Long Island: Martha Clara Tasting, November 2004
The name suggests a homey sort of place. Indeed, Martha Clara was the mother of the proprietor. But her full name was Martha Clara Entenmann, and she helped create the family bakery that eventually became a national brand. So it is not surprising that while the winery sounds folksy, the thinking is dynamic. They produce eighteen or so different wines and have one of the largest tasting rooms and event spaces among Long Island wineries.
The operation started as almost every vineyard on Long Island did as a potato farm, but then became a thoroughbred horse farm run by the Robert Entenmann before the initial vines were planted in 1995. Their first release was in 1999. About 112 acres are now under cultivation—a fairly substantial amount for Long Island, but nothing compared to estates in California’s Central Valley.
The wines fall into several broad categories. White wines include a regular and a reserve chardonnay, pinot grigio, gewürztraminer, viognier, riesling, sauvignon blanc, and a sparkling wine, made in the champagne method. Two roses are offered, one made from merlot grapes and the other from cabernet franc. Red wines include a regular and reserve merlot, a regular and reserve syrah, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and a proprietary blend called 6024. Ciel is their cold fermented dessert wine.
Just as their wines roam the spectrum, so do their label designs. Some labels picture Martha Clara as a bride, others have illustrations of the fields, and still others picture grape clusters. Two labels picture what seem to be North Fork buildings and one rose has a dog illustration.
What does it all mean? A young winery producing eighteen different wines with a farrago of labels? In the worst case, I would say the thinking is unfocused. But the people involved seem too smart and directed for that to be the case. My guess is that they are experimenting, testing, getting a sense of who they are, how the market responds, and where they are going. Comparing the vineyard to the bakery, their website states: “Robert learned over the years which [bakery] products fared the best through trial and error. His efforts in the vineyard are undergoing the same meticulous process, however it’s a bit more complex.”
I imagine in future years we will see a pruning process, where the spotlight falls on the best wines. To grow all the grapes and make such a large number of high quality wines would require an extraordinary effort in which nature might not cooperate. (Another option would be to settle for lesser quality wines but from what I see that is not the direction in which the winemakers at Martha Clara are going.) The biggest question for now and the next few years is this: can a small winery attempt this variety and still maintain the quality needed for today’s market? Though I hope to test all their wines in the future, for this report I decided to try just a sampling of four. All were made proficiently but only two had what I might call passion.
Brut ($20) is their sparkling wine. I served it chilled as an aperitif with some light hors d’oeuvres. My guests enjoyed it, and I found it pleasant if not remarkable. But when I tried it side by side with a California sparkler, Roederer Estate (about $17), it had by comparison less life and tangy acidity. If you want to serve a Long Island sparkling wine, it’s a good choice, but if you are shopping exclusively for value consider it as one of many options.
Ciel (the French word for sky) is an after dinner wine, moderately sweet, with an intriguing floral quality undoubtedly from the viognier grape, and a deep gold color. But it never quite reaches le septième ciel (seventh heaven). What it lacks is the big round flavor and bits of complexity you want with desserts or as a digestif. It sells at the tasting room for $29 per half bottle. Time and experience are necessary to perfect a good sparkling wine or a good sweet wine, and perhaps Martha Clara is on the way. Since both Brut and Ciel are nonvintage wines and show promise, I’ll certainly revisit them as new editions are released.
Syrah is a grape not frequently grown on Long Island. In the northern Rhone area of France, it is used to produce such great wines as Cornas and Hermitage. In this country and in Australia (where it is called shiraz) it can produce excellent wines as well as some burly but enjoyable everyday wines. Roman Roth of Wolffer Estate was the consulting winemaker for the 2001 syrah that I tested, and his considerable skills are evident. He brought out the spice and fruit of syrah as well the mellowness of the 15 percent merlot portion of the blend. Delicately oaked, with balanced tannins, it offers several tiers of aroma although the taste is somewhat less layered. It’s a simple, tasty, well-proportioned wine, an inviting choice for your Thanksgiving turkey, and at $20 per bottle, affordable enough to pour during the football game.
Quite a few Long Island wineries are turning out excellent rieslings in a variety of styles. Martha Clara’s version ($15) is classically correct and could easily be taken for European. It’s dry with a hint of fruity sweetness and a rich bouquet. It’s food friendly. I sampled it with some Brie and figs, and the match was perfect. Gilles Martin was the winemaker, and he has produced both a good wine and a good value here.
Just as Martha Clara was not your typical mom, Martha Clara Vineyards is not your typical winery.
