Whom You Know Celebrates our 400th post in Champagne Wishes with Peconic Bay Winery “LOWERRE FAMILY ESTATE – LA BARRIQUE” CHARDONNAY 2010 (NORTH FORK OF LONG ISLAND), Highly Recommended by Whom You Know!
I am always looking for a Chardonnay that really stands out that I cannot live without. And now I have found it. The 2010 Peconic Bay Winery “Lowerre Family Estate – La Barrique” Chardonnay black label. Everyone knows 2010 was a great year for wine. I loved this wine so much that I took a photo of the label with my iphone so that I would have it handy at all times. Yes, this was the only way I would remember the name due to its length and complexity. At first taste, this wine is so creamy and delectable. The intense flavor hinted by vanilla and citrusy fruit makes you go ahhhhhh. Completely refreshing and perfect for the Summer. I would serve this with a great dover sole with butter sauce or even some sushi. It truly complimented the food and did not overwhelm or underwhelm for that matter. Both paired together really enhanced the flavors. Also great to just our a glass and relax! Thinking in the shade kicking back in a Adirondack chair under a giant oak tree. Seems fitting for a complex chardonnay aged in French Oak wine barrels.
Having a wine cabinet in my house, it's always stocked with at least a few bottles. One of those bottles is always a Chardonnay. I'm always looking for a new winery to try and love when it's an American winery. When I tried the 2010 Peconic Bay Winery Lowerre Family Estate La Barrique Black Label Chardonnay, I died and went to chardonnay heaven. I couldn't believe how smooth and wonderful this wine was. It was so smooth, it was like butter. With notes of vanilla and apples, I couldn't help but want to pair this wine with a piece of homemade apple pie. The day after I opened this wine, my sister had come over for a wine and movie night. We decided we wanted Fettuccine Alfredo, and she makes some of the best I've tried. As we were enjoying our fettuccine, we enjoyed our chardonnay. It was a perfect pair. This chardonnay is now my absolute favorite. I have told everyone I know that likes chardonnay about the 2010 Peconic Bay Winery Lowerre Family Estate La Barrique Black Label Chardonnay. I highly recommend it!
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Peconic Bay Winery 2010 "Lowerre Family Estate - La Barrique" Chardonnay "black label" is a fantastic wine. Made in the USA on the beautiful North Fork of Long Island. Peconic Bay has a reputation of producing quality wines since 1979. Peconic Bay produces a wide variety of wines for every taste. Each wine is carefully produced from growing, harvest, fermentation to bottling. You can taste the thoughtfulness and quality in every sip. Situated between the sound and the bay the land of Peconic Bay Winery proves ideal for fabulous winemaking. An area know on the vineyard as "Sandy Hill" produces just the right grapes for their flavorful Chardonnay. The different winemaking techniques used allow for the sophisticated body and bouquet in the 2010 "Lowerre Family Estate - La Barrique" Chardonnay "black label". Peconic Bay uses the highest quality French Oak barrels. These barrels allowing for its distinct buttery and oakey taste. The wine snobs may tell you that California Chardonnay is King but we are here to tell you different. The notes are fresh and smooth, allowing every glass of "Lowerre Family Estate - La Barrique" Chardonnay "black label" to be thoroughly enjoyed. Paired easily with poultry, fish or cheese, this Chardonnay is a great accompaniment to any meal, or just as easily enjoyed by itself. Take a bottle to your next dinner party and you will be the talk of the evening. We truly think this is a great wine for any occasion. For the serious Chardonnay drinker, look no further than "Lowerre Family Estate - La Barrique" Chardonnay "black label", this is the wine for you.
There is definitely something about this chardonnay that is special. I also think of chardonnay as standard fare, nothing very special. While I do enjoy a glass, I am not sure I would serve chardonnay at a special occasion. The 2010 Peconic Bay Winery “Lowerre Family Estate – La Barrique” Chardonnay “black label” changed my mind about that. This is a chardonnay you should serve at a special occasion. It is delicious! It is everything a chardonnay should be. It is clean and a crisp. It is also that perfect balance between being dry and being sweet. This wine is very easy to drink. I paired it with a simple, summer chicken dish and it worked perfectly. In fact, it kicked the dinner up a couple of notches. If you are looking for a great chardonnay to serve at either a simple dinner or a special occasion, this is the wine! You will not be disappointed and the wine tastes great!
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Five times named New York’s best chardonnay, the Peconic Bay Winery “La Barrique” has been upgraded in the incredible 2010 vintage. We call our top wines the Lowerre Family Estate to honor the family that owns our winery. These wines are not made every year, but after an extremely rigorous evaluation, the label is changed to black when it seems prominence has been achieved. Paul and Ursula Lowerre, residents of Manhattan, purchased Peconic Bay in 1999 and set about investing in and improving the vineyards and winery. The results are in the bottle, and on clear display here. This Chardonnay is produced mostly of Dijon clones which yielded a remarkably low 1.2 tons per acre, and is aged briefly in French oak barrels (about 5 months.) The wine shows a depth of character we haven’t seen before from these vines. The aromas are heady with white flowers, peach and papaya, baked apple and graham cracker crust. There’s also mineral, some salinity, lemon zest, quince, fresh apricot, light vanilla and toast notes. The balance of acidity with fruit and oak influence is just perfect this year and the wine is medium-bodied, very elegant, especially in its texture which is silky and long.
Harvest data:
Harvest date:10/14/010
Brix:22.8
pH:3.48
Total acidity: 7.2g/l
Bottling date: 6/3/11
pH:3.53
Total acidity:6.2g/l
Alcohol: 13.6%
Blending components: Chardonnay clone 124
Time in oak: 5 months
Cases: 424
Peconic Bay Winery is one of the oldest wineries on Long Island, founded in 1979 it has been owned by the Lowerre family since 1999. Greg Gove has been winemaker since 1999, and is one of the most respected in the industry for his non-interventionist style and devotion to terroir. His wines are among the longest lived on the island. Charlie Hargrave is the vineyard manager and notable as the first vineyard manager ever on Long Island having planted the Hargrave Vineyard in 1973. He is respected universally for meticulously clean vines, as well as for his sustainable practices. Jim Silver is the General Manager of Peconic Bay Winery since early 2009 and has overseen spectacular growth in visitors, the launch of new labels, the planting of additional vineyards, construction of a massive solar array that powers the winery, and the opening of the state’s most incredible New York (only) tasting and retail room at Tanger Mall in Riverhead: Empire State Cellars, which features 500 of the state’s wines, spirits, beers and cheeses. Contact Jim Silver 917-657-1833, jim@peconicbaywinery.com
Other notable wines from Peconic Bay Winery:
2010 Riesling (called “unrivaled on Long Island” by the Wall St. Journal)
2009 Merlot
2007 Lowerre Family Estate Red Table Wine (“Wine of the Year” NewYorkCorkReport.com)
Notable wines coming soon from Peconic Bay Winery:
2011 Gewürztraminer
2010 Malbec
2010 Cabernet Franc
2011 Red Label Lot #4 (Malbec blend)
Other brands from Peconic Bay Winery:
Nautique Esprit de Blanc (great value table wines for everyday)
Nautique Esprit de Rosé
Nautique Esprit de Rouge
TRUE BELIEVER Sparkling Hard Apple Cider (lighter crisp and refreshing)
TRUE COMPANION Sparkling Hard Apple Cider (sweeter, darker, spiced)
