Lenz 2002 Estate Selection Merlot: Muted Fruit Means New Flavors

We can admit it, if you follow these reviews of Long Island wine you'll hear a lot of adjectives repeat, especially when it comes to fruit. Truth is cherry, plum and raspberry are the types of fruit flavors wines in cool climates like Long Island tend to show.

But sometimes, with a wine having a fair amount of age on it, those fruit flavors will fade considerably, showing a mixed-bag of earthy and woody flavors. If you prefer a fruity wine, you may not enjoy it, but if you give it a chance, you just might be enamored by the range of interesting flavors you can pick out.

The wine:  2002 Estate Selection Merlot, a ruby-to-garnet wine that's about 90 percent merlot, blended with juice from cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot grapes as well.

Aromas (Nose): Dried cedar up front, followed by notes of slate, red plum, cherry and hints of earth. Green rhubarb notes blend with faint whiffs of black tea and milk chocolate. Very complex, though the fruit can get lost.

Taste (Palate): Very lean on the tongue, with flavors of cedar and maple followed by cherry and red currant fruit. The faint taste of wet leaves, a cherry-pit nuttiness and bergamot emerge on the finish.

Food pairing: Something with a glaze, like this Baked Ham with Mustard-Red Currant Glaze and Rhubarb Chutney recipe from Epicurious.com.

Second opinion: Nearly a year ago, Lenn Thompson, on his New York Cork Report, called the wine, "Medium bodied and plummy up front, the palate offers layers of cherry, earthy dried leaves and light leathery funk. ..."

Price: $23 at the tasting room.

Interested in submitting samples for review? E-mail henry@patch.com.