{"id":2172,"date":"2022-08-29T13:50:21","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T13:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=2172"},"modified":"2022-08-29T13:50:21","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T13:50:21","slug":"mccall-wines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=2172","title":{"rendered":"McCall Wines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Driving along Route 25 on Long Island\u2019s North Fork isn\u2019t much like motoring up Napa Valley\u2019s Route 29<\/a>.\u00a0 Yes, there are wineries on both sides, but the California version is much grander.\u00a0 There are a few wineries in Long Island with architecture that\u2019s impressive, such as Raphael and Pellegrini<\/a>, but most are understated.\u00a0 Architecturally speaking, McCall is understated to the point of a whisper.\u00a0 As you drive up to the winery, it seems like it could be farmhouse or a stable.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The tasting room at McCall Wines.<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, it was a stable.\u00a0 The owner, Russell McCall, is a horseman.\u00a0 The tasting room has retained its equine charm, with a d\u00e9cor of saddles, farm implements \u00a0pictures of Mr. McCall playing polo.\u00a0 Two of the stalls have been retained and you can taste your wine in them, if that\u2019s your wish. \u00a0\u00a0There is a small bar but tasting is done as table service, outside in the summer.<\/p>\n

The site has historic interest.\u00a0 It was once a meeting place of local Native Americans, known hundreds of years ago as Fort Corchaug.\u00a0 The vineyard at the winery (they have another nearby) is still known as the Corchaug.\u00a0 In good weather, we prefer to leave the stable behind us and sit at a picnic table on an expansive lawn overlooking that vineyard.<\/p>\n

\n\"\"<\/a>Tasting by the vines.<\/em><\/p>\n

McCall also raises cattle on the property.\u00a0 One of the popular attractions at the winery is Burger nights on seasonable Thursdays and Fridays, with the main attraction made from their own Charolais beef.\u00a0 It may be a little unsettling to know that what you\u2019re eating once lived just over there, but we recommend you wash down your concern with some wine.<\/p>\n

We were first attracted to McCall by their Pinot Noirs, of which there are four.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a grape that is generally found on the North Fork, where Bordeaux grapes are more commonly grown.\u00a0 These wines are not Burgundies, nor are they much like Pinot Noirs from Russian River.\u00a0 They have their own local character.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have to judge for yourself how Long Island terroir plus maritime breezes work for these wines.<\/p>\n

There are also Chardonnays and Ros\u00e9s to sample.\u00a0 But the star of the show, to our tastes, is a Bordeaux Blend they call Ben\u2019s Blend, named for their founding winemaker.\u00a0 McCall ages these wines \u2013 the youngest available for sale in 2022 is the 2014 vintage \u2013 and we find it more Californian in character and quality than any other red wine we have tasted from a Long Island winery.<\/p>\n

One thing we appreciated when we last visited was that the winemaker, Miguel Martin, walked around to each table and had a few words with the patrons.\u00a0 Mr. Martin is a Napa Valley veteran, transplanted to the East Coast.\u00a0 We were quite impressed with the experience of wine tasting at McCall and urge visitors to the North Fork to include it on their itineraries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Driving along Route 25 on Long Island\u2019s North Fork isn\u2019t much like motoring up Napa Valley\u2019s Route 29.\u00a0 Yes, there are wineries on both sides, but the California version is much grander.\u00a0 There are a few wineries in Long Island with architecture that\u2019s impressive, such as Raphael and Pellegrini, but most are understated.\u00a0 Architecturally speaking, … Continue reading McCall Wines<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2172"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2172"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2175,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2172\/revisions\/2175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}