Southold Farm and Cellar The Devil’s Advocate Old Vine Chardonnay 2014
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Regan and Carey met, lived and worked in Manhattan prior to returning to Carey’s hometown (Cutchogue) in 2011 to forge this venture and pursue a life in wine. They’ve spent their time since leaving by working in numerous cellars (including Lenz and Osprey’s Dominion) and renovating the entire derelict property from house to land. Through it all, their focus has been on telling our story on the North Fork through its ability to make wines of great pleasure and meaning with the help of Carey’s father, Steve O’Connor.
Located in Southold, New York, on the North Fork of Long Island, The Farm + Cellar is a 24-acre homestead and winery on which they raise a family, a winery and vineyard, and everything in between. Currently there are nine acres of vineyard planted and the wines are made in various borrowed spaces with plans to construct our own cellar soon.
The Dream is to make wines that speak of place and time, that thrill and delight our friends, family and ourselves. As for this site, it is an attempt at transparency, which we hope to carry through into everything we do. And like the land, it is a work in progress, something we expect to change over time.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Increasingly garnering widespread and well-deserved attention, New York ranks third in wine production in the United States (after California and Washington). Divided into six AVAs—the Finger Lakes, Lake Erie, Hudson River, Long Island, Champlain Valley of New York and the Niagara Escarpment, which crosses over into Michigan as well as Ontario, Canada—the state experiences varied climates, but in general summers are warm and humid while winters are very cold and can carry the risk of frost well into the growing season.
The Finger Lakes region has long been responsible for some of the country’s finest Riesling, and is gaining traction with elegant, light-bodied Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Experimentation with cold-hardy European varieties is common, and recent years have seen the successful planting of grapes like Grüner Veltliner and Saperavi (from the Eastern European country of Georgia). Long Island, on the other hand, has a more maritime climate influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, and shares some viticultural characteristics with Bordeaux. Accordingly, the best wines here are made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Niagara Escarpment is responsible for excellent ice wines, usually made from the hybrid variety, Vidal.