While many people associate the lively acidity and tropical fruit flavor of sauvignon blanc with wine from New Zealand, Long Island oenophiles know that our region produces a tasty expression of the grape.
Wall Street Journal wine columnist Lettie Teague acknowledged Long Island sauvignon blanc as a variety worth seeking out in a May 20 article entitled “Sauvignon Blanc for the Savvy: A Global Guide to Top Ten Bottles.” (It’s behind a paywall.)
“Sauvignon Blanc drinkers willing to venture beyond Sancerre and New Zealand will find there’s a lot more out in the world to choose from and even to love,” Teague wrote.
Of the North Fork she writes: “A skinny spit of land between Peconic Bay and Long Island Sound. Sauvignon blancs here range from crisp and lean to fruity and medium-bodied.”
Teague even featured a bottle from Aquebogue’s own Paumanok Vineyards as one of ten sauvignon blanc varieties to buy.
“The Massoud family began producing a dry sauvignon blanc in 2004 and has since doubled production to 800 cases annually—testament to the grape’s success in this maritime climate,” she said. “A vibrant wine with attractive citrus aromas and a crisp finish.”
Our own Lenn Thompson singled out Paumanok’s sauv blanc in a recent “Wine of the Week” column.
“The 2016 is bright and melon-y with lots of lemon and grapefruit citrus and restrained grassy-herbal notes,” Thompson wrote. “As the wine warms to room temperature, a distinct minerally note emerges — but it’s so easy to drink that it may not get to that point in your glass.”
Sold for $24 in the tasting room, winemaker Kareem Massoud told Thompson that “it has a vivacious personality, it is bone dry with snappy acidity.”
Want more Long Island sauvignon blanc news? Look for a feature on the grape by Thompson in the upcoming edition of the Long Island Wine Press.
