Dan's Papers - April 11, 2008 - Over the Barrel... with Lenn Thompson

For the Long Island wine-obsessed, the start of spring is important. It means that the new vintage of light and un-oaked wines are about to be released. So keep an eye out for wines from the 2007 vintage.

For me, there is one wine in particular that always means spring is upon us - Wolffer Estate's Rosé - and winemaker Roman Roth has recently released his 2007 bottling, which retails for $15 at the winery.

Rosé comes in as many styles as there are many ways to make it. Some winemakers use the saignee method, where they bleed juice to concentrate their reds - with rosé being the byproduct. Others make rose for rose sake, even growing particular clones of merlot in a particular portion of their vineyard specifically for rosé.

Others prefer to blend juice from red grapes with that from white grapes. Roth falls into this category, making his 2007 with 40% Chardonnay, 35% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc.

Roth, like most everyone in the local wine world, considers 2007 "an ideal growing season" because there were many warm, sunny days and only moderate rain. The fruit for this wine was harvested between September 26 and October 13. After crush, the juice gently pressed off and settled at 50* Fahrenheit followed by a cool fermentation temperature of 66* Fahrenheit to total dryness. Aged in stainless steel after blending, Malolactic fermentation was strictly avoided. Wolffer made a lot of it this year - over 4000 cases - but with another Hamptons summer, they'll need it.

A beautiful pale - extremely pale - coppery salmon color, the nose is very reminiscent of sauvignon blanc with fresh squeezed citrus aromas - grapefruit, lemon and lime - with subtle hints of herbs and briery strawberry.

On the palate, it continues its impersonation of a dry white wine with grapefruit and lemon staying in the forefront. Only as it warms do some strawberry and raspberry notes emerge. Medium-light bodied, it has great acidity and is no doubt extremely versatile. Drink it with shellfish, non-shellfish, salads, or on its own on a hot summer day at the beach. Looking for the quintessential Hamptons wine? This might be it.

Another new wine from Wolffer, the Wolffer Estate 2005 Reserve Chardonnay ($18) is a bit of a wine without an identity. If you are looking for a light, refreshing white for everyday sipping, Roth offers his La Ferme Martin Chardonnay, made mostly from steel-fermented juice. If you prefer the great chardonnays of Burgundy, do yourself a favor and try his Estate Selection Chardonnay. I'd be shocked if you don't like it.

This Reserve Chardonnay is the wine that falls in the middle, both in terms of price and style, and the style fluctuates within the stylistic continuum. This vintage shows considerable oak on the nose with toasty oak and vanilla mingling with pineapple, pear and orange aromas.

The oak is considerable on the medium-bodied palate as well, but when not over-chilled, the wine displays a mix of oak, peach, roasted apple and nuts, and apple skin, but it just doesn't quite come together for me. It's disjointed and a little awkward in its youth. For now, lay it down and see if the flavors come together better in a year or so.