North Fork of Long Island

North Cliff Vineyards is a boutique winery located in Cutchogue on the North Fork of Long Island.  We are different from the other wineries because we actually grow the grapes that we use in our wine.  We don't source our grapes from other vineyards.  We harvest the grapes from our farm and then crush them in our winery.  We are in the vineyard all four seasons of the year.  We know the grapes that we put into our wine.  

Because we are a boutique winery, we are open on the weekends by appointment only.  We cater to the individual wine connoisseur who enjoys a quality wine.  We specialize in red wine-- Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.  

United States

North Cliff Vineyards

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Sauvignon

Merlot

Petit Verdot

Edmund enjoys the French term "vigneron" to describe his role at North Cliff Vineyards.   Vigneron is a term the French use to describe a person who grows the grapes and makes the wine from those same grapes.  The vigneron is someone who nurtures the grapes in the field throughout the growing season, protecting the grapes from disease and pests in the vineyard.  

Edmund knows the grapes in his vineyard.  He walks through the 20-acre vineyard in Mattituck every day.  He inspects and tastes the grapes to make sure they are of the highest quality.  He doesn't use restricted chemicals or herbicides in the vineyard.  He strongly believes that herbicides disturb the natural balance in the vineyard.  Edmund says, "great wine begins with great fruit" and that no matter how skilled the winemaker-- it all starts in the vineyard.  

In October, it is not unusual to see Edmund in his tractor pulling a trailer full of grapes to his winery in Cutchogue.  He brings the freshly handpicked grapes directly from the vineyard into the winery.  Edmund then destems and prepares the grapes for fermentation by placing the grapes in tanks to undergo natural fermentation.  Edmund doesn't use factory yeasts to induce fermentation---instead he allows the natural yeast from the farm to ferment the grapes.  There is no need to inoculate the grapes with sulfur when the grapes arrive at the vineyard since he carefully handpicks and inspects every bunch of grapes before leaving the vineyard.  

Edmund believes his passion for growing grapes is in his blood.  Edmund's family on his father's side were from the French wine region of Alsace.  Like the vignerons of Alsace, Edmund continues the tradition on the North Fork of Long Island.

Edmund Power

This Merlot is the first Long Island wine to be aged in bourbon barrels.  Aging in these heavily charred barrels imparts delightful notes of caramel, maple, brown sugar, along with notes of smoke and oak.  This is Merlot like you never tasted it before.  This bourbon barrel wine is perfect before, during, or after your chosen cuisine.

Bourbon Barrel Merlot

This 2019 Cabernet Franc is an exceptional wine with deep color and smooth tannins.  The grapes for this wine were picked at the peak of ripeness in late November.  The 2019 growing season was an unusual year for growing grapes on Long Island.  North Cliff Vineyards waited until a week before Thanksgiving to pick the grapes for this superior bottle of wine.  The grapes were quickly crushed and allowed to ferment with the natural yeast from the farm.  No factory yeasts were used to produce this wine.  This Cabernet Franc was aged in new oak barrels for 11 months.  Like all North Cliff Vineyards wine, no harmful herbicides are ever used in the vineyard.

This 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon has been described as a kind of unicorn.  Cabernet Sauvignon is an extremely difficult grape to grow on Long Island because it requires a very long growing season.  The grapes in this bottle, however, were handpicked at maximum ripeness at the end of November to produce a 14% alcohol wine.  It is distinctly a Long Island Cabernet Sauvignon and distinguishes itself from other similar wines grown in different regions of the world.

This Petit Verdot is the wine connoisseur's Petit Verdot.  This wine has an amazing deep color and a remarkable smooth finish that make it a true standout in its class.   Made from 100% Petit Verdot grapes, the grapes in this bottle were handpicked a week before Thanksgiving.  The unusually long growing season had produced one of the best bottles of Petit Verdot on the North Fork of Long Island.

Red Blend

This is quintessential North Fork Long Island Merlot.  Very smooth and dry.

North Cliff Vineyards

United States

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