The Best Box Wines – Lieb Cellars Bridge Lane White Blend

29% Chardonnay, 26% Pinot Blanc, 18% Riesling, 14% Viognier, 9% Sauvignon Blanc and 4%Gewürztraminer from North Fork of Long Island, New York.
SRP of $46 and available for as low as $40. 810 cases produced. Sample submitted for review.

From the box:

“0% Oak
0% Residual Sugar (Dry)
Hand-Harvested

An exotic, aromatic white blend with flavors of peach, melon and honeysuckle.

12.9% Alcohol”

Whenever I think of wine from New York I can’t help but think of the old Pace Picante salsa commercial with the cowboys exclaiming, “that stuff is made in New York City!” Yes wine may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of New York, but areas like the Finger Lakes and Niagara are doing some fantastic things with wine and as whole the state is 4th largest wine producer in the United States. Even densely populated Long Island, which has 40% of New York State’s population, is getting in on the act. Definitely not the first place you would think to look for a vineyard, but lo and behold, there are some excellent wines being made here as we first found a couple years ago.

The 2013 Lieb Cellars Bridge Lane White Blend is a dry wine with no residual sugar, does not undergo malolactic fermentation and is aged in 100% stainless steel. All of this makes for a very fresh wine that despite being dry (not sweet) still features a ton of delicious fruit. Highly aromatic on the nose, the wine features abundant aromas of honeysuckle, green apple, peach, lemon and a little tropical fruit. All that fruit continues when tasting this well structured wine. Tangy citrus and tropical fruit lead into the dry, long, slightly chalky, mouthwatering finish. Excellent and highly recommended!

Recommended selections in our series on The Best Box Wines:

• Vinchio-Vaglio Serra Piemonte Barbera
• Big House White Blend
• Alain Jaume & Fils Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Reserve
• Black Box Platinum Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon
• Esporao Alandra White
• Vina Borgia Garnacha
• The Original House Wine Riesling
• Esporao Alandra Red
• La Petite Frog Picpoul De Pinet
• Pepperwood Grove The Big Green Box Pinot Noir
• Target Wine Cube Sauvignon Blanc
• La Vieille Ferme Vin Rouge
• Duca Del Frassino Garganega/Pinot Grigio
• Wineberry Domaine de Garrigon Cotes du Rhone
• Lieb Cellars Bridge Lane White Blend
• Fuori Strada Off Road Sangiovese
• Jack Tone Vineyards White Blend
• See the full list of all 75 boxes considered here.

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.