Our Portfolio
The Roanoke Vineyards estate wines reflect our hands-on/hands-off philosophy where we concentrate effort in the vineyard, and use minimal intervention in the cellar. The vineyard is herbicide-free, and takes an organic approach to growing, with handwork being our deepest passion.
Prime Number
Our Prime Number wines represent the best blend of estate fruit in a particular vintage. The core is Cabernet Sauvignon, chosen for its intensity and structure, blended with Merlot, which brings a lush, soft, and very deep plum wave. Depending on the year, Cabernet Franc can be a third varietal, bringing a spice note for added excitement. These wines are produced only in stellar years, and are reserved for wine club members.
The Poet
A great wine can provide insight and creativity. Wines like these deserve to be studied, considered over a long evening, and revered in your memory. The Poet began as a collaborative project, but has become a staple of our portfolio, focusing on Cabernet Franc and a dash of magnificent Merlot. While we believe The Poet has tremendous aging potential, we'll also be the first to tell you that it's lovely as a young wine. The Poet is produced in small lots, and as such the availability is often limited.
Gabby's Cabernet Franc 2020
The gold standard for Cabernet Franc on this side of the Atlantic. In 2006 our founding vineyard master, Gabby Pisacano, established the Twelve Rows block in our estate vineyard, and changed our entire approach to farming. His philosophy was to work the vines by hand, keep them free of toxins, and reduce the yield dramatically. Gabby's 2007 vintage scored 92 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and The New York Times called that same vintage "balletic." This block only gets better, and the recent vintages have proven North American Cabernet Franc can be on the same playing field as the wines of the Loire Valley.
Marco Tulio Red
This is a North Fork blend that focuses on Merlot. Year after year the wine is fresh, exciting, and a favorite of our wine club members. The most recent vintage is no exception, and is ready to drink now. Marco Tulio is another of our collaborative project wines, and features a significant percentage of estate-grown fruit. It will remind you of a warm Briermere cherry tart, chased down by seriously good high altitude Colombian espresso.
Marco Tulio Blanco
White blends are tremendous fun, and we think this wine will truly make your summer. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling together make a wonderful wine to pair with summer menus of farm fresh produce, seafood, and whatever you like to grill.
Roanoke Vineyards Rosé
The Roanoke Vineyards Rosé
This one is your summer rosé for the beach, the deck, the outdoor concert, and really anywhere and any time the temperature rises above 70 degrees. Merlot-driven, fresh, crisp (100% stainless steel), and ready. Strawberry, melon, and citrus flavors ride on just the right acidity, making for a very versatile wine.
Site Specific Estate Rosé
A fantastic growing season allowed us to make a sensational Tavel-style rosé from our Sound Avenue vineyard. Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc make this wine a true window into our vineyard, and make for a rosé that you can age! This is a five year rosé, with significant gains with each circle around the sun. 100% estate fruit, and ready to pair with everything you admit to eating. A beautiful expression of clean, herbicide-free fruit, and the passion we put into the vineyard.
The Letter Under The Door
Imagination is perhaps the one thing that keeps us all moving forward. Considering multiple scenarios all at once, thinking about the implications, and seeing how our lives may change with unexpected news is exhilarating. When the story changes, life becomes much more interesting. This story is about Cabernet Franc, which on the East End of Long Island has a wide range of expressions. Our preference is a medium bodied wine that can completely capture your imagination. We incorporated a little geographic and varietal complexity with the addition of some Cab Franc from further east, and a dash (11%) of Merlot. At this point both varietals are singing songs of balance and harmony, which will be even more melodic with a little time.
The Hill
How does a grower express themselves in a wine? The answer is by making a field blend, and The Hill is exactly that. At the end of the growing season our wine club members harvest the vineyard, saving lots of Cabernet Sauvignon from "the Hill Block," and Cabernet Franc from the Twelve Rows Block that are blended together on the vineyard lawn. If you've studied the specific tastes of these blocks, the blend percentage will suggest itself, however any field blend is something of a dare. The two varietals begin to co-ferment immediately, which means greater harmony in the wine. The Hill is a document of both the growing season, and the vigneron's ability to interpret it. Inevitably The Hill arrives with deep cherry, spice notes, and substantial structure. Be advised that this wine usually sells out upon release.
Seven and One Half Miles
If you put every row of our estate vineyard end-to-end, the line would stretch for seven and one half miles. We wanted to make a blend that would reflect the entire vineyard, so we chose specific lots of each block for this wine. There is Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot from our six row block. This wine is another document of the estate vineyard, and of our efforts in the vines. Vineyard master, George Fernandez, is growing gorgeous fruit that results in elegant and graceful wines with medium weights, stellar flavor profiles, and twelve to thirteen percent alcohol. They can take your breath away. Seven and One Half Miles has the exuberance of our Merlot, the spice of Twelve Rows Cab Franc, and the sense of order in our Cabernet Sauvignon. We don't make it every year, but when the stars align you'll see it in the portfolio.
Rhyme & Meter Chardonnay
Rhyme and Meter illustrates the new "fresh" approach to Chardonnay, with a blend of stainless steel and barrel-aged wine. Citrus notes harmonize with fresh melon to make a very food-friendly wine. This is a Chardonnay that ages well, and while the wine is lovely now, you'll pat yourself on the back if you save a few bottles until 2027 (which will be here before you know it!)
Roanoke Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc
We like a considerably richer style of Sauvignon Blanc, where the wine can show much more than grassiness and acidity. Lovely waves of melon, citrus, and sea spray are what you'll remember long after the bottle has given up its magic sip. The wine was made for pairing with fresh Peconic Bay oysters, but proves equally ambrosial with lamb. 100% stainless steel, so it's as crisp as a newly ironed white shirt. To be fully prepared for the summer you'll need at least a case.
Roanoke Vineyards The Wild!
Our wild ferment Chardonnay puts a whole new spin on the varietal. We planted this Muscat clone in 1983, and it continues to surprise us. This is a wine that likes to be the hit of the party; the "IT" wine! It wants to jump out of your glass! A favorite of people who don't think they like Chardonnay, The Wild! has an avid following. Citrus! Melon! Lemon zest! Sometimes even a bit of pineapple! The Wild! is just big fun.
Roanoke Vineyards Cabernet Franc
Among the varietals we grow, Cabernet Franc has the widest range of expression. In the years with more rain than usual, Cab Franc can be a lovely lighter wine that you can chill slightly for summer dinners outside. In the drier years of recent history, Cab Franc has assumed a bolder personality, sometimes larger than life. Regardless of the weather, we're looking for elegance and grace; you won't find raspy bell pepper flavors here. You will find consistently good wine.
Roanoke Vineyards Infinite Possibility
A great white blend has harmony and balance. Here, we've blended Chardonnay with ripe Sauvignon Blanc, and the result is a thing of beauty. The Chardonnay provides a little weight and softness, then the Sauvignon Blanc comes in with a crispness and acidity to spark up the package. Lunch outside? Perfect!
Roanoke Vineyards Single Acre Merlot
You'll need to keep your eye out for this wine, because it's quite rare. We have one acre of Merlot, and some of that is closeted away for the blends (think: PRIME NUMBER). However, when this appears it is one of the strongest elements in our portfolio. While you wouldn't think this was from the Right Bank, you will certainly believe it is as intriguing, complex, and flavorful. This is a wine that likes age, and the longer you can give it the better. In the same breath, when you taste a younger vintage, you can see exactly where the wine is headed and how stunning it already is.
Roanoke Vineyards Theory & Practice
You'll need to keep your eye out for this wine, because it's quite rare. We have one acre of Merlot, and some of that is closeted away for the blends (think: PRIME NUMBER). However, when this appears it is one of the strongest elements in our portfolio. While you wouldn't think this was from the Right Bank, you will certainly believe it is as intriguing, complex, and flavorful. This is a wine that likes age, and the longer you can give it the better. In the same breath, when you taste a younger vintage, you can see exactly where the wine is headed and how stunning it already is.
Roanoke Vineyards Striking Distance
You'll need to keep your eye out for this wine, because it's quite rare. We have one acre of Merlot, and some of that is closeted away for the blends (think: PRIME NUMBER). However, when this appears it is one of the strongest elements in our portfolio. While you wouldn't think this was from the Right Bank, you will certainly believe it is as intriguing, complex, and flavorful. This is a wine that likes age, and the longer you can give it the better. In the same breath, when you taste a younger vintage, you can see exactly where the wine is headed and how stunning it already is.
Roanoke Vineyards Site Specific Cabernet Sauvignon
One Cab Sauvignon is just not enough! Both of our Cabernet Sauvignons come from the Hill block, or western side of the vineyard. The soil is sandy, especially under the peak of "the hill" (squint, you'll see it). This one is made just a bit differently, with the fermentation taking place in a controlled stainless steel tank. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is moved into French oak for usually 21 months (give or take, depending . . . ). The percentage of new oak varies from vintage to vintage, and we've been known to move into, or out of new oak during the aging process. There's no shortage of flavor or structure here, with a seemingly bottomless well of cherry, currant, and blackberry. This is a sophisticated wine that arrives with no apologies.