Davis Family Vineyards: On a Quest for “Perfect” Pinot Noir

“The pursuit of creating the perfect Pinot Noir is like the pursuit of the Holy Grail; only a few of us believe it exists and we wake up at dawn every day to move one step closer in our quest!”
Guy Davis, Founder/Farmer/Winemaker

The perfect Pinot Noir hasn’t been produced yet, but some of the ephemeral Pinot Noirs crafted by Guy Davis of Davis Family Vineyards have come darn close. Guy’s style matches bright, complex aromas and flavors with silky textures and impeccable balance, while capturing the essence of Russian River Valley terroir. I am not the only fan, for Davis Family Vineyards’ wines have won praise from wine critics such as Robert Parker, Jr., and have been awarded many Best of Class and Gold Medal accolades in numerous major wine competitions.

Guy is a cerebral winemaker who clearly understands his quest. His “Top 5 Rules for Crafting Great Pinot” include the following: (1) Only grow on sites destined for greatness (Guy’s estate hillside vineyard in the middle of the Russian River Valley is a site blessed with the cool microclimate, soils and exposures of sunlight to please the delicate nature of Pinot Noir.); (2) Precision viticulture (Guy does not farm his 7 acres of Pinot Noir - he farms 9,274 vines, striving to get twelve to fourteen touches for every vine during the growing season from pruning to harvest.); (3) Pick on the right day! (Guy is obsessive, focused and fanatical about picking the right day to harvest. He strives to find the point at which flavors are ripe and supple, yet not beyond that fine line that can jeopardize the elegance and beauty of the finished wine.); (4) Smell, taste, and talk to the wines every week (Meticulous attention to the wines in the cellar with as little handling as possible is his mantra.); and (5) Be an expert at blending (You have to know what true greatness requires to achieve it).

Guy came to wine as a teenager while working his way through college as a cook at a French restaurant. He was able to taste benchmark wines from all the famous regions of France, and became so knowledgeable, he was asked to buy the wine for the restaurant’s wine list. Although he was educated in economics and began his working career as a stockbroker, the stock market crash of 1987 made him rethink his career goals. He picked up a job as a wine buyer in Sonoma in 1989, and soon was working in the cellars of several boutique wineries in the region. It was a stint with winemaker Lori Olds at Sky Vineyards a top Mt. Veeder that persuaded him to pursue a career in winemaking. While taking classes at Santa Rosa City College and University of California Davis, he searched for the perfectly situated site to grow Pinot Noir.

In 1996, Guy bought a hillside vineyard on Laguna Road in the Russian River Valley. The property featured an abandoned Zinfandel vineyard dating to 1896 that had been neglected for twenty years. He resurrected 2.8 acres of the original Zinfandel vines, and planted 7 acres of Pinot Noir, 2.5 acres of Syrah and 2 acres of Chardonnay (see vineyard map and vineyard photo below; photo is looking south with pinot noir at upper portion of the vineyard).

Guy’s focus is on Pinot Noir but he produces a colorful and consistently stellar palate of wines including Russian River Valley Chardonnay (oaked and unoaked versions), Monterey County Riesling, Sierra Foothills Marsanne/Roussane/Viognier blend (Cuvée Luke), Russian River Valley Rosé (Cote Rosé), Syrah, Zinfandel, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Old Vine Zinfandel Port, and Apply Brandy (APPLE-ATION). He has also produced wines from New Zealand and Argentina under the Gusto label. As a nod to his affection for artisan food production, he also offers a high-quality cold-pressed artisan olive oil from trees planted in 1906 in the Sierra Foothills.

Guy’s flagship wine is the Davis Family Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, a blend of all the Pinot Noir grown on the estate vineyard. Beginning in 2006, favorite barrels of estate Pinot Noir have been set aside as a special wine that receives additional barrel aging, the PinnaCole. Starting in 2008, a special bottling, Soul Patch, has been offered that is sourced from a unique part of the estate vineyard with a steep, east-facing slope that basks in the morning sun but avoids the harsh afternoon sun. Two vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs are also part of the portfolio, including Horseshoe Bend Vineyard located on the western edge of the Russian River Valley AVA and first produced in 2008, and Starr Ridge Vineyard, a 24-acre vineyard located in the hills just east of the Russian River and southwest of the town of Windsor, first appearing in 2009. A Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir completes the lineup.

I recently sampled the 2009 Davis Family Vineyards Pinot Noirs as well as the recently released 2007 PinnaCole. These wines are very classy, among the upper echelon of Pinot Noirs currently being produced in the Russian River Valley. As a testament to the balance and age ability of these wines, all showed better the next day from previously opened and re-corked bottles. Although I may have liked a few of the wines slightly more than others, I would encourage you to try all these beauties and decide for yourself. The 2009 Pinot Noirs will be released in November 2011.

Visit the website www.daviswines.com to order wine, or better yet, visit the tasting room located in the winery at 52 Front St. in Healdsburg and talk Pinot with Guy Davis. He is a soft-spoken winemaker who has a trove of wine information that he proffers in an understandable manner. Guy’s son, Cole, has quietly been assisting Guy in the estate vineyard and winery for seven years and has gradually assumed more winemaking responsibility. Guy has a soft spot for creative art and displays the work of local artists on his tasting room walls. The flamboyant artwork that guards the parking lot of his winery is a Healdsburg landmark.

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More Russian River Valley Gems

Small Vines Wines

Paul and Kathryn Sloan are owners of Small Vines Viticulture, established in 1998 in Sonoma County to plant and farm ultra high density vineyards in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations. High density plantings are from 2722 to 3630 vines per acre. Tractor rows are typically 4 feet wide (the California average is 8 to 12 feet), and the plants are spaced anywhere from 3 to 4 feet apart depending on site and plant selection. Their underlying philosophy is that smaller vines produce diminutive and more intensely flavored grapes and by extension, higher quality wines. Their mantra is, “The smaller the vine, the better the wine.”

Each vine is farmed individually using standards of only 8 shoots per meter, allowing each vine to carry only 1.5 to 3 pounds of fruit, with carefully monitoring of soil moisture, using water sparingly when necessary to improve wine quality and then only on specific vines.

The Sloans also produce small lots of Pinot Noir, releasing their first wines in the 2005 vintage. The wines are crafted at Copain’s Custom Crush facility in Santa Rosa. They source grapes primarily from their estate vineyard (12.5 acres outside of Sebastopol with 4.5 acres of Pinot Noir, 4.75 acres of chardonnay and two thousand vines of Pinot Gouges, the white mutation of Pinot Noir found in Henri Gouges’ vineyard in Nuits-St.- Georges, all planted in 2009), MK Vineyard in the Sonoma Coast, and the Baranoff Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. Both appellation (Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast) and vineyard-designated (MK Vineyard and Baranoff Vineyard) Pinot Noirs are offered. A minimalist in the winery, Paul Sloan believes that naturally made wines last longer and give more drinking pleasure so only natural yeasts are used and the wines are neither fined or filtered.

The Sloans are very passionate and innovative young winegrowers who also craft extraordinary wines. I would suggest you join their release mailing list to guarantee access to future releases. Follow the Small Vines Blog and videos at www.smallvines.com/blog. For a tour or more information, contact Paul or Kathryn at 707-823-0886, e-mail at info@smallvines.com, or visit the website at www.smallvines.com. The wines are sold on the website and through a mailing list. Magnums, etched magnums and jeroboams are offered. Future plans call for an estate Chardonnay from the 2011 vintage.

Skewis Wines

Hank and Margie Skewis have a dedicated following for their small lots of vineyard-designated Pinot Noir from Sonoma and Mendocino counties that they have produced since 1994. Hank is a veteran of over 27 vintages, having honed his winemaking skills at Lambert Bridge in the Dry Creek region of Sonoma County before starting his namesake label. He crafts less than 1,000 cases of premium Pinot Noir from vineyard sources that have varied through the years, but have always been consistently superb.

Winemaking is traditional with minimal intervention. Carefully sorted grapes are gently crushed into small bins, fermented warm, pressed into French oak barrels where primary and secondary fermentations are completed. The wines are typically aged in barrel for 18 months, racked for blending, and then racked a second time in preparation for bottling. The wines are then aged an additional 4 to 6 months in bottle before release.

Skewis Pinot Noirs offer enjoyable drinking upon release and by virtue of their balance and structure, dependable age ability. I recently visited their new tasting room in the historic Roma Station Winery complex in Healdsburg. The 1997 Skewis Montgomery Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was lean with cherry fruit starting to fade and tannin and acid coming to the forefront. Still, the wine would work nicely with food and appease the most fastidious old wine enthusiasts. The 2002 Skewis Montgomery Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir still had good color, offered lovely fruit-filled, floral aromas and flavors, and still had plenty of life for several more years of enjoyment.

A unique feature of Skewis Wines is that the wines are offered in half-bottle sampler packs. Wines age quicker in this format, giving the taster an opportunity to taste the wines at a relatively mature stage. The wines are sold through the tasting room and a mailing list at www.skewis.com. The tasting room is open Friday - Monday 11:00-4:00 and by appointment. The website offers extensive tasting notes and an informative section on wine and food pairing. A small amount of some of the 2008 vintage wines are still available.

The 2009 vintage wines tasted below continue the theme, as they are all well-crafted, soft in the mouth, and approachable now with the balance to predict long term age ability. The Ridley Vineyard Pinot Noir is the most forward of the trio.

Ketcham Estate

Mark Ketcham was a “greenhorn” farmer when he acquired 17 acres off Eastside Road in the upper neck region of the Russian River Valley. Born in Palo Alto, he had a small successful tech company, allowing him to spend two to four months each year over a seventeen year period racing vintage cars in Europe. Mark retired from the tech company in 1998 and began to seek a second home. He looked both at Del Monte Forest in Monterey County and Northern California wine country, and after considering over 120 properties, settled on a Russian River Valley estate that had a moderate size vineyard and a 5,000 square foot ranch house that Mark describes as “ugly and pedestrian.” The site, however, was well situated for winegrowing, benefiting from cool mornings and evenings and a marine breeze each afternoon that moderated the heat.

Mark saw potential in the property. The previous owners had been selling their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir crop to Gloria Ferrer Winery for ten years and receiving $1,800 per ton for Chardonnay and $2,300 per ton for Pinot Noir that was cropped at 8 to 10 tons per acre and picked early for sparkling wine. When he assumed ownership of the property in 2000, the vineyard management company assured him that Gloria Ferrer Winery would continue to purchase the grapes despite the absence of a written contract. By August, Mark had not heard from Gloria Ferrer Winery, and when he finally contacted them, he was to discover that they had more estate fruit coming on line and had no further interest in Mark’s grapes.

Mark was now panicky. A winegrowing friend in Sonoma told him that the demand for grapes was low and that wineries were not returning his inquiring phone attempts to sell grapes. Undaunted, Mark began calling around and found the wine community very collegial, referring him to others when they had no interest in the grapes. Finally, Kendall-Jackson (specifically La Crema) consented to take the crop. They agreed to pay $1,200 per ton for the Chardonnay and $1,800 per ton for the Pinot Noir, but demanded that he drop a significant amount of the crop. The favorable weather in 2000 allowed an extended hang time, and the grapes were finally harvested in October. For two years, Ketcham Estate grapes went into La Crema’s ultra-premium 9-Barrel program.

Mark likes to say his rocky introduction to winegrowing benefited him (“When you close one door, another door opens.”). In his search for suitors for his grapes, he made many contacts in the Sonoma County community that would serve him well over the ensuing years.

In 2002, Mark ripped out the 5 acres of planted Chardonnay and most of the vineyard’s Pinot Noir, leaving 1.5 acres of relatively old (25 to 30 years) Pommard 4 clone Pinot Noir. He then planted 12 acres of Pinot Noir (Pommard and Dijon 115, 667, 777 and 828) on two rootstocks. His goal was to focus solely on Pinot Noir and produce his own wine from the property.

Together with initial partner Steve Rigisich (an organizer of Pinot Days), the first 50 cases of Ketcham Estate Pinot Noir were produced at Crushpad in 2004. The first real commercial wine appeared in 2005, when Mark’s friend, noted winemaker Michael Browne, agreed to vinify the Ketcham Estate Pinot Noir. Browne was to remain in charge for three vintages. With the 2007 vintage, two Ketcham Estate Pinot Noirs were released: a Russian River Valley blend of all clones on the estate vineyard except the “old vine” Pommard combined with a small amount of purchased grapes, and a Ketcham Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir composed of all clones on the property including the “old vine” Pommard. In 2008, Scott Rich (owner and winemaker at Talisman) crafted the 2008 vintage of Ketcham Estate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and the Ketcham Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir. In 2009 and 2010, Rich continued to make the Russian River Valley bottling and a “famous winemaker on Westside Road,” whose name must remain anonymous, vinified the Ketcham Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir.

Mark has sought a style of Pinot Noir that is typical for California with moderate alcohols (14.0%-14.5%), early appeal, but with the balance and structure to age. Although he is not the winemaker, he takes a serious interest in the winemaking process and participates in all the blending decisions. The Ketcham Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir is aged 16 months in 100% new French oak and the Ketcham Estate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is aged 16 months in 36% new and 30% 1-year-old French oak.

Happy with his life choice, Mark has settled into the life of a farmer in Healdsburg (or “Beverly Healdsburg” as some have called this bucolic community of many well-to-do winegrowers). He grows 26 kinds of heirloom tomatoes, two types of heirloom corn, walnuts, apples, tomatillos and peppers on his property. The original house was torn completely down leaving only the existing fireplace and reconstructed to his taste over three years.

Ketcham Estate Pinot Noirs are sold primarily through a mailing list at www.ketchamestate.com, but are also sold directly through the website store. There is some retail distribution in the United States. Future plans call for a Russian River Valley Chardonnay. Production of Pinot Noir has gradually increased, with 13 barrels of the Ketcham Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir available in 2010. Mark is now the sole owner of the winery.

The 2009 vintage Pinot Noirs reviewed below were bottled in May 2011. The wines were sampled both at Mark’s home and the following day from previously opened and re-corked bottles.

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Some Current Russian River Valley Appellation Offerings

Appellation bottlings often take a back seat to the more expensive and often over-hyped vineyard designate wines. Some wineries produce appellation blends as almost an afterthought, throwing in all the inferior leftover juice after the best barrels are chosen for the single vineyard program. Others, take the opposite approach, blending the appellation wine initially before barrels are chosen for single vineyard designation.

Most vintners follow the tact of Adam Lee at Siduri Wines. After each of the barrels in the cellar age for at least six months, tasting ensues to determine the several different desired blends. The favorite blend becomes the single-vineyard Pinot Noir. The final number of barrels chosen for the final blend can vary considerably. The barrels that don’t fit in to the single-vineyard blend are assigned to the appellation wines. These wines are blended with wine from other vineyards in the same appellation. The common assumption is that the barrels that do not make the single-vineyard blend cut are inferior and a blend of these barrels from different vineyards would also be inferior. This is not necessarily the case. Certain barrels may not be strictly reflective of a vineyard’s terroir, but that does not mean that the wine isn’t desirable. Some consumers will prefer the final appellation wine.

Legally, at least 85% of the grapes in an appellation-designated wine must come from that appellation. 95% of the grapes from a single vineyard wine must originate in the designated vineyard wine.

Appellation-designated Pinot Noir can be a great value, invariably priced less than the more prestigious single-vineyard wines. Siduri Wines is a perfect example. All the 2008 Siduri Wines appellation blends (Chehalem Mountains, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast and Sta. Rita Hills) are priced at $30, while the vineyard-designated wines are priced at $48 and above. I preferred the 2008 Siduri Wines Sta. Rita Hills appellation Pinot Noir over some of the Siduri Wines vineyard designates. Sadly, several of the appellation wines reviewed below do not offer the quality that one would expect at the offered price levels.

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Bailiwick: Very Impressive Newcomer

Occasionally a new producer seemingly comes out of nowhere and really grabs my attention. Four bottles of 2009 Bailiwick Pinot Noir recently showed up on my wine locker doorstep with no explanation attached. I was drawn to the attractive labels and the interesting sources for the wines. All the wines turned out to be stellar: it was like a gift from heaven.

After consulting the website, I found that brothers Paul and Bryan Vais, natives of the San Francisco Bay Area, are the founders and vintners. They have been making wine in their basement and various garages for 25 years, gradually acquiring the knowledge to launch a commercial venture. They had successful careers in engineering, high technology and finance, but longed to enter the wine business. In 2009, they founded Bailiwick Wine Company, intent on sourcing premium grapes from specially chosen vineyards across multiple appellations.

Their Pinot Noir winemaking regimen is as follows. Grapes are harvested before dawn, hand sorted at the winery, and 100% de-stemmed without crushing. A short cold soak in small open top fermenters is followed by inoculation of yeast. Punch downs are performed 2 to 3 times a day. Post-fermentation maceration is performed and the wine is pressed off into French oak barrels. The wines are racked once before bottling after spending 17 months in 20%-50% new French oak cooperage, appropriately matched to the fruit source.

Four 2009 Pinot Noirs and a 2010 Vermentino are the inaugural Bailiwick offerings. The Pinot Noirs are impressive inaugural releases, displaying deft winemaking. The wines are bright and uplifting with modest alcohol and welcoming acidity, making them easy to recommend. The owners are foodies and this shows in the suitability of their wines for the dinner table. Visit the well-organized website at www.bailiwickwines.com where the wines are available for purchase.

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More Pinot Surprises

Chanin Wine Company

Gavin Chanin studied under Jim Clendenen at Au Bon Climat and Bob Lindquist at Qupé. He worked his first harvest at the age of eighteen at Au Bon Climat, and three years later made his first wine. After acquiring winemaking experience in New Zealand and South Africa, he started Chanin Wine Company, crafting wines in the same facility in Santa Maria that houses Au Bon Climat and Qupé, and, also working as the assistant winemaker for both labels.

Chanin wines reflect the influence of Gavin’s uncle, Tony Chanin, as well as Jim Clendenen. Tony Chanin was one of the original founders of Zaca Mesa Winery in 1978 and Gavin grew up tasting the classic wines of Europe drawn from his uncle’s extensive wine cellar. As a result, he looks to the more classic style of Pinot Noir in his own style. Grapes are pick relatively early to limit the alcohol and preserve the expression of terroir, and the resulting wines emphasize elegance and restraint.

Gavin graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 2009 from University of California Los Angeles with a major in art, and his artistic talents are on display on the Chanin labels which are impressive works of art.

Chanin Wine Company offerings are available through a mailing list with some retail distribution. Visit the website at www.chaninwine.com. A Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Le Bon Climat Vineyard is also offered.

Castello di Amorosa

This winery offers surprisingly stellar Pinot Noir from a highly commercial, well-known tourist destination in the Napa Valley. Castello di Amorosa specializes in Super Tuscan blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Nero (Italian for Pinot Noir), and other Italian style wines using red grapes grown in the Napa Valley adjacent the winery. Pinot Noir is sourced from the Santa Lucia Highlands, Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley, and white grapes are grown in Napa Carneros and the Anderson Valley.

The spectacular Tuscan-style Castle and Winery in the hills above Napa Valley is owned by Dario Sattui, a fourth generation winemaker. The medieval inspired castle dates to the 13th century in architecture and offers imposing towers. Wine Club events, food and wine pairings, weddings and private promotional events are held in the Castle. Various tastings are available daily, tours are offered mornings on weekdays, and horse drawn vineyard tours are available.

The Director of Winemaking (for both V. Sattui Winery and Castello di Amorosa) since 2005 is veteran Brooks Painter who is also a partner and winemaker for Coho, an excellent source of Russian River Valley and Los Carneros Pinot Noir. In the past, he has been the Winemaking Operations Manager at Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville and Assistant Winemaker/Grower Relations Manager and Quality Control Manager at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. His writings have been published in many prestigious wine journals.

The Castello di Amorosa Pinot Neros are bold expressions of Pinot Noir that are very well crafted, showing the structure and balance to last in the cellar. The wines are sold online at www.castellodiamorosa.com and at the Castle and Winery.

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Three Sticks Durell Vineyard

I recently had the opportunity to sit down over dinner with Bill Price, an investor in several wine ventures over the past twenty years including Chateau St. Jean, Kistler Vineyards and Kosta Browne. In 2002, he founded Three Sticks, a winery devoted to creating wines from the renowned 200-acre Durell Vineyard and small lots of wines from other exceptional vineyard sites.

Ed Durell first planted his vineyard in 1979 on a cattle ranch in the foothills of Sonoma Valley due west of the town of Sonoma, surrounded by the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. He enlisted a family friend, Steve Hill, to plant and tend the grapes on the ranch and Durell began selling grapes to Sonoma County wineries in 1982.

Bill and Ellie Price (Bill's former spouse) bought Durell Vineyard in 1997. The couple had a very amicable divorce, with each assuming control of a portion of the Durell Vineyard, while still working together. Bill's portion is currently under the holding title of Price Family Vineyards and Ellie's part is held by Sand Hill Wines LLC. Ellie Phipps Price previously produced Durell Vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay under the Sand Hill at Durell Vineyard label, replaced in the 2008 vintage with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the 8.5-acre Ranch House Block of the vineyard under the Dunstan label. Ellie Phipps Price total holdings include 60 acres of the Carneros portion of the vineyard (36 acres of Pinot Noir and 15 acres of Chardonnay). Bill Price owns 130 acres of Durell Vineyard in the Carneros, Sonoma Valley and Sonoma Coast portions of the vineyard, planted to Chardonnay (75 acres), Pinot Noir (23 acres), a tiny amount of Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Due to its unique location, the 400 acres of land on which Durell Vineyard is situated has vines in three different appellations: Carneros, Sonoma Coast and Sonoma Valley.

The rocky soils and cool climate are ideal for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with the 2,400 foot Mayacamas Mountains range sheltering the vineyard from the daily maritime winds originating from the San Francisco Bay, just ten miles to the south. The 59 acres of Pinot Noir in the Durell Vineyard includes Dijon clones 114, 115, 667, 777, 828 as well as some Swan and Calera selections. Steve Hill managed the entire vineyard until the beginning of 2011 when Rob Harris took over as vineyard manager. Steve Hill continues to work with Bill on other vineyard acquisitions.

The Durell Vineyard has been the source of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah for many noted wineries and currently sells grapes to 27 wineries, among them Auteur, Chasseur, Chateau St. Jean, Dunstan, Kistler Vineyards, Lioco, Loring Wine Co., Pali Wine Co., Sand Hill, Saxon Brown, Steele and Three Sticks. Frequently, Durell Vineyard is designated on the label. Kistler Durell Vineyard Chardonnay has been a benchmark California Chardonnay for many years.

The winemaker for Three Sticks Wines is Dan Van Staaveren, the former winemaker of Chateau St. Jean (1985 to 1997), Sand Hill and Dunstan. Kenneth Juhasz became the winemaker for Dunstan after the 2010 vintage.

In September 2011, I attended a Three Sticks Durell Vineyard wine dinner at Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood. This was an opportunity to sample three vintages of Durell Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, the recently released 2009 Durell Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, the 2008 “The James” Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, and three vintages of Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

I do not have extensive tasting notes on the wines served at dinner but can make the following general comments. The 2009 Three Sticks Durell Vineyard Chardonnay is a mix of Wente and Dijon clones aged in 50% new French oak barrels and 20% in cement egg fermenters. A classic Chardonnay with aromas and flavors of butterscotch, creme brulee, honey, pear and citrus, along with well-integrated oak and crisp acidity. Balance is spot on for this sophisticated offering. The 2004 Three Sticks Durell Vineyard Pinot Noir was vinified by winemaker Jeff Gaffner. The wine has held up nicely, crafted in a full-bodied, extracted style with very ripe flavors including raisin. The 2006 Three Sticks Durell Vineyard Pinot Noir and the 2008 Three Sticks Durell Vineyard Pinot Noir are moderately rich and more elegant in style with judicious use of oak and show the soft texture that is Pinot’s calling card. The 2007 vintage has been previously reviewed in this newsletter. The 2008 Three Sticks “The James” Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir is sourced from Burning Creek Vineyard. Only 120 cases produced. Very aromatic with bright cherry and berry flavors framed by lively acidity. Promiscuous and hard to take your hands off this one. The 2005, 2006 and 2007 Three Sticks Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignons are beautifully crafted wines showing the deft touch Dan Van Staaveren has with this varietal. The 2007 vintage, recently released, is a dreamy wine that only hints now at its potential.

Three Sticks Wines is one of the few wineries in California to succeed with the trifecta: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The superb quality of the portfolio of Three Sticks wines is easily understandable: relatively old vine vineyard farmed by a highly respected long time vineyard manager, a talented, veteran winemaker, and management with years of experience in the wine business.

Three Sticks wines are sold through an allocation list due to the small production. Visit the website at www.threestickswines.com to sign up for the mailing list.

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Plenty of Oregon ’08 and ’09 Pinot Bounty in the Marketplace Oregon

There are many Pinot riches to be found in the age worthy 2008 vintage and the precocious 2009 vintage from Oregon. I have had some spectacular wines recently, all of which are currently available from the respective wineries or easily obtainable in the retail marketplace.

Amalie Robert Estate

Partners Ernie Pink and Dena Drews bought a cherry orchard 15 miles southwest of Salem, Oregon, and began converting the property to a vineyard in 1999. The couple were Pacific Northwest computer geeks who had no background in the wine business, but learned winemaking and viticulture through local community college courses.

The 30-acre dry-farmed vineyard is planted primarily to eleven clones of Pinot Noir, with lesser amounts of Pinot Meunier, Syrah, Chardonnay and Viognier. Elevation ranges from 275 to 650 feet and the soils are welldrained Bellpine series. The first vintage in 2002 was sold to several notable Willamette Valley wineries (including Beaux Freres and Cristom). By 2006, a gravity-flow winery was completed and the owners had bottled their first vintage under the Amalie Robert label. The name is a combination of the proprietors middle names: “Amalie” (AIM-a-lee) is Dena’s and “Robert” is Ernie’s.

Their rapid ascent into the upper echelon of Oregon Pinot Noir producers has been remarkable, and this year the winery is one of a group of forty-two select Oregon wineries participating in The Vintner’s Circle at the ¡Salud! Oregon Wine Auction. The winery was a chosen participant in this year’s International Pinot Noir Celebration and was selected by Wine & Spirits as a 2011 Winery of the Year. With only three vintages of Pinot Noir in the marketplace, that is quite an accomplishment!

Amalie Robert Estate wines are sold through the winery’s online store. Magnums of some wines are offered by request. Tasting is by appointment. Visit the interesting and somewhat quirky website and read about how the proprietors found their Pinot Noir groove (hint: it involved a magnum of Domaine Dujac drank with a meal in Paris). Mailing list members receive a yearly Julian Calendar to track the growing season. This monthly update includes both a photo journal and farming humor and I find it thoroughly captivating.

I recently sampled the lineup of 2008 Amalie Robert Estate Pinot Noirs and a 2009 Amalie Robert Estate Chardonnay. This was my first exposure to this winery and I considered the wines well-crafted with admirable balance and charm. The Pinot Noirs are fermented with whole clusters and indigenous yeast. All Pinot Noirs are aged a minimum of 12 months in French oak barrels.

The lineup of wines is based on barrel selections. The two partners independently select their favorite barrel for The Reserve (not tasted here). They then choose the “Hers” and “His” reserves: Amalie’s Cuvée and Estate Selection. About 10 to 15 barrels are selected that represent their individual palates. The Vintage Debut is the first Pinot Noir release from the vintage, reflecting the broadest interpretation of the vineyard terroir and crafted for early drink ability. The Wadenswil Clone and Dijon Clones bottlings speak for themselves. Both a stainless steel fermented Chardonnay (Her Silhouette) and barrel fermented Chardonnay (Heirloom Cameo) are offered.

Domaine Drouhin Oregon

This iconic producer needs no introduction. Véronique Drouhin-Boss has crafted the wines here in every vintage beginning in 1988. The Pinot Noirs show more elegance and less power than many Oregon Pinot Noirs, and they age extremely well. I have had a couple bottles of the 1992 vintage within the last two years, and the wines are still remarkably fresh. If you had to choose just one Oregon Pinot Noir producer that represents the Oregon style and differentiates it from the typical California style, Domaine Drouhin Oregon would be a perfect choice.

Three Pinot Noirs are produced from the 90 acres of densely planted estate Pinot Noir: Classique Willamette Valley blend (contains some sourced grapes), and Laurène and Louise vinfied solely from estate grapes. The wines are sold in the tasting room in the Dundee Hills, on the website, through a mailing list, and via retail channels.

More Oregon treats

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Good Pinot for a Ten Spot?

It is a common saying in the wine community that good, cheap Pinot Noir is an oxymoron. I would agree in most instances, but the two wines below, priced at about ten bucks, are surprisingly good and cheap. In the one instance, Hahn Family Wines, has very large vineyard holdings (nearly 1,200 acres) to draw from, and in the other case, The Pinot Project, the producers are able to obtain some really good juice in the bulk marketplace.

The Pinot Project is a negociant bottling from Michael Skurnik Wines, a New York based importer and distributor of estate bottled wines from around the world. The excellence of The Pinot Project is a reflection of the soft economy which has made quality grapes and juice available at low prices. The vineyard and or winery sources are not disclosed. The inaugural vintage was 2009. The wines are in wide retail distribution. The label won’t win any awards for style and class, but the wine inside is what is important.

Hahn Winery is under the umbrella of Hahn Family Wines and is located on the Monterey Coast in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Grapes are sourced from estate and non-winery owned vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco appellations of Monterey County. The winery did not have a single Pinot Noir vine in 2000, but is now a leading producer of Pinot Noir under the Hahn Winery, Hahn SLH, Lucienne and Cycles Gladiator labels. The wine below is widely distributed and available on the winery’s website at www.hahnfamilywines.com. Hahn’s vineyard holdings are shown on the map below.

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Wines Off The Beaten Track

Bodega Chacra is located in the Río Negro Valley of northern Patagonia, 620 miles south of Buenos Aires, an area that for the most part produces basic reds. Río Negro shares the same latitude with most of New Zealand. In 2004, Piero Incisa della Rochhetta, whose family owns Tenuta San Guido, the producer of Sassacia, purchased the first of Bodega Chacra’s vineyards, Treinta y Dos, a small, abandoned vineyard planted in 1932. This vineyard of gnarled Pinot Noir vines was planted on its own rootstock. The vineyard’s porous soils are dominated by coarse alluvial pebbles and significant limestone content. Piero Incisa has discovered and bought two other old wine Pinot Noir vineyards which are the source of two Bodega Chacra single-vineyard wines beginning with the 2006 vintage. The first, from a vineyard planted in 1955 called Cinquenta y Cinco, and the second, from vines planted in 1967 called Sesanta y Sete. A fourth wine, reviewed here, named Barda, is produced from declassified components of the single vineyard wines as well as wine from a recently planted 10-acre vineyard on the original property. Farming is organic and Demeter certified biodynamic. In 2005, a new winery was constructed at the site of the 1932 vineyard. The inaugural releases came in 2006. The winemaker is renowned Danish-South African vintner Hans Vinding-Djers. The wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts in small cement tanks with some lots undergoing carbonic maceration. The wines are exported to the United States by Kobrand. For the full story, consult an article written by Natalie Guinovart, CWE, DWS, titled “Bodega Chacra,” in the Sommelier Journal, March 15, 2011.

Briceland Vineyards. I recently wrote a feature on Briceland Vineyards and its winemaker Joe Collins (www.princeofpinot.com/article/1012/). He is crafting about 1500 cases annually of superlative wines at reasonable prices from an area in California that is largely ignored by the wine cognoscenti. More than half of the dozens of wines Briceland has entered in prestigious wine competitions have won significant awards. Joe has over 35 years of winemaking and winegrowing experience. In 1990 and 1991, he was the individual Grand Champion at the California Wine Tasting Championships. Heard enough? The wines are ridiculously inexpensive considering the quality. The winery’s website presence at www.bricelandvineyards.com is minimal so to obtain the wines, get on the phone (707-923-2429) or e-mail assistant winemaker Andrew Morris at andrew@bricelandvineyards.com. You should try these wines. It is time we celebrate the honest, special wines from small wineries that never receive the press that the hi-profile producers garner.

Other wines.

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Women Pinot Noir Winemakers: You’ve Come A Long Way

As pointed out by Liz Thach, Ph.D., in an article published in Wayward Tendrils Quarterly (Vol 18, No. 2, April 2008), historians agree that wine was most likely discovered by a woman. Thach points out that modern carbon-dating has proven that wine from cultivated grapes was being made in what is today Georgia, in the Caucasus Mountains around 6,000 B.C.. There have been reports of wine remains in Armenia, Turkey, Irag, Iran and China which claim to be older, but it has not been clear that grape wine was made at these sites until a report appeared in the National Geographic Daily News (January 10, 2011). A dig in Armenia uncovered a wine press, fermentation and storage vessels, drinking cups and withered grape vines, skins and seeds. This site is now thought to be the world’s oldest winery, dating back 6,100 years. It is agreed that because women gathered berries, grapes and other crops, it was most likely a woman who picked some grapes and placed them in a container in a cool location, only to find a few weeks later that the grapes had fermented, possessed a pleasant flavor, and an inebriating effect.

The large number of legends surrounding wine goddesses supports the contention that women played an important role in the history of wine. Siduri, for example, is referred to as the Maker of Wine in the Epic of Gilgamish.

Women’s modern contributions to wine production were initially delayed by gender discrimination. A recent article by Leslie Gevirtz (Thomson Reuters October 24, 2011) regarding noted winemaker Merry Edwards, reminds that Merry Edwards had a difficult time breaking into the wine business forty years ago because of the industry’s traditional preferential bias toward men winemakers. When she attended University of California Davis, there were no women professors. Edwards notes that in the early 1970s, she was trying to get her first job in the wine industry and a large California winery tried to steer her into research, a New Zealand winery refused a job interview, and another winery turned her away when they saw her walk into the winery.

A new website, www.womenwinemakers.com, reported in August 2011 that 9.8 percent of the lead winemakers in California are women. The website was created by Dr. Lucia Albino Gilbert, a professor of psychology and counseling at Santa Clara University. The goal of the website is to assist women interested in a career in winemaking and to provide information to allow them to further their careers.

Dr. Gilbert relied on the Wines & Vines Winery Directory and Buying Guide for an official list of wineries, but independently identified the winemakers. I believe the total percentage of California women winemakers is higher than the 9.8 percent figure for lead winemakers, at least regarding Pinot Noir producers with which I am familiar. There are many women currently working as assistant winemakers and/or enologists whose true numbers are very difficult to quantify and were not included in that figure, and there are many spouses of male winemakers or winery owners who participate in the winemaking process. In addition, there are a number of small wineries that may have been omitted. Many women have very discriminating palates and can be of tremendous assistance in assembling blends and making winemaking decisions. Women winemakers have a touch with Pinot Noir, and are able to capture the delicate texture and elegant nuances of the grape. David Autrey of Westrey Wine Company in McMinnville, Oregon, has said, “Women show a sense of balance in winemaking that you don’t see with men.”

Here is a list of women winemakers at wineries that specialize in or produce Pinot Noir. The list is not complete and I would welcome you to notify me of any female vintners that I have overlooked. I suspect the percentage of women winemakers in Oregon is less than that of California.

California

Abigal Adams: Beth Adams
Abiouness: Nicole Abiouness
Anaba: Jennifer Marion
Arista and Kristania : Leslie Sisneros
Armida: Jessica Boone
Bink: Deborah Schatzlein
Boisset Family Estates: Stephanie Putnam
Buttonwood Farm Winery and Seagrape Wine Company: Karen Steinwachs
Brogan Cellars: Margi Weiringa
Bruliam: Kerith Overstreet
Cakebread Cellars: Julianne Laks
Capture Wines: May Britt Malbec
Ceja Vineyards: Amelia Ceja
Chateau St. Jean: Margo Van Staaveren
Cima Collina: Annette Hoff Danzer
D'Alfonso-Curran Wines: Kris Curran
David Bruce: Mitri Faravashi
Dehlinger Winery: Eva Dehlinger
Derbes Wines: Cecile Lemerle-Derbes
Derby Wine Estates: Tiffinee Vierra
Domaine Carneros: Ellen Crane
Elizabeth Rose: Kristi Koford
Esterlina Vineyards & Winery: Lynn Krausmann
Fantesca: Heidi Peterson Barrett
Favia Wines: Annie Favia
Fiddlehead: Kathy Joseph
Ferrari-Carano: Sarah Quider
Foley Estate and Lincourt: Crystal Clifton
Foppiano: Natalie West
Freestone Vineyards: Theresa Heredia
Gallo Family Vineyards: Gina Gallo
Garnet Vineyards: Alison Crowe
Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery: Susan Reed
Gypsy Canyon: Deborah Hall
Handley Cellars: Milla Handley, Kristen Barnhisel
Inman Family Wines: Kathleen Inman
J Lynne Wines: Jennifer Lynne
J Winery & Vineyards: Melissa Stackhouse
Keller Estate: Jacqueline Yokum
La Crema & Maggy Hawk: Elizabeth Grant-Douglas
Lane Tanner Winery: Lane Tanner
Lazy Creek: Christi Griffith
Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards: Megan McGrath Gates
Lutea: Suzanne Hagins
Lynmar: Bibiana Gonzalez-Rave
MacMurray Ranch: Susan Doyle
Maggie Hawk: Elizabeth Grant-Douglas
Marguerite Ryan Wines: Marguerite Ryan
Marcassin: Helen Turley
Merry Edwards Wines: Merry Edwards
Momtazi Winery: Tahmione Momtazi
Pahlmeyer Winery: Erin Green
Patricia Howe Wines: Patricia Howe
Peay Vineyards: Vanessa Wong
Poetic Cellars: katy Lovell
Rusack Vineyards: Helen Falcone
Selby Winery: Susie Selby
Stomping Girls Wines: Kathryn Cohen
Storrs Winery: Pamela Storrs
Talley Vineyards: Leslie Mead
Tessier: Kristie Tacey
Three Sticks Wines: Tracy Bledsoe
Toulouse Vineyards & Winery: Rita Vodopals
Truett Hurst and VML: Virginia Marie Lambrix
WesMar: Denise Hubbard Selyem
Whitethorn Winery: Tasha McCorkle McKee
Wild Horse: Chrissy Wittmann
William James Cellars: Robin Bogue
Wrath: Sabrina Rodems

Oregon

A to Z: Cheryl Francis
Amity Vineyards: Dancy Pendergrass
Antica Terra: Maggie Harrison
Ardiri Winery and Vineyards: Gail Lizak
Archery Summit Winery: Anna Matzinger
Coeur de Terre: Lisa Neal
De Ponte: Isabelle Dutarte
Domaine Drouhin Oregon: Veronique Drouhin-Boss
Helioterra: Anne Evenreiter Hubatch
Hip Chicks Do Wine: Renee Neely and Laurie Lewis
Honeywood Winery: Marlene K. Gallick
Kelley Fox Wines and Scott Paul Wines: Kelley Fox
Kramer Vineyards: Kimberly Kramer
Laura Volkman: Laura Volkman
Momtazi: Tahmiene Momtazi
Noble Pig: Cathy Pollack
Orchid Heights Winery: Carole Wyscaver
Patricia Green Cellars: Patricia Green
Ponzi: Luisa Ponzi
Phelps Creek: Alexandrine Roy
Privè: Tina Hammond
Penner-Ash Wine Cellars and Alexana Estate Vineyards and Winery: Lynn Penner-Ash
Redman Wines: Cathy Redman
River’s Edge Winery: Yvonne Landt
Stoller Vineyards: Melissa Burr
Stone Wolf Vineyards: Linda Lindsall
Sweet Cheeks Winery: Lorrie Normann
Tyee Cellars: Merrilee Buchanan
Westrey Wine Company: Amy Wesselman
Winter’s Hill Vineyard: Delphine Gladhart

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Along the Pinot Trail in California

Anderson Valley

North Coast

Russian River Valley

Santa Cruz Mountains

Santa Barbara County

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Making Sense of Reduction

Reduction is a term used by winemakers and wine critics in the context of wine production and evaluation that wine drinkers rarely understand. It is like the Big Bang theory: a mysterious dark energy that hardly any normal person apprehends. Fortunately, we have talents who can explain reduction in understandable terms. The following offers unedited discussions of reduction and its significance in wine evauation from Allen Meadows, aka Burghound, and a very geeky, scientific discourse on reduction’s role in fermentation from Kerith Overstreet, M.D., the cerebral winemaker for Bruliam Wines.

Allen Meadows on Reduction

Because of the continued use, in fact growth, of reductive winemaking in Burgundy, more and more in-barrel tastings that occur after malolactic fermentations, result in notes that refer to reduction. When wines are reduced, I say so rather than substituting a wine writing euphemism. p> The reason that the term reduction is seen so often is because more and more Burgundians, for both red and white wines, are now practicing what is called reductive winemaking. Effectively, what this means is that they are increasingly working with the fine lees; while this has long been accepted practice with whites, it has now spread to the reds as well. As a result, they rack less often or not at all and when they do, it’s often with limited or no exposure to oxygen. Indeed, more and more vignerons rack only in preparation for the bottling, which means that when I and other reviewers pass by to take a look at the wines a year after they were made, they are generally in a pretty reduced state.

Without getting into a chemical analysis (see Overstreet’s discussion below), of which I am ill-equipped to guide you anyway, this practice often results in a highly reductive environment in barrel, which simply put is the absence of oxygen. Winemakers have long understood that too much oxygen, particular in whites, is not a good thing because it oxidizes them and in extreme cases, can turn both reds and whites prematurely brown. However, the reverse can be taken to an extreme as well and when this occurs, a condition known as reduction occurs. A reduced wine smells dirty and in particular of sulfur compounds. A heavily reduced wine will taste of it as well and when extreme reduction occurs, mercaptans appear. Mercaptans smell of burnt rubber, garlic, stale sweat among other descriptors and suffice it to say, that is very unpleasant and if not corrected, can ruin a wine.

Reduction is, generally speaking, easily cured simply by introducing oxygen. As a practical matter, the way that this is most often done is to rack the wine from one barrel to another, which introduces oxygen and eliminates most of the lees (though sometimes they are kept and added back). However, if reduction appears in a finished, bottled wine, it is a clear flaw and while aeration (decanting) will usually clear it up, some wines are permanently reduced and about all that can be done is to put a penny in the wine. Sounds bizarre, but it works! (Note that my wife suggests a clean penny).

The reason that reduction is significant is because it renders a wine particularly difficult to judge. Slight reduction is not something to worry about because the basic characteristics of the wine are still evident. Heavy reduction that extends to the flavors makes a wine almost impossible to accurately judge and if the condition is left untreated it can permanently mark a wine. This risk explains why traditional practice in Burgundy is to rack a wine after the malolactic fermentation is finished so as to introduce some oxygen and thus dissipate the reductive aromas. However, with ever more precise analytical tools, a winemaker can push the edge of the envelope in this regard and still not reach a condition where more radical or invasive solutions are required to fix a problem. While this practice probably does result in richer and more complex wines, it makes the review process extremely difficult while the wines are in this state. I share this with you in the interest of full disclosure as I make every effort to judge a wine as accurately as possible but when there are limitations on my ability to do so, it’s incumbent upon me to say just that......It stands to reason that the closer any wine is to its finished state the more accurate the guidance will be.

Kerith Overstreet, M.D. on Reduction

“Let’s talk about NAD+/NADH and electron swapping. It’s like wife swapping but better.

“Redox” is an abbreviation of reduction and oxidation. These are terms that describe the way organic compounds swap and exchange electrons. When you gain an electron, it’s called reduction. Your overall charge is more negative; you’re reduced from no net charge to say -1. if someone steals your electron, you’re oxidized. Since oxygen is notorious for swiping electrons from unsuspecting compounds, electron loss is called oxidation. There is a nifty pneumonic for this: “OIL/RIG.” Oxidation is loss (of electrons) and reduction is gain (of electrons).

This concept is paramount since electrons are energy. In fact, electron energy potential is stored in a compound called NADH. NADH can give away an electron to become NAD+. When this happens, NADH is itself oxidized, the electron recipient is reduced since it takes that electron. NADH’s potential energy, in the form of electron donations, is known as “reducing power.” NADH energy drives cellular functions and metabolism. It’s energy currency, but it goes both ways (like wife swapping). Say you’ve got a lot to do so you burn through all of your NADH savings. Well, you’re stuck with a stockpile of NAD+. From an energy perspective, it’s pretty useless. It’s like finding an empty Gu wrapper at mile 20 of a marathon. Its a black fly in your Chardonnay. Even so, you need some way to convert your NAD+ back to the good stuff, so you can proceed with your day. Enter fermentation.

Along the path of fermentation, grape sugars travel the trajectory from sticky, sweet grape juice to vino. The very first step of fermentation is a chemical conversion that initiates the magic, when grape sugars are transformed to pyruvate. Listen, you don’t want to down a kegger of pyruvate, but it’s a start. But in order for glucose and fructose to become pyruvate, they need to give up an electron. What you say? You mean glucose and fructose are oxidized to pyruvate? Yes, it’s true. And can you guess who sops up all of those freebie electrons? NAD+ of course. Fermentation actually helps recycle the NAD+ and renews the energy coffers. In fact, early fermentation, during the yeast exponential growth phase (characterized by an orgy of asexual budding), yeast require lots and lots of reducing power and harness the power of NADH to grow and reproduce. Luckily, our insatiable appetite for wine can make that happen. I’ve got bins of glucose and fructose at the ready.

You are aware that the final step of fermentation is the conversion of acetaldehyde to ethanol. This is the most important step since it makes wine, wine. Ethanol is the final electron acceptor. It’s a Hanukkah miracle come early. Acetaldehyde is reduced to ethanol. You know that the electron comes from NADH, the same stuff that was recycled when glucose and fructose were oxidized back at step #1. It’s a perfectly balanced cycle. The first step of fermentation generates the reducing power (NADH) that ultimately reduces acetaldehyde to ethanol. Ethanol captures that final electron, regenerating the NAD+ necessary to keep the machine churning.

Yeast stockpile a pretty limited supply of NAD+, and without its regeneration, fermentation of grape sugars would grind to a halt. To keep fermentation moving, the redox balance must remain in check. The yeast adjust to the evolving flux in sugar, temperature, and alcohol by tinkering with and maintaining the redox balance.”

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Pinot Briefs

Richard Sanford in Vintners Hall of Fame Richard Sanford has been named to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) 2012 Vintners Hall of Fame along with six other inductees (Peter Mondavi Sr. of Charles Krug Winery, Professor Albert Winkler of UC Davis, Joe Heitz of Heitz Cellars, former Beringer winemaker Myron Nightingale, Mendocino County winemaker John Parducci, and one of the fathers of modern soil science, Dr. Eugene Hilgard). Sanford planted the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in what is now known as the Santa Rita Hills in 1970, one of the first to see the potential of the region for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Along with his wife, Thekla, he founded Sanford Winery in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA in 1981, beginning a long history of premium wine production. A few years ago, Richard lost his namesake winery to his business partners, but retained ownership of the El Jabali Vineyard adjacent the tasting room, assumed a lease on the La Encantada Vineyard he had originally started, and began a new venture, Alma Rosa Vineyards & Winery. Richard has been a tireless supporter of wine events over the years, patiently answering questions with polite aplomb and enthusiasm. The official induction of the CIA honorees will take place February 20, 2012, at the CIA at Greystone, in St. Helena.

New Winemaker for Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills Brands The Miller Family, who own Bien Nacido, Solomon Hills and French Camp Vineyards, have named Trey Fletcher as winemaker for their two new labels. Before joining Miller family brands, Fletcher worked in the Napa Valley and Argentina, became the Assistant Winemaker at Domaine Alfred, and most recently, was the Assistant Winemaker at Littorai. This was a smart hiring, as Trey is a very talented winemaker who brings youth and enthusiasm as well as invaluable experience at Littorai to the Miller family brands program. Agronomist Pat Williams was also added to Miller Family’s team.

Charge Your Car While Tasting Wine Inman Family Winery is the first Sonoma County winery to have a privately owned, solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station for the public. The system was installed at the winery’s tasting room at Olivet Grange Vineyard at 3900 Piner Road in Santa Rosa. Owners Kathleen and Simon Inman have embraced solar and sustainable practices at the winery. The solar panels, inverters and connections placed on the roof of the new winery, which was designed with the same roofline of the 19th century barn that it replaced, were placed in a 160-degree azimuth look angle to the sun which is close to the optimal 180-degree angle. Another bit of news from Inman Family Wines is the release of their first sparkling wine, the 2009 Inman Family OGV Brut Rosè Nature Endless Crush, what Kathleen calls, “The most delicious wine I have ever made.” Commemorating her 25th wedding anniversary, the wine was vinified at Rack & Riddle in Hopland to make use of their specialized equipment for sparkling wines. 138 cases of the wine ($52 with discounts for multiple bottle purchases) were disgorged October 11, 2011. Visit www.inmanfamilywines.com.

Latest Statistics from Wine Institute & US Gov As of 2010, there were 3,364 bonded wineries in California and 7,626 bonded wineries in the United States. California wine grape acreage totaled 476,377 (reported bearing and non bearing) and 535,000 estimated total when unreported acres are included. California Pinot Noir acreage was 37,290 acres in 2010. Oregon Pinot Noir acreage, in comparison, was 12,265 acres, or 60.4 percent of the state’s 20,300 acres of wine grapes. The full Grape Acreage Report for 2010 is available at www.nasss.usda.gov.

Vinosum Vinosum is a valuable resource for those seeking to geo-tag single vineyard wines. Data is personally researched and hand entered for California wines and the single vineyards from which they originate. Wine Advocate scores for single vineyard wines are in the geocatalog as well as soil types, varieties planted and average bottle price. A tremendous amount of work went into this site, yet it is currently offered free of charge.

Noted Bay Area Wine Critic Robert Finigan I never had the opportunity to meet Robert Finigan who shared his birth year with me (1943). He toiled in relative obscurity compared to Robert Parker, Jr., but was nevertheless a significant early contributor to wine reviewing. He began publishing Robert Finigan’s Private Guide to Wines in 1972, and according to his obituary in the Los Angeles Times (October 20, 2011), was an early champion of offering “bracingly honest evaluations of fine European and emerging California wines.” Matt Kramer said, “He was arguably the first hard-core critic who clearly took the gloves off and he was the first great consumer advocate for wine lovers.” He was known to be a very good taster of Pinot Noir and Burgundy. He later began reviewing restaurants and started publishing Robert Finigan’s Private Guide to Restaurants, and became an influential restaurant critic in the San Francisco Bay Area. He used a simple rating system for wines: Outstanding, Above Average, Average, or Below Average, arriving at his ratings by purchasing wines in retail stores and evaluating them blind. Finigan stopped publication of his newsletter in 1990.

Treasure Island Wines Jim Mirowski started Treasure Island Wines in 2007, creating a 10,000-squarefoot urban winery (Winery SF) on San Francisco Bay’s diminutive Treasure Island which is less than one square mile in size. The Winery SF is an events venue offering holiday parties, weddings, private tastings and wine-themed events (www.winery-sf). The winery is in a former aircraft hangar where Steven Spielberg filmed “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” The hanger and event space is also home to a separate enterprise run by winemaker Bryan Kane who crafts wine under several labels including Vie Winery, Sol Rouge Vineyard & Winery, and Winery SF. For more information and to view a listing of events, visit www.winery-sf. In a separate building on the island, winemaker Patrick Bowen produces red wines with no added sulfites under the Fat Grape label. Another winery on the island is Bottega Wine Estates which hosts multiple producers and offers a cooperative tasting room, offering a tasting of a diverse range of wines for $5. A fifth separate winery facility will open soon, Kendric Vineyards, where owner Stewart Johnson plans to open a tasting room and crush there next Fall. All the wineries are separate entities that occupy different buildings scattered around the island. The ultimate goal is to turn Treasure Island into a wine tasting destination of San Francisco Bay wine enthusiasts.

Preservation Ranch Future Threatened The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) has withdrawn its ties with the vineyard management firm, Premier Pacific Vineyards (PPV). PPV was planning Preservation Ranch, a 1,769-acre conversion of forest land to vineyards on 20,000 acres in Annapolis on the Sonoma coast. CalPERS has a majority investment in Preservation Ranch. The project has caused a national stir because of widespread opposition from environmentalists including the Sierra Club’s Redwood Chapter. An environmental impact report will be out at the end of 2011. Wine Industry Insight reported that Premier Pacific Vineyards 130+ employees (tractor drivers to executives) were left in limbo, all of them fearing their jobs would be gone by January 1, 2012.

Casa Dumetz Actor, writer and producer Emilio Estevez started Casa Dumetz in Malibu in 2004, planting a 1-acre Pinot Noir vineyard. The first crop in 2008 made about 50 cases of wine. Estevez’s fiancee, Sonja Magdevksi, is the winemaker. The Malibu Estate Grown Los Angeles County Pinot Noir is 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Grenache. Understandably, the wine sells out quickly. In addition, the winery produces Viognier, Syrah, Grenache and a Sparkling Syrah Rosè from Tierra Alta Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley (all priced under $30). The website is www.casadumetz.com. Estevez wrote and directed a new film, “The Way,” starring his father, Martin Sheen. The film is about a wine and food fueled journey along the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) in Spain. Highly recommended viewing.

Contemporary Fine Art Wine-Themed Murals on Stone Tile Beyond Wow offers fine art murals on stone marble including the whimsical wine art of Frenchman Gèrard Puvis. Perfect for wine cellars, dining rooms and patios. Visit www.beyondwowtileart.com.

Take Your Wine On Flight The Wine Check is a lightweight piece of baggage that holds a case of wine, insulated and protected by a foam insert. The Wine Check has wheels making it easy to transport to and from the airport. FAA approved, the package allows you to stay under the 50 pound airline weight limit for luggage. The Wine Check is collapsible and reusable. Cost is $59 with the foam insert. Visit www.thewinecheck.com.

Australian Pinot Noir Vintner Wins Nobel Prize Three astrophysicists, including Brian Schmidt of Australian National University, were awarded a Nobel Prize for their revolutionary work that demonstrated that the universe is accelerating rather than slowing down as Albert Einstein had theorized. Schmidt owns a property in Canberra where he planted 2.5 acres of Pinot Noir in 2000 and produces wines that are attracting attention. The region is not known for Pinot Noir, but Schmidt’s goal is to craft a Pinot Noir that makes the region proud. Last year, James Halliday gave Schmidt’s label, Maipenraim, four-star status, and local wine critics have been generous in their praise for his 2008 Pinot Noir. His wines are sealed with Vino-Lok glass stoppers.

New Willamette Valley Mobile Wine Tour Willamette Valley Mobile Wine Tour makes it easy to explore wine country, giving you information on over 180 wineries. You can search for nearby wineries and get turn-by-turn directions instantly. Scan the QR code at www.willamettewinemap.com to take you directly to the Mobile Wine Tour.

Wine Historian Lecture by John Winthrop Haeger On Tuesday, November 15, 2011, noted author and wine historian, John Winthrop Haeger, will present a conversation, “Solving Mysteries: Evidence in Wine History,” at 7:30 P.M. in 222 T.J. Day Hall at Linfield College, where he has previously taught. The program is free and open to the public. For information, call 503-883-2498.

Heart of Healdsburg Celebration Hotel Healdsburg and Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen are hosting the Heart of Healdsburg Celebration November 11-13 in honor of the hotel’s and restaurant’s 10-year anniversary. Chefs Charlie Palmer and Dustin Valette will kick off the weekend Friday night with a Gala Dinner at Dry Creek Kitchen. The menu will be paired with ten wines from noted Sonoma County wineries including J, Ramey, Martinelli, Rochioli, Williams Selyem, Rafanelli and Rodney Strong. Special wine and culinary experiences will follow that weekend including Farmers’ Market Tour and Cooking Demonstration, Quivera Winery and Vineyards Winemaker for a Day, Williams Selyem Winery Barrel Tasting, and Mauritson Winery Excursion. For information and Weekend Packages visit www.hotelhealdsburg/heart-of-headsburg/

J Vineyards & Winery new Sparkling Clear Bottle J has always led the way with stylish marketing and the new stunning package for their Brut Rosè continues the trend. A sexy new makeover has resulted in a sleek clear bottle displaying the wine’s seductive color. The grapes for the Brut Rosè are hand-harvested into small quarter ton bins and placed as whole clusters, without de-stemming, into a special Coquard press for a gentle pressing cycle in the traditional saignèe method. Retail is $28. Visit www.jwine.com.

San Luis Obispo Vintners Association Harvest Celebration Weekend The 21st Rockin’ Harvest Celebration will be held November 4-6, 2011. The Grand Tasting and Auction will take place on Saturday, November 5, at the Avila Beach Golf Resort with over 60 wineries and restaurants from the San Luis Obispo region featured. Many other events are planned all weekend such as the Sinor-LaVallee Winemaker Dinner with Mike Sinor at Et Voila Restaurant in San Luis Obispo. A four course meal will be paired with a selection of Mike’s library wines ($85 pp, cheri@sinorlavellee.com). For more information and tickets, visit www.slowine.com.

Alder Yarrow Teams With Jancis Robinson JancisRobinson.com has a very large following in the United States and as a result, has decided to recruit noted wine blogger, Alder Yarrow, to add an American presence on her website. Yarrow founded Vinography.com in 2004 and has garnered more awards than any other wine blogger. He will write a provocative monthly column, titled Alder on America, focusing on what is currently preoccupying American wine enthusiasts. His first article, published October 19, was a consideration of the effects of Robert Parker’s ceding coverage of California wine to his heir-apparent Antonio Galloni. Alder’s column will be available to Purple pages subscribers only at www.JancisRobinson.com.

Sunset Magazine Western Wine Awards Sunset magazine editors, celebrity guests, and winemakers gathered at the Sunset Western Wine Awards Gala in Pismo Beach as part of the Sunset Savor the Central Coast food and wine event. More than 500 nominated wines were tasted before narrowing the field to 32 finalists. Steal of the Year Award ($15 and under): Gruet Nonvintage Blanc de Noirs, New Mexico, $15. Connoisseur Award went to 2009 St. Innocent Zenith Vineyard Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir. Winemaker of the Year was presented to Isabelle Meunier of Evening Land Vineyards in Oregon.

Low Alcohol Wines a Hit in UK Low (up to 5.5% abv) and no-alcohol wines are growing in popularity in the UK and approaching 1 million cases in sales. The sector has appeal because consumers are looking for lower-alcohol alternatives to their regular wine and the low-alcohol wines offer lower prices than full strength wines.

Alcohol Associated with Better Survival after Heart Attack Women who drank anywhere from a few alcoholic drinks a month to more than three a week in the year leading up to a heart attack ended up living longer than women who never drank alcohol, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Cardiology. The study indicated a 35 percent lower chance of dying during the follow up period for women who drank compared to those who didn’t. There were no differences observed between the different drink types suggesting it is the alcohol itself that is beneficial. Other studies have found that people who continued to drink moderately after having a heart attack had better health than those who abstained.

GM Grape Vines An Australian scientist in Adelaide has developed genetically modified grape vines that are resistant to mildew. The research scientist, Ian Dry, says the vines have not been tested in the field because Australia’s wine industry, and Europe where a large portion of Australian wine is exported, are not supportive of GM technology. Dry said that he was able to identify two genes from North American grape vines that confer resistance to downy and powdery mildew and then transfer those into a number of wine grape cultivars, including Shiraz, creating transgenic vines.

NW Wine Company Opens in Dundee The huge 44,000-square-foot, 500,000-gallon-capacity facility is owned by winemaker Laurent Montalieu and his wife, Danielle Andrus Montalieu in partnership with investor John Niemeyer and his son-in-law Jeff Meader. Plans are in place to process 2,000 tons of grapes during the 2011 harvest, making the facility number two in Oregon wine production behind King Estate. Approximately 30 brands including the new Hyland Estates label will be produced at the new winery along with several lots vinified separately for custom crush clients. Hyland Estates wines will be featured at a tasting room adjacent the winery housed in a former private home.

Brooks Wines Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary To commemorate the ten-year anniversary of Brooks Wines and honor the life of founder, Jimi Brooks, the 2008 Brooks Red-Letter Day Pinot Noir will be released. Although its founder is deceased, Brooks Wines continues to produce award winning Pinot Noir and Riesling through a strong commitment to organic and biodynamic farming, a gentle approach to winemaking and a celebratory approach to both winemaking and life. The 2008 Brooks Red-Letter Pinot noir is priced at $75 and only 200 cases were produced at Brooks‘ new winery in the heart of the Eola-Amity Hills of the Willamette Valley. The fruit is from WillaKenzie, Momtazi and Brooks Estate Vineyards. To obtain the wine or for more information, visit www.brookswine.com.

Pinot Days Chicago Pinot Days returns to the Navy Pier in Chicago for its fifth year on November 12, 2011, showcasing over 70 winemakers and over 300 Pinot Noirs from California, Oregon and New Zealand. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.pinotdays.com. Use my code, PINOTFILECH11 for a 10% discount.

Drink Leucadia Red on Veteran's Day Leucadia Red is a boutique wine company founded in the coastal community of Leucadia, combining Sonoma County wines, the surreal artwork of local artist Jami Goddess, and a note of positive, spiritual inspiration on its wine labels. According to Leucadia Red founder Dave Archinal, Leucadia Red is donating a portion of profits from the sale of it's 2008 Red Blend Bordeaux-style California wine named "The General" to organizations like The Wounded Warrior Project. The winery also offers a Sonoma County Pinot Noir and a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Visit www.leucadiared.com for more information.

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¡Salud! 20th Anniversary Auction Item: Russian River Valley Immersion

The Prince is offering a hosted four day, three night exploration of Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. Home to more than 150 growers and over 100 wineries, this 200 square mile valley in the heart of Sonoma County has sustained farmers for more than 150 years, and remains an agricultural oasis that is today one of the most prestigious wine regions of California.

This live auction package includes:
• Three nights’ accommodations for four people at the Benovia Winery Vineyard Hideaway in Santa Rosa
• Four day tour of the Russian River Valley AVA with the Prince of Pinot, Rusty Gaffney, MD, including private tours and tastings at wineries like Benovia, Kosta Browne, DuMOL, Cobb, Littrorai, Dehlinger, Papapietro Perry, J. Rochioli Vineyards & Winery, J Vineyards & Winery, Alysian, and Williams Selyem.
• Luncheon for four people each day at a winery or restaurant
• Dinner for four people three evenings at Scopa, Applewood and K&L Bistro
• All wines for luncheons and dinners provided from the Prince’s personal wine cellar
• One rare magnum of Russian River Valley Kosta Browne Pinot Noir
• A copy of the book, A Wine Journey Along the Russian River, by Steve Heimoff
• A copy of the James Beard Foundation Award-winning DVD about the Russian River Valley, “Stewards of the Land.”
• A photographic print of your choice of a Russian River Valley scene by world-renowned photographer George Rose
• A $1,000 travel voucher for air transportation to Santa Rosa or San Francisco

If you are unable to attend this year’s auction on November 12, 2011, you can submit a sealed bid at http:// www.saludauction.org/auction/the-oregon-pinot-noir-auction/auction-items/. Last year’s package sold for $4,500.