Our Wines
Roanoke Vineyards began as an opportunity. The last block of the historic Young Family Farm was for sale, and the geographic particulars of this site suggested complete ripening of Cabernet Sauvignon was possible. The Roanoke Bluff shelters the property from the strong northerlies that can roar across the Long Island Sound, and all ten acres are exposed to the warm summer sea breeze from the southwest. There's plenty of sun, and a sandy vein of earth cuts trough the Cab Sauvignon block. After twenty years growing Merlot and Chardonnay it was an opportunity for owner Rich Pisacano to focus on Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
Roanoke makes two Cab Francs. The Gabby's Cabernet Franc comes from just twelve rows of intensely manicured vines. This wine is vat fermented, with the cap of skins pushed through the juice by hand three times a day during the initial fermentation. The wine is then moved to new French oak (Cadus), where it develops for anywhere from 20 to 24 months. Gabby's is released each year on the birthday (September 25th) of family patriarch and vineyard manager Gabby Pisacano.
The Roanoke Vineyards Cabernet Franc shows the unique flavors and nuance of our vineyard. Our current release, the 2007, is drinking like a much older wine, plump with rich, almost caramelized tannins. Big currant and berry waves arrive in smooth, glassy breaks. Simply elegant.
Making a big, powerful Cabernet Sauvignon is not hard when you have perfect fruit. The classic "wet stone" of the First Growth Bordeaux is evident. A surprisingly solid structure provides the backbone for especially rich flavors. To date, each Cab Sauvignon vintage has been fully ripened on the vine, then aged to perfection in Keystone oak.
The leading edge of the North Fork Style is clearly our Merlot. The Right Bank of Bordeaux grows beautiful Merlot, but so does Long Island. The sea breeze of a maritime climate, a sandy and sometimes rocky soil, and warm but not hot summers that reach into October prove perfect for Merlot. With just one acre, our Merlot is extremely limited in quantity, but loaded with quality.
Roanoke's blends provide an opportunity for winemaker Roman Roth to illustrate his talents. Roman creates three blends for us in his Sagaponack cellar. Blend One is a Cabernet Sauvignon based wine, usually blended with Cab Franc. Blend 2 features Cabernet Franc in the staring role, and here Merlot and Cab Sauvignon elegantly chime in. Our Marco Tulio is winemaker Roth's wild card. The 2007 is an almost equal blend of Cab Sauvignon and Cab Franc, however in 2008 Roman crafted the wine with a solid and lush Merlot base (it drinks like a Petrus!).
Our Chardonnay vineyard was planted in 1983 by Rich Pisacano and Steve Mudd. At this point, especially with Roman's help, we believe our Chardonnay is a wine you can count on. Mostly tank fermented, with just enough barrel fermented wine to soften the edges, it's crisp, vibrant, and perfect with almost any food pairing.
Last, but certainly not least, the Roanoke Vineyards DeRosa Rosé remains one of our most popular wines. Although the exact blends have varied slightly over the past five vintages, we aim for a Provence style rosé that spotlights quality fruit. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Chardonnay all play a part. This wine is released every year on Mother's Day as a tribute to Gabby's mother.
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