good grape daily: pomace & lees free run: field notes from a wine life around the wine blogosphere wine: a business doing pleasure good grape wine reviews new world influences red wine wine white wine wine blog news wine bloggers robert parker notes & dusty bottle items wine sediments wine business wine blogs historical wine book excerpts tasting safari: wines you can buy online cluetrain manifesto revisited winecast: a year in collaboration wine spectator wine blogger robert mondavi wine marketing indy food & wine vinography vin de napkin appellation watch: midwest regional review new vine logistics wine blogging alice feiring dr. vino tom wark natural wine gary vaynerchuk luxury wine wine critics wine reviews wine books cameron hughes american wine blog awards a really goode job california wine robert mondavi day penner-ash oregon pinot noir fermentation blog wine ratings tyler colman steve heimoff best wine blogs fred franzia wine research wall street journal wine robert mondavi winery best wine bloggers wine writers slender wine the wine makers tv terry theise direct-to-trade inertia beverage group notre dame football dan berger gourmet magazine wine news bordeaux rodney strong inniskillin wine advertising wine and the economy wine trends wine review wine advocate reading between the wines wine ethics wine and spirits daily three dolla koala zinfandel rockaway wine market council hr 5034 wine online winery marketing wine technology wine enthusiast jim laube oregon bounty sparkling wine good grape hugh macleod wine distribution crushpad wine matt kramer cellartracker stormhoek biodynamics open that bottle night 100-pt scale southern wine & spirits trader joe's wine grape stories church wine wine & spirits magazine mike steinberger vintank rockaway vineyards allocated wine lynn penner-ash appellation america champagne wine.com amazon.com sonoma pinot noir murphy-goode winery wine tasting notes pinot noir silver oak sommelier journal biodynamic wine augmented reality oregon cuisinternship indiana wine klinker brick dr. oz jr. jon bonne wine blogging wednesday clif winery agency nil hourglass wine a very goode job wine trading down trefethen generation y and wine hailey trefethen california zinfandel wine tasting journal wine competitions pinot noir reviews wine industry peru wine trip doug frost the winemakers tv the grateful palate fantesca resveratrol judgment of paris women in wine oregon pinot gris thomas pellechia carmenere woot wine purpose-idea rose wine vincellar russian river valley triple bottom line negociant wine business monthly celia masyczek bottle shock pinot jordan winery amy poehler wine micro sites umami chris phelps disney wine program the wine blue book winery hospitality 2007 forty-five north cabernet franc for dummies 2008 honig sauvignon blanc sherry three dollar koala clary ranch chronicle wine mary ewing-mulligan wine to relax erobertparker wine spectator restaurant awards zig ziglar italian wine merchant wine humor youtube cheap wine john hughes wine dj zinfandel producers maria thun firestone contest bad wine lonely island au revoir to all that radiohead wine blog awards 2010 french paradox sketches of spain red bicyclette court paul gregutt trefethen family vineyards sonoma county tasting note desciptors natural winemaking wine authors wine laws wine evaluation petite sirah korbel wine and sense of smell blog contests jim koch pork tenderloins wine & spirits restaurant poll 2010 guinness advertising amazon kindle wine politics the vintners art new zealand wine vinexpo good wine under 20 paste magazine patz & hall sonoma coast pinot noir notes on a cellar book oak alternatives kelly fleming interview the pour scott becker chronicle wines whyte horse winery darwinism mirror wine joe roberts e-myth revisited bennett lane winery the traveling vineyard schotts micellany marco capelli music + wine cooper's hawk winery tim hanni hunningbird wine best wine blog san francisco chronicle wine ice wine clif bar wine wine magazines hourglass cabernet chateau thomas wine parker defamation dependable wine trefethen fallow obama 2009 auction napa valley bruce reizenman vino chapeau san francisco wine competition petaluma pinot tamari torrontes dirty south wine chacha whuffie factor eryn supple formula business ordinance duane hoff paul blart: mall cop woman in wine organic wineries oregon wine snobs wine is the new black will hoge wineshopper gapingvoid rose summer wine lindsay ronga foppoli wines iphone wine mobile apps winery promotions expensive wine trends spike your juice cabernet main street winery obama wine next generation apple the fifth taste dominus bellagio wine qpr wines jimmy clausen winery customer service the pioneer woman alpine for dummies wine collection the business of wine secret sherry society wine video game westside road wine appellations ed mccarthy kurt andersen randall grahm party of five theme song wine lists wine star awards howard schultz drvino.com wine direct shipping vineyard church altar wine good wine mark squires texas liberty school cabernet sauvignon scheurebe cluetrain manifesto discoveries pathfinder wine health research jackson-triggs vidal ice wine di arie rose priceline.com rick mirer bottle shock movie lewis perdue napa valley auction rancho zabaco zinfandel wine intelligence research wall street journal wine columnists clark smith publishing trends dark & delicious wine expedition fat tire beer mothervine supplements tim mondavi jess jackson 500 things to eat before it's too late wine & spirits eat me kenny shopsin 2007 stoneleigh pinot noir wine public relations facebook + wine australian wine millenials and wine recession wine deb harkness cowboy mouth 2006 hess collection monterey chardonnay whole foods wine jim gordon kelly fleming cabernet the new yorker travel oregon mike hengehold vignoles rick mirer wine wine blogging strategies wine certification adobe road the the lost symbol wine criticism wine 2.0 a history of wine words karen macneil alloutwine indianapolis paul clary blog sweet wines clos lachance wine branding beaux freres us wine sales dessert wine c.g. di arie drew bledsoe amazon wine constellation wine washington wine wine bard weds '47 cheval blanc planet bordeaux santasti kevin zraly top chef hardy wallace burger wine where the hell is matt australia wine jamie oliver indiana miss america dark side of the rainbow rockaway wine gallo topps augmented reality expensive wine wine spectator top 100 2009 wine spies patio wine corkd dominic foppoli vintage of the decade markham mark of distinction adler fels home winemaking 2008 food & wine winemaker of the year texas bbq wine pairing oregon food and wine trinchero iphone wine apps. viktor frankl chateau petrus barack obama + wine sanford pinot noir conundrum digital marketing obama inauguration noble pig wine spectator wine reviews karadeci shorttrack ceo oh wine tycoon video game healdsburg terroir california wine for dummies global wine partners wine terroir little zagreb adam strum tinybottles generation y. wine communion wine livingston cellars wine and music german wine zap wine biodynamic yellow tail wine unified symposium 2007 waters crest "night watch" late harvest wine climber white name your own price napa cab. napa cabernet amazon.com wine california cabernet the wine line core wine drinkers john trefethen park avenue catering luxury wine marketing "frankenwine" nbwa the hold steady sensory evaluation wine trivia alpana singh dos equis commercials wine label design continuum boston beer company prince's hot chicken king estate a year in wine 2006 brancott pinot noir wine pr wineamerica wine wisdom lewin's equation 1winedude 1% for the planet wine social media wines and vines kelly fleming the best pinot noir ted lemon traminette wine tasting rooms palate press swanson vineyards vegas wine rombauer wine and art jason kroman alloutwine.com wine mou paul clary gracianna wine wine economy non-profits and wine moms who need wine ted jansen doubleback wine paul mabray blackstone wine dip keep walking chateau latour french wine marketing steve perry argentina wine firestone wine contest barolo santana dvx slate wine columnist wine pricing food revolution indiana gourmet food brigitte armenier red bicyclette social media ge smart grid augmented reality zinfandel reviews wine heist the new frugality deck wine wine content bryan q. miller andy warhol quotes fermentation wine blobbers oregon travel first blush juice consumer shopping research rachel alexandra food & wine magazine kenny shopsin digital signage wine retail man's search for meaning st. helena catholic church sanford chardonnay penner ash lettie teague nba liquor advertising michael ruhlman award of excellence ericca robinson journey cult wines wine tycoon game russian river valley pinot alan goldfarb economy "old world wine southern wine and spirits wine columns macari vineyards sette 7 tastingroom.com bruliam wine 100 point system champagne sales april fool's day wine snooth randy caparoso music and wine german riesling old vine zinfandel down under by crane lake jon fredrikson the wine case climber red cheap wines mirror wine company sugar free wine allocated cabernet paso robles pbs wine sales janet trefethen elliot essman fine wine marketing wine wipes wine medal winners national beer wholesalers association the gaslight anthem zephyr adventures wine bar bets robert parker's bitch wine reality show southern gothic wine heidi barrett john james dufour america eats willamette valley three-tier wines of chile specialty wine retailers association judd's hill rose wine sales wine & spirits daily hess collection wine industry news sonoma wine company wines & vines cult cabernet eric asimov dan cederquist parks and recreation wine mobile applications wine umami swanson alexis cabernet professional culinary institute value wines brand butlers american wine blogs forty-five north winery hugh johnson wine press release hong kong u.s. wine sherry wine aussie wine glut clary ranch pinot noir john tyler wine wine cartoons fusebox wine ebob bodeans mitch schwartz charlie weis murphy-goode wine blogging ethics sutter home videos inexpensive wine jay miller johnnie walker wines that rock bordeaux reconquest ani difranco firestone vineyards barbaresco mumm napa michael steinberger value wine .wine geocaching phillip armenier red bicyclette pinot noir wine blogosphere trefethen oak knoll cabernet sauvignon sonoma county wine cinderella wine aspirational marketing steroids in baseball wine book publishing batgirl wine sylvester pinot noir the press-democrat anthony dias blue oregon cuisinternship winner tokalon winery not-for-profit preakness stakes massale selection wine & spirits magazines guinness beer apple iphone the psychology of wine what is terroir wine purchasing wine nose jay mcinerney julie and julia james laube chimney rock elevage cornell enology wine tycoon stavin kelly fleming wine national wine & spirits reset " "new world wine" poseurs 2007 sean minor four bears pinot noir wine blogging tips sunbox eleven wine winery sponsorship champagne and business wine stories cork'd 2008 vina mar reserva sauvignon blanc persimmon creek vineyards wine + music midwest wine culture
August 16 2010
Trend watching in the wine world is something of a sport as Sommeliers, writers and pundits observe, parse, distill and then explain what is happening in the wine zeitgeist as the stories develop at the micro-trend level. Reporting on the ripple in the pond, something that can penetrate the wine lover’s consciousness over the coming years as the story grows larger, influencers act as an agent for isolating and highlighting what is next.
Sometimes this subtle focus from influencer’s and wordsmiths is noticed, other times not so much (witness: Riesling’s status as the next big thing for the last decade, consumers never quite receiving the memo). Yet, this never-ending exploration of what’s new and interesting ends up being a self-fueling machine that fosters and builds intriguing storylines until the ideas become acknowledged reality, or are replaced by the new, new thing.
An example in the realm of wine (and an emerging trend to pay attention to) is the contrast between declining Bordeaux wine sales here in the states at the same time that Old World-styled California wines grow in mindshare and sales. I call it the “Nü California” style – fruit forward, food-friendly, and dimensionally blended wines with a component of place evident.
Not only is there a restrained “Old World-ish” style of California wine taking shape, but there are also specific nods that vintners are making to Left and Right Bank-style blends from Bordeaux. Left Bank-style blends lead with Cabernet and Right Bank-style blends lead with Merlot and/or Cabernet Franc.
What we are seeing in a post-Sideways world, related to Right Bank-style wines, are an increase in blends that lead with the formerly forsaken Merlot along with Cab Franc (sometimes taking center stage), despite long ago being given a Scarlet Letter as a, “blending varietal.”
Here are three recent press examples highlighting the emerging trend of Right Bank-influenced wines done in a “Nü California” style (example one, two, and three).
Of course, emerging trends do not occur in a vacuum. Sometimes, they are given lift.
The Meritage Alliance has been working to grow mindshare and influence regarding Bordeaux-style blends since 1988.
Started by a group of winemakers who wanted to acknowledge the vintners art form of blending, paying homage to Bordeaux-style blends, yet creating a new name to be respectful of names and origins, Meritage, a made up combination of the words “merit” and “heritage,” has become wildly popular, joining the English lexicon in ways not normally associated with marketing-oriented naming conventions.
In an interview with Bill Smart, Director of Communications for Dry Creek Vineyard (DCV) and a marketing contributor to The Meritage Alliance helmed on a volunteer basis by Kim Stare Wallace of DCV, he noted:
“(We’d) like to have (wineries) use the term Meritage, whether it’s on their label or not to describe their blend. Using the word Bordeaux to describe these wines is incorrect in my opinion. Sure, the wines incorporate the Bordeaux varieties; however, that is where our similarities with Bordeaux end. We are California wineries, producing wines in our style, to our taste, using the noble Bordeaux variety grapes. In my opinion, the correct name for these wines is Meritage blends or Meritage-style blends.”
With firsthand experience with the Mariner, a consistently fabulous Left Bank-style Meritage blend from DCV, Smart knows that which he speaks …
The Meritage Alliance boasts 220 members in the organization. In 2011, they are poised to launch a consumer-oriented tasting in San Francisco similar to ZAP and the Family Winemakers of California tastings, increasing awareness of Bordeaux-styled California blends as a “Meritage.”
Of course, an emerging trend must have an upstart hero, as well. Within the scope of growing awareness of Meritage blends and the niche of Left and Right Bank-styled wines, a pre-launch wine company called Virage is focusing on Right Bank-styled Nü Californian wines.
Named for the French word meaning a “turn in the road,” that’s exactly what has happened as a former investment banker and assistant to Karen MacNeil, Emily Richer, has swerved right and teamed with winemaker Aaron Pott of Quintessa and Blackbird fame.
Focused on the cooler climate growing areas of Napa Valley, Virage will highlight blends based predominantly on Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
The Virage blend won’t be released until the fall of this year. I received an early, unlabeled bottling from Richer. If early tastings hold true, you’ll be hearing a lot about this upstart. Priced with a value sensibility at $45 a bottle with initial production slated at 900 cases and focused on re-shaping the perception of Napa as a hot weather Cabernet Sauvignon playground, Virage is poised to be a breakout star of 2010.
In addition, unbelievably, the Virage matches up with Pott’ bold quote in the San Francisco Chronicle when he told writer Jon Bonné that, “The best expressions of Cabernet Franc are much more interesting than the best expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon.” The Virage, offering layer upon layer of nuance, is a tapestry compared to a Napa Cabs afghan of primary flavors.
Pay attention to Meritage blends and Left and Right Bank styles coming from California. Below are reviews of the Virage and a Left Bank-styled wine from Napa compatriot Beaucanon.
Illustration #1 and #2 credits: Christophe Vorlet and copyright holder(s)
Interested in California Meritage/Bordeaux blends? Buy Wine Online: Purchase 6 or more bottles and get 50% off shipping with coupon code “grape35”
Posted in, Good Grape Wine Reviews. Permalink | Comments (2) | Print |
June 29 2010
I made a clumsy foot slip while trying to navigate the wine purgatory that is my basement stairwell where over 100 bottles await their gustatory grave or longer-term respite in the subterranean bowels of my home. The 2006 Swanson Vineyards “Alexis” Cabernet Sauvignon acted as the hurtling, blunt force object, initiating a domino-like downward seizure of dozens of bottles. In surveying the aftermath, as broken glass settled and red wine leached onto the now soon to be replaced carpet, I realized that nary an “important” bottle had broken, including the Swanson. It seemed as if the projectile-like wine had the guiding touch of providence. As it turns out, Chris Phelps, Swanson Vineyards’ winemaker, makes another wine that is truly touched by the hand of God.
By way of background, for April fool’s Day, I wrote a jestful post indicating that I was starting an ecommerce web site selling church wine – Churchchug.com, as I called it; Sunday service being the province of wine plonk from specialty wine companies that now needed to find a consumer audience. It was a slight attempt at humor on a day intended for just that. Little did I know, however, that a Catholic church in St. Helena forsakes buying “church” wine that truly should be spit for wine made from Napa vineyards by a world-class winemaker.
Reader Michael Haas, a parishioner at St. Helena Catholic Church, tipped me off to the church wine quality par excellence. Fellow parishioner Chris Phelps, the winemaker at Swanson Vineyards, works with fruit from Larry Bettinelli’s vineyard management company, sourcing from Rutherford, Oak Knoll, Pope Valley and Yountville. Every year for the last dozen years, Phelps and Bettinelli have collaborated to make 12 to 18 cases of Merlot and Cabernet for St. Helena Catholic Church, the past four years being Cab exclusive.
According to Phelps, “I would be confident to put (the) street value in the $30 - $40 bottle range. We never announce our new releases, but we just ‘released’ the 2006. Of course, the wine is priceless once it is consecrated.”
Phelps noted that the quality wine at St. Helena Catholic Church seems to be an anomaly, “I think most Catholic churches in Napa, Sonoma, (and) Mendocino counties still use a sweet, white muscatel – a fortified white wine. It’s kind of surprising, if you think about it.”
Surprising, indeed. How would you like to be a member of that church? Suddenly, as a Catholic, I feel compelled to make mass a part of my next visit to the Valley for field research purposes.
“Our parishioners have pretty refined taste in wine; they probably drink wine at or above our sacramental wine quality. We do sometimes have inquiries about purchasing the wine, but we don’t sell it. We have to keep an eye out for communicants at mass making a second pass in line for the cup, though,” Phelps said with a laugh.
But, what about the wafers that are consecrated into the body of Christ?
Story tipster Michael Haas quipped, “If I could get our pastor to make a similar deal with Thomas Keller’s Buchon Bakery, we would never have to worry about Sunday Mass attendance.”
When not helping the church, Phelps utilizes an incredible resume that includes training in Bordeaux, an internship during the epic ’82 harvest, time spent at Chateau Pétrus and eleven years at Christian Moueix’ Dominus Estate in Napa Valley. A seven-year stop at Caymus for various projects including a four year stint handling the reds from 1999 to 2003 and Phelps had over-proven his bona fides before joining Swanson in 2003.
Today, Phelps says, “I consider what we are doing at Swanson to be sort of a renaissance, trying to elevate the level of everything we do from vineyard to bottle.”
As if church involvement, winemaking and devoted Scoutmaster and family man responsibilities were not enough, Phelps has started his own label using fruit from St. Helena Catholic Church pal Larry Bettinelli’s estate vineyard in Yountville.
The name of his label? “Ad Vivum.” A Latin phrase for, “To the Life.”
With Phelps’ record of success and quality, a delicious glass of 2006 Swanson “Alexis” Cabernet Sauvignon in my hand and notions of $30 + dollar equivalent wine at communion at a small Catholic Church in St. Helena, I think we should all give a brief toast “To the Life.”
2006 Swanson Vineyards “Alexis” Oakville Cabernet
SRP: $75 (received as press sample)
ABV: 14.8%
Production: 1306 cases
Tasting Note: Brooding nose opens like an alley after the rain. Blackberry, black currant, smoke, iodine, steak juice, sage and menthol that gives way to dense blackberry juice and more menthol on a nicely acidic and well-balanced mid-palate. Medium fine tannins in a chalky finish indicate time in the bottle is needed, along with a hunk of herb crusted prime rib.
Score: 92
Posted in, Good Grape Wine Reviews. Permalink | Comments (1) | Print |
May 30 2010
Launching what is now an annual, vigorous conversation amongst pro football pundits: “Who should be the first player selected in the NFL draft,” two quarterbacks with intermingling paths were chosen first and second in the 1993 NFL draft inciting the now annual speculation turned conversational sport from the football talking heads while in the process sparking a friendly and competitive personal journey of success that continues between the two to this day, now off the gridiron and in the wine industry.
Drew Bledsoe, a prep quarterback from Walla, Walla before matriculating to nearby Washington State University, was the first selection in the ’93 NFL draft, chosen by the New England Patriots.
Rick Mirer, similarly, a local boy “done good” from Goshen, Indiana became a three-year starter for the University of Notre Dame, just a half-hour from home, before becoming the second selection in the same draft, chosen by the Seattle Seahawks.
This dual “degree of separation” story continued as Drew Bledsoe later was replaced as starting quarterback of the Patriots, infamously losing his job to injury and a young Tom Brady. Charlie Weis, who later went on to become the head football coach at Mirer’s alma mater, presided over the decision as the Patriots Offensive Coordinator.
Today, nearly 20 years later, after successful football careers that lasted more than a decade each, both quarterbacks are now making their mark not by eluding defensive end’s and throwing touchdowns, but by crafting high-end Cabernet.
Bledsoe and his Washington state wine project, Doubleback, has been featured in several media profiles recently. Looking at the other half of this former NFL quarterback dynamic duo, the subject of my focus is Rick Mirer and his Mirror Wine Company, based in St. Helena, California.
(On a personal and parenthetical note, having grown up in South Bend, IN, home to Notre Dame, as a lifelong fan now turned wine enthusiast, Mirer figures prominently in my collegiate memories—many a Saturday in the early 90s made better by a Notre Dame victory, including the legendary Snow Bowl game against Penn State in 1992 when, as a senior playing his last game at Notre Dame stadium, Mirer rallied the Fighting Irish to a 17-15 victory in the final seconds.)
Nearly a decade ago, during a four year stretch from 2000-2003, a period of time in which Mirer played on both sides of the bay, spending two years with both the San Francisco 49’ers and the Oakland Raiders, his proximity to “wine country” sparked an interest in matters of the grape. In particular, it was while he was with the Raiders that Mirer struck up a friendship with Jeff Smith, proprietor of Hourglass, the high-end Napa cab specialist, charting the beginning of his post-football career.
Already wine curious with a taste for California Cab, and having had discussions with Bledsoe about collaborating on a wine project, Mirer had his wine epiphany during a dinner at Tra Vigne, with an ’98 Hourglass and Smith’s company.
Mirer notes in an interview with Good Grape, “(Bledsoe and I) started thinking about doing something together maybe 10 years ago. There were lots of good ideas in those early talks. I believe the best idea of all was to have two separate programs that we can share and be proud of. Walla Walla is home for him and he’s started something really cool there. I wanted to stay in (California) and (a) Napa (wine) was a perfect fit for me. So far so good.”
Following that Tra Vigne dinner and an introduction from Smith to winemaker Rob Lawson, former General Manager at Napa Wine Company during the influential and formative period in which cult Cabs like Colgin and Bryant come of age, Mirer would soon launch Mirror Wine Company so named at the suggestion of Lawson, and a phonetic coincidence to the oft-mis-pronounced way of saying “Mirer.”
Starting with the 2005 vintage, now sold out, Mirror is on the cusp of launching a Sauvignon Blanc to go alongside the Cabernet sourced from Oakville and St. Helena fruit. A single vineyard from Howell Mountain will likely round out the wine offerings in the future with production anticipated to stay small, not exceeding 1200 cases or so.
Envisioned as an allocated offering, but more elastically available given the economy, Mirror is available in select states, mostly California with spot distribution in Illinois, Indiana, and New York. I picked up my bottle at a wine shop in Mishawaka, Indiana, a stone’s throw from the campus at Notre Dame where Mirer is still a local legend.
At $75 the ’06 Cabernet is a lush beauty in the cult Napa Cabernet tradition with a price tag that DOESN’T match. Bargain hunters looking for velvety Napa Cabernet would do well to pick up the Mirror. I do have some question about the ageability of this wine given the fact that it drinks like it’s at its peak right now with minimal decanting, but buyers who live for the moment will be triumphantly pleased like a touchdown strike to win the game.
Tasting Note: Opens with some dustiness, big blackberry, spice and dark chocolate on the nose before giving way to a lush, velvety smooth mid-palate. Tastes like 72% cacao Ghirardelli chocolate bathed in Kirsch and crème de cassis liqueur, dashed with nutmeg with a menthol undertone. Seamlessly balanced and structured with a silky, velvety smooth, rich character. An impeccable wine and worth every penny of its $75—so good in fact, I bogarted pours to our guests while eating our Saturday night NY strips, unsure of their appreciation for this beauty. Score: 94/100
Posted in, Good Grape Wine Reviews. Permalink | Comments (1) | Print |
May 17 2010
Sunday, May 16th marked the unofficially official Robert Mondavi Day, the 2nd anniversary of his passing.
In observance of and memorial to Mondavi’s leadership to the California wine industry, I ran a prize giveaway in conjunction with wine accessory company True Fabrications in order to maintain an annual pebble size ripple of awareness, particularly for wine enthusiasts both new and old for whom a historical benchmark is critical, akin to understanding that Dr. J pioneered the slam dunks that Michael Jordan perfected.
Based on random number selection, I’m pleased to announce that Good Grape reader Ranndy (yes, two n’s) Kellogg from the greater Chicagoland area is the winner of the $150 prize package, with a very generous late addition of a one year subscription to Wine BlueBook (WBB) from friend of Good Grape and WBB publisher Neil Monnens ($25 value).
Ranndy, already a wine enthusiast, now has a number of accessories to add to his wine fandom arsenal. Thanks to all who entered the contest by leaving a comment.
For my own observance of Robert Mondavi Day, I wanted to drink a California wine that, if not quintessential (a Reserve To Kalon, perhaps), at least typified all that is great about Robert Mondavi’s contributions to the domestic wine world as we know it.
I selected the 2007 Continuum red blend from Mondavi’s son, Tim Mondavi – a wine project also supported by Mondavi’s widow, Margrit Biever Mondavi.
Provided by the winery, the 2007 blend from Oakville and mountain fruit is a precursor to entirely estate grown mountain fruit for Continuum in the ‘08’s and beyond—though if the 2007 is any indication, there isn’t much sense messing with a good thing. The wine is a 60% Cabernet / 22% Cabernet Franc / 18% Petite Verdot blend and the best review by score I’ve ever given a wine. To call it stunning is to suggest that Audrey Hepburn might have lacked refinement, as in “stunning” isn’t an adequate enough descriptor.
The Mondavi legacy certainly lives on, a modern day manifestation befitting the name of a legend. In Tim’s words, “For four generations our family has created a continuum of wine excellence, enhancing the celebration of life.”
Indeed.
Posted in, Good Grape Wine Reviews. Permalink | Comments (4) | Print |
May 1 2010
For the intellectually curious, far along the curve of consumer wine enthusiasm, beyond the run-of-the-mill kibitzing about varietals, regions and appellations, an investigation into vineyard sources and, notably, the different styles of wine that can come from the same place happens.
It’s a wonky conversation for sure, but also integral to teasing out the nuances of understanding the New World terroir vs. winemaking debate.
Indeed, wine is made in the vineyard, but like a chef working with the best raw ingredients, a deft touch in the process is significant, as well.
In January, Wines & Vines magazine (a must read companion to Wine Business Monthly for anybody interested in a fuller, 360 degree understanding of U.S. wine), had an interesting feature on the different expressions of Pinot Noir from Julia’s Vineyard (south of Paso Robles in the Santa Maria Valley) and its “Artisan Vineyard” program.
Started in the mid-1990’s, the idea behind the artisan program was to provide grapes to small vintners so long as they used the fruit as a vineyard designate bottling. It was a win-win. The Julia’s Vineyard owners (the inimitable Jess Jackson and wife Barbara Banke), received slow burn branding for their vineyard and the small vintners received guaranteed and consistent access to high-quality fruit. And, of course, a natural by-product of sourcing to small vintners from the same vineyard was/is an examination of the influence that winemaking style can have on the end wine.
The Wines & Vines article noticed significant stylistic differences in between Pinots produced by Lane Tanner, Cambria and Foxen. Terroir apologists might not want to hear that it’s not just the fabric that makes the fashion; it’s the designer, as well—each winemaker providing their own recipe for a high-quality, low-production product. Brix level at harvest, grape handling, yeast type and use of oak all play a significant part in the style of wine that ultimately goes into the bottle, after starting with good source material.
In the same vein as Wines & Vines, I took a look at Bacigalupi Vineyard in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County.
Some in the Russian River Valley have taken to calling Westside Road, an area noted for being a viticultural slice of nirvana, the “Miracle Mile.” It’s a stretch of winding road running a meandering parallel to the Russian River. The vineyards along that stretch of road turn out some of the finest Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel in the country.
With history dating to 1954, Bacigalupi Vineyard has long been a source of grapes to third-party vintners including Chateau Montelena and the Chardonnay grapes that went into the 1976 Judgment of Paris winner.
Flash forward to modern day and second-generation Vineyard Manager John Bacigalupi tends over 150 acres of vines at the eponymous vineyard including Petite Sirah, Chardonnay and more notably, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir.
Grapes from Bacigalupi Vineyard go to Rudd, Williams Selyem and a cadre of small vintners as well – up and coming names like Chronicle, Gracianna and the Bacigalupi’s own label, John Tyler wines. Each have a Bacigalupi Vineyard designate bottling.
I tasted through several Zins and Pinots sourced from Bacigalupi and the results were interesting – widely varying styles, all high-quality, and each enjoyable – an underlying quality from the viticulture, all marked by the signature of the respective winemaker.
2006 Chronicle Russian River Valley Bacigalupi Vineyard Zinfandel
ABV: 14.5%
SRP: $36
Production: 165 cases
Tasting Note: Lighter-styled, and translucent garnet in the glass. This wine forsakes the syrup that marks so much Zinfandel these days. A fruit forward, balanced, and restrained expression of Zinfandel – what I like to call a “Nü California” style – good with food, good alone. Notes of blackberry, raspberry, vanilla, with a hint of tar on the edges and an underlying earthy, nuttiness. Palate offers an extra dimension with spice, herbal notes and a streaky cranberry. Finishes complex with black olive juice, cola, spice and touches of leather.
I’m of the notion that Zinfandel isn’t capable of much beyond the “very good,” never breaking through to exceptional. This one pushes that edge. 93/100
2007 Gracianna Russian River Valley Bacigalupi Vineyard Zinfandel
ABV: 14.4%
SRP: $42
Production: 52 cases
Tasting Note: Candied nose of blackberry with vanilla, cola syrup, wet stone and a briary component. Palate offers blackberry and a beguiling minerality, but lacks significant stuffing. Overall style is feminine and approachable; the kind of glass you want to have after dinner as the conversation continues with good friends. The 5% Petite Sirah was an inspiration as a blending component, adds rich depth. 89/90
2007 Gracianna Russian River Valley Bacigalupi Vineyard Pinot Noir
ABV: 14.3%
SRP: $48
Production: 58 cases
Tasting Note: Brick tinted garnet in the glass and made in a vexing style that needs some time to open up in the glass, yet is extremely soft. Bright, pure strawberry juice, cherry, plum and cotton candy on the nose. Palate is soft, round and rich with strawberry and cherry with added complexity from notes of violet, mushroom and a hint of orange peel on the edges. Finishes long, and balanced.
This wine is like Target store designed products – a cut above in quality; trustworthy, well-designed, and accessible. Winemaker Trini Amador is cutting his own style. 91/100
2006 John Tyler Russian River Valley Bacigalupi Vineyard Pinot Noir
ABV: 14.7
SRP: $42
Production: 589 cases
Tasting Note: Brick tinted cranberry. Nose is reasonably muted, but offers a delicious and complex stew of macerated strawberry, cherry, blackberry, and earthy spice, with beet juice on the edges. Palate offers more earthy complexity, cola, spice, cranberry on the edges and a healthy dollop of oak. Typical to many Pinot’s, this is a brooding, complex mysterious wine. On the one hand it lacks a third dimension that would truly separate it as exceptional. However, it is, unmistakably, a food wine, that would allow an entrée to fill in that 3rd dimension into a harmonious whole. Finishes with a touch of heat. I wish I had a second bottle and roasted lamb with rosemary, perhaps the biggest and most positive endorsement I can make for it. 89/100
Note: Lady Bug photo credit: John Tyler Wines
All wines provided by the respective wineries
Posted in, Good Grape Wine Reviews. Permalink | Comments (3) | Print |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License
Design by The Blog Studio
