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A bottle of Dr. Dan’s 2014 merlot from Pindar Vineyards. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

Pindar Vineyards is honoring the winery’s founding father, Herodotus “Dr. Dan” Damianos, with bottles in his name.

The vineyard, one of the region’s oldest, has released two wines in Dr. Dan’s Signature Collection, a 2014 merlot and 2014 cabernet sauvignon. The reserve wines are made using handpicked grapes and aged two years in French oak barrels. 

2104 was Dr. Damianos’ last vintage before he died in August of that year and this wine was made from grapes harvested from some of his favorite vineyard blocks. It was a ritual of his to walk through those rows inspecting the grapes, his family said.

“This collection made from the 2014 vintages honors and celebrates my father’s life and his contribution to Long Island Wine Country,” said Pindar Damianos, owner and director of vineyard management.

RELATED: HERODOTUS “DR. DAN” DIES AT 82

Dr. Damianos bought 30 acres of land in Peconic in 1979 and first planted grapes in 1980. Two years later, the vineyard sold its first vintage. Pindar and its sister winery, Duck Walk, have since grown into the largest producers on Long Island, bottling 100,000 cases per year.

A medical Doctor, Dr. Damianos continued to practice medicine until the mid-1990s. He was a fixture in the tasting room and is largely credited with championing live music and entertainment at North Fork vineyards in the region’s early days.

The bottles are available in the Peconic tasting room for $24.99 a bottle.

Pindar Vineyards is located at 37645 Main Road, Peconic. , pindar.net.

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