Palmer Vineyards, Long Island

Dateline: 06/20/00

The final winery we hit during our Long Island Wine Tour was Palmer Vineyards, in Aquebogue. Founded in 1983, and occupying 90 acres, Palmer creates over 20,000 cases a year. Thier selection is quite varied, and the winery itself is an interesting blend of comfy dark wood benches and stained glass windows.

We began with the 1998 Estate Pinot Blanc, which uses partial barrel fermentation, and is aged in French oak. It was crisp and fruity, with a slightly tart flavor. It would go well with seafood.

Next was the 1997 Reserve Chardonnay, created with French oak for barrel fermentation.This was creamy and oaky, wiht a buttery smooth flavor. This would be wonderful with a creamy chicken dish.

The 1998 Riesling is fruity and slight, with a crisp, slightly bubbly flavor to it. It is a light, floral wine which is lovely for summer sipping.

The last white was a 1998 Gewurztraminer, which was dry and spicy, with a very perfumy aroma. This would pair with something that had spice of its own.

On to the reds! The 1997 Cabernet Franc had a gorgeous aroma, and was very bright on the palate. It had flavors of cherry, and fruit, and red currant, and a medium finish. This was our favorite from this winery.

The 1997 Reserve Merlot was a bit tannic, with berry and fruit flavors. The wine was still smooth, and would be great with red meat. It had a great finish.

The 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon was also a bit tannic, with oak band blackberry aspects. Again, this would be great with red meats.

The final wine we tasted was a Strawberry wine, with the fruit coming from Baldwin Vineyards in the Hudson Valley. This was a light, tawny color and had a very fresh, strawberry flavor. The huge strawberry festivals at this time of year would sell out of this in a second!

We enjoyed the wines very much, and would definitely recommend a stop at this winery if you're visiting Long Island!

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