 of them. It helps that I have an open invitation to cook in the Yaphank Test Kitchen on weekends which puts the North Fork AVA almost in my back yard. Now, on to the Lenz Old Vine Unfiltered Merlot, a rich, flavorful Merlot with hints of Cabernet and Cabernet Franc. This is another "Special Occasion Wine" at $60.00 a bottle, you want to share it with friends, pair it with an amazing meal, and just enjoy. When I drink really good American wine, I always think of Thomas Jefferson, and his passion to bring the qualities found in French wine to the nascent United States, Jefferson was a passionate farmer. Lenz's winemaker Eric Fry has made a very good Merlot that I easily could have tasted in Burgundy. This wine makes me proud of the work of our growers and winemakers - it's Jefferson's dream come true.
I paired the wine with a dinner of:
Spinach Salad with Pears, Walnuts and Goat Cheese (above)
Anatolian Roast Pork (pork roasted with butter, garlic, cinnamon, rosemary and thyme)
and
Chocolate Souffle
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