There are so many styles of rose these days — both here on Long Island and in the wine world at large. New and different renditions pop up every year but when many people think about Long Island rose, they think about Wolffer Estate Vineyard, where winemaker Roman Roth crafts what is know to many as “the wine of the Hamptons season.”
Tasting Wolffer Estate Vineyard 2014 Rose ($18) recently, I was reminded why it’s such a classic wine and nearly ubiquitous on the South Fork every summer.
Made with 56% merlot, 18% chardonnay, 16% cabernet franc, 5% pinot noir, 4% riesling and 1% cabernet sauvignon, it drinks more like a white wine than many roses, with aromas of lilacs and white flowers, lemon, apple, with hints of peach and ocean air in the background.
The palate is fresh and lively, starting with juicy apple and peach flavors before notes of lemon-lime citrus, hay and more saline minerality emerge. It’s fruity but not over the top with all that fruit flavor sliced by juicy, lemon-lime acidity. The classics are classics for a reason — even now that Roth is making more than 20,000 cases for years.
This is also the first year that this wine is closed with a screw cap.