Fry’s 2003 Cuvee was his first 100% Pinot methode champenoise, although he has been cutting back gradually on Chardonnay, seeing sparkling wine as far and away the best use to which his Pinot Noir can be put. You could scarcely ask for more delicious proof, in this case disgorged after five and a half years. Cherry blossom and white peach mingle with a crustacean-like suggestion of sweet, saline savor whose promise is fulfilled on the palate. Tart fruit skin impingements and relentless salinity make my mouth water uncontrollably between sips and spits. If this doesn’t pique your appetite, no bubbly is likely to! Floral, milled grain, and pit fruit nuances inform a long, lees-enriched, refreshing finish. This was three months “on cork” before release and is intended for drinking within a year or two of release, as those who want more development can buy a later disgorgement.Micro-biologist Eric Fry reached New York from his native California 25 years ago on the recommendation of mentor Andre Tchelistcheff and has long ago become a Long Island veteran. He and owner Peter J. Carroll follow a release regimen that would give most winery proprietors headaches and heartburn not to mention red ink, with whites usually appearing a couple of years after harvest, while red wines and the estate’s wonderful sparkling wines are typically released after four or more years. Fry believes oxygen is a friend at the right time, and his reds often get “splashed” following what usually are very slow malos; are given extended time in barrel before racking to tank; and are bottled extremely late.Tel. (631) 364-8403

The Lenz 2000 Cuvee represents a blend of tank-fermented Pinot with 30% Chardonnay that went through malolactic in old barrels. It was disgorged after eight years, then released six months later. “I’m getting the feeling,” says Fry, “that a wine like this needs more time in bottle after disgorgement.” Toast, iodine, and pit fruits in the nose lead to a lush, leesy, finely-effervescent palate. Fry finishes this bone dry, noting “I’m almost pathologically afraid of sugar,” yet thanks to the ripeness of fruit and low acid, there is a subtle and lovely sense of sweetness here that mingles with lees and salt in the finish. Micro-biologist Eric Fry reached New York from his native California 25 years ago on the recommendation of mentor Andre Tchelistcheff and has long ago become a Long Island veteran. He and owner Peter J. Carroll follow a release regimen that would give most winery proprietors headaches and heartburn not to mention red ink, with whites usually appearing a couple of years after harvest, while red wines and the estate’s wonderful sparkling wines are typically released after four or more years. Fry believes oxygen is a friend at the right time, and his reds often get “splashed” following what usually are very slow malos; are given extended time in barrel before racking to tank; and are bottled extremely late.Tel. (631) 364-8403

The 1999 Cuvee – of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% (barrel-fermented, full malo) Chardonnay and disgorged only after five years – is surprisingly dominated by citrus, white peach, cherry, and herb notes which proved also to be present in still samples of 100% Blanc de Noir. In short the expression of Pinot here is quite white wine-like. The palate is at once creamy and bracing, with a pure, herb-laced white peach finish. Tel. (631) 364-8403