I have to admit, I did not know that Long Island grew grapes until taking WSET Diploma, and ever since I have been fascinated by one particular spot- the North Fork of Long Island.
The reason for this is because the north fork is said to be protected a bit from Atlantic influences by the Hamptons, and, as such, becomes a prized spot for grape growing.
So when we got our hands on a Pinot Blanc from Lieb Cellars as part of our Picked by Wine.com subscription, we were quite excited to try it!
When we visited California to check out Napa and Sonoma wineries, one of the more interesting spots we stopped at was Anarchist Wine Co.
As its name suggests, this winery is doing some rather unique things with popular California grapes as well as unique blends of lesser-grown varietals for the region.
The Skeptic is one such bottle which is an orange, skin-fermented wine of Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, and Viognier. Unusual for the region to begin with, with the extra depth and complexity that an orange wine provides.
We had picked up a bottle of the 2018 vintage when visiting the winery and promptly forgot about it until it was five years old, when it tasted absolutely beautiful.
Note: The makeup of The Skeptic has seemed to change in recent bottlings. At the time of this review, the 2022 vintage was 100% Gewurztraminer. As such, future bottles may have different characteristics than what is included in this review.
