Hamptons Wine 2010

Wolffer Estates Vineyard

Wolffer Estates is the easternmost winery in the Hamptons. It is the closest to Europe in geography as it is also the easternmost winery in New York State. Spiritually they are the most European on East End. Their tasting room is styled after Tuscan estates complete with beautiful old wood, tile floors, and mustard colored plaster walls. Their best wines are deeply influenced by Bordeaux, particularly their Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and red blends. Vinification of their red wines follows the Bordelaise models especially as seen in the long oak aging. Their first label Merlots, in particular, are rich, elegant, harkening back to European forms. Despite their deep European influences they demonstrate a quintessential Hamptons earth driven character to their wines.

Wolffer Estates was founded by German born businessman Christian Wolffer. Initially the winery was started on a fourteen acre plot in Sagaponack on the South Fork in 1987. Wolffer Estates was originally named Sagpond Vineyards of which a sign can still be seen on one of the winery’s buildings. Tragically, Mr. Wolffer was killed in a boating accident while on vacation in Brazil on New Year’s Eve 2008. Although Mr. Wolffer is gone the winery still carries on the style of winemaking and level of quality that he established. Christian Wolffer was born in Hamburg in 1938. For many years he was an executive for the German chemical giant, BASF, and managed their operations in Latin America. Moving north to Canada he became a successful real estate trader and developer. Later, becoming a venture capitalist, he opened operations in Hawaii and Florida. In 1987 he purchased a former South Fork potato farm to be a weekend getaway. Ten years later and after an investment of reportedly $15 million Wolffer Estates’ Tuscan style winery was officially opened.

Roman Roth has established himself as one of the winemaking stars on the East End. He is from a family of wine and liquor wholesaler/retailers from Rottweil, Germany. As a teenager he decided on a career in wine making and apprenticed at a cooperative in Baden. From there he did a stint in California and then Australia only to end up back in Baden. In 1992 he took completed an advanced degree in oenology and viticulture. This was the same year that Christian Wolffer courted and engaged Roth to be the winemaker of the then nascent winery. He joined just in time, as Roth characterized it, for “'one of the worst harvests ever on Long Island”. Luckily, it was followed by the three spectacular years of 93-95. Roth is now the General Manager as well as winemaker at Wolffer.

Richard Pisacano is a local boy made good. He joined Wolffer and Roth in 1997 as vineyard manager. Like Richard Olsen-Harbich, Pisacano started in the winemaking business as an apprentice at the venerable and pioneering Mudd vineyards. Later he joined another early East End vintner, the Jamesport Vineyards. During his the time at Jamesport, Pisacano started the Roanoke Vineyards, a small boutique North Fork winemaker.

Wolffer Estates Winery consists of 55 acres producing 15,000 cases a year. In addition, the estate has a 100 acre equestrian center. It produces cheeses and the vinegar like Verjus. Wolffer is becoming one of the East End's premier wineries. Their best output is always interesting and often spectacular. Wolffer produces food friendly wines using old world and sustainable practices. Despite their strong European roots their wines are very much of a Long Island character. This is especially so of the Merlots. They are leaner and more elegant than other regions output and show marked fruit without flab all the while displaying remarkable earth driven complexities.