WTN: Osprey's Dominion 2002 Blush de Noir (North Fork of Long Island)

Osprey's Dominion Vineyards reminds me a little bit of a winery like Beringer. One one hand, they make some sweet, entry-level wines that I assume are meant for the trailer park set.

But, they also make some of my favorite red wines on the other end of their portfolio. Perhaps it's a matter of making wines for the masses to pay for the wines winemaker and U.C. Davis grad Adam Suprenant really wants to make?

Anyway, I recently tasted through some of their new and upcoming releases for a column I'm writing, so you'll get to see my notes here and there over the next week or so--starting with this sparkler, which may or may not be the winery's first. I'm not sure.

I would describe Osprey’s Dominion 2002 Rose de Noir as a "near miss."

I really wanted love this wine because it is a thing of beauty in the glass—an attractive pale salmon pink with a delicate mousse. The nose offers berry aromas—cherry, strawberry and cranberry—but not much else.

Cherry flavors dominate a medium-bodied palate and are joined by cranberries and citrus. But, while somewhat lively in the mouth, I prefer my bubbly much drier and there were some off-putting medicinal flavors on the finish. All told, this wine is just okay and there are several better local options.