"Wine makes everyone hopeful" . . . Aristotle
THE NEW YORK STATE OF WINE
New York . . . the
greatest city in the world . . .
and a winemaking region. Yes, with
47 vineyards and wineries on eastern Long Island, just an hour and a half east of New York City, and over 220
statewide.
Comtesse
Thérèse is an
artisanal wine producer located in Aquebogue, on the eastern
end of Long Island, New York. The winery is one of the few in the world using Hungarian and Russian oak barrels, in addition to French and American oak, and the first winery on the east coast of the US to use Canadian oak barrels.
Click here for Lenn Thompson's review of the 2005 Hungarian Oak Merlot.
Below are www.winesny.com's 95 point review of the 2006 Russian Oak Chardonnay, and 90 point review of the 2004 Hungarian Oak Merlot:
2006 Comtesse Thérèse Russian Oak Chardonnay
(Score: 95):
Medium golden with a hint of green hue in the glass.
Bouquet is rich with lemon, vanilla, butterscotch, shows tropical notes of nutmeg, eucalyptus, and mango. Baked apples, cantaloupe, and ripe pears open developing lemon chiffon, Creme Brulee and cinnamon on the mid pallet (sic). Texture is creamy but not overly so. Flavors are fruit forward, round, full, and opulent. Pepper and spice jump up on the finish with an undertone of light acid to keep the wine open and provide counterpoint to fruit themes. Fascinating and beautifully crafted wine. Unusual oak aging provides interest and complexity over a classical Burgundy style Chardonnay. Fruit is balanced nicely by the work in the cellar. Good as an aperitif or pair with sharp cheeses, mollusks, or grilled fish. Excellent value.
2004 Comtesse Thérèse Hungarian Oak Merlot
(Score: 90):
Wonderful nose, cherries, blackberries, sassafras, and peppers. Cherries and stone fruit forward balanced with pepper and spices from the oak. The Hungarian oak imparts a different experience from French or American varieties. Medium tart finish contrasts with the fruit. A well structured wine. It is apparent that a lot of thought went into the building of this wine.
The New York Times, in February 2007, called the 2004 Château Reserve Merlot "a pretty wine . . . soft, plush, round, meaty and spicy. . . The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is robustly gamey, smoky, somewhat minty and redolent of macerated dark berries." The 70% Cabernet Sauvignon/30% Cabernet Franc "offers an inviting cabernet sauvignon aroma and a smoky body" and the 2004 Hungarian Oak Merlot he called "spicy, a bit tarry, slightly woody."
Sommelier News, March 2006 said "Thérèse has become known for its textured, brooding merlots, and the 2003 we were served didn't disappoint us."
In August 2004, a year after releasing its first wines to the public, the 2002 Hungarian Oak Merlot was named "BEST MERLOT IN NEW YORK" at the New York Wine & Food Classic, out of 54 merlots and 194 wineries across New York state. In October 2005, the 2002 Russian Oak Chardonnay won "BEST CHARDONNAY" in Dan's Papers "Best of the Best". The previous year, the winery won "BEST NEW WINERY" in Dan's Best of the Best. A 2001 merlot from the debut vintage (the '01 Château Reserve) was the only merlot out of 30 New York-grown merlots included in Wine Enthusiast's annual worldwide review of merlot. Another 2001 merlot (the '01 Traditional Merlot) received a 90 rating from Wine & Spirits.
For other
mentions in the national and local press, click on the name of the article on the left,
or see the NEWS page for all articles.
THE TASTING ROOM
Comtesse Thérèse is the proprietor of The Tasting Room, located on Peconic Lane in Peconic, NY. The Tasting Room in Long Island's only multi-vineyard tasting room. There, the full line of Comtesse Thérèse wines are available, as well as the wines of other, smaller, boutique-style wineries that do not have their own tasting rooms. See the TASTING ROOM page for more information or go to www.tastingroomli.com.
COMTESSE THÉRÈSE BISTRO OPENING SOON!!
The years-long process of getting all the licenses and permits for the bistro is almost over, and construction is finally underway. Located in a charmingly renovated historic house from the 1830's on the Main Road in Aquebogue, NY, the cozy and intimate 28-seat bistro is expected to open in winter of 2009/2010 and will serve local food, along with Comtesse Thérèse wines.
Chef Arie Pavlou, a graduate of the Cordon Bleu in Paris, formerly co-owner of Coeur de Vignes restaurant in Southold, and currently an instructor at the Culinary Institute at Suffolk County Community College on Main Street in Riverhead, will be the chef. An avid local hunter, fisherman, and mushroom gatherer as well as chef, Arie is intimately familiar with the Long Island wine industry and wine and food pairings.
ABOUT US
Comtesse Thérèse is owned by international tax attorney Theresa (Tree) Dilworth and two Japanese friends, Chizuko Tomita and Kayomi Hirota. During the weekdays, Theresa lives in Manhattan and is responsible for global tax planning for MasterCard Worldwide in Purchase, NY. Chizuko is an international tax partner at Ernst & Young in Tokyo, and Kayomi is a US and Japanese CPA with her own tax and accounting firm in Tokyo. Comtesse Thérèse wines are available in Tokyo through Nagano Trading Co.
Theresa is a 4th generation Long Islander, from the Lloyd Harbor/Huntington area, now living in Mattituck. Her great-great grandmother's family was in the vineyard business in Alsace, France. Theresa's husband, Mineo "Sammy" Shimura, a former steel executive, became certified as a sommelier, and now manages the vineyard full-time (see VINEYARD page.) Theresa's parents also work in the vineyard, five days a week.
Click here for more information about the owners of Comtesse Thérèse.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
- To to contact us, click the email link at the bottom of the page.
Feature article on Theresa Dilworth in the Wine Press Summer 2008 issue
