A Weekend at Shinn Estate and Farmhouse

I have to admit, I never gave much thought to trying too many wines from the North Fork of Long Island. Perhaps it’s because I have never been out there to see the vineyards first hand. Or, maybe it’s because not many of the wines make it into the NYC and Central Jersey market. However, my recent stay at Shinn Vineyards has changed my view on the wines of Long Island and the region as a whole.
 

Located about an hour and half east of New York City, The Shinn Estate and Farmhouse is located in the town of Mattituck. Still the only winery in the North Fork with a bed and breakfast located on site, it is hard to imagine the greatest city in the world is located on the other end of the island. Tiffany and I headed out to the Shinn Estate for our mini-moon, as we were married on June 5^th which might make an objective review of our experience in Long Island difficult, but I can’t imagine the highlights being any different if were just on a weekend getaway (which is exactly what we will be doing at the end of the summer during harvest).
 

Upon arrival at the winery on Sunday night, the first thing we noticed was how quiet it was. The only thing we heard was the whirring of the wine turbine (the farmhouse and winery are run on 100% green technology as a wind turbine was just built to aid the solar panels) and the wind rustling the leaves as it blew across the countryside through the trees. As we checked into our room, four cookies were waiting for us on the bed. Our favorite was the chocolate and ginger something or other that we had. Truth be told, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on more of these over the next two days.   
 

You could miss downtown Mattituck with a sneeze as you drive through, but it’s a cute sleepy little town. We ventured into town and settled in at A Mano Osteria and Wine Bar for dinner. We started dinner with a glass of Martha Clara Brut and ordered dinner. A focused, clean bubbly, I was impressed with the depth of flavor and length on this North Fork sparkler.  Being only one of a handful of tables at the restaurant on a Sunday night, I was impressed that we weren’t rushed through dinner or made to feel as if we were causing the waitstaff an inconvenience by coming in late-ish on a slow night. The food was very good with Tiffany’s gnocchi with pesto standing out. I thoroughly enjoyed the grilled octopus first course as it was served with grilled grapes and capers. Our Sunday night wine was a fruity 2008 Dolcetto d’Alba from Sandrone. A little too fruit forward for me, but it was a welcomed bottle after a long weekend.
 

After what was probably the best night of sleep I have ever head, Tiffany and I headed down to breakfast in the farmhouse. Barbara prepared a different breakfast each morning we were there. Monday morning we had a mushroom and goat cheese frittata that was perfect after a bowl of granola and yogurt. The coffee, from Love Lane Kitchen in Mattituck, was delightful, as we walked the vineyards during the cool, sunny Long Island morning. Barbara followed up with a mushroom risotto, house smoked bacon and fried duck egg on Tuesday and before we came back to the real world on Wednesday, she prepared a Crescent Farms duck egg with potatoes and smoked, pulled duck. And if that wasn’t enough, the selection of scones and smoothies each morning put breakfast over the top.
 

Shinn Estate is comprised of roughly 25 acres of vineyards. Barbara and David allow guests to walk the vineyards at any time of the day as long as they stay out of the way of the field hands and tractors. When we were there, they were spraying an organic lime mix which David warned had a bit of sulfur mixed in which might require a shower or two get off. Instead of taking any chances, we headed to Bailee’s Beach about a mile away and walked the Long Island sound until our legs grew tired. After an afternoon in the sun, we headed back into Mattituck and had a light lunch at Love Lane Kitchen. The little eatery was perfect as we sat outside in the breezy sun and enjoyed a light lunch. This type of restaurant is perfect – the food was delicious, staff friendly and homemade ice tea refreshing. Small-town America at its best. Next time we are out at the Shinn’s, I will be certain to head to Love Lane for dinner.
 

Looking to get out of Mattituck for an evening, we headed to the fishing town of Greenport. After speaking with another couple who hadn’t been to Greenport in twenty years, I was expecting it to be exactly the way they remembered it – a fairly quiet fishing town with nice restaurants and a quaint downtown. It was exactly that. Little shops and restaurants lined the main street and you could smell oysters in the air. Or at least that was what my hungry belly was telling me. I was surprised on how quiet the town was as the Jersey beach towns are jam packed from Memorial Day through Labor Day, but the couple explained that things don’t start rocking on the North Fork until after July 4^th.
 

We had dinner at Noah’s in Greenport and I must say, I was a little disappointed. Lack of communication between the wait staff and inconsistent focus on the small plate menu reminded me of my rule, the closer you are to the water the more probable it is that you will be disappointed by dinner. It’s true as can be in Jersey. However, it was our mini-moon and the ambience and wine list made it a memorable night. The wine list was fun as they offered 3 oz and 6 oz pours of wines by the glass. I tried as many Long Island wines at Noahs as I could without jeopardizing our ability to drive home. The one that stood out was the Lieb Family Cellars Pinot Blanc that sang with my oysters. I ate mostly from the small plate raw menu at Noah’s and Tiffany navigated her way through the menu as they offered a few vegetarian selections.
 

After breakfast the next morning, Tiffany and I walked the vineyards at the Shinn Estate. Walking up and down rows of Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and others was a treat. Some of the vines were flowering – a harbinger of grape bunches coming in a couple of months. The Shinn’s practice organic and biodynamic vineyard management and it was a treat to see grass, wildflowers and other signs of a healthy vineyard abound throughout the rows. It is my belief that there should be at a minimum a sustainable level of care in a vineyard. David and Barbara take that to the next level. 
 

We tried all of their wines in the tasting room on our second afternoon. When we planned to go back for a winery tour with David, we napped for most of the afternoon. I will have to take him up on his offer to check everything out later this summer. As for the wines themselves, a few are nothing short of world-class. I had the opportunity to taste the Estate Merlot and the Nine Barrels Merlot in my previous incarnation as a sommelier and they were everything I remembered – concentrated, but not extracted, and full of life. Tiffany’s favorites were the whites – the Coalesence (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling & Merlot Blanc!), the Riesling (grapes are brought in from the Finger Lakes) and of course the Sparkling (grapes sourced locally). I almost never seek out wines that are touted for their scores, but David had a Bordeaux blend he calls ‘Wild Boar Doe’ that received 90 points from Robert Parker. I was expecting a wine that was going to be over oaked with sweet tannins and too much fruit. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. The Merlot based blend was a treat – full of focused, reserved fruit that had oak as a seasoning and the acidity was begging for something grilled for dinner. As my friend and boss, David Bowler would say, “It’s a damn good wine despite the score.”

On our final night, after watching the sunset on the Sound, we headed back to A Mano for dinner and it was just as good as the first night. The final wine of the trip was a treat – a 2006 Rosso Piceno from Fausti.  I always try to find value on a wine list and I must say, I will be searching for a case of this Montepulciano / Sangiovese blend soon. Although it’s meant to be drunk young, I see this wine lasting another year or two. It had muted fruit with a lot of fall spice and earthiness.  Unlike other New World styles coming from the region, Fausti keeps both feet firmly in its Old World vineyard.
 

The next morning, after saying goodbye to Beckett the Boxer and Panda the Border Collie, it was time to head back to the real world. I drove us back to Manhattan as I had to stop off and try a hundred or so German Rieslings (I know, a tough life) while Tiffany made her way to the tunnel and safely back to our little hamlet in Jersey – just in time for an amazing amount of rain. We never saw as much as a cloud at our wedding or in Long Island which was fine with me.

*Editors Note:  David Page was nice enough to read the article today and emailed me a couple of corrections.  Firstly, he does all of the cooking at the Farmhouse.  Also, he wants readers to note that you do not need multiple showers after sulfur sprays in the vineyard.  I meant this in jest, of course, but in case you want to visit the folks out in Mattituck, everything they spray is in accordance with biodynamic winemaking principles.

 

 

Noahs