Embracing Your Inner Wine Geek

So you’ve been bitten by the wine bug. You’ve started reading Wine Spectator, gone to some tastings and begun to learn what appeals to you and what doesn’t.

Be warned. You are treading on dangerous ground. If you are not careful you can go down the rabbit hole. And if Alice thought her world was strange, well…the world of wine is truly its own Wonderland, too.

Don’t get me wrong. It is a wonderful world to which you could devote an entire lifetime and not plumb all of its mysteries. For a Johnny Come Lately such as myself, I will be barely able to scratch the surface.

So here are a few suggestions in case you do want to go down that rabbit hole.

The Windows on the World Wine Course, Great Wine Made Simple and The Wine Bible are great starting places to get the big picture. The Wine Spectator is very informative and beautifully produced but recognize that market place economics require chasing the newest and the hottest to keep selling magazines. And their Top 100 Lists? Clearly, there are a diversity of other opinions about the top wines each year.

The Wine Advocate is the second major publication, at least in terms of influence. Robert Parker has been the most influential wine writer for the last twenty years. He has provided a remarkable service to wine consumers but recognize that his palate preference is the really big, bold, rich, dense, unctuous, style of wine. So, if that is your preference, Parker will be a great guide. If you prefer a more reserved and balanced style of wine, look for other guidance. For such Pinot fans, you may want to look to the Burghound, who clearly favors the more reserved Burgundian style over Parker’s bigger more extracted wine preference.

A few website resources: The Prince of Pinot, The Pinot Report, Burghound, erobertparker.

There are now over 800 wine blogs (this being one of those blogs). You may want to look at Dr Vino, Fermentation and Vinography. AficioNada has an interesting Southern perspective although the writer is now based in Napa. Many of the blogs have listings for other wine blogs.

Erobertparker has a free bulletin board maintained by Mark Squires called Wine Talk. It is an incredible market place of ideas and opinions about all things wine. Many of the participants have deep knowledge and passion for wine, including heavy hitter growers, winemakers and retailers. Do your homework well and become knowledgeable before becoming active on this board. I also suggest reading a lot of the posts for awhile before jumping in, as the board is really not oriented towards beginning or intermediate wine fans.

An interesting approach is to learn about history, geography, chemistry, genetics, or other avenues of inquiry through the vehicle of wine. Have fun digging deeper into wine and don’t be afraid to embrace your inner wine geek!

Cheers,

Dave

Guidelines on Direct Shipping of Wine to Consumers

There are a few basic rules:

We won’t ship if it is to hot or cold as this can damage the wine

Ship to your workplace so a person over age 18 can sign for the wine

Save on your per bottle shipping costs by ordering a large quantity at one time

We charge actual shipping cost with no mark up and no packaging or handling charge

If we can’t ship to your state (due to the variances in state laws) perhaps we can ship to your friend or relative in another state

Best to lay the wine down for at least a couple of months as the travel can temporarily shut down flavors and aromatics

Epiphany Wines

Virtually every wine fan can name a few lightning bolt wines. It is what gets you hooked and keeps you going. Anyone who has taken Psychology 101 understands intermittent reinforcement. It is the most powerful form of reward. Slot machines are based on this psychological principle. You win some small pots and then occasionally you get a really big win- jackpot!

Wine can be kinda like that. Lots of wines are good, or at least good enough. You can read the scores and pick wines on that basis (if you can find the high scoring wines) but if your palate does not match up with the judges you may be disappointed, especially if you have paid big bucks to chase the high point scores.

But then, every so often, and hopefully often enough, one will just knock it out of the park, bring you to your knees and make you say there is a God in heaven and that God wants you to be happy.

So what are your lightning bolts, your epiphany wines?

Here are a few of mine- and recognize that while these are not inexpensive wines, they also are not rare ultra expensive Bordeaux or Burgundy. While I have had some of those rare Holy Grail wines, my wife, my budget and my daughter’s college are thankful that I do not require Petrus, Le Pin, La Tache or DRC to make me a happy guy.

La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir/ Schug Pinot Noir/ Siduri Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Yes, these good basic Pinots woke me up to what Pinot is about. I realized that this was my favorite varietal when I had these wines by the glass at local restaurants.

Dunham Syrah

One of the first wines I had done in a richer more extracted style. It just blew away the typical inexpensive Syrahs I had experienced up to that point and made me realize that spending triple the money over grocery store Syrah was well worth it to get wine this good.

Martinelli Bella Vigne Pinot Noir

Impossibly smooth and silky with a finish that goes on forever and beautifully hidden high alcohol. Why isn’t this winemaker famous? Oh yeah, she is…Helen Turley, one of the real wine world rock stars.

Robert Biale Zinfandel

I thought Zin was all brambles and briars until I tasted this polished and refined example. I began to realize how much a winemaker could do by sourcing small quantities of great fruit and then applying artisan/craftsman standards in the small lot winemaking process.

Cheers,

Dave

Pinot Noir Pairings

If looking to serve wine with food, Pinot Noir is almost always a safe bet, and with a little effort and thought, can make for a spectacular match. It simply pairs beautifully with food and is the most versatile of all wine varieties.

Lighter style Pinots work with salmon, chicken and fruit. More robust Pinots go great with lamb, pork, turkey and beef. All Pinots work well with cheese. Try a good quality Swiss or Emmenthaler or a mild goat cheese and some grapes.

Pinot Noir does not go well with tomato sauces (the acidity in tomatoes clashes with the acidity in Pinot).

Try Pinot with savory French dishes such as cassoulet, coq au vin or chicken Provencal. The earthy and “forest floor” notes in Pinot work particularly well with mushroom based dishes.

Bon appetit,

Dave

Pinot Noir Around the World

The Pinot Noir grape is most famously grown in Burgundy France where it is typically called Burgundy. The grape has very specific requirements to thrive, most importantly a cool climate. The grape does well in small areas of California and in Oregon and New Zealand. It is also grown in other places such as Michigan, Upstate New York, Italy (where it is called Pinot Nero), Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Austrailia and British Columbia.

With the increased popularity, no doubt other areas will be cultivated. Outside of Burgundy, the grape has experienced its greatest success in California and Oregon, with New Zealand coming on strongly.

Cheers,

Dave

The Yeastie Boys

Winemaking is a series of choices, large and small, some made in advance and some made on the spot as events unfold. One of the important choices concerns yeast. At its core, wine making is a simple process. Yeast eats sugar and converts it to alcohol. But beyond this simple and natural process, things become more complex.

Native vs. Yeast Additions

Yeasts occur naturally both in the vineyard and in the winery. Some winemakers follow the minimalist approach, and allow the native yeasts to control the fermentation. Others prefer to add commercially available yeast, typically cultivated for the specific variety of grape. And still others like to start with native yeasts and then add commercial yeast midway through the process. There are multiple theories and controversies surrounding these issues and little consensus.

Here are the advantages and disadvantages for each approach:

Going Native

Most consistent with a purist philosophy of minimal intervention. Winemakers following this approach like to speak in terms of “midwifing” the wine and generally eschew additions or amendments in the process, letting nature take its course. Can help bring out additional complexity and nuance in the wine. Cooler, slower fermentations, less extraction in the wine. However, there is less control over the process- and nature will take its course which is not always a good thing!. Risk of a “stuck” fermentation, i.e. the native yeasts can’t complete the job and the winemaker then has a big mess on his/her hands. One debate concerns how “natural” the process really is as the yeasts may come from the vineyard but also from yeasts present in the winery, and it is unclear and variable as to which yeasts may dominate in any given fermentation process.

Commercial Yeasts

These yeasts are more powerful and get the fermentation done more quickly and thoroughly. Hotter fermentations that will produce darker more extracted wines are possible. A wide variety of commercial yeasts are available and they can be matched to the specific grape varietal, producing a more predictable and controllable event. Most wines are made with commercial yeasts. For the most part, we make big but balanced wines and generally use commercial yeasts to give us more color and extraction in the wine. Keep in mind that the commercial yeasts are completely natural yeasts but are selected and cultivated for this purpose as the best yeasts.

Having it Both Ways

Some winemakers start with native yeasts and, as the native yeasts die off (the increasing alcohol levels create an inhospitable environment so their gluttony is the cause of their own demise- how is that for an eating disorder?) they then introduce commercial yeasts which are stronger and can handle the higher alcohol and heat levels. This compromise is intended to give the advantages of both while eliminating the stuck fermentation risks.

We are thinking about making a Pinot in this style in the future- it would be a bit lower in alcohol, lighter in color and have a bit more acidity. It would be an elegant, lighter Pinot that would pair up very nicely with salmon and chicken. We will keep you posted on this idea.

Cheers,

Dave

Terroir

Terroir is a French word that gets bandied about a great deal in the wine world. Some people do not like the word as it can be heard by the listener as sounding pretentious or snobbish. Unfortunately, there is no English translation that can convey the full meaning.

Terroir is typically explained as being a sense of the unique place but it really goes beyond the geography to include climate, soil subsurface, and other factors of all types that make this place different from all other places.

Pronunciation: terroir = terr-woir

Much is made of wine expressing the unique sense of the vineyard. Some scientists scoff at the idea of the wine exhibiting various trace flavors on the basis that concentration is too low for human perception. However, it is beyond dispute that the same varietal grown in different places will taste differently. It is also widely acknowledged that a varietal from the same region will exhibit certain common characteristics.

Indeed, this is the idea behind the establishment of American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) which allows for the designation of the vineyard location as, for example, a Napa Valley Appellation Cabernet or a Sub-Appellation as, for example, a Mount Veeder Cabernet or an Oakville Cabernet, which are very different wines from very different places, although both are located in Napa Valley.

Terroir comes up most often with Pinot Noir, which is the most “transparent” of all the varietals. Pinot seems to remember and exhibit everything that happens to it. One winemaker calls it the “elephant wine” due to its extraordinary “memory”.

The idea of terroir is behind our approach to making Pinot Noir. We want a lineup of four to five or more single vineyard Pinots each expressing their unique sense of place.

Cheers,

Dave

Barrel Aging

Winemaking is largely a series of choices. In wine aging, the first choice is barrel versus stainless steel. This one is easy for us, as we make red wine that clearly benefits from time in oak. Like many winemakers, we like the complexity, the aromatics and the tannins resulting from oak influence.

Among the many available cooperages, we chose to use Francois Freres for our inaugural Pinot Noir vintage. This cooperage adds beautiful toasty vanilla and chocolate notes and is the most widely used among ultrapremium Pinot Noir wineries. The tight grained oak comes from the forests of Allier and Troncais in central France.

In future vintages we will continue aging in Francois Freres for our Pinots but will also add barrels from other top French oak cooperages, including Remond, Rousseau and Sirugue for additional aromatics and flavors.

Our Pinot Noirs will typically have at least 11 months of barrel aging and our Cabernet Sauvignon will have 22-24 months on oak.

A Jeffersonian Vision

A true Renaissance man, Jefferson became enchanted with French wine while serving as ambassador to France. He ordered French Burgundy and Bordeaux by the barrel and the case for shipment to the US, spent months touring European vineyards and wineries, attempted (unsuccessfully) to grow French vinifera at Monticello and kept extensive and detailed records of his thoughts and activities. He was regarded as the leading wine authority of his time, and served unofficially as wine advisor to Washington, Madison and other Presidents.

Jefferson passionately believed that the US could one day equal France in the production of fine wines. While he did not live to see this happen (indeed, it was another 200 years before the US would best France in a famous blind tasting), he would have been immensely pleased and proud of American viticulture and winemaking in the 21st century.

While Jefferson’s vision of an American pastoral, agriculturally based economy did not come to fruition (the Hamiltonian vision of the city, finance and industry instead prevailed), Jefferson proved to be right about grapes and wine. His beloved state of Virginia is establishing a strong presence in wine, and even his lifelong work in process, Monticello is again growing vitis vinifera.

Jefferson died on the Fourth of July, 1826, the Fiftieth Anniversary of American Independence. John Adams, his friend, political ally, rival and predecessor in the White house, died on the same day a few hours later. Adams, unaware of Jefferson’s passing, uttered as his last words “Jefferson still lives."

Cheeers,

Dave

Trusting Your Palate

In my wine world, the word “should” is banished. At the end of the day, after all the sniffing, swirling, tasting and talking, you either like the wine or you don’t like the wine. It is your unique palate that is calling the shots for you and no apologies or explanations are needed. If your personal favorite is white zin in a big box, then fine, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

However, if you have read this far, I’m guessing that white zin in a big box is probably not your regular quaff.

Your palate, just like your ear for music or your eye for art and design, can be educated and developed. With art, the more you look the more you see. And with wine, the more you smell and taste……. well, the more you smell and taste. And no question the knowledge and ability to discriminate, to make sensory distinctions and learn to enjoy unusual, more complex flavors, will lead to further enjoyment (and allow you to act like a wine snob if you wish- however if you ever watch Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine Library TV, you may conclude that wine snobbery is just so 20th century!).

The web and interactive media (such as us being able to offer wine for sale directly from our Calicaro.com website) are changing the wine world. People living in the most remote places now have access to the best wine being made, especially if they are willing to spend a little effort on line.

Some people will always like white zin, and for those folks the selections will be readily available and inexpensive at the local grocery store. But the door to a world of possibilities is now kicked wide open for those wishing to explore.

As Gary V. would say, give it a whirl.

Cheers,

Dave

Artisanal Wine vs. Grocery Store Wine

Artisanal Wine vs. Grocery Store Wine

Many folks have never had artisan made wine and I thought it might be worthwhile to talk a little about the differences.

To clear the decks for this discussion, let’s say upfront that on the surface there isn’t a difference. You can find impressively named and packaged wines at the grocery store for very little money. If the purpose is to impress, there are so many brands out there no one could possibly keep track and people without wine knowledge generally will be impressed by a nice label. I think this is a big part of the reason the wine conglomerates own so many different labels.

There is an old Texas saying- that a man can be “all hat and no cattle.” Well, some wines are “all label and no fruit.”

Also, if you are looking to take wine to an informal party where it will be popped and poured and quaffed by folks making conversation in a party atmosphere, by all means go buy the grocery store stuff at $10-20 a bottle. In fact we did that recently, my wife having picked up a bottle of Aquinas Pinot Noir- a brand I had never heard of- for about $12 and it worked fine for this purpose with nice cherry notes and smooth tannins. My only disappointment was that it was mostly gone when I went back to the kitchen counter for a second glass.

I would have been sorely disappointed if I had brought the expensive stuff to that casual party. Not that I don’t like to share- just that when I do and it is the really good stuff, I want more focus on the wine, rather than seeing it handled as a background social lubricant. I feel the same way about good food, music, and art.

If on the other hand, the occasion does call for more focus on the wine, when it comes to Pinot and Cabernet, spending more dollars to get artisanally made wine will generally be well rewarded by what is in the glass. The simple truth is that everything that touchs Pinot leaves fingerprints and there is no way to make good industrial scale Pinot. To start, you simply must have low yield in the vineyards. The industrial makers don’t like this because it cuts into profits- why grow two tons per acre when you can grow five or more tons per acre? And why ferment by hand in ½ ton small batches when it is more efficient to dump it all into huge tanks and ferment 100 tons at once?

The answer is in the glass. The grocery store stuff all tastes pretty much the same and it is uninspiring stuff, all cut from the same cloth and about as middle of the road as possible, designed not to offend, and in the process not creating anything memorable or noteworthy either. I have never had a bottle from the grocery store that stayed with me, that made me want to go track down more and stock the cellar.

Artisan made small lot wine…well…there are bottles that you just don’t ever forget. It can be their power and concentration of flavor, elegance, balance, texture, or their sheer uniqueness and individuality.

The bottom line is I never liked wine all that much until I started tasting some really good wines. Now, given the choice and a fixed wine budget, I would gladly pay double or triple the price for these wines and then drink half or a third as much. Often with so much “stuffing” in the wine, a half a glass can be immensely satisfying. Calicaro will offer some wines in half bottle sizes for this reason. A final thought is that good wine can easily be recorked and kept in the fridge for a few days- sometimes it even gets better after having had a day to decant. In my experience well made wine will hold coniderably longer than the grocery store stuff.

Cheers,

Dave

Wine 6.0

Wine 6.0

First, there was European Old World wine (1.0). Then the European immigrants to California, many Italian, who commonly grew what we now call “old vine” Zinfandel (some of their vines still survive (2.0). Much of their activity ceased with Prohibition. Then the rise of the large scale mass production wines with labels that were misleading at best, such as “Hearty Burgundy” which was definitely hearty but not in any way Burgundy (3.0). Then quality began to take hold, with estate bottled wine such as Heitz and Inglenook emerging in an increasing focus on Napa Valley Cabernet and specific vineyard designations (e.g. Heitz Martha’s Vineyard) (4.0). Then came the wealthy celebrity and business owner vineyards. Winemakers such as Francis Ford Coppola and Fess Parker making good, sometimes great wine (5.0).

Now we have a veritable explosion in winemaking activity with excitement occurring among the extremely small scale wineries such as Calicaro. In this version, 6.0, things have gotten really interesting.

First, the economics have been turned upside down. No longer do you need $10 million dollars and ten years to create a winery in the 6.0 world. Winemakers source grapes and vineyards from others who specialize in the farming and then the winemakers share space and equipment with other winemakers in cooperative arrangements. No need to tie up huge amounts of capital and equipment used one time per year, even if that kind of capital was available (and among the 6.0 winemakers very few come from vast wealth).

6.0 advantages are many fold. There is more competition among growers to produce great fruit and the advances in quality are remarkable. Makers can select from many great vineyards which are establishing their own reputations and branding identities. Makers can have designated blocks in the vineyards, grown to the maker’s wishes. Shared fruit, knowledge and ideas up everyone’s game. Makers have flexibility to quickly establish new designated single vineyard wines (and drop old ones). And makers can bypass the middleman and sell directly to consumers, using ecommerce and eliminating the market inefficiencies of the mass distribution channels. No more are consumers-even those those living in remote locations-stuck with mediocre industrial production wine.

The boutique winery market is expanding and some well established artisanal winemakers have long waiting lists for their wines. And new boutique wineries are being established everywhere. Exciting times, indeed. Welcome to wine world 6.0!

Cheers,

Dave
Calicaro.com

Do the Points Really Matter?

Do the Points Really Matter?

The short answer…provided in true legalistic fashion is…yes…and no.

The concept of experts and a point rating system makes sense and certainly makes it easy for the consumer. On balance I think it is a good thing. The proliferation of choices is overwhelming to almost anyone. And certainly point scores can help weed out what are truly bad wines. The quality of California fine wine overall is vastly better than it was 30 years ago, when the predominant theme was misnamed mass produced industrial wine. I believe point scores have helped in this evolution.

However, point scores also create false impressions of wine tasting being an exact science when we know it is anything but. This can be seen in widely varying scoring among the judges. One judge’s 88 is another judge’s 95. I just checked scores on a wine I am interested in purchasing and found scores ranging from 86 to 97. When I serve it should I announce to guests that I am serving a 97 point wine? I don’t think so. And on a retasting by the same judge the following year the score may change 5 or more points. Further, many reviewers utilize 100 point scales but do so in very different ways, with some applying scores from 50 and up and at least one not giving any scores below 90. Why, pray tell, would this be called a 100 point scale under such circumstances? Too often, this begins to walk and talk like a marketing ploy.

Tasting is subjective and everybody’s palates and preferences are different. Some reviews are made by a panel of judges and some are just a single judge. If it is a single judge, is that judge’s palate and style preferences like yours? Odds are, no. I was at a very nicely done tasting this weekend (9.13.08) led by Wayne Belding, a Master Sommelier from Boulder, Colorado. Wayne was demonstrating, quite vividly, the effects of terroir. He asked for favorite wines out of the seven served. There was nothing approaching consensus, with at least four of the seven each drawing about an equal number of votes. And one of the wines, a Grand Cru Chablis, was price and quality wise head and shoulders above the rest. Granted, the attendees were not tasting experts but they were people with a lot of wine experience.

Wine experts are tasting through dozens of wines at a time. The biggest and boldest will stand out in the sea of wines and get a high point score. But having a few sips and spitting out wine #17 in a list of 30 wines to be tasted and saying it is 94 points is vastly different than sitting down and enjoying a bottle with or without food. Under this circumstance, the biggest and boldest high point score wine may well be overpowering and less enjoyable than a more modest offering at considerably less expense.

And many small boutique wineries simply do not have the reserves and resources to send off dozens of bottles for evaluation. And some choose not to participate for the reasons discussed here. At this same wine event was an Oregon winery called R Stuart & Co with a great Pinot called Autograph at $50 a bottle. Very well done and easily a 90 plus point wine. Their website says they do not submit for reviews because they “don’t play that game”.

Further still, wine, especially pinot noir, is quite changeable. The bottle reviewed may have had bottle shock, be closed up and not ready to drink or just be a bad bottle.

So what should you do? We suggest the following:

Taste and form your own opinions. Taste some more. Your opinions will probably change over time. Learn to trust your own judgment and to identify your own style preferences.
Judge the judges. As you taste and experience more you may come to know their stylistic preferences and can take that into account.

Take the point score into account as only one measure of the quality of the wine and nothing more. People who chase very high point scores pay ALOT of money for certain wines (if they can even find them- usually these wines are gone by the time the scores get published) and they miss a world of opportunities that they may enjoy even more. Chasing the 98 point cult wine at $500 or more per bottle may have more to do with the collecting and investing impulse than the enjoyment of the wine itself. As Seinfeld would say, “not that there is anything WRONG with that” but appreciate it for what it is.

Recognize that many of the best wines are made by small producers who do not submit for scores.

As for us, on balance, and with some reservation, we will be submitting certain wines for scoring as we grow. It is an external validation of quality and we recognize that consumers do rely heavily on such validators notwithstanding our opinions about their limited utility. And we will promote our wines by point scores. As one friend said “you can go outside and shout at the rain but that won’t make it stop!”

Cheers,

Dave

The “Sideways” Phenomenon – Real or Fad?

The “Sideways” Phenomenon – Real or Fad?

Even casual observers know that Pinot Noir is popular now. Let’s call it the “Sideways Phenomenon”. No doubt “The Movie” (as Pinot Noir makers refer to it) shined the light on this varietal and paid a poetic (and quite accurate) homage in the remarkable scene where Miles and Maya praise the noble grape’s attributes.

However, there are much bigger forces at work here than a single Hollywood movie.
In France, Pinot Noir plays queen to the king grape of Cabernet. While maybe not politically correct today, many have observed that the “feminine” characteristics of elegance and restraint play yin to the muscular, bold Cabernet yang. Pinot is an extremely fickle grape that has often disappointed in the vineyard and the glass. It is thin skinned, literally and figuratively.
People have tried to grow Pinot in the U.S. for a long time. A few areas, such as the Russian River Valley and Carneros have been producing good Pinot for quite a while.

However, the viticulture has advanced (in no small part due to the new Dijon clones that do so well in cooler climates) and modern Pinot makers have now nailed it, New World Style. Spectacular fruit is coming from several new areas and extremely passionate Pinot makers are taking full advantage. Much of the New World Style Pinot is richer, bolder, more intense, and more highly extracted wine than French Burgundy. I love it. If you will allow me to continue to maintain the female analogy, if French Burgundy is Nicole Kidman; the New World Pinot (at its most extreme) is Venus Williams. It can be a wine that even a big muscular mountain Cabernet lover can enjoy. And the New World Pinot makers are covering the spectrum, from light and fruity to big, dark, intense, lush and oakey, but still undeniably Pinot.

Great Pinot is coming from several newer areas. Try Santa Lucia Highlands, Sta. Rita Hills, Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley, and Oregon. Even British Columbia and New Zealand are in the game. No doubt other areas will be identified and cultivated in the future, although they will be small specific coastal areas that offer just the right combination of soil, fog, sun and temperature.

And, as for the effect of “The Movie” now that people have tried the noble grape New World Style there is no turning back. It is that seductive.

Cheers,

Dave

A Pinot Primer
For those whose interest in Pinot extends beyond the label and what is in the glass, there are a number of good new resources available.

The “go to” books are North American Pinot Noir and Pacific Pinot Noir , both by John Winthrop Haegar. Exceptional and comprehensive resources. Pacific Pinot Noir was issued in the Fall of 2008 and is therefore current on this rapidly changing environment.
The Heartbreak Grape is the story of Josh Jensen and Calera Wine Company. It chronicles the gratifications and costs of pursuing an iconoclastic, single minded vision to create great Pinot. A cautionary tale, but with a happy ending as Jensen’s vision comes to fruition after decades of labor.

My First Crush is the story of a couple who, seemingly on a whim, buy an Oregon Pinot winery and pursue a completely new life. It is charming and engaging and in a much lighter way illuminates the difficulties of entering the wine business.

The Grail is subtitled “A year rambling & shambling through an Oregon vineyard in pursuit of the best pinot noir wine in the whole wild world.” This sums up the series of essays written over the course of a year spent at Lange Winery in Dundee, Oregon. Interesting, but the writing is over the top. One senses the writer needs to taste and travel more before making grand pronouncements about who and where makes the best Pinot, as his experience seems to be entirely confined to Willamette Valley.

The Prince of Pinot and the Pinot Report are websites that detail all of the happenings in the Pinot world. Both are now by subscription only, but if bitten by the bug, are well worth the rather modest annual cost.

Cheers,

Dave

2008 Harvest Report

2008 Harvest

The 2008 harvest ended a few days before Halloween and one week before the elections. What an eventful year in so many ways.

In the California vineyards it has been quite a year as well. The early season frosts gave way to an ideal warm dry summer, followed by a heat spike in early September that pushed ripening on the Sonoma Coast and in the Russian River Valley. Our harvesting and fermenting went smoothly and our Split Rock and Lone Oak Pinots and our Napa Valley Cabernet are now resting in French Oak.

We’re excited to have completed our first harvest season. Our winemaker friends tell us that every season has its challenges and you have to be on top of your game and prepared to adjust to meet such challenges. We were lucky this year- there were very few challenges. The fruit looked and tasted spectacular. We double sorted carefully so all of the fruit going into fermentation was in top condition.

For both of our Pinot vineyards we picked Dijon clone 667 fully ripe. We will later blend with other Pinot clones to add depth and complexity. The wines emphasize darker fruits and are packed with layers of hedonistic jammy flavors. The big fruit is balanced with good acidity and relatively high alcohol levels, adding sweetness and viscosity. It is unapologetically big New World style wine but not over the top or out of balance.

Until next spring the wine will rest in barrel and our work will be to monitor, taste and top off the barrels as necessary. In the spring we will blend wine made from other Pinot clones with the 667 base wine. Another six months in barrel and then we will bottle and be ready to ship our first vintage of Pinot Noir. The Cabernet will spend another year in the barrel and be ready to bottle and ship in the fall of 2010.

The second harvest season begins immediately after we bottle our Pinot. And the seasons…they go round and round….

Cheers,

Dave

Wine: A Life Cycle

Wine: A Life Cycle

Wine is born of water, light and soil. As in raising a child, we can provide optimum opportunities but the outcome is never fully within our control. When tasted in the barrel, we can see what the wine will become. When we drink it on release can also see this more clearly. Then the wine slowly matures and reaches the peak of its power.

If all has gone well, the wine may offer that rare transcendent experience. A complexity beyond words. Nuances, shadows, suggestions. Was it really there or did you just imagine it? Fleeting, ephemeral sense memories long forgotten. A cherry coke at a drugstore soda fountain. Aromatic baking spices in Grandma’s kitchen. Old leather shoes in the back of the closet. A tobacco barn redolent with 75 years of harvest. Road tar on a summer day. Pencil sharpening in first grade.

Drinking such a wine can change you…. like your life flashing before you. In old age, the harshness and aggressiveness of youth are now long gone, the wine mellowed, taste faded, now only hinting at what once was. The bright red is brown, the structure weakened, the finish lacking stamina. It is still possible to appreciate and enjoy this faded beauty, but a sense of melancholy is present. Its glory days are over.

So…… drink up and enjoy. For there is light and soil and water. Last year’s harvest is in the barrel, and a new crop is ripening on the vine.

Cheers,