Santé
Selections, SANTÉ, The Magazine for Restaurant
Professionals, Holiday 2005
Medium
bodied with dark red fruit and wet leaves; solid finish
with drying tannins. Grilled beef. Comtesse Thérèse
2002 Traditional Merlot, North Fork of Long Island,
New York. 631-871-9194; $144/case
©
SANTÉ 2005
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“Long Island Vines: New Investor In the Region,” THE NEW YORK TIMES, Howard G. Goldberg, November 13, 2005
The Long Island wine industry is eager to learn what plans a major new investor has in mind for two properties it has acquired in deals that total more than $4.5 million.
Cathleen Dawson and Marianne Sawicki of the Southold office of Allan Schneider Associates, the real estate firm that managed both sales, said the 38.6-acre Charles John Vineyard in Southold had been purchased from Matt and Jackie Campbell for $2.6 million.
They also said the 18.3-acre Broadfields property in Southold, the Broadfields label and a retail outlet in Jamesport, the Tasting Room, had been sold for $1.925 million. The new owner, they said, assumed a lease that Karen and Robin Meredith, the former owners of Broadfields, have on the Tasting Room in Peconic.
The two retail outlets sell wines made by Broadfields, Comtesse Thérèse, Schneider and Manor Hill.
Ms. Dawson and Ms. Sawicki declined to identify the buyer. But Theresa Dilworth, an owner of Comtesse Thérèse, said she met on the North Fork last weekend with Sarah Barnes, a representative of the new owner, which Ms. Dilworth identified as the Leucadia National Corporation.
Leucadia, an investment firm with offices in New York and Salt Lake City, owns the Pine Ridge Winery in the Napa Valley in California and Archery Summit in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
AnnaBelle Walter, Pine Ridge's public relations director, referred a request for information to Ms. Barnes in Leucadia's Salt Lake City office. Ms. Barnes did not return phone calls.
Pine Ridge, established in 1978, is based in the Stags Leap American Viticultural Area of the Napa Valley. It owns more than 220 planted acres distributed in five American Viticultural Areas in the valley.
Pine Ridge has experience in producing cabernet sauvignon, merlot, a Bordeaux-style red blend, chardonnay, a blend of chenin blanc and viognier, all found on Long Island.
Archery Summit owns four vineyards in the Red Hills of Dundee, Ore., totaling 100 acres. It specializes in pinot noir, which is marginally produced on Long Island.
The acquisition of Broadfields represents at least the second major capital investment in the Island's wine industry by outsiders. In 1999, Laurel Lake was acquired by a Chilean group.
''The fact that a serious investor with West Coast holdings is investing in Long Island indicates that Long Island is being taken seriously as a premier winegrowing area with a bright future,'' said James Trezise, president of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, a statewide trade association based in the Finger Lakes region. ''The winemaking expertise and diversity of experience that the new owner brings adds another dimension to the native talent and French consultants.''
A major Long Island property, Galluccio Family Wineries in Cutchogue, was put up for sale last spring for $8.975 million. Syma Joffe Gerard, an Eastport broker handling the sale, said that there had been ''a great deal of interest from a variety of different sources.''
© THE NEW YORK TIMES 2005
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"Both
Forks Uncorked," TOWN & COUNTRY, Ted Loos,
September 2005
The
idea of fine wine from New York's Long Island was once
considered a joke. Now, after thirty years of progress,
the joke's on anyone who ignores the offerings of the
region's still-maturing North and South Forks.
"The reds don't taste like wines from anywhere
else," says Tom Drozd, the winemaker at Palmer
Vineyards on the North Fork, where most of the area's
wines are from. "They have an herbal, earthy
quality, with soft, supple tannins." Long
Island's cool climate, buffered by the warmth of the
surrounding water, gives the wines a nice acid balance,
great for food matching.
Though
Merlot is the most consistently well-produced red (look
for those from Bedell Celllars), you should also seek
out Drozd's own Palmer Vineyards Select Reserve Red
2000 ($25), made primarily from Cabernet Franc; Paumanok
Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vintage 2001 ($39);
Jason's Vineyard Red Table Wine 2000 ($19), a Bordeaux-style
blend; and Comtesse Thérèse Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 ($25).
©
TOWN & COUNTRY 2005
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"Quenching
the Dry Days of August," THE NEW YORK TIMES, Howard
G. Goldberg, August 14, 2005 (excerpt)
.
. . Comtesse Thérèse, a producer in Aquebogue,
also offers a pleasant pink 2004 rosé, this one
a cut or two above carafé rosés that weary
vacationers like to gulp in France's cafés.
Fruity up front, it, too, has hints of strawberry and
alternates between dry and off-dry effects. One moment,
the wine tastes like a light red, another moment like
a rosé, a third moment like a white wine.
The
owner, Theresa Dilworth, grows cabernet sauvignon and
merlot in Le Clos Thérèse, Comtesse Thérèse's
vineyard. Her wines are made at Premium Wine Group
in Mattituck. Her $14 rosé is sold at the
Tasting Room, at 2885 Peconic Lane in Peconic and at
1556 Main Road in Jamesport. Both specialize in
the wines of Comtesse Thérèse and four
other producers.
©
THE NEW YORK TIMES 2005
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"Not
a Cook-Off Per Se," FOOD & WINE, August 2005
(excerpt)
Comtesse
Thérèse 2002 Traditional Merlot and three
other Long Island wines were featured in an August,
2005 article in FOOD & WINE on "Four-star
chef's simple menus: Thomas Keller and Jonathan Benno." Thomas Keller, owner and chef of The French Laundry
in Yountville, made dishes to pair with Napa Valley
wines, while Jonathan Benno, executive chef of Per Se,
The French Laundry's sister restaurant in New York City,
paired his dishes with Long Island wines.
"While
Yountville's French Laundry is smack in the middle of
one of the world's great winegrowing regions, Manhattan's
Per Se is quite close to the up-and-coming vineyards
on the North Fork of New York's Long Island. The
flinty 2003 Jamesport Vineyards Cox Lane Chardonnay
complements Benno's smoky-sweet corn and bacon chowder
just as well as it does his herb-rubbed game hens.
Long Island also produces good Merlots, typically lighter
and leaner than those from California. The cherry
fruit-inflected 2002 Bedell Cellars Merlot and the velvety
2002 Comtesse Thérèse Traditional Merlot are both superb with Benno's first
and main courses.
©
FOOD & WINE 2005
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"Hands-On
Chefs," EDIBLE EAST END, Brian Halweil, Summer
2005 (excerpt)
Theresa
Dilworth has a dream. Ms. Dilworth, the owner
and winemaker at Comtesse Thérèse, is
converting an 1830s farmhouse in Aquebogue that used
to be the Jamesport Saddlery Shop, into a restaurant.
The living room and parlor will be the dining rooms. The upstairs bedrooms with host private dinner parties.
Sounds
quaint enough. But here's the revolutionary part.
Nearly all of the items on the menu will be grown and
made on Long Island. The wines will come from
the owner's vineyard as well as some neighboring estates.
The beer will come from Blue Point Brewery, the Southampton
Publick House, and the Brooklyn Brewery, which "is
technically on Long Island," Ms. Dilworth noted.
Free-range ducks will come from Jurgielewicz Duck Farm
in Moriches. Ms. Dilworth will grow garlic, rosemary,
oregano, parsley and other herbs on part of her vineyard,
and keep chickens for eggs.
The
menu will revolve around ingredients that are available
year-round, including potatoes, cabbage, garlic and
onions, duck, and assorted fish and shellfish. (To conquer
seasonal limitations, she'll dry peppermint for tea
and freeze garlic-parsley butter.) Items like
apples and tomatoes, available only for a few months,
will turn up as seasonal specials. "I want
to have simple, quintessential dishes, " said Ms.
Dilworth. "I'm not looking for potatoes with foie gras or caviar. I just want really
good Long Island potatoes. Maybe with chives."
Ms.
Dilworth is still completing the permitting process
and hopes to be open in 2006, but the mantra for the
menu is set. "The closer, the better,"
she said. "Homegrown if possible." . . .
© EDIBLE EAST END 2005
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"A
Tale of Two Merlots," DAN'S PAPERS, Lenn Thompson,
July 8, 2005
Merlot is often touted as Long Island 's "signature" grape - the varietal and the wine that is going to put
the region on the world wine stage. I'm not one hundred
percent sold on that notion - some of the Cabernet Franc
here is just too good - but the consistency and ripe-ability
of Merlot makes it somewhat of a safer choice.
At Le Close (sic) Therese in Aquebogue, owner and winemaker Theresa Dilworth, makes two interesting and decidedly
different Merlots with good results. These wines, along
with her Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Rose are
produced at Premium Wine Group, the custom-crush winemaking
facility in Mattituck. In my experience, Dilworth always
shows a deft hand and desire to make truly hand-crafted
wines.
Her
recently released Comtesse Therese 2003 Hungarian Oak
Merlot ($16.50) spent 14 months in Hungarian and French
oak (mostly Hungarian) and begs to be enjoyed with food.
Ruby red in the glass, it has an aromatic nose of black
cherries, raspberries, black pepper and smoky burnt
sugar. Soft and spicy, with gentle tannins and a little
acidity, its smoky and peppery-sweet berry flavors accented
by almost floral notes make this a great wine for with
burgers, BBQ chicken and even pepperoni pizza. Only
130 cases were made, so make sure you pick some up for
your Labor Day BBQ.
Dilworth's
Comtesse Therese 2002 Traditional Merlot ($18) is a
wine of a totally different color - both literally and
figuratively. Much darker in the glass, the differences
brought about by four extra months in mostly French
oak (with a little American thrown in) are obvious.
The nose is less peppery, but still fruit-driven with
blackberries and cherries dominating. On the palate,
it's denser and more substantial with more, fuller tannins
framing its berry flavors. The finish, while long, offers
some still-raw oak character that will likely fade with
more aging. Drink this red with more substantial red
meats, like steak, lamb or venison. 188 cases were made.
I've
long been a fan of Dilworth's rose, because she always
avoids the overuse of sulphur dioxide in the winemaking
process, leading to a wine lush with fruit flavor. The
Comtesse Therese 2004 Rose ($14) continues this tradition.
While many roses are bright, Kool-Aid pink, this one
is an appealing salmony orange color. The nose is light
and straightforward, with lime and strawberry aromas.
The first sip is a little tight (this is a young wine)
but with time it opens up nicely revealing strawberry,
apricot and cherry soda flavors. The acidity is lively
but not abrasive, resulting in a well-balanced summer
sipper. I think you can drink good rose with most any
food, and this certainly qualifies. 150 cases were made.
The
Tasting Room, in Jamesport and in Peconic, carry these
and other Comtesse Therese wines. Visit www.tasting-room.com for more information.
For
more information about Le Close Therese and Comtesse
Therese wines, visit www.lctwinery.com or call 871-9194. Dilworth also plans to open a
small French bistro in Aquebogue. The menu will feature
Long Island wines, locally grown produce, New York State
cheese and even Long Island-brewed beers. She's hoping
to open sometime in 2006.
© DAN'S PAPERS 2005
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"Thoughts on the Supreme Court Ruling...from Theresa Dilworth of Comtesse Therese Winery," LENNDEVOURS, May 25, 2005
"I think it will be good for the region as a whole. For example, at the moment I cannot ship wine to my Pfizer colleagues who live in New Jersey or Connecticut. It's a felony to even cross state lines with wine in the car. I have gotten requests from people from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and the Carolinas, who came to Long Island for a visit, tried the wines, and then wanted to order some from my website once they get back home - in the past I had to turn these people down, but in the future I will be able to ship to them.
Also, it has been said that magazines with a nationwide distribution have been reluctant to review wines that are not readily available nationwide. I am not sure if this is true or not, but with the new legislation, it should be possible for a New York winery to ship wine directly to the interested consumer in Chicago or California or wherever without going through a national distributor. The large national distributors simply do not carry small winery's wines.
I think in general, anything that encourages free trade is a good thing."
-- Theresa Dilworth, co-owner and winemaker, Comtesse Therese Winery (and a corporate lawyer for Pfizer)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Uncorked," THE EAST HAMPTON STAR, Michael Braverman, April 28,
2005 (excerpt)
.
. . Female winemakers are not as unusual as they were
just a few years ago (Theresa Dilworth is an award-winning
winemaker here on Long Island), but it still commands
some attention . . .
© THE EAST HAMPTON STAR 2005
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"Ten
Great Long Island Wines You've Never Heard Of," LONG ISLAND PRESS, Lenn Thompson, April 13, 2005 (excerpt)
It's
no secret that Long Island produces its share of wine.
You can find local labels easily in stores, and wine
tasting on the East End has become a popular activity. Some of the wines are good, some aren't, but if you
look hard, there's a select group that is truly world-class.
Here
are 10 wines, five white and five red, that are made
in such small quantities by smaller wineries, they are
sold mostly to restaurants, upscale wine shops and in
their own tasting rooms. Each is worth the trouble of
tracking a bottle or two down.
.
. . If you like your Chardonnnay a bit more traditional,
2003 Comtesse Therese Russian Oak Chardonnay ($18) is
a fine option. It's delicious and lush without
being heavy or over-oaked. With toasty vanilla
and beautiful underlying fruitiness, it's definitely
not a Californa Chardonnay. This wine, and the
well regarded Comtesse Therese Merlots, is available
at both of The Tasting Room's locations (a coop tasting
room for small producers.)
© LONG ISLAND PRESS 2005
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"Wines
of Long Island," NEWSDAY, Peter M. Gianotti, April
10, 2005
Theresa
Dilworth's Comtesse Thérèse label is on
two lively reds from the 2002 vintage.
The
2002 Comtesse Thérèse Cabernet Sauvignon
has fine varietal character, with cherry notes and a
hint of spice. It's a well-structured, slightly
earthy wine to uncork when you're serving red meat.
A bottle of the '02 Cabernet is about $25.
Dilworth's
2002 Comtesse Thérèse Traditional Merlot
includes 5 percent cabernet sauvignon. The wine
has upfront fruit and is easily enjoyed. There's
an undercurrent of oak. Try it with duck. A bottle is about $18.
The
Comtesse Thérèse wines are produced at
the Premium WIne Group in Mattituck.
© NEWSDAY 2005
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"Highly
Recommended", THE BEVERAGE TASTING INSTITUTE, March
31, 2005
In
March 2005, the Beverage Tasting Institute of Chicago
awarded the 2002 Comtesse Thérèse Traditional
Merlot a "highly recommended" rating.
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"Might
as Well Be Spring," THE NEW YORK TIMES,
Howard G. Goldberg, Feb. 27, 2005 (excerpt)
If
seafood, especially lobster and shrimp, is on your menu,
a recently released wine from another producer is a
good match: the Comtesse Thérèse 2003
barrel-fermented Russian Oak chardonnay ($16).
Dry,
redolent of butter, round and soft, this rich white
was made from bought grapes at the Premium Wine Group
in Mattituck under the supervision of Theresa K. Dilworth,
the principal owner of Le Clos Thérèse
in Aquebogue.
Ms
Dilworth has also released her 2002 Comtesse Thérèse
Traditional Merlot ($18), a medium-bodied red aged 18
months in French and American oak barrels.
Do
not confuse this wine with the sold-out 2002 Hungarian
Oak Merlot, which was voted the state's best merlot
in the New York Wine and Food Classic last year. The dense Traditional Merlot, somewhat rustic and a
tad too alcoholic, will require at least a year to come
together; its fruit needs to free itself from a dominantly
woody flavor.
Ms.
Dilworth's 2002 Comtesse Thérèse cabernet
sauvignon, which along with the Traditional Merlot is
made from bought grapes, is light, soft and a little
shy on flavor; after decanting, it showed some vivacity
along with spiciness and tobacco notes typical of cabernet.
The
cabernet's outlandish $25 tag can only fuel a widespread
perception that middling Long Island wines are overpriced.
Ms.
Dilworth, a tax lawyer for Pfizer, cultivates 10 acres
of grapes, mostly cabernet sauvignon, at her Aquebogue
vineyard. The Tasting Room, in Jamesport and in Peconic,
carry her Comtesse Thérèse wines.
© THE NEW YORK TIMES 2005
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