Whom You Know Highly Recommends Peconic Bay 2010 Estate Malbec

After a long and stressful day of work, one thing I really look forward to is a nice glass of red wine. Lately I have been reaching for Malbec at my local wine shop. I have become a huge fan! As with every other variety of wine, there are so many brands to choose from. I often wonder if I am picking one that I will end up really enjoying. Up until now, I have been only choosing Malbecs from Argentina. Now, I know the best place for Malbec is Long Island! Peconic Bay Malbec 2010 comes from a winery on Long Island, just a short drive from New York City! This wine has all the great qualities of a superb Malbec. It goes down soft and has hints of cherry combined with darker notes. It really enhances the flavor of a meal, especially a good steak. However, it is very enjoyable all on its own! I love that such a fantastic wine is produced so close to home!

Long Island Wine country came in on the Top 5 list of wine destinations in America. Surprised? Did you know that New York produced 59,305 tons of wine in 2010? If you're close to Long Island, and love to take day trips, the first visit on your list should be Peconic Bay Winery. Owned by the Lowerre Family Estate, the Winery produces a series of widely recognized wines, and are ever expanding. Their Malbec is a wine that's hard to match. Malbec is an elegant wine with soft, round tannins. Layered with flavors of blackberries, dark cherries and blueberries, it's balance comes from the herbal, sometimes tobacco side. Some would place the wines of Peconic Bay half way between California and Bordeaux: fruity, up front, like California wines. The aging produces a lingering note that competes with the wines in the region of Bordeaux. Long Island is coming into it's own, and Peconic Bay is a leading name on the East Coast. Their Malbec is very well balanced, and very popular. And, this vintage, 2010, is going to be much sought after. Winemaking is not weather resistant. It's a hard, unpredictable business, especially on a coast where dampness can set in overnight. 2010 gave the industry in New York, great, calm weather, so enjoy the wines produced locally, and stash a few bottles as a gift to yourself. 

Peconic Bay Malbec 2010 is one of the best wines I have had a pleasure of trying to date. Pop open the bottle and start with the amazing aroma. The beautiful smell of cherry, tobacco fill your nose. Once you pour a glass look at the beautiful color. It simply sparkles in the glass. This wine tastes amazing. You have the amazing taste that lingers on your tongue with delight. You can match this with a wonderful red meat dish. It will compliment the dinner like a charm. It's not a overpowering wine either. I find that it's soft and yet complex. Wonderful to server at a dinner party or to gift.

The Malbec is a red I don't always explore as much as I should, because my experience with the South American varieties are nowhere near as convincing as this edition by Peconic Bay. I usually try to stick to what I know and never having tried a Malbec from Long Island, I always walked past this section of the wine store. I will never do that again because I have become enlightened. With a strong aroma of violet and berries, I knew immediately that this would be a wine that would always be in stock in my wine cabinet. Upon tasting this wine for the first time, I was astonished at how much I liked it. I don't normally turn to reds as my go to wine, but this one hit the mark. The 2010 Malbec wasn't thick and heavy as other red wines I've tasted. It had a long, nice finish that didn't over power my taste-buds. I happened to order out for dinner last night and ordered a chicken salad sandwich and paired it with this wine. I loved the pairing. I can't wait to try other food pairings with this wine. If you are looking for a wine to take with you to a holiday get together, this wine is it!

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In 2009, an underperforming five acre block of Merlot was grafted over to Malbec but a team of professional vineyardists from California. This entails actually cutting the tops off of the living vine and implanting a tiny bud of the new vine in the exposed wood. Eventually, with the power and the energy in the still extant roots, a brand new vine is born. The very successful operation gave this winery our first Malbec in 2010 – and what a success indeed.

Already known to be a classic vintage, if not the very best vintag

e ever on the east coast, our 2010 Estate Malbec is a dark saturated purple color. The aromas are unique to this grape variety – leather, heather, mulberry, violets, tea-berry, fresh plums, and black currants. The acidity is noticeably prominent here, whereas many of the South American Malbecs can be very low in acid, our wine is lively and balanced. The flavors are exotic, ranging from crushed blackberries, to cassis, and black cherry. Little to no oak is noticeable as this wine was aged only in older French barrels. The finish is long, complex and inviting. (This wine is $29.99 a bottle at www.empirestatecellars.com, 300 cases of 750s and 30 cases of magnums were produced.)