A while back, I was invited to take part in a Twitter Tasting with some wines of Olivier Leflaive thanks to the importer, Frederick Wildman and Sons.  I tasted through 4 different White Burgundy wines.  White Burgundies are known as chardonnay and in Burgundy, chardonnay is the white varietal.

Until that day, I had little experience with white Burgundies.  I have had Burgundian style wines, but as I came to realize after the tasting, via conversations on twitter, that I should not seek Burgundian style wines, that I should seek out the real Burgundian wines themselves.

However, for those of you who may be looking for some wines that are Burgundian in style, look to Sagaponack, where at Wölffer Estate Vineyards, wine maker Roman Roth crafts a chardonnay that in my opinion is made in the Burgundian way.

Wölffer Estate Vineyards 2007 “Perle” Chardonnay ($30) is their “reserve” botteling.  It is named after one of the horses at the Wölffer Estate Vineyards stable “Perle” — hence the image of a horses eye on the bottle.

On the nose I was picking up elements of apple, pear, and a little peach.  Baking spice, baked apple, toffee, pineapple and as the wine came closer to room temperature there was a note of lime.

When tasted I was picking up some more of a concentrated apple, pear and peach note with some brown sugar.  Baking spice and toast followed right behind.  There was a stoney minerality that carried to a nutty finish.  The flavors were bright and the acidity was in balance.  You knew it was there but it did not overpower.  A well made, well-balanced wine.

If you were looking for Burgundian style wines, you should look Wölffer Estate Vineyards and try their 2007 “Perle” Chardonnay; it’s the closest you will get to a white Burgundy  here on Long Island.