Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot. But the Channing Daughters Winery, with help from Cornell University’s Cooperative Research Vineyard, found that this soil/climate combination also proved hospitable to Friulano. Their “Sylvanus” vineyard, in Bridghampton, was first planted to Friulano in 1999.

American-grown Friulano is an extremely rare commodity; even rarer still is an American Friulano sourced from mature vines. This 2020 combines Friulano (78%) with Sauvignon Blanc (22%) from the Sylvanus Vineyard. Both varieties are harvested at the same time, whole-cluster pressed, and co-fermented, after which the wine was aged in a combination of steel tanks and used oak barrels for five months.

Pale straw-gold with silver/green highlights. Some citrusy Sauvignon notes meld with scents/flavors of apricot, Asian pear, yellow apple, wet stones, and almond skin. The wine is medium bodied, leaning toward medium-plus, with a pleasing fleshiness on the palate. The acidity and stony minerality keep it buttoned up and fresh, but it leaves a lasting impact. Pair with prosciutto and melon or shrimp scampi.