Enjoy your wines when they are young, tender and in the springtime of life: a sampling of new releases showcases the beauty of youth. Plus a note on beer.

Long Island: Laurel Lake and Publick House Tastings

People age, without exception. That’s good or bad news depending on what decade you happen to be in and how much fun you are having with your life. Wines age, without exception also, but only a very small percentage of them actually get better, and most will run downhill. I think the proportion of people who improve with age is far greater than it is with wine.

Most wines are intended to be drunk on release or within a year or two—in their prime of life so to speak. I think of them as having the best qualities of youth: tender, vigorous, in the springtime of life, enjoyable and refreshing, and not overly complex. They should not, however, be callow, unripe, rough or unpolished, nor should they be shallow or strike just a single note in taste and aroma. I don’t expect them to offer the profound experience of, say, a classic aged Bordeaux, but they should be balanced and vivid as we consume them.

Those standards are in my mind when I approach the new releases of Long Island wines as they become available. Though there are better and worse vintage years in this region, the differences most of the time are not immense. Occasionally there is a knockout year; 2001 is the best example. But there is still a nice game to be played comparing the tastes of one wine with the next or remembering the experience of drinking wines from a producer’s previous releases.

I just tried some new releases from Laurel Lake, a winery that keeps engaging my interest. Owned since 1999 by a group of Chilean wine professionals, a young Chilean winemaker, Claudio Zamorano, has been in charge for the past couple of years, so we are just now seeing wines made on his watch. The 2002 Reserve chardonnay is aged in French oak, and as a result is smooth, creamy, and somewhat toasty, with a soft finish. It nevertheless retains all the brightness and clarity of the grape. Like many young chardonnay wines, tropical fruits predominate in the nose, and on the palate its silky freshness is a delight. It doesn’t pretend to greatness, it is too friendly and inviting for that, but it offers great flavor at a reasonable price ($16). Try it for casual sipping or with summer salads and grilled fish. It’s richer than Laurel Lake’s steel fermented chardonnay, offering a slightly different sort of sensory pleasure. Both deserve a place in our summer drinking. The 2003 steel fermented chardonnay (there should be a 2004 coming) is $11 a bottle.

The 2000 cabernet franc is an ambitious wine. It departs from the more typical Long Island cab franc taste, but is still flavorful, ripe and fruity. It’s got surprising finesse, especially when you consider that it sells for an affordable $18. The spicy, peppery qualities of this grape are a good match for ethnic foods and dishes flavored with the fresh herbs of summer. I’ve often enjoyed the syrah and merlot from Laurel Lake in the past. This year they are also making a limited quantity of pinot noir, one of the challenging grapes for Long Island winemakers.

Traditional craft beer is quite another drink next to six packs from the supermarket, and Phil Markowski, brewmaster at the Southampton Publick House, has been demonstrating that difference with an adroit touch. The newest release is Double White Ale, in 22oz. bottles. It is a double strength version of classic Belgian white ale, and is, as you would expect, light in color and cloudy in appearance—not really white, as the label says, but more a pale straw color. There is a tart citrus quality with hints of coriander in the taste, expressing two of the ingredients in the light-bodied brew. Try it as a clean, bracing change of pace, something to remind wine drinkers that there is a sophisticated side to beer. It sells for about $4 at local beverage stores.

By the way, if anyone can explain to me why government regulations require wine to be measured in liters, and beer in fluid ounces or pints and so forth, I’ll share a bottle of Dominus (750mls.) or a can of Bud (12 oz.) with you.