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Jamesport’s 2019 Reserve Petit Verdot is our wine club pick this month. (Credit: David Benthal)

The Long Island wine trail is filled with amazing flavors, aromas and surprises. In this new series, we take a deep dive into a specific wine with an expert from a local winery.

Jamesport Vineyards is a third-generation winery founded in 1986 by the Goerler family. Since then, the vineyard has expanded and evolved, adding the full-service Little Oak Wood-Fired Kitchen, which serves pizzas and more. But the winery remains consistently dedicated to its original mission: creating award-winning wines. Head winemaker JP Gamez spoke to Northforker about one of his favorite Jamesport wines. 

The style: This wine was made from 100% petit verdot grapes from our fields in Mattituck. A small batch was produced, with less than 250 cases released.

Flavor profile: It presents beautiful aromas of ripe black fruit: blackberries, black cherries, and cassis with subtle spice notes of cinnamon and star anise. On the palate, it has character of fruit with big tannins and a long finish.

Pairs with: Winter recipes with rich sauces — like venison stew or veal shank osso buco — are perfect to pair with this wine. It is fantastic with any steak dish like grilled skirt steak or filet mignon with a creamy mushroom sauce. You can have this wine with food, but it is also very enjoyable by itself, perhaps during winter months in front of the fireplace.

Aging process: This wine was vinified in our cellars in Jamesport and went through a process of maceration for 40 days in stainless steel tanks before starting the aging process in French oak barrels — a mix of 30% new oak and 70% used oak — for a period of 24 months, resulting in a wine with a strong character, robust tannins and elegant finish, showing a very distinguished Bordelaise style. 

Ideal serving temp: 65 degrees Fahrenheit

To hold or not to hold: Even though this wine is ready to be opened and enjoyed right away, we strongly recommend saving a few bottles for your collection, as this petit verdot will be showing its best personality about 10 years from now. Thanks to its robust character, strong tannins and high acidity, this wine has a great longevity capacity. 

The 2019 Jamesport Reserve Petit Verdot can be purchased for $50 per bottle at Jamesport Vineyards, 1216 Main Road in Jamesport or at jamesportwines.com.

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