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Comtesse Thérèse is an artisanal wine producer located in Aquebogue, on the east end of Long Island, New York. The first wines were from the 2001 vintage, first put on the market in August 2003, and things are already off to a good start. Howard G. Goldberg of the New York Times, in February 2007, called the 2004 Château Reserve Merlot "a pretty wine . . . soft, plush, round, meaty and spicy. . . The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is robustly gamey, smoky, somewhat minty and redolent of macerated dark berries." The 70% Cabernet Sauvignon/30% Cabernet Franc "offers an inviting cabernet sauvignon aroma and a smoky body" and the 2004 Hungarian Oak Merlot he called "spicy, a bit tarry, slightly woody." Sommelier News, March 2006 said "Thérèse has become known for its textured, brooding merlots, and the 2003 we were served didn't disappoint us." In August 2004, a year after releasing its first wines to the public, the 2002 Hungarian Oak Merlot was named "BEST MERLOT IN NEW YORK" at the New York Wine & Food Classic, out of 54 merlots and 194 wineries across New York state. In October 2005, the 2002 Russian Oak Chardonnay won "BEST CHARDONNAY" in Dan's Papers "Best of the Best". The previous year, the winery won "BEST NEW WINERY" in Dan's Best of the Best. A 2001 merlot from the debut vintage (the '01 Château Reserve) was the only merlot out of 30 New York-grown merlots included in Wine Enthusiast's annual worldwide review of merlot. Another 2001 merlot (the '01 Traditional Merlot) received a 90 rating from Wine & Spirits. (For other mentions in the national and local press, click on the name of the article at right, or see the NEWS page for all articles).