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Over The Barrel....
With Lenn Thompson
A Taste of the North Fork at Waters Crest
Winery
Waters Crest Winery, co-owned by Jim and Linda
Waters, offers visitors a true taste of the North Fork. They offer
their small production wines for tasting and for purchase of course,
but they take their “local” focus even further, selling locally
produced jams, mustards, salad dressing and cookies. On occasion,
Jim can be seen offering nibbles of cheese purchased at The Village
Cheese shop with his wines.
A volunteer fireman and fire
commissioner, Waters clearly cares for his community and through his
little tasting room — tucked into an industrial park in Cutchogue—
he’s doing what he can to support local producers.
A former home
winemaker turned professional, Waters’ production runs are small (he
made only 50 cases of his sold-out 2001 Meritage and sells out of
his wines rather quickly) but he can honestly say that he has
touched every single bottle coming out of his winery. Calling his
wines “hand crafted” is more than marketing hyperbole. Waters has
some new wines, including a 2005 Reserve Chardonnay and some 2004
reds, coming out in the next month or so. But, earlier this summer
he started selling four other wines from the 2005 vintage — all
suitable for sipping as summer winds down. Jim’s 2005 Waters Crest
Winery Rose, made with a combination of red and white grapes, is a
pretty copper-pink and very fruity on the nose with bright aromas of
strawberry kool-aid, watermelon and lime. While lightly sweet, there
is enough acidity present to keep the wine fresh. Strawberry flavors
rule the palate with a squirt of lime zest on a tart finish.Waters
Crest makes one of Long Islands best Rieslings — always a favorite
in fact. The 2005 Riesling, such a pale yellow that it’s almost
colorless, was a bit austere when tasted not long after bottling,
with a tight, lean nose and mellow melon flavors. A few months in
bottle will help this open up and become more interesting — just in
time for Thanksgiving where Riesling shines.Gewurztraminer isn’t for
everyone. It can be abrasive and in-your-face, but Waters Crest
Winery’s 2005 Gewurztraminer avoids that pitfall while still staying
true to the exotic variety. Medium-light gold, the nose is classic
gewüürztraminer — lychee nut, rose petals and gingery-sweet spice.
The palate is floral and citrusy with distinct lemon flavors and a
lime-inflected nutty finish. Just a bit more acidity would help
focus this wine, but it’s still a nice everyday-style
gewüürztraminer. The best of the new releases, Waters Crest Winery’s
2005 Chardonnay is an improvement on the 2004 non-reserve chardonnay
release. It has some sauvignon blanc-esque character, with fresh,
bright grapefruit aromas accented with just a hint of passion fruit.
Clean and refreshing, this is the style chardonnay that I prefer —
fruit without overbearing oak. Vibrant citrus, melon and mineral
flavors cleanse and please the palate. Steel-fermented Long Island
chardonnay — it’s perfect for summer and seafood. Waters Crest
Winery is located at 22355 Route 48, Cutchogue, New York,
631-734-5065, . |
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Please
email all your comments & questions about The North Fork to wine@danspapers.com
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