(This article originally appeared in the 5/20 issue of the Long Island Press)
superstars and new money. But not everything in the Hamptons is defined
this way. Two of the top wineries on the East Coast can be found there,
making wines that are much more Old World than New.
Old World
wines, typically those made in France, Italy and Spain, tend to be
low-alcohol wines that are higher in acidity and feature more non-fruit
flavors, like minerals, leather, wet stones or even tar. They also tend
to show less obvious oak flavors than their New World brethren.
New
World wines, like those made in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa,
South America and the U.S., are often much higher in alcohol content,
fuller bodied and very ripe with fruit flavors and more obvious use of
oak.
LI’s top wines, while technically made in the "New World,"
are often compared to those made in France, specifically in Bordeaux,
because our climate closely matches the cooler growing conditions
there, but not exactly.
"The Long Island climate is close to
Bordeaux when compared to the hot climates of Australia or California,"
says Roman Roth, general manager and winemaker at Wolffer Estate
Vineyards in Sagaponack, "but Long Island is unique. We are much
further south."
While some LI wineries try (and often fail) to
make "big" wines like those from California, both Roth and winemaker
Christopher Tracy of Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton succeed
by embracing LI’s unique microclimate.
"If you are looking for
an alcoholic tsunami, go to California," says Roth. "Our wines are
elegant, balanced, vibrant and food-friendly. Winemakers here who try
to copy California wines are falling on their face. They taste flabby
and boring, like an overripe tomato."
Instead of "Old World
wines," Roth prefers saying his wines are "traditionally made," because
of the winemaking methods he employs, best summed up in the winery’s
tagline: "An American Winery in the European Tradition."
"Our
wines are not factory made," he says. "We handcraft every wine, and
because we have such wonderful fruit, we can honor traditional methods.
But I don’t call them Old World, because truly Old World wines were not
always fruit-driven and balanced like ours. Plus, we are in America,
without the restrictive laws like in Europe. So we are allowed to grow
Chardonnay next to Merlot, which they can’t do in Bordeaux."
Wolffer’s
Rosé is considered one of the best on the East Coast. The 2004 vintage
is fresh, fruity and well balanced with red berries and citrus. It’s
crisp, but doesn’t feature as much acidity as the 2003, giving it a
slightly fuller mouth feel that is almost creamy on the finish. Roth’s
Chardonnays (he makes three) are expectedly much more Burgundian in
style than Californian. Instead of over-the-top butter and oak flavors,
they feature elegant, concentrated fruit and bright acidity.
His
Merlots, including the $125 Premier Cru Merlot, are very Bordeaux in
style because of their ripe fruit, mature tannins and hints of acidity.
They are extremely food-friendly and have garnered much critical
praise. Wolffer also produces Cabernet Franc, a sparkling wine, a Late
Harvest Chardonnay and the now-popular Pinot Noir.
Channing
Daughters Winery employs similarly traditional winemaking processes,
but instead of using Bordeaux as a model, they look further east to
Italy, specifically the Friuli region.
"Like Friuli, we are a
maritime, cool-climate wine-grape growing region," says Tracy. "This is
an excellent opportunity for white grapes to achieve optimum ripeness,
flavor and acidity levels year in and year out. The soil and the
landscape of the Isonzo region in Friuli especially bears these
resemblances."
But Tracy also recognizes LI’s unique climate.
Channing Daughters is known for experimenting with different varietals,
trying to find grapes that do well on LI. To that end, their bottlings
go well beyond the usual Merlot and Chardonnay offerings.
"What
better way to achieve the best results than to experiment?" says
Allison Dubin, Tracy’s wife and Channing Daughters’ general manager.
"We are always striving to find what’s best for our climate, our soil
and our cellar."
Tracy’s Friulian influence is seen most in the
non-Chardonnay whites he makes, including Tocai Friulano, Pinot Grigio,
Pinot Bianco and Sylvanus, a field blend comprised of 60 percent
Muscat, 20 percent Pinot Grigio and 20 percent Pinot Bianco. Each is
unique, interesting and produced in small batches, making them hard to
find.
Tracy also uses some of most traditional winemaking
techniques possible. For instance, Merlot grapes are stomped by foot to
make their 2004 Channing Perrine "Fleur de la Terre" Rosé, a dry,
full-bodied Rosé that is anything but a White Zinfandel. The
deliciously complex 2003 L’enfant Sauvage Chardonnay is fermented with
its own indigenous yeast (instead of added yeast) and took more than
one year to complete primary fermentation, much longer than usual.
Another
one-of-a-kind offering, with an Old World angle, is Channing Daughters’
2003 Blaufrankisch. A major grape in Austria and Hungary, Blaufrankisch
is known as Lemberger in Washington State and Franconia in Friuli.
Channing Daughters is the only LI winery to grow and produce
Blaufrankisch. This distinctive red is medium-bodied, rich with cherry
flavors and even a little gamey. It’s an early ripening red, so it’s a
bit surprising more people aren’t growing it in our cool climate.
LI
is home to many great wineries and wines, but the Hamptons are home to
two of the best. Visit them this summer and put a taste of the Old in
your world.
For more information on Wolffer Estate Vineyards, visit www.wolffer.com. For more informationon Channing Daughters Winery, visit www.channingdaughters.com.