Long Island wines aren’t exactly known for being inexpensive. That makes it all the more notable that the 2015 Rosé from Osprey’s Dominion was named a Top 100 Best Buy in the November 2016 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine.
Of the 21,000 wines reviewed this past year, fewer than 1,400 were awarded the Best Buy designation, according to the magazine. From there it was narrowed down to an elite list of 100.
The Osprey’s Dominion wine is the only Long Island selection to receive the designation this year.
“Luscious raspberry and red-cherry flavors are concentrated in this bright, fruity rosé,” writes Wine Enthusiast contributing editor Anna Lee C. Iijima. “Made predominately from Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s marked by bristles of bramble and herb that lend complexity to the palate. The finish is brisk and refreshingly saline.”
The wine is 98.5 percent cabernet sauvignon and 1.5 percent cabernet franc, according to Osprey’s website. To make this wine, the juice is in contact with the grape skins for only 24 hours, as opposed to three weeks or more, which is more typical of a red wine. It’s fermented in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation.
“It’s part of Osprey’s MO and it’s part of their brand. We offer quite a few quite affordable wines at reasonable prices,” said Osprey’s winemaker Adam Suprenant. “But that doesn’t mean we skimp on quality. For us, there’s a commitment to making well-priced, affordable wines.”
The wine is $17 in the tasting room, but can be found for under $15 through other retailers.
In other news, several Long Island wines scored high marks in the magazine. Notably McCall Wines received 92 points for its 2010 Reserve Corchaug Estate Pinot Noir.
“McCall’s Reserve Estate Pinot Noir offers fleshy, penetrating black-cherry flavor cooled by a vein of menthol and herbs,” Iijima wrote. “It’s luscious and velvety on the palate yet totally poised, bolstered by brisk acidity and persistent but fine tannins.”
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