Today we visit the North Fork hamlets of Mattituck, Aquebogue, and Cutchogue. They’re all within a 20 minute drive of each other and, off-season at least, getting around is half the fun. Eye-candy galore, with farm stands, vineyards, country roads, coffee bars, shops, and restaurants all waiting for your post-wine tasting pleasure.
MACARI VINEYARDS
150 Bergen Ave, Mattituck, NY
(631) 298-0100 / info@macariwines.com
In the mid 1960’s, Joseph Macari, Jr. of Queens, NY purchased a 500-acre former potato farm on the North Fork of Long Island. Now that’s foresight! Thirty years later, Joe Jr. moved to Mattituck, planted the first vines, and, along with his wife and father, Joe Sr., started Macari Vineyards. One of the great North Fork pioneers, Macari today has 160 acres under vine and produces 20,000 cases annually.
The Macari tasting room is both functional and beautiful; a quasi-rustic mix of wood, stone, and steel. Our guide, Olivia, presented 10 wines from the Macari portfolio across multiple price points, varietals, and production styles. Head Winemaker Byron Elmendorf has been rightly celebrated for his way around Cabenet Franc, as evidenced by our purchase of his Horses Sparkling Red and the Cab Franc Sparkling Rosé.
- Cuvée Katherine Sparkling Pinot Noir 2019; $45
Made in the méthode champenoise style; pale pink/salmon in the glass with tight, tiny bubbles; biscuity nose with a bit of limestone; honeydew and peach flavors; really well-integrated with right amount of minerality. “Lisa’s favorite,” per Gary’s tasting sheet. - Horses Sparkling Red 2024; $32
40% Cabernet Franc, 26% Merlot, 26% Malbec, 8% Petit Verdot
“Lisa’s favorite,” per Lisa’s tasting sheet! We both loved this slightly fizzy, fun wine. Cloudy cranberry color; limestone/musty cranberry on the nose; cranberry and lime flavors–a “grown up” Lime Rickey. Can’t wait to share this at Thanksgiving. - Horses Cabernet Franc Sparkling Rosé 2024; $32
Super-pale salmon with lot of bubbles, courtesy of the Pét-Nat style of wine making. Freshly sliced pear with honeydew on the nose; apricot and cranberry flavors; crisp acidity with a nice finish.
PAUMANOK VINEYARDS
1074 Main Road, Aquebogue, NY
(631) 722-8800 / info@paumanok.com
Like Macari, Paumanok is another family-owned success story with a long history on the North Fork. Ursula and Charles Massoud bought a 127-acre former potato farm in 1983, thoughtfully planned and planted @80 acres of vines, and opened the winery in 1991. Today, second generation vintner Kareem Massoud runs the estate and makes wine from such classic grapes as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cab Sauv, Merlot, and Cab Franc.
Our tasting room guide Chris shared nine Paumanok wines with us, along with a fabulous warmed Bavarian Pretzel from the extensive food menu. Extra credit for the tuneful soundtrack…Sinatra, Armstrong, Holiday, James. These two rosés were our favorites:
- Dry Rosé 2025; $28
52% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 6% Pinot Noir
Lisa first sampled the dry rosé at the North Fork Table & Inn in Southold on our first night in town. She liked it then, at $16 a glass, and she liked it even more at the winery for $28 a bottle! It’s a well-structured, serious wine; pale salmon in color, with bright red fruit flavors and a dry finish. - Rosé de Pinot 2022; $65
A sparkling rosé in the méthode champenoise style. Gary simply wrote, “So subtle. So delicious.” So true.
Suhru & Lieb Vineyards
13050 Oregon Road, Cutchogue, NY
(631) 734-1100 / info@suhruliebvineyards.com
We were thrilled to spend an afternoon with Susan Hearn [below, left], founder of the boutique label Suhru Wines and partner in the recently-merged [2024] Suhru & Lieb Vineyards. Lieb Cellars was long-known for producing elegant wines from classic vinifera grapes like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, while Suhru focused on such lesser-known varietals as Saperavi and Teroldego. Together, Suhru & Lieb produces some of the finest wines, both traditional and envelope-pushing, that we tasted during our North Fork adventure.
Like Paumanok and Macari, Suhru & Lieb is a family affair. Susan’s husband, Russell, is one of the North Fork’s most acclaimed winemakers; daughter Shelby is General Manager; and Shelby’s husband Brad Ulrich is the Assistant Winemaker. In a private tasting room away from the bustle of winery business, Susan graciously poured 11 wines from across the portfolio. Reviewing our enthusiastic tasting notes, it’s a wonder we whittled our purchase down to four labels.
- Lieb Cellars NV Estate Sparkling Rosé Reserve; $48
A deeply flavorful blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, made in the méthode champenoise style. Pale apricot/salmon in color, with melon and pear flavors; crisp acidity. If you closed your eyes you’d swear you were drinking a fancy French rosé champagne with a three digit price tag. Really outstanding! - Lieb Cellars Four Pinots 2024; $28
46% Pinot Grigio, 29% Pinot Blanc, 14% Pinot Meunier, 11% Pinot Noir [vinified as white]
This surprising white blend prompted an abundance of adjectives: tart, smooth, tropical, fresh, plump, full, acidic. Somehow, they all suit this luscious wine. We bought three bottles…the deck awaits. - Lieb Cellars Cab Franc 2023; $38
This high-scoring Cabernet Franc (90 Points-James Suckling, Wine Spectator) is a fantastic example of Hearn’s genius. Medium bodied; dark garnet in the glass with aromas of toasty vanilla oak and violets/black raspberries. The wine exudes flavors of black cherry/plum with a fresh backbone of white pepper, finishing with velvety tannin. Ready to drink now or lay it down, if you can wait. - Lieb Cellars Petit Verdot 2022; $45
Petit Verdot is typically used as a mixing grape in Bordeaux blends, but every so often you find a 100% expression of the grape. Well, we absolutely love this one. Aged 14 months in a combination of French and Hungarian oak, it’s a brooding black garnet in the glass, with notes of oaked vanilla, black fruit, and caramelized brown sugar on the nose. On the palate, this rich, full-bodied wine delivers with subtle hints of black cherry, plum, and anise. Produced in very limited quantities, we are grateful to have scored two bottles
Next up: Pugliese, Sparkling Pointe Vineyards, and Wölffer Estate
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