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LONG ISLAND VINES Winning Chenin Blanc While I never buy cases, even half cases, of any wine, because it's usually more interesting to experience something new today than to confirm or contradict yesterday's findings, this $15 chenin blanc should be bought in quantity for the warm weather. When the word gets around about how good this feather-light white is -- 89 on a 100-point scale -- what's left of the original 280 cases at the winery, in Aquebogue on the North Fork, will vanish in a flash. As a midafternoon pick-me-up, for picnics, as an aperitif, or as a partner with fish, seafood, fowl and white meats, Paumanok's chenin offers special versatility - far more than barrel-fermented chardonnays, which can be too heavy. In fact, said Charles Massoud, a co-owner, it contains 25 percent chardonnay, though the component's presence is not easily detectable. To preserve the fruitiness, both the chenin blanc and chardonnay were reared in stainless-steel tanks, which, being neutral, do not affect flavor, as oak does. The flirtatious flowers-and-honey aroma gives way to a scintillatingly refreshing, slightly spritzy wine whose complexity, when you taste it, hinges on the degree of chill. "This is the only white wine that I would not hesitate to cool in an ice bucket," Mr. Massoud said, "as cold makes it crisper. In summer it can be refreshing like a lemonade." He's got a point, though I prefer a light chill, which emphasizes the wine's flavor, which is part lemon, part dried pineapple and part peach. When the drink is deeply cold, its focus shifts vividly to its cleansing, racy, grapefruity acidity, which shapes its tart "sweet"-and-sour character and a finish so enduring that it seems indelible. It's a romantic notion, but I enjoy thinking that when you first see this pale-colored chenin blanc, smartly packaged in a transparent-glass bottle, you can imagine its bracing citric snap, even before pulling the cork. HOWARD G. GOLDBERG "I preferred...the dry, crisp Paumanok [2000 Chenin Blanc] from Long Island....Gentle aromas of citrus and pear; delicate but deep flavors." -- Eric Asimov, The New York Times, April 11, 2001 Click here for Eric Asimov's complete column on Chenin Blanc "Paumanok Vineyards is Long Island's champion of chenin blanc, the charmer of the Loire." -- Peter Gianotti, Newsday, April 4, 1999 "More than once, the quest for exactly the right Long Island wine to wash down shellfish - no small culinary issue on the East End - has pointed to Paumanok's chenin blanc." -- Howard Goldberg, The New York Times, April 24, 1999 The Wine Enthusiast - April 2001 86 This wine is so clean and fresh, it's like biting into a tart Granny Smith--albeit one with pear, citrus and even grape overtones. Mouthwatering acidity leaves you craving sip after sip: It's the quintessential apéritif wine. |