Grapevine Red Blotch Disease: An Emerging and Widespread Menace

As vintners in California recover from a harried, compact and early 2015 harvest, and concern themselves with the vestiges of a continuing drought, there is apprehension about a new threat. An aggressive virus producing Grapevine Red Blotch Disease (GRBV) is now pervasive in California vineyards of the North Coast, Central Coast and San Joaquin Valley.

Reliable field data is lacking, but Cornell researchers reported in 2014 that the virus was widely distributed in vineyards not only in California, but also throughout the United States including the states of Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington (*1). Others have reported GRBV in Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, North Carolina and Texas, as well as Canada.

GRBV is indiscriminate, infecting many wine grape cultivars including red-berried cultivars Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Petit Sirah and Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir and white-berried cultivars Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Rousanne, Semillon and Viognier. Infected vines have been found in first leaf as well as mature vineyards. The virus has also been found in table grapes.

Agri-Analysis in West Sacramento, California, reported in 2015 the percentage of positive samples in all samples tested over the past three growing seasons (2013-2015). Results from a large number of grapevines from various sources including existing vineyards and new planting material revealed the infection rate of Red Blotch Disease to be between 15% and 25%.

Bob Martin, a research plant pathologist for the USDA-ARS Horticulture Crops Research Unit in Corvallis, Oregon, told me, “Red Blotch occurs in Oregon for sure, based on what I have seen and testing we have done. It has been discovered in about 15 to 20 vineyards by early 2014, with only a few vines affected in some vineyards while the signs of infection are pervasive in others. It is moving very slowly in the Willamette Valley and is spreading in southern Oregon, but I am not sure how fast.”

The Red Blotch virus is one of some 65 different viruses that have been identified in grapevines (Vitis and Muscadinia) since 1962, but it is different from most other known grapevine infecting viruses in that its genetic material is DNA, rather than RNA. It is a member of a new genus in the geminivirus family, Geminiviridae, that carries the name GRBaV, or “Grapevine Red Blotch-Associated Virus,” to describe its association with the grapevine and red blotch disease.

Jim Wolpert, a University of California at Davis-based Cooperative Extension viticulturist and Mike Anderson, a University of California at Davis viticulture researcher, first discovered the disease in 2008 at the University of California at Davis Oakville Station Experimental Vineyard in Napa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon vines grown on 101-14 rootstock planted there in 2001 showed leaf changes (red blotches along leaf margins and red foliar veins) that resembled those caused by leafroll virus, but the vines tested negative for that virus. The block was found to have GRBaV in 46% of the vines.

The GRBaV virus has been present in California vines before this discovery. M. Al Rwahnih, A. Rowhani and D. Golino from the Department of Plant Pathology at University of California at Davis analyzed specimens originally collected by Professor Harold Olmo of the Department of Enology and Viticulture at University of California at Davis between 1937 and 1950 (*2). One sample tested positive for GRBaV as Vitis vinifera cv. (early Burgundy known as Abouriou) collected in Sonoma County in 1940. The leaves showed typical red blotch disease symptoms. This study suggests that GRBaV was present in California vineyards (at least where the specimens were taken) 74 years ago.

The exact origin of GRBaV is undetermined. The virus has not been discovered outside North America suggesting it may have originated here. The National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) in California has found grapevine accessions from countries outside North American including Europe that have tested positive for GRBaV, but this is not proof that the virus occurs in those countries.

According to Dr. Judit Monis, Plant Health Services Division Manager of Eurofins STA Laboratories in Gilroy, California, and others, a lack of education, the confusion with Grapevine leafroll-associated virus (GLRaV), nutritional deficiency, late season dormancy, insect feeding damage, environmental stresses, soil conditions, and fungal pathogens have delayed the identification of GRBV in domestic grapevines. The possible emergence of a more virulent strain of GRBaV and the failure to institute practices to curtail it, have led to the spread of GRBV.

Researchers indicate that the symptoms of Red Blotch Disease in red-berried grapevine cultivars first appear in June to July in the Northern Hemisphere as irregular blotches on older leaf blades on the basal portions of shoots (*3). The blotches can expand and coalesce across most of the leaf blade and progressively move toward the top of the canopy late in the season (August to October in the Northern Hemisphere). Affected leaves may drop off prematurely. There are variations in reddening depending on the cultivar and rootstock.

The changes resemble leafroll disease, but the leaf margins in GRBV do not roll downward, and the leaf veins in GRBV turn partly or fully red while leafroll has green veins. The visual diagnosis of GRBaV-infected vines can be difficult, especially since grapevines often have multiple viruses at the same time, including leafroll virus, that produce other symptoms, making DNA-based assays the only reliable method of accurate diagnosis. Confounding the diagnosis is the determination that vines can test positive for the virus but have no symptoms or symptoms may appear in one vintage and not another.

The two photos below show red blotch in a Russian River Valley vineyard taken after harvest in October 2015. The vines tested positive for GRBaV.

The two photos below show red blotch signs in Pinot Noir leaves. They are from a report titled, “Red Blotch- Research Status,” by Deborah Fravel of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (*4).

The photo below, also from Fravel’s report, shows the difference in foliar appearance between red blotch and leafroll disease in Cabernet Franc vines.

In white-berried cultivars, visual diagnosis is even more challenging. The leaves show irregular, yellow chlorotic areas that can become necrotic later in the growing season. In some cultivars, such as Sauvignon Blanc, the disease may remain asymptomatic. The photo below, also from Fravel’s report, shows Grapevine red blotch virus-associated disease in a Riesling vine.

The GRBaV virus was first reported in October 2012 at the 17th Congress of the International Council for the Study of Virus and Virus-Like Disease of the Grapevine (ICVG) held at Davis, California, by researchers at Cornell University and University of California at Davis, who had been working independently and concurrently (*5).

Dr. Mysore Sudarshana, a plant pathologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service at University of California at Davis studied red blotch in vineyards in Napa Valley and worked with Maher Al Rwahnih, a researcher at University of California at Davis Foundation Plant Services (FPS) to test the vines. Using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, the virus was identified in Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel grapevines that exhibited foliar symptoms of red blotches and red veins accompanied by reduced sugar accumulation in the grapes at harvest. The researchers published the first report of a DNA virus associated with red blotch disease in grapevines in California in 2013 (*6).

Cornell researchers found a declining Cabernet Franc vineyard in New York that showed symptoms suggestive of leafroll, but the vines tested negative for all leafroll-associated viruses. The genome of this virus, tentatively named “Grapevine cabernet franc-associated virus” or GCFaV, proved to be identical to the genome discovered by Sudarshana and Rwahnih (*7). It was agreed at the 17th Congress (ICVG) to refer to the virus as “Grapevine red blotch-associated virus” or GRBaV.

The relationship between the GRBaV virus and red blotch disease was at first met with resistance absent the completion of Koch’s postulates. This year, Marc Fuchs and colleagues from the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University reported agroinoculation experiments at the 18th ICVG held September 7-11 in Ankara, Turkey, that confirmed the hypothesis that GRBaV was the causal agent of red blotch disease. Fuchs also confirmed that GRBaV was removable through microshoot-tip tissue culture.

A DNA-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed by Eurofins STA Laboratories soon after GRBaV was reported at the ICVG in 2012. Eurofins HealthCheck Panel RB can detect GRBaV in any tissue of the vine including leaf blades, petioles, clusters, green or dormant canes, cordons and trunks at any time of the season. The virus is discoverable before the onset of symptoms in the affected grapevine. There are two genotypical variants of red blotch.

The transmission methods of red blotch disease are not clearly defined although it is certain that grafting and propagation with infected scion and rootstock can spread GRBaV. Growers have been frustrated because they have obtained certified plant material for planting only to later find that GRBaV shows up in their new plantings, since the PCR-based test for GRBaV only became available in October 2012.

The existence of a vector has been suggested by an increased incidence of red blotch disease over time in young, healthy vineyards that are adjacent old, infected vineyards, short-distance spread of the virus, clustering of infected vines in some vineyards, and the increase in diseased vines over time (*3). A possible vector, the Virginia creeper leafhopper, has been identified in greenhouse experiments but not in the field. Geminiviridae viruses are known to be transmittable by whiteflies, leafhoppers and treehoppers but every field test over the past three years has failed to find evidence of an insect transmission. University of California at Berkeley entomologist Dr. Kent Daane does not believe there is any conclusive evidence yet that suggests that any of these vectors should be treated with insecticides because of red blotch.

There are conflicting reports on spread in vineyards by pruning and harvesting, and some growers have already resorted to sterilizing pruning shears with bleach between each cut as well as sanitizing other mechanical equipment. If such a step in pruning, hedging and harvesting proves to be necessary, the cost of farming grapevines could easily double. Michael Anderson of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at University of California Davis spoke to spread of the virus, saying, “The most important issue concerning red blotch is understanding the mechanism(s) of vine-to-vine spread. It is one thing to do everything you can to ensure clean planting material, but it is quite another to keep it that way.”

Bob Martin, a research plant pathologist in Oregon remarked to me about spread in that state. “The virus seems to be clearly spreading in some vineyards. When symptomatic vines are removed, new plants exhibit signs of the disease the following year. There are differing rates of spread depending on whom you talk to, but very little work has been done with tagging vines and looking year after year to monitor spread. We know it’s a problem but we don’t know how severe it is, and we don’t know how to control it.”

The effects of GRBD are much more devastating than leafroll. Sugar levels in grapes grown on vines affected by red blotch can suffer a Brix reduction of up to 6º, much more than is seen with leafroll-diseased grapevines. In addition, it has been found that in wines from diseased vines, ripening is delayed, berry weight is reduced, yields are diminished, pH can be reduced, titratable acidity elevated, color reduced in red grapes and wines, and phenolics and tannins disturbed in comparison to wines from non-diseased vines. In essence, once a grapevine is infected and symptoms appear, the grapevine may not produce commercially useful grapes.

At the Sonoma County Grape Day event on February 18, 2015, held in Santa Rosa, California, Anita Oberholster of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at University of California at Davis discussed how GRBaV can limit grape development and affect wine made with grapes from virus-positive vines (*9). In extreme cases of red blotch disease, red-berried vines produce pink grapes that never exceed 19º Brix. She reported that in 2014, researches harvested Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from vines that tested positive for GRBaV and from vines that did not. Most of the grapes from vines with red blotch had lower Brix levels ranging from 4% to 20% less, with one Chardonnay sample showing no difference in Brix levels from a virus-positive vine compared to one without the virus. Early on, the bottled wines made with grapes from red blotch-positive vines showed reduced fruit character and more “artificial fruit” flavors. She said, “The wines had a marked difference in taste with virus-positive wines displaying a thinner mouthfeel marked by green and ‘grainier’ tannins.”

There are conflicting reports on the effect of GRBaV on the longevity of vines, including some instances of accelerated vine death, but the threat of disease spread within a vineyard and the resultant effects make this nearly irrelevant.

There is currently no cure for GRBD and no proven vine management options that can restore normal fruit quality in infected grapevines. Dr. Marc Fuchs of Cornell University recommends that symptomatic vines be tagged in the fall and removed during the dormant season when insect activity is very low or absent. If greater than 25% of a vineyard is diseased, the entire vineyard should be replaced. Some 4 to 10-year-old vineyards in the North Coast have already been removed following recent harvests.

It is interesting to speculate that the 3-year drought in California and other climate changes have contributed to the emergence of a more aggressive or at least opportunistic GRBaV virus. The virus appears to hibernate and emerge in cool temperatures and activity may be made active by stress such as drought. Some have suggested that global climate change has driven the virus to migrate from tropical climates to new areas.

We know that grapevines as well as all plants have disease resistance mechanisms, some of which are also common in animal and human immune systems, that allow the plant to tolerate certain viruses within and show little disease damage from those pathogens. The interaction of the plant, a pathogen and the environmental conditions is known as the disease triangle. A significant change in the environment, such as drought, can tip the scale in favor of a pathogen and disease damage may appear.

Noted winegrower and winemaker Ted Lemon commented to me about disease resistance in grapevines. “There is no doubt that viruses can remain dormant in grapevines for many years. Like humans, I would expect that stress, including drought, could favor expression of the virus. As for the mechanism(s) that induce expression, that is a million dollar question.”

Ted elaborated further on virus detection and management in grapevines. “From a viticultural point of view, most of our leading researchers and government agencies take the approach of somehow trying to ‘guarantee’ that plant material will be virus free. They have been singing this siren song for decades. Our plant material has never been virus free. It is clearer than ever that most of the nursery sources and FPS vineyards are full of virus.”

Ted advocates more ecological research and less emphasis on cutting-edge virology research. He concludes, “Our goal for people and plants ought not to try to make them virus and disease free, but to create vibrant, healthy ecosystems (be they on the farm or in the home) where balance prevents disease associated with virus expression. In the case of humans, the moral question pushes us to try to insure that no one suffers from virus-induced disease and we err on the side of too much medicine. In the plant world, we can more easily accept the risk that a portion of plants fail if this creates better health in the overall population.”

Ted’s words are proven out by a report (Ref National Clean) that indicates GRBaV is widely prevalent in California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA)-certified grapevine increase blocks, especially scion blocks. It is also found in CDFA-certified rootstock blocks but at lower frequency than in scion materials. GRBaV is frequently found in non-CDFA-certified scion field selections and clones (*10).

The health of foundation stocks and nursery stocks is critical to insure clean vines are planted in the future. The new Grapevine Foundation Block at Russell Ranch at UC Davis FPS was tested in 2013 and is completely free of GRBaV. This vineyard will become the primary source of wood for certified nurseries in the future. A low incidence of GRBaV (less than 1%) has been discovered at the FPS Classic Foundation Vineyard.

Nurseries are investing in establishing new increase blocks distant from existing blocks and other vineyards to hopefully provide clean rootstock and scion cuttings for future vineyard plantings.

Current vineyard management options for GRBV include the following (*10).

(1) Only plant healthy certified grapevine material that has been screened for viruses and certified free of GRBaV by micro-shoot tip culture, either from Russell Ranch at FPS in California or Clean Plant Center Northwest (Washington State University, Prosser, WA).

(2) Growers should consider independent lab testing of all orders from nurseries before accepting delivery since the CDFA nursery certification program currently has inadequate protocols for dealing with red blotch disease. When growers who buy CDFA-certified stock, they cannot assume they are buying clean materials.

(3) Tag affected vines to allow for future management as more information is available. Remove individual contaminated vines when symptoms become apparent.

(4) Do not propagate from any vines, even asymptomatic ones, in an existing vineyard unless individual vines have been tested for known viruses.

California winegrape growers with losses due to GRBaV are now eligible for financial assistance for vine replacement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Tree Assistance Program (TAP). The program will be in place at least until 2018. There are 30 local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices in California where USDA Form AD-1026 may be filed to receive TAP funds. For complete details, visit www.cawg.org/ docuserfiles/files/July%202015%20Crush.pdf.

No similar program is currently in effect in Oregon, but in late 2014, a group of growers, nursery operators, Oregon Watershed Restoration Inventory (OWRI) faculty, and Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) plant health scientists convened to share information, provide an over view of the grapevine virus situation in Oregon vineyards, and plan research into management. ODA plant pathologists together with the Oregon Wine Board planned to apply for an ODA specialty crop block grant to do a survey of red blotch in Oregon vineyards. The group will meet again in December 2015 (*11). 95% of Oregon grapevine nursery stock comes from California, so potentially infected plants may have arrived before testing for GRBaV.

Citations

(*1) Krenz, B., et al., “Grapevine red blotch-associated virus Is Widespread in the United States,” Phytopathology, 104:11, November 2014, pp.1232-1240: www.dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-02-14-0053-R.

(*2) Al Rwahnih, M., A. Rowhani, and D. A. Golino, “First Report of Grapevine red blotch-associated virus in Archival Grapevine Material From Sonoma County, California,” Plant Disease, 99:6, June 2015, p 894: www.dx.doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-12-14-1252-PDN.

(*3) Sudarshana, M.R., et al., “Grapevine Red Blotch-Associated Virus, an Emerging Threat to the Grapevine Industry,” Phytopathology, 105:7, July 2015, pp. 1036-1042: www.dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-12-14-0369-FI

(*4) Fravel, D., “Red Blotch Research Status,” USDA Agricultural Research Service: www.ngwi.org/files/documents/Presentations_May2014/D_Fravel_52214.pdf.

(*5) Al Rwahnih, M., et al., “Virus in grapevines affected by red blotch disease in California,” in Proceedings of the 17th Congress of the International Council of the Study of Virus and Virus-like Disease of the Grapevine (ICVG), Davis, California, October 2012: www.ucanr.edu/sites/ICVG/Documents_to_share/.

(*6) Al Rwahnih, M., et al,”Association of a DNA Virus with Grapevines Affected by Red Blotch Disease in California,” Phytopathology, 103:10, October 2013, pp. 1069-1076: www.dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-10-12-0253-R.

(*7) Krenz, B., et al., “Complete genome sequence of a new circular DNA virus from grapevine,” Journal of Virology, 86:14, July 2012, www.jvi.asm.org/content/86/14/7715.full.

(*8) Poojari, S., et al., “A Leafhopper-Transmissible DNA Virus with Novel Evolutionary Lineage in the Family Geminiviridae Implicated in Grapevine Redleaf Disease by Next-Generation Sequencing,” PLOS One,June 2013: www.paperity.org/p/60813881/a-leafhopper-transmissible-dna-virus-with-novel-evolutionarylineage- in-the-family.

(*9) Adams, A., “Study to Assess Effect of Red Blotch on Wine Quality,” Wines & Vines, April 2015, p. 20.

(*10) Stamp, James A., Ph.D., and Alan Wei, Ph.D.,”Red Blotch Disease and the Virus Status of CDFA-certified Grapevine Stock,” Wine Business Monthly, August 2014: www.winebusiness.com/wbm/?go=getArticleSignIn&dataId=136121. See also www.lodigrowers.com/red-blotch-disease-and-the-virusstatus-of-cdfa-certified-grapevine-stock-2/.

(*11) Grapevine Red Blotch Disease Oregon Update: www.blogs.oregonstate.edu/owri/2015/01/23/grapevine-redblotch- disease-oregon-update/.

More Reading

University of California Integrated Viticulture site: www.iv.ucdavis.edu/viticultural_information.

National Clean Plant Network Red Blotch Fact Sheet: www.cemendocino.ucanr.edu/files/165430.pdf.

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Pinot Noir’s Love-Hate Relationship With Oak

“Rarely have I come across a wine where I wanted more oak”

Molly Battenhouse, Wine & Spirits

French oak barrels are a critical part of successful Pinot Noir vinification because Pinot Noir loves oak. It is a match made in heaven that gives Pinot Noir structural tannins, contributes texture, adds flavor and builds depth. It even contributes polyphenols that give wine its potential health benefits.

That said, the marriage of Pinot Noir and oak is a delicate and contentious relationship. Oak aging is as likely to bring a Pinot Noir down than to elevate it. It is an interaction that challenges the winemaker’s touch.

Oak’s role as a seasoning for wine is similar to the role salt plays as a seasoning for food. A seasoning is defined as a substance used to add flavor to food primarily for the savor that it imparts. Chefs know that salt enhances food flavors, yet they don’t want food to taste salty. Similarly, winemakers ideally employ oak seasoning to elevate Pinot Noir without imposing the taste of oak in the wine. Dr. Anita Oberhoster, UC Davis enologist, said, “New oak is like garlic or chili in cooking; if you use too much of it you will kill the flavor.”

Pinot Noirs that display significant oak aromas and flavors are out of balance and will remain that way. Noted Littorai winemaker Ted Lemon told me, “In my general experience, if a wine tastes too oaky when young then it probably will when it is older. It has to be an incredibly powerful wine to reabsorb that oak. If the wine can take plenty of new oak, and the winemaker has used the right amount, then you probably won’t notice much oak anyway.”

Oak should strike a harmonious chord and not be used to rescue a poor wine. Quoting Dr. Oberhoster again, “You cannot turn an ordinary wine into an expensive wine by just exposing it to oak.”

Barrel aging Pinot Noir in French oak barrels adds literally hundreds of aromatic and flavor compounds to the wine. The most commonly observed are lactones (coconut, spice and herbaceousness), vanillin (vanilla), guaiacol (char-like smoky aroma and spice), eugenol (clove, nutmeg and cinnamon), furfural (butterscotch, caramel and almond), ellagitannins (astringent taste), and sotolone (maple syrup, caramel, toasted nuts and soy sauce). The combination of more than one of these can produce very complex aroma and flavor perceptions including ash, mushroom, leather, dill, mown hay, grass, tobacco, cedar, sawdust, pine, tar, resin, bourbon, cotton candy, molasses, honey, toffee, marshmallow, butter, popcorn, baked bread, cookie dough, peanut butter, graham cracker, coffee, mocha, barbecue, charcoal, bacon, sweet smoke, burnt sugar, licorice and anise.

I find that oak, particularly new oak, can be overbearing in Pinot Noir, and as a result, oak is the first or most prominent aromatic or flavor feature met with when tasting a Pinot Noir wine. Because aggressive oak is not a desirable quality in premium Pinot Noir, I downgrade the wine, but some reviewers do not. Everyone’s tolerance for oak varies and this accounts for the disparity among reviewers’ attitudes toward oak enhancement of Pinot Noir.

In a recent issue of the Wine Spectator, I came across these reviews of California Pinot Noir. The wines were highly rated, but the heavy oak overlay described in these wines was a turnoff for me. The 2013 Ferren Silver Eagle Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (94) was described as follows, “Presents a graceful mix of smoky, toasty oak, with touches of charcoal and vanilla bean, wrapped around a tight mix of raspberry, black cherry and wild berry.” The 2012 Olet’te English Hill Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (92) review noted, “Features a strong charry oak presence that dominates for now, yet the intense core of black cherry, wild berry and raspberry fruit rises to the occasion.”

There are pinotphiles who relish lavishly oaked Pinot Noir but I am not one of them. I do not want to think of “oak” when tasting Pinot Noir. You have been forewarned, but I will try to describe the oak treatment of wines in an unbiased tenor so the reader can decide if the wine is to their taste.

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Scherrer Winery

Winemaker extraordinaire Fred Scherrer’s passion for winemaking supersedes his need for notoriety. He produced wines for many years before modernizing his label that puts his name front and center and creating a website that does his wines justice. Still, be assured, Fred will not let it go to his head. His winery has minimal signage and is housed in an undistinguished metal building in an area of Sebastopol in the Russian River Valley where the neighbors prefer that his winery remain inauspicious.

Fred is a University of California at Davis graduate who went on to be the winemaker at Dehlinger Winery for ten years before striking out on his own. He has quietly built a stellar reputation among other Sonoma County winemakers as well as consumers who treasure his Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and other varietals.

It has been a couple of years since I visited Fred and reviewed his wines. When I sampled how good some of his recent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay releases were, I quickly realized I had stayed away too long.

Scherrer Winery does not have a tasting room but does accept some tasting appointments as the wine making schedule allows. Open Houses are held in April, August and mid-November. Fred’s spouse, Judi, handles the business and sales side of the operation and both Fred and Judi’s email addresses are on the website. A newsletter is sent out periodically. Most of the Scherrer wines are sold to the faithful through a mailing list. Visit www.scherrerwinery.com.

Fred does not rush to market his wines to satisfy a demand, but does offer wines to consumers ahead of commercial release, knowing that his customers will cellar the wines according to their own tastes. This allows him to survive the financial challenge of holding back vintages until they really shine. That said, Fred does retain a proportion of all his wines to study their development over time. Once a year in November, a few wines from the library are made available.

Pinot Noirs are typically de-stemmed, but not crushed. They are barreled very shortly after fermentation in open-top fermenters and pressing, and rested on their lees for 6-10 months before being racked and blended.

Total aging in barrel is 16 to 18 months. The wines are bottled unfiltered. Chardonnays are whole cluster pressed, 100% barrel fermentation and malolactic fermentation, nearly 12 months of barrel aging, and bottled unfiltered.

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Sips of Recently Tasted Pinot Noir

Alma Fria

The Holtermann family has imported and represented many notable and leading wineries worldwide for three generations. Their personal relationship with the enologists, viticulturists and marketers of these wineries provided a unique lens through which the Holtermanns were able to gain insights into the challenges and intricacies of winegrowing. The Holtermann family planted their roots in the remote ridge tops of Annapolis in the Sonoma Coast and are now committed to handcrafting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of elegance and complexity. Alma Fria wines are available through allocation: www.almafria.com.

COBB Wines

Dutton-Goldfield

Ken Brown

Kesner

These wines (and the Chardonnays reviewed elsewhere in this issue) are my first experience with Kesner Wines which was launched in 2002. Owner and winemaker Jason Steven Kesner has lived in the Napa Valley since 1979. From 2000 to 2008, he managed Hudson Vineyards in Carneros, and in the summer of 2008, joined Kistler Winery as an assistant winemaker and vineyard manager. In 2014, he became the winemaker at Kistler. Jason’s philosophy is to try to find great sites and “stay out of the way.” He has too much respect for the growing process to “make” wines. No additions are made to the Pinot Noirs which are aged in barrel 16 months on average, sur lie, with no battonage. “The most important day that shapes the wines is the day on which the fruit is picked, as it’s hard to approximate natural balance.” The Kesner wines are on many prestigious restaurant wine lists. The wines are sold through a mailing list at www.kesnerwines.com.

LaRue Wines

2013 LaRue Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

12.9% alc., 235 cases, $60. A blend of grapes from Rice-Spivak (Dijon clones and Swan selection) and Emmaline Ann (Dijon clones) vineyards. Aged for 20 months in 100% French oak barrels, 30% new. · Moderate reddish purple color in the glass. The nose leads with aromas of cherry, wilted rose, tobacco and spice. Whole cluster inclusion is evident in the array of flavors that include dark berries, black cherry, black plum, and a hint of stem. Intense entry, attack and finish with prominent citrus-fueled acidity in the background. The acidity sticks out as sharp and steely, particular on the lemony finish. Score: 89

2013 LaRue Emmaline Ann Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

12.8% alc., 52 cases, $70. From a 3-acre vineyard near the town of Freestone. Dijon clones planted in Goldridge sandy loam. Aged 20 months in 100% French oak barrels, 50% new. · Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. Enticing aromas of macerated cherries, rose petal, nutmeg and Christmas spices. All silk and satin on the palate with a lip-smacking core of black cherry and black raspberry fruit accented with a touch of stem and oak. A citrus-driven acidity note hovers in the background that leads to a mildly tart finish. The acidity is noticeable but better integrated than in the Sonoma Coast bottling. Score: 90

LUMOS

MacPhail Family Wines

Ponzi Vineyards

Privé Vineyard

Red Car

Red Car has enjoyed a remarkable transformation since its early wines in the mid 2000s which were significantly more extracted, more hedonistic, with higher alcohols and lower acidity. Now concentrating solely on Sonoma Coast grape sources (“on the edge of the Pacific” as the website notes), Red Car is producing wines that are more artfully and delicately balanced with more discreet extraction, lower alcohols and more vivid acidity. There is more terroir speaking in the current wines and each wine has a distinct individualistic character. All wines are vinified with wild yeast, gravity flow, and natural acidity. One never thinks oak when tasting these stellar wines. Also, check out the latest Chardonnay releases (reviewed in this issue) as they are really stellar.

The back labels of the current vintages are a model for other wineries to follow. They are very informative, with all the important information displayed and no BS.

small + tall

Stolo Family Vineyards

Other

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Sips of Recently Tasted Chardonnay

People ask me why I review Chardonnay when I am so devoted to Pinot Noir. There are three reasons: (1) Many Pinot Noir producers also bottle Chardonnay - the two go hand in hand as they do in Burgundy, (2) I like to drink Chardonnay, and (3) My spouse, Patti, adores Chardonnay.

2012 and 2013 Scherrer Helfer Vineyard Russian River Valley Chardonnay See feature on Scherrer Winery in this issue for these two reviews.

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Pinot Briefs

Nouveau Pinot Wine drinkers are familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau, traditionally released today, the third Thursday of November to celebrate the year’s harvest. Now that the novelty of Pinot Noir Blanc has worn off, Pinot Noir producers are turning to another option, “Pinot Nouveau.” For the past three years, Poe has being making a Pinot Nouveau from Pinot Noir instead of Gamay, using the same winemaking techniques of Beaujolais Nouveau including carbonic fermentation. The 2015 Poe version from Sonoma Coast grapes was released about the same time as Beaujolais Nouveau in time for Thanksgiving ($22). The grapes were sourced from dry farmed and head trained Olcese Vineyard in Sonoma planted to Martini clone in 1974. Whole clusters are put in a portable fermenter and the lid sealed for 7 weeks. Absent oxygen, the grapes undergo carbonic fermentation and malolactic fermentation at the same time. The grapes are then pressed and go to barrel for 1 week. The wine is hand bottled without any sulfur as the wine is to be consumed within the next 2 to 3 months. Meiomi Wines also released a Pinot Nouveau labeled as Nouveau Jeunesse with the 2015 vintage now available in wide distribution including Trader Vic’s stores ($18.99). This wine is made from the same grapes that are picked for Meiomi Pinot Noir from vineyards throughout Sonoma, Monterey and Santa Barbara counties. Immediately after fermentation, the wine is bottled and shipped straight to market. It is meant to be enjoyed young and not cellared.

Byron Undergoing Transformation Byron is shedding its more popularly priced appellation wines that will now be under a new label called Nielson and are returning to their original focus on small bottlings of single vineyard Pinot Noir from premium Santa Barbara County vineyards. Besides their iconic estate Nielson Vineyard and flagship Santa Maria Valley vineyards (Bien Nacido and Julia’s), winemaker Jonathan Nagy of Byron will also produce single vineyard Pinot Noir from Sta. Rita Hills sites including John Sebastiano, Rita’s Crown and La Encantada. The new Byron wines won’t be released until next year in the early fall.

Umpqua Winemaker Raises $1 million in Crowd Funding for New Pinot Noirs Winemaker Scott Kelley, formerly the winemaker for Robert Mondavi Family Wines and Estancia, has struck out on his own and using a crowd funding platform to launch a southern Oregon winery featuring Pinot Noir. He is using NakedWines.com which supports the independent wine market. Winemakers are invested in by the consumer, the so-called “angel,” and in return, they get dibs on delicious wines at wholesale prices delivered to their door. The investment of $40 a month in NakedWines as an “angel” goes toward a wine purchase and the company then invests that money in top winemakers who make wine exclusively for NakedWines.com. Winemaker Scott Kelley has raised more than $1 million on the NakedWines.com site to start his own label. Visit www.nakedwines.com for further details. Scott Kelley and Dyson DeMara (HillCrest Winery and Distillary) plan to make Pinot Noir, red Bordeaux blends, Syrah, Chardonnay and Riesling at Paul O’Brien Winery in Roseburg, Oregon, under the Paul O’Brien Winery label. The two have been friends since 1999 when they met at Robert Mondavi Winery. Paul 0’Brien Winery is the first urban winery in the Umpqua Valley.

Bill Fuller Oral History Interview Available As part of the ongoing Oregon wine history project at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, an interview of Oregon winemaking pioneer Bill Fuller was recorded August 11, 2015, and is now live and can be viewed at www.youtube.com/user/LinfieldArchives

Wine Kloud Wine industry distributor veterans Darian Wilson and Rich Martini co-founded Wine Kloud, a consumer friendly website that curates the best wine deals available nationwide. The site is linked to over 1,000 retailers and publishes between 200 to 600+ new deal daily. No one else is doing this for consumers. Wine Kloud is not a retailer, but rather a place where consumers can find the best deals on wine. Users browse on Wine Kloud and then buy direct from the selected retailer who is offering the daily deal, at no added cost. Users can set up a profile of personal searchers, as well as track wines and retailers of their choosing via the “wine tracker” and “alert settings,” and be notified immediately when their favorite wines and retailers hit the Deal Kloud. Think of it as the well known version of Slickdeals for purchasing wine. Slickdeals has become the leader in doing the same thing for electronics and now has over 5 million users. Premium membership is a nominal $25 a year and allows users to access even more daily deals, featuring wines with the highest scores and biggest discounts.

Another Paris Judgment Movie The 40th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris occurs next year and a new movie claims to be the definitive film version of the Paris tasting. Writer Robert Kamen, a wine producer in Sonoma is beginning a search for actors.

New Wine Series, “Uncorked” Esquire Network opened “Uncorked” on Tuesday, November 10. Based on the documentary “SOMM,” “Uncorked” chronicles the journey of six of New York’s hottest wine stewards as they attempt to pass the Master Sommelier test. For full episodes, clips, and photos, visit http:// tv.esquire.com/ekit/uncorked/#/. Each hour-long episode of this six-part docu-series will feature the wine stewards swirling, smelling and slurping a multitude of wines, and they also enter competitions overseen by Master Sommeliers. Only 230 people worldwide have passed the Master Sommelier test in its 40+ year history.

2015 California Winegrape Harvest Early and Light Despite reduced crop size compared to 2014, harvested grapes were of exceptional quality. According to the Wine Institute, 2015 was one of the earliest seasons on record. A mild winter caused early bud break, followed by protracted bloom and unseasonably cool weather in the spring, contributing to smaller grape cluster and variable crop size. Pinot Noir yields were especially low (see chart below). A compacted harvest began in July for sparkling wines and some still white wines, and was finished by most wineries by the end of September. This is only the third time since 1982 that harvest finished in September. Most vintners who were interviewed claimed that 2015 was a vintage of exceptional quality throughout California. The crop is estimated to be nearly 3.8 million tons.

Latest Oregon Stats Amaze Latest statistics from Oregon compiled by the Southern Oregon University Research Center were reported in Oregon Wine Press (November 2015) by David Bates. Among the eye-opening numbers were the following. Overall production in 2014 was over 78,000 tons which represents an increase of 39 percent over 2013. This was the third consecutive year of double-digit gains. Pinot Noir production in 2014 was 45,239 tons, an increase from 32,239 tons in 2013. The total number of wineries grew to 676 and the number of vineyards topped 1,000 for the first time (1,027). Of the 27,390 acres planted to wine grapes, 15,356 acres were planted to Pinot Noir. Oregon now commands the highest averageper- bottle price of any wine region in the world ($15.59 compared to a nationwide average of less than $7.00).

Oregon 2015 Vintage an Ideal Growing Season The Oregon Wine Industry reports that 2015 delivered “exceptional fruit quality.” Warm weather prevailed in the winter and continued throughout spring and summer. There were light showers in August, but normal weather in September. Harvest began about August 26 making this year’s harvest one of the earliest on record. There was minimal evidence of disease or bird problems. Harvest in the Willamette Valley finished by the end of September to early part of October. Yields were generally higher than normal. The warm growing season will undoubtedly produce some big Pinot Noirs

Chef Guy Fieri Enters Pinot Race According to gq.com, noted Food Network personality and restauranteur, Guy Fieri (“FEE-eddy”), who lives in Santa Rosa, California, has a wine label, Hunt & Ryde, named for his two sons, Hunter and Ryder. He plans to release three varietals including a Pinot Noir this fall and will add a sparkling rosé next year. The wines will be sold on the website, scheduled to go live around Thanksgiving. Fieri’s attempt to open a tasting room near his estate vineyard adjacent his home was opposed by his Willowside neighbors and was turned down by the planning board. Fieri’s winemaker partner on the project is respected Russian River Valley vintner Guy Davis of Davis Family Wines.

Hudson Ranch to Add a Winery According to napavalleyregister.com (October 7, 2015), Carneros winegrower and produce farmer Lee Hudson is going to build a winery on his 167-acre property along Carneros Highway. Hudson has farmed in Carneros since 1981 and Hudson Vineyard designated Chardonnay in particular is highly sought after. The winery will include a tasting room so Hudson can accept visitors, taste Hudson wines, and he can build his brand. Hudson Wines at www.hudsonranch.com.

Willamette Valley Vineyards Offering Stock in New Winery An offering registered for sale to Oregon and Washington residents only, allows consumers to buy stock in a new winery adjacent Elton Vineyard. The boutique winery will feature a by-appointment tasting room and will specialize in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made by consulting winemaker, Isabelle Meunier. Preferred stock at an offering price of $4.25 per share earning a 5.2% annual dividend is offered until December 31, 2015, when the share price will increase. For more information regarding the winery and an investment, visit www.wvv.com/ownership.