Jamesport Tasting, a plainspoken, down-to-earth approach
Winemaking is a hands-on business. I didn’t realize how literally true that is until I spent a morning last week with Simeon Joffe, the winemaker at Jamesport Vineyards. His hands are stained a grapey, purplish blue that will not fade until this harvest season ends. He is exactly the right sort of winemaker for Jamesport Vineyards, because it is a hands- on kind of place where everyone is deeply involved. Ron Goerler, who owns the winery with his father, is also the vineyard manager. This means he is in charge of what happens in the fields, and unlike, say, the businessman owner or the wealthy investor, he is the guy who is out on the tractor at 6:30 in the morning. This might have been more common at one time—think of the French vigneron tradition—but is unusual today, especially in this country.
Reinforcing this straightforward, homespun approach, the tasting room, production facilities and offices are located in a pastoral nineteenth century barn on Main Road in Jamesport. Wines are made entirely from grapes grown on their 60-acre farm in Cutchogue. The third part of their hands-on team, Steve Maier, an East Hampton resident, is the sales director. They are all interesting people, producing and selling high quality wines at fair prices.
Like most other vineyards on Long Island, Jamesport is in the midst of its harvest—the picking and crushing and primary fermenting. Almost all of the white grape juices have started fermenting in steel tanks and the merlot and cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon berries are about to be picked. The harvest looks good overall but time will tell us about the quality.
I was more interested in the quality of the whites from the 2003 vintage as well as some earlier vintage reds that are now almost ready to be released. The 2003 chardonnay is a sophisticated wine. Though it is rich, round, almost creamy, with hints of vanilla, the fruit flavors are delicate and nuanced so that it remains crisp, comparable perhaps to a wine in the softer end of the Chablis range. Price at the winery on release should be about $15. (Prices of new releases are my estimates based on prices of the last vintage.) I found the 2003 sauvignon blanc very pleasing for my personal taste. But even more important is the demonstration that this grape can do well on Long Island. Not many Long Island vineyards are growing it—and right now the market for it is considerably smaller than that for chardonnay—but it results in a wonderfully refreshing and aromatic wine. Mr. Joffe’s version mixes stainless and barrel fermentation, and coaxes out the grassy, green fruit tastes while avoiding the heaviness found in some California and Australian vintages. It’s a very well balanced white wine that must be drunk young. It should sell for about $13.
Drinking Jamesport’s powerfully scented Riesling was an entirely different experience. Moderately sweet, with a decidedly floral quality and aromas of peach and apricot, you are very aware of what’s in your glass. It’s lively, expressive, and even a bit racy. Too sweet for most foods, it could match well with cheese, dessert, or some Asian dishes. Or try it just for sipping while reading by the fire on a winter afternoon. It will be priced at about $17.
Jamesport hit the big time last summer when its 2001 cabernet franc won the award for the best red wine in New York State. That wine is sold out, but I sampled the 2002, and it too looks like a winner. It’s still a bit young and tight, not yet really releasing the flavors of raspberry, cherry, cedar and spice, which are clearly there waiting. A bit of bottle aging ought to bring something of a smoky, autumn leaf quality to your nose and a dance of tender, silky flavor to your tongue. But give it some time. The wine is produced in small quantities and should sell for about $24 when released.
In the meantime you might enjoy their Melange de Trois, also at $24, and available at the winery and in stores. This is a Bordeaux style blend, primarily cabernet franc with cabernet sauvignon and merlot. It is supple, mellow, perfectly balanced, and has that sense of a serious wine. As an experiment, I added it to a dinner last weekend with my tasting buddy Chris Harris, his wife Traci, and her parents. We were drinking two important Bordeaux wines, a 1996 Pichon Longueville Baron, which sells for about $50, and a 1998 Lafite-Rothschild, which sells for about $270.
It would not be fair to directly compare the Melange de Trois to these labels. But I did want to drink them all at the same meal to get a sense of where the Jamesport wine fit. Would we find some common characteristics? Or would the geographical and price divide carry over to quality? I’m pleased to report the wine was a big hit. And the price a clincher. You will definitely get your money’s worth with this wine.
Jamesport Vineyards has personality, a point of view and first-class products. It is about as un-generic as you can get in the world of wine.
