Calera Wine Co.: Stalwart Pinot Icon

“Calera is one of the most compelling Pinot Noir specialists, of not only
the New World, but of Planet Earth. Credit must be extended to its
visionary founder, proprietor Josh Jensen. Ironically, today Jensen
rarely gets the acclaim that these wines merit.”
Robert Parker, Jr., 2003

California has a relatively young Pinot Noir wine history compared to Burgundy, but many of our oldest Pinot Noir producers have shown admirable longevity and pinotphiles are fortunate to still have the opportunity to drink wines from these iconic wineries. In the rush to find the latest, potentially cult Pinot Noir producer, the contributions by these legendary wineries and the consistent excellence of their wines can easily be overlooked.

With this issue, I pay homage to the 2008 vintage of Calera Pinot Noir, the thirty-third offering from this isolated winery in the Mt. Harlan appellation of San Benito County. The first vineyards were planted at Calera in 1975, the first wine released from purchased grapes (Zinfandel) the same year, the first tiny harvest from the three original vineyards in 1978, and the first commercially noteworthy Calera Pinot Noir produced in the 1980 vintage. To reference this in time to other early pioneers of California Pinot Noir, consider that the first Pinot Noirs were produced at Chalone and David Bruce in 1966; at Hanzell in 1967 (some wine was made as early as 1957 but not on a commercial scale); at Husch Vineyards in 1971; at Mount Eden Vineyards in 1972 (Martin Ray did craft Pinot Noir at this site as early as the 1950s); at Joseph Swan and Davis Bynum in 1973; at Dehlinger and Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard in 1975; at Carneros Creek in 1976; at Navarro Vineyards in 1978; at Iron Horse Winery in 1979; at Sanford in 1981; and at J. Rochioli in 1982 (Joe Rochioli Jr. produced Pinot Noir under the Fenton Acres label beginning in 1976 vinified by Davis Bynum).

Of all these pioneering wineries, only Chalone (and founder Dick Graff) and Calera (and founder Josh Jensen) based their entire success on limestone. Jensen, affectionately known as “Mr Pinot,” was a student of and fervent lover of the wines of Burgundy, and was convinced that it was the limestone in the soil of Burgundy that made the wines so special. Jensen has said, “Here in this country, the establishment doesn’t think limestone is important. I didn’t waste my time debating it. I just saw where the great Burgundies grew and decided to let my wines do the talking.” The name, Calera, is Spanish for “lime kiln,” referencing the former lime kiln and limestone quarry on the Calera property.

Year in and year out, Calera releases wines of uncommon breeding, even attracting adoring interest from fans outside the United States. Over 42% of sales in 2010 were in the export marketplace and Calera is the ultimate cult wine in Japan where it has been romanticized in a manga adult comic book. Remington Norman elucidates the criteria for great wines of Grand Cru quality in his recent book, Grand Cru. There can be little argument about these standards and Calera Pinot Noirs consistently meet all the criteria: aromatic interest, check; impressive mid-palate attack, check; refined texture, check; balance, check; complexity, check; persistence after swallowing, check; capacity to age in an interesting fashion, check; and class, double check.

Many winemakers have worked under Jensen through the years including Ted Lemon of Littorai and Steve Doerner of Cristom Vineyards, but the wines have always been held to an unwavering high standard. The wines are vinified in a 7-tier winery built into the side of a mountain, the world’s first and only completely gravity-flow winery. Because the Calera vineyards are in the Mt. Harlan AVA, but the winery location is technically not, Calera cannot use the “estate bottled” designation on the labels.

Yields have been painfully low at Calera, with an average of about 1.5 tons per acre, with a number of vintages providing less than a ton per acre. Controlling gophers and other animals at this isolated winegrowing outpost is a full-time job.

There have been several rumors about where the original clones of Pinot Noir at Calera originated. According to John Winthrop Haeger (Pacific Pinot Noir, 2008), Selleck, Reed and one-third of Jensen are Chalone budwood (which has an unknown origin but probably was a suitcase clone from Burgundy), and two-thirds of Jensen was planted to an unknown nursery clone. Mills was planted from budwood taken from Selleck. The rest of the plantings are presumably from nursery bench grafts originating in California. The Mills Vineyard, the Chardonnay, and the second planting of Viognier are own rooted, while the rest of the plantings are grafted onto nursery rootstock.

Non interventionist techniques are employed including native yeast and whole cluster fermentations with minimal racking. Pinot Noir grapes are fermented warm in open-top fermenters. The lots are pressed after a minimum of 14 days in the fermenter. Aging is in 60-gallon French oak barrels from Francois Frères in Calera’s two barrel cellars. The single vineyard Pinot Noirs receive 16 months of aging in barrels, 30% of which are new each vintage. The Central Coast wines are aged for 10 to 11 months in 12 to 15% new barrels. The wines are fined with egg whites to ensure clarity and are bottled after settling unfiltered.

The Calera property consists of 648 acres (plus 440 adjacent acres) with 84 acres planted as of 2006. The vineyards and years planted include: Selleck (4.8 acres, 1975), Reed (4.4 acres, 1975), Jensen (13.8 acres, 1975), Mills (14.4 acres, 1984), Ryan (upper 9.4 acres, 1998 and lower 3.7 acres 2001) and de Villiers (15.6 acres, 1997). The vineyards are situated at an average of 2200 feet above sea level where they receive the cool marine airflow from the Pacific Ocean through the Monterey Bay coast.

recently tasted the 2008 Calera single-vineyard Pinot Noirs and the 2008 and 2009 Calera Central Coast blend Pinot Noir. Calera vineyards suffered a devastating frost in the spring of 2008 resulting in yields that were extremely low, even by Calera’s usual small crop standards. There were only 3 barrels of Reed (sold to wine club members and a few export markets) and 1 barrel of Selleck (24 cases from the 4.8-acre vineyard and not released for sale). The Pinot Noirs that were produced are stunning but the limited production should induce you to act quickly to acquire the wines from the Calera website online store (www.calerawine.com) or the retail marketplace. Better yet, join the Limestone Circle Wine Club to insure receiving all the Mt. Harlan wines. There is no Mt. Harlan Cuvée Pinot Noir and no half bottles offered in this vintage.

The 2008 Pinot Noirs are more forward than many Calera vintages, although all single-vineyard wines showed better the following day from a previously opened bottle and are very age worthy. The de Villiers Vineyard bottling is the most forward and a strikingly good value ($35). Prices for all the single-vineyard wines are ridiculously low considering the quality and breeding.

The winery’s back labels are among the most informative in the wine business.

Calera Wine Company is located at 11130 Cienaga Road in Hollister. Calera welcomes visitors and tasting is available daily from 11:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Directions are on the website. 831-637-9170. The winery recently debuted their new website which is highly informative and visually appealing.

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Cristom Vineyards: Calera Heritage

It seems only fitting to follow a feature on Calera Wine Company with an article on Cristom Vineyards. Steve Doerner was the first winemaker at Calera Wine Company and has been Cristom’s winemaker since the winery’s first vintage in 1992. He is now a partner in the winery with Paul Gerrie. Doerner graduated from the University of California Davis in 1979 with a degree in biochemistry. His interest in winemaking came from his scientific curiosity. He studied under Jacques Seysses, the owner and winemaker at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy, and spent 14 years at Calera Wine Company before arriving at Cristom. He names Burt Williams, the co-founder and original winemaker at Williams Selyem, as one of the vintners who greatly influenced him. He was the first high-profile California winemaker to exit California for Oregon (Steve’s photo below).

When engineer Paul Gerrie acquired the defunct Pellier Winery site in Polk County near Salem in 1992, the vineyards were in disarray and all but one had to be restored. Gerrie and his wife Eileen admit they bought the property on nothing more than a hunch. On his travels to France, Paul had learned about the traditional growing practices of Burgundy and the importance of terroir. After attending the 1991 International Pinot Noir Celebration, he decided the time was right to leave the East Coast and bring his family to Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Cristom, which is located in Eola-Amity Hills AVA, farms eight estate vineyards with Marjorie the only vineyard not restored after purchase of the winery. From 1993 to 1996, the vineyards were replanted and the first wines from estate fruit came from the 1994 vintage. Vineyardist Mark Feltz oversaw the replanting and has managed the vineyards since its founding in 1992. All vineyards are dry farmed and relatively high density planted.

Cristom farms a total of 75 acres (48.5 acres of Pinot Noir) spread over eight estate vineyards. Seven of the vineyards are named after women in Paul Gerrie’s family including his wife Eileen. The vineyards are as follows: Marjorie (8.5 acres of Pinot Noir first planted in 1982; first designated release was in 1994), Louise (9.5 acres of Pinot Noir; first designated release was in 1996), Jessie (11.5 acres of Pinot Noir; first designated release was in 1998), Eileen (15.25 acres of Pinot Noir; 4.5 acres added in 2006; first designated release in 2000), Emilia (5 acres of Pinot Gris planted between 1993 and 1996), Germaine (named for Doerner’s maternal grandmother; 4.5 acres of Dijon 75 and 95 clone Chardonnay), and two unnamed vineyards, one planted to Viognier and one to Syrah. Pinot Noir clones in the estate vineyards include Wädenswil (UCD 2A), Pommard, and Dijon 113, 114, 115, 667 and 777.

Cristom produces vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs from the four vineyards, Marjorie, Louise, Jessie and Eileen. The wines represent a selection of favorite barrels from the vineyard. Because of varying elevations, exposure and soil types, each vineyard produces a distinctive style of wine. Three Pinot Noir blends, all reasonably priced and produced in quantity are also offered: the Mt. Jefferson Cuvée (about 3,500 cases) which includes purchased grapes, the Sommers Reserve (about 1,250 cases) which is a selection of the best barrels intended for the Mt. Jefferson Cuvée, and the Signature Cuvée. Syrah, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Viognier are also available. Total production is about 10,000 cases annually. All Cristom estate wines, and the winery, are certified sustainable by L.I.V.E. and the single-vineyard Pinot Noirs have received the O.C.S.W. seal of approval (Oregon Certified Sustainable Wines).

Doerner uses about 50% whole clusters making his wines which is unusual for Oregon producers. I am a sucker for properly vinified whole cluster fermented Pinot Noirs because I find the resulting spice, the tannin structure and the age ability particularly appealing. Not surprisingly, native fermentations are the rule for Doerner as he was one of the first proponents of natural yeast fermentations for Pinot Noir. Acid additions are employed to achieve balance when necessary. Both press and free-run juice are combined and sent to barrel where the single vineyard Pinot Noirs receive a relatively high percentage of new oak (58% to 67% in the 2008 vintage). The wines undergo egg white fining but no filtration. Not surprisingly, the winemaking regimen is very similar to that initiated by Doerner at Calera Wine Company which is still in place at that winery today.

Cristom Vineyards wines are sold through the winery website at www.cristomwines.com, the tasting room, and distribution through fine wine retailers. The tasting room at 6905 Spring Valley Road NW in Salem, Oregon, is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM March to December, and by appointment January and February. Several of the wines are available in half bottles which are ideal for earlier consumption. Magnums and library wines are sold through the winery’s online store.

I recently sampled a few older vintages direct from the winery, a ¡Salud! Cuvée Pinot Noir from 2007, as well as the four single vineyard Pinot Noirs and two blend Pinot Noirs from the 2008 vintage. The 2009 Mount Jefferson Cuvée has been released and is reviewed here as well. The 2008 vintage wines offer robust extraction of very ripe fruit, significant tannins and limited approachability at this stage. All the single vineyard Pinot Noirs are in very heavy bottles.

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Laura Volkman Vineyards: A Whisp of a Winegrower under that Hat

Regular readers of the PinotFile know that I have been a fan of the Pinot Noirs from Laura Volkman Vineyards and have written extensively about Laura and her wines since 2008 (see www.princeofpinot.com/article/736/ for the most recent article).

Laura farms 3.5 acres of Pinot Noir at her Elle Rêve Vineyard adjacent her home in the Chehalem Mountains of Oregon. The vineyard is planted primarily to Dijon 115, with lesser amounts of 114, 667, 777 and Pommard clones. Unlike most winemaking ventures where the husband is the principal vineyardist and winemaker, Laura is the one who performs nearly all the vineyard and cellar work. For the most part, she doesn’t allow anyone else, even her husband, Jim, to monkey with the vines. For a very slight woman who weighs a hair over 100 pounds, you have to admire her gumption. Jim has his own profession, and provides a helping hand and support only if needed.

Cool fermentations are preferred because Laura believes they preserve the delicate aromas of Pinot Noir. Various proprietary yeasts are used to create the distinctive flavor profiles that set apart her two major bottlings, Rachel Estate and Jacob Estate, named after her two children. The Rachel Estate is the more feminine wine produced from the west block of the vineyard and includes clones 114, 667 and Pommard. The Jacob Estate is sourced from the east block of the vineyard and is composed of clones 114, 115 and 777. It is the most robust and more darkly fruited of the pair. The Pinot Noirs are raised in a modest percentage of new French oak barrels without racking. The wines are unfined and unfiltered. Winemaking is performed at nearby August Cellars.

The Laura Volkman Vineyards labels display artwork depicting Laura in her vineyard wearing a red dress and her trademark straw hat drawn by noted watercolor artist, Terry Peasley. Beside the Rachel Estate and Jacob Estate, there is an earlier drinking Pinot Noir named after her husband, St. James Estate, and a Chardonnay sourced from the Celilo Vineyard in the Columbia Gorge region of Washington named after the family dog, Bella. Total production is less than 500 cases annually.

The wines are sold through a mailing list and on the website at www.volkmanvineyards.com as well as retailer www.northwestwines.com. Tasting is available by appointment at the vineyard property in Newberg, Oregon (503-806-4047).

I recently reviewed the Laura Volkman Vineyards estate Pinot Noirs from the 2008 and 2009 vintages. All the wines have remarkably suffuse aromatics, silky tannins, powerful flavors in an elegant style and proper balance for medium-term age ability. The 2009 vintage wines are more precocious and promiscuous, while the 2008 vintage wines, which ultimately will prove to be more age worthy, are still in need of further cellaring. The Rachel Estate bottling is more demure and seductive like fine lingerie and more nuanced, while the Jacob Estate Pinot Noir is more aggressive, macho and darker fruited.

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Sea Smoke Cellars: California Cult Classic

Sea Smoke is one of a handful of California Pinot Noir producers whose fruit-powered style has quickly captured the attention of pinotphiles. Bob Davids, a Burgundy aficionado and CEO of a highly successful computer game company, acquired 350 acres of farmland overlooking the Santa Ynez River in 1999 and began development of the 105-acre Sea Smoke Vineyard the same year. He chose south-facing hillside bluffs situated above Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills appellation of Santa Barbara County. From the beginning, the emphasis has been on meticulous vineyard management led by a highly skilled vineyard team.

Ten Pinot Noir clones are planted in 26 unique geographic blocks of the large vineyard which has six soil types and elevations ranging from 300 to 700 feet above sea level. The first photo below of Sea Smoke Vineyard is taken from Fiddlestix Vineyard looking toward the north with Sea Smoke vines on the hillsides in the distance. The second photo shows the Sea Smoke Vineyard from its highest point with Fiddlestix Vineyard in the foreground, then Santa Rosa Road, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, La Encantada Vineyard, and the Santa Rosa east-west mountain chain visible in the distance. The third photo shows one aspect of the Sea Smoke Vineyard.

The Pinot Noir clones planted include Dijon 113, 115, 459, 667, 777, 09, 16, Pommard 5, 2A, and Mt. Eden Selection. The Chardonnay clones are Wente and Dijon 76, 95 and 96.

Individual blocks and clonal combinations are vinified separately and provide a complex palate for blending decisions intended to reflect the terroir of the site. The initial winemaker was Kris Curren, who left in 2007 to join Foley Estates, replaced by Don Schroeder who was Curran’s assistant and a winemaker at Ampelos Cellars. Victor Gallegos, educated at University of California Davis, is the director of winemaking and viticulturist. Schroeder has proven to be a fortunate hire, for working together with Gallegos, the pair have taken the wines in a subtle, but more appealing direction in my opinion, with less alcohol, slightly less extraction, and reduced new oak elevage. According to the winery spokespeople, “The 2009 vintage marked the culmination of a subtle stylistic shift at Sea Smoke - a measured fine tuning to further enhance the aging ability of Sea Smoke’s wines, through slightly lower alcohol levels and the finessing of new oak ratios during barreling.” They have not changed their picking regime, which is still aimed at tannin and flavor ripeness but have altered their winemaking regimen without resorting to de-alcoholizing the wines.

The first Sea Smoke Pinot Noir was released from the 2001 vintage and instantly acquired an enthusiastic following. A new winery was built in Lompoc and the 2009 vintage, reviewed here, was the first to be vinified there. The large space available in the new winery and almost 40 fermenters allows for focused work with the 50 distinct small individual fermentation lots.

Yields were the highest ever from the Sea Smoke Vineyard in 2009 at 2.3 tons per acre, but the cluster counts per vine remained the same; quite low but with each cluster’s weight greater. More mailing list members were offered wine in 2009, but unfortunately, yields dropped back to normal in 2010.

Beginning in 2002, there have been three Pinot Noirs produced at Sea Smoke: Botella which is fruit forward with mild tannins; Southing, which is darker and more reticent initially; and Ten, which is made from a barrel of each of the ten clonal selections grown on the estate vineyard. The Ten bottling has been crafted to be more robust, vinified with a larger percentage of new oak that is from coopers with a more aggressive style, resulting in more long-term age ability potential.

A Chardonnay is produced from three acres planted in the estate vineyard. The wine was initially intended for charitable purposes and as a reward for mailing list members, thus the name “Gratis” for the wine. Many customers requested that the Chardonnay be made available for purchase. An additional five acres of Wente clone Chardonnay was planted in 2005 and beginning that year, a “Sea Smoke Chardonnay” was crafted along with “Gratis.” Gratis is crafted with power and richness, while the Sea Smoke Chardonnay is more elegant and refined because of a different cooperage program and the use of 25 percent stainless steel during fermentation.

After sorting the grapes, the must undergoes a 1 to 4 day cold soak and is then inoculated with cultured yeasts. The slow fermentation and maceration takes fourteen to eighteen days for the Southing and sixteen to twentyeight days for the Ten. After settling, both free-run and press wines are racked to barrels and aged 16 months in 55% new (Southing) and 65% new (Ten) French oak barrels. For the Sea Smoke Chardonnay, cold grapes are softly pressed, cold settled and racked to both French oak barrels and a stainless steel fermenter. The must is inoculated for primary fermentation and barrels are periodically stirred. The wine is aged 16 months in 55% new French oak barrels before bottling.

Sea Smoke wines are sold almost exclusively through distributors and a mailing “List” and highly allocated. Visit the website at www.seasmoke.com to join the list. For questions about the list contact customerservice@seasmokecellars.com. No tasting room is available at Sea Smoke because all the wine is pre-allocated to List members. Occasionally wine is available at the Taste of Santa Rita Hills tasting room in the Lompoc wine ghetto (www.tasteofstritahills.com). The winery is not open to the public for tours and vineyard visits are not possible due to legal restrictions on public access.

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2009 California Praiseworthy Pinots

Anthill Farms Winery

A trio of winemakers who had worked together as cellar hands at Williams Selyem launched their own winery with three Pinot Noir releases in 2004. Anthony Filiberti grew up in Sonoma County and was lured to wine at an early age, perfecting his craft at Bergstrom Winery in Oregon, Hafner Vineyards in the Alexander Valley, and Williams Selyem. David Low grew up in Kansas but became hooked on wine while attending University of California at Berkeley. A short stint as a computer programmer was followed by a change of heart and he later worked at both Williams Selyem and Papapietro Perry where he is also an assistant winemaker. Webster Marquez grew up on the East Coast and attended school in Virginia. He worked as an assistant winemaker at Jefferson Vineyards before moving to Sonoma County where he joined Williams Selyem. He was the previous winemaker at C. Donatiello Winery in Healdsburg (now closed). The emphasis at Anthill Farms is on the vineyards and the name of the winery reflects the multiple small individual vineyards that form the owners’ “link between place and product.” The trio of winemakers prefer to bring notoriety to their winegrowers at North Coast vineyards in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The annual production of 1.400 cases, which includes Syrah, is quickly snapped up by an eager mailing list. Tasting is by appointment in Healdsburg. The website is www.anthillfarms.com.

Drew Family Cellars

This winery has been featured on multiple occasions in the PinotFile because the winemaking is so consistently superb that I have never had a disappointing wine from owner and winemaker Jason Drew. In 2000, Jason founded the Drew label with his wife Molly while he as an associate winemaker at Babcock Vineyards & Winery in the Santa Rita Hills. In 2002, he left Babcock to concentrate on his own label, and two years later purchased a 26-acre ridge top property overlooking the Anderson Valley in the Mendocino Ridge appellation. A winery and home were built on the property and vineyard planting began in 2010. Drew’s vineyard will be one of the most westerly vineyards on the North Coast. Grapes are currently sourced from the Anderson Valley, Sonoma Coast, Mendocino Ridge, and Yorkville Highlands. Vineyards sources have changed with vineyard ownership switches over recent years. Drew wines are sold through a mailing list and retail channels, and at the tasting room in Philo. Interested Pinot lovers should join the mailing list and the Pre- Release Wine Club to insure access to the limited production wines (1,800 cases annually). Visit the website at www.drewwines.com.

Freestone Vineyards

Joseph Phelps Vineyards farms three distinct vineyard properties in the hamlet of Freestone, a very cool climate region located in west Sonoma County. The Pastorale Vineyard lies adjacent the hillside Freestone Vineyards winery and consists of 34 acres of Pinot Noir and 21.7 acres of Chardonnay. Quarter Moon Vineyard is further west and is planted to 41 acres of Pinot Noir. Ferguson Vineyard, located just north of the winery, contains 6 acres of Pinot Noir and is farmed under a long-term lease. Director of Winemaking is Phelps veteran Damien Parker, the Winemaker is Theresa Heredia, and the Consulting Winemaker is noted Burgundian Pascal Marchand. Fogdog Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the winery’s entry level offerings, composed of a blend of grapes from the three estate vineyards. The Freestone Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and Ovation Chardonnay are premium bottlings composed of grapes from the estate vineyards. Vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs are produced from Quarter Moon and Pastorale vineyards and a single vineyard Chardonnay is offered from Pastorale Vineyard. Tasting is available at the Freestone Vineyards Guest Center at the corner of Bohemian Highway and Highway 12 Friday through Monday. The wines are sold through the Freestone Vineyards Private Collection wine club and the winery’s online store at www.freestonevineyards.com. There is some retail distribution of the Fogdog wines.

Harrington Wines

Bryan Harrington crafts small lots of (never larger than 225 cases) artisan Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo from his urban winery warehouse located in the Produce District of San Francisco. Harrington wines are available for purchase from the website at www.harringtonwine.com and retailers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Occasional winery open houses are scheduled.

Hop Kiln Winery

Hop Kiln Winery dates to 1976, having spawned many well-known winemakers. The current owner is Vero Westside Joint Venture. Proprietary blends, bottled under the Hop Kiln label (Thousand Flowers and Big Red) make up a large part of Hop Kiln’s current production, but in 2004 a line of premium estate grown wines were introduced under the HKG (Hop Kiln Grown) label including a Pinot Noir. Most of the 248-acre property was replanted with Pinot Noir (44 acres), Chardonnay (16 acres) and Pinot Grigio (6 acres) beginning in 2009. The winemaker is Chuck Mansfield who has a degree in enology and viticulture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and studied advanced viticulture in Australia. The wines are sold through the winery website. The tasting room at 6050 Westside Road in Healdsburg is open daily and a second tasting in Glen Ellen is open Thursday through Sunday. The website is www.hopkilnwinery.com.

Kendric Vineyards

Stewart Johnson farms the Kendric Johnson Vineyard on leased land at the boundary of the Marin County and Sonoma Coast appellations 8 miles west of the Pacific Coast. This 8.5-acre vineyard was planted in 2002 to clones 37, 115, 667, 777, 828, Pommard and Martini. Yields are extremely low at this very cool site. Stewart could well be the most educated winemaker in California. He graduated from University of California at Berkeley, obtained a doctorate in political science from Yale, and graduated with a law degree from Hastings. While interning at the Environmental Protection Agency, he was drawn to winegrowing and winemaking rather than being confined to an office practicing law. With his wife, who is a Marin native, he discovered the pastoral beauty of Marin County and ended up growing grapes there. I have tasted every vintage of Kendric Vineyards Pinot Noir since the inaugural 2004 release and found the wines to be consistently stellar and sensibly priced. The 2008 vintage is probably the best to date. Both vintages reviewed below are available on the winery’s website at www.kendricvineyards.com. Some fruit from the Kendric Johnson Vineyard is sent to other premium producers including Miller Wine Works and Sheldon (reviews below).

Sheldon Wines

Sheldon Wines is a partnership between Dylan Sheldon and Tobe Weatherly. The two met at the Cepage Wine Bar in Carmel, California, which Sheldon started in 2000 after working harvest in Western Australia. Weatherly was a geologist who frequented the wine bar. They were engaged five weeks after their first kiss, sold all their belongings, and traveled the world together making wine. When they returned to the United States, they leased an empty winery in Sebastopol and vinified their first 420 cases of Sheldon wine in 2003. The wines reviewed here are very uneven in quality. The Sheldon Wines tasting room is located in Santa Rosa’s Urban Winery Village (open Friday 4:00 to 7:00 and Saturday and Sunday 2:00 to 6:00 and by appointment). The portfolio includes a Rhone white blend, Petite Sirah, and Graciano. The wines are sold on the website (www.sheldonwines.com) with limited retail distribution.

Pali Wine Co.

Founded in 2005 by Tim Perr, Scott Knight and a group of investors, the winery is named for the Los Angeles suburb of Pacific Palisades where the principals live and work. Pali produces several single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from top notch vineyards in California and Oregon, a line of value-priced appellation blends of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay named for different neighborhoods in the Pacific Palisades, and a group of very inexpensive wines bottled under the Tower 15 label. At one point, the winery produced as many as ten single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, but this has been reduced in 2009 to two (and a Chardonnay from Shea Vineyard in Oregon) as the winery has shifted its emphasis to more affordable, earlier drinking wines. A modern winery was complete in Lompoc in 2007 and tasting is available there Fridays and Saturdays and other days by appointment (www.paliwineco.com. The wines are all bottled under screw top. The 2005 to 2007 vintages were vinified by Brian Loring. Aaron Walker is the current winemaker with Kenneth Juhasz (Auteur, Donum Estate, Dunstan) acting as the consulting winemaker.

Scribe Winery

Proprietor Andrew Mariani acquired 256 acres in 2007 three miles east of the Sonoma Town Square in Carneros. The property has a long and colorful history dating to 1858 when Emil Dresel and his brother Julius established vineyards on the site. They may have planted the first Riesling and Silvaner vines in the United States. There are reports of clandestine Prohibition era activities on the property and most recently, the land was home to turkeys. With partners Kristof Anderson and Andrew Avellar, the trio is revitalizing the property and growing 35 acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sylvaner. The first vines were established in 2008. Part of the large property is being designated as a “Forever Wild” Conservation Easement, which is protected for perpetuity under the Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District of Sonoma County. The current wines are crafted from purchased grapes from Carneros and a leased vineyard property in Napa. A winery is planned to preserve the turkey shed imprint and honor the history of the property. Membership in the Scribe Viticultural Society is worth considering not only for the wine but to gain VIP access to events at the Scribe Estate. Mariani has a group of San Francisco Bay area chefs as pals and they often show up at the estate holding forth at an outdoor kitchen and wood-fired oven. Tasting is by appointment (707-939-1858). Visit the informative website to sign up to receive the winery’s newsletter and to join the Scribe Viticultural Society.

Talisman

Winemaker Scott Rich crafts age worthy Pinot Noir from challenging and expressive sites. Along with his spouse, Marta, who is also the National Sales Manager for Calera Wine Company, Scott started his small label in 1993. Trained under Tone Soter at Etude in Carneros, Rich crafts small lots (typically 200 to 300 cases) of terroir-driven Pinot Noir at his small warehouse winery in the town of Sonoma. Although I admire the wines, you do not have to trust me: check out the many testimonials on the website at www.talismanwine.com. The wines are sold primarily through a mailing list. Tasting is by appointment (707-258-5722).

Thomas George Estates

This winery has made remarkable strides in the past four years. The former Davis Bynum Winery and estate vineyards were acquired by the Baker family of Toronto, Canada in 2007. Jeremy Baker has directed the renovation of the winery, the construction of a crush pad, a new tasting room, replanting of estate vineyards including the estate Baker Ridge Vineyard adjacent the winery, and the construction of 8,000 square feet of barrel aging caves (the only caves on Westside Road). The Bakers purchased the Starr Ridge Vineyard on Windsor Road and the Cresta Ridge Vineyard in the Green Valley appellation, both originally planted and farmed by Gary Farrell and both premium sources of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, expanding their Russian River Valley estate program to 63.5 acres. The vineyard manager is noted Sonoma County viticulturist, Ulises Valdez, who works closely with renowned vineyard consultant Bob Gallagher of Crop Care Associates. Winemaker Chris Russi, like Jeremy, is young and energetic and the wines he has crafted have made huge strides since the new winery was completed in time for the 2008 vintage. Multiple varietals are offered from top vineyard sources in Sonoma County to compliment the winery’s focus on site-specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay estate wines. The house style emphasizes lower alcohols, excellent acidity and the modest use of new oak. I am impressed by the progress made with each recent vintage and the consistent high quality across the winery’s whole range of Pinot Noirs, white wines and sparkling wine in 2009. The winery’s beautiful setting off Westside Road is the site of many events including weddings. The tasting room is well appointed and open daily. The wines are made available on the informative website at www.thomasgeorgeestates.com. Guesthouses on the property are available for rent to complete the full visitor experience.

Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards

Many consumers associate Wild Horse with the ubiquitous, entry level and reasonable priced Central Coast Pinot Noir seen on practically every supermarket wine department shelf. There is, however, more Wild Horse wines to explore that are worthy of a serious pinotphile’s interest. Wild Horse Winery has been part of the Central Coast wine landscape for over 30 years, having been originally founded by Central Coast winemaker icon, Kenneth Volk, in 1981. In 2003, the winery was sold to Peak Wines International and then sold to Constellation Brands. Currently, Wild Horse sources grapes from over fifty vineyards throughout California’s Central Coast. There are three levels of Wild Horse Pinot Noir: Wild Horse Wines (inexpensive, early drinking, widely distributed), Unbridled Wines (limited production releases, often only available at the winery), and Cheval Sauvage (a reserve wine selected from special barrels). Cheval Sauvage (French for “Wild Horse”) is sourced from several coveted vineyards on the Central Coast and represents a premium blend of Pinot Noir clones that varies with each new vintage. The current 2008 vintage includes fruit from Garey, Bien Nacido, Addamo and Sierra Madre Vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley, and Rancho Los Hermanas Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills. The winery and tasting room are located south of Paso Robles in Templeton. Visit the website at www.wildhorsewinery.com to purchase wines.

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Mueller Winery: Quintessential RRV Middle Reach

Owner Bob Mueller has had a distinguished winemaking career. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of California at Santa Cruz, he worked at Paul Masson Champagne Cellars in Saratoga as a chemist where he made the decision to become a winemaker. After earning his masters degree in food science and enology at University of California at Davis, he became the winemaker at both Foppiano Winery and Charles Krug Winery, and was later hired as senior winemaker at Pirelli-Minetti Winery in Delano, California where he directed three winemakers in the crushing of more than 25 million gallons of table wine, sparkling wine and brandy annually. After a stint as winemaker at Souverain Winery in Geyserville, Bob (pictured below) left to start his own consulting business and designed and established a large custom crush facility in Geyserville.

In 1991, he established Robert Mueller Cellars in Healdsburg. His first Pinot Noir, “Emily’s Cuvée,” debuted in 1994. Ten years later, he built a winery on Starr Road in Windsor and gradually ramped up production to its current 4,000 to 5,000 case level. The winery is largely a one-man operation, with Bob handling all the cellar and production duties, while his wife, Lori, handles sales, accounting and compliance work.

Mueller is best known for Pinot Noir, but also produces Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Old Vine Zinfandel and Syrah, all sourced from the Russian River Valley. The 2008 vintage of Mueller Pinot Noir has been highly lauded and all six of the wines received high scores from the Wine Spectator. Several of the wines reviewed below have already sold out.

Pinot Noir is sourced from Vino Farms vineyards located near the banks of the Russian River Valley off of Eastside Road.

Tasting is available in the Mueller winery cellar Friday through Sunday from 11:00 to 4:00 at 6301 Starr Road. The wines are also sold through the website store ( www.muellerwine.com). The Russian River Valley and Emily’s Cuvée Pinot Noirs are in limited retail distribution.

The Mueller Pinot Noirs are flashy, lush, extravagantly fruity wines showing the bright cherry and cola flavors and moderately high alcohols that are the hallmarks of warmer Russian River Valley vineyard sites. That said, the fruit is never over ripe or jammy and there is enough acidity in the wines to keep them juicy. Grapes are picked at about 25.0 Brix at harvest, 100% de-stemmed, fermented in 2-ton custom fermenting tanks using both indigenous and inoculated yeast, and subjected to punch downs by hand several times a day. The wines are racked to barrel and aged in 30% to 40% new French oak.

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Antica Terra Estate: A Place for Dreamers

It is a proud time for winemaker Maggie Harrison for it has been over six years since the spring of 2005 when she first visited Antica Terra in the Eola-Amity Hills and contemplated making the move to Oregon from her comfortable assistant winemaking position at Sine Qua Non. When she visited Antica Terra on that first spring day, her memories remain vivid.

“From that viewpoint I could feel the peculiar quality of light that I now recognize as intrinsic to the place. The clouds seem to fracture over the vineyard and allow the sun to ray through, at an angle and with an intensity that makes the site feel bright, even on the bleakest day. I could see the vineyard; a sea of yellow leaves and stunted shoots. The vines were at the beginning of their growth cycle, but they were already beginning to defoliate. There were piles of black plastic and rotting hay in all the rows; remnants of a failed attempt at experimental weed control. It had done little more than create the perfect habitat for voles intent on girdling the vines. I could also see the picnic table under the old oak tree where we had just tasted the wine that they made from the site in 2003. It seemed inconceivable that such an intense, concentrated and utterly unique liquid could have emerged under these meager conditions. The site was so beautiful, the potential so clear, and the suffering equally clear. In that moment, looking at the vineyard from a distance, at the top of the forest where everything seemed so small, I felt like it was a situation I could wrap my arms around. I knew that I could do the work, concrete and real, to heal the place and make the wines this land was capable of.”

In the fall of 2005, all the wine produced from the site was declassified and another source for grapes had to be found to produce Antica Terra Pinot Noir over the next several vintages while the vineyard was undergoing rehabilitation. Antica Terra was fortunate to be able to obtain fruit from Shea Vineyard in an amount to equal what was planted at Antica Terra. The fruit from the two sites seemed to compliment each other. Maggie notes, “The old vine fruit from Antica Terra provides singularity and a smoldering complexity, while the grapes from Shea Vineyard bring fruit and stability.” The blend, which also included fruit from a third vineyard, turned out to be perfect. The Antica Terra fruit formed the core of the Willamette Valley bottling, giving it identity and complexity, but leaned on the fruit from other vineyards for completeness. The idea of bottling Antica Terra as a single-vineyard Pinot Noir was far from her mind.

In 2008, an additional five acres of Pinot Noir were planted on the steep hillside site. The land turned out to be extremely rocky and three thousand tons of rock had to be removed to plant the vineyard. The vines struggled in the shallow, rocky soil. Maggie notes, “A sensible person would never choose to plant vines at Antica Terra. It is a hillside better left to the oaks; a place for dreamers, not viticulturists.” Nevertheless, hope springs eternal, and by 2009, portions of the vineyard remained healthy deep into the fall.

In the spring following the 2009 harvest, Maggie and her partners began tasting the wines and were surprised by their intensity. Seven barrels containing wine grown on the site were set aside. Maggie recalls, “It was a surprise in the truest sense. We began this venture with the dream of making this wine firmly in our minds. Somewhere along the line, obsessed with all the intricate details of daily life, we forgot that this possibility existed. It was in this state of forgetfulness, when we were least expecting it, that it emerged.” 164 cases of 2009 Antica Terra Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir culminated a six year project of hope and dedication.

Antica Terra wines are offered through a member mailing list at www.anticaterra.com. In 2009 the lineup of wines include the inaugural Chardonnay made from Bethel Heights old vine fruit and clone 76 from Johan Vineyard. The Antica Terra Rosé, “Erratica,” is my favorite rosé produced in Oregon. The three Pinot Noirs include the Willamette Valley bottling (fruit from the Antica Terra estate and two extreme sites closer to the coast), Botanica (a Reserve blend), and the Estate Grown Antica Terra Vineyard wine.

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White Rose Estate: Simply Stunning Pinot

When Greg Sanders bought the 9.5-acre White Rose Vineyard in the Dundee Hills of Oregon in 2000 he wanted to produce Pinot Noir from this now 20-year-old site that mimicked Burgundy’s top Grand Crus. He spent a considerable amount of money acquiring and tasting fine Burgundy to understand his goal, and I was lucky enough to tag along and taste some of the iconic wines of Burgundy with him.

Greg has no formal winemaking experience beyond a few courses at University of California at Davis and does not drink which makes his story even more intriguing. His first wines were flawed with Brettanomyces. He initially chose to use very curious and oblique names for his wines including Dragon’s Bluff and Quotee’s Lair. A local well-known wine retailer in Southern California refused to carry Greg’s early wines because the retailer disliked the peculiar black and white labels.

Since 2008, there has been a remarkable transformation at White Rose Estate. Greg now works in tandem with Jesus Guillen, also a largely self-taught winemaker whose father managed the estate since arriving in 2002. The labels have taken on a new design more fitting the quality of the wines and the website has been thoroughly upgraded. Wine Advocate reviewer Jay Miller said recently, “Old vines, low yields, and a willingness to stretch the envelope have made White Rose Estate one of the premier producers of American Pinot Noir,” and he gave the 2009 White Rose Vineyard Whole Cluster Pinot Noir a score of 96 points, the top scoring Oregon wine of the vintage. Two 2008 White Rose Estate Pinot Noirs made my 2010 Oregon Pinot Noir All-Americans First Team list. White Rose Estate now has a reputation befitting the neighborhood, with Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Domaine Serene and Archery Summit all close by.

When I spoke with Greg recently, I asked him about the remarkable improvement in the wines beginning in 2008. He told me that it just took several years to dial in the style he was aiming for. He has veered away from the use of large amounts of new oak, now preferring about 10% during elevage. Greg uses a significant amount of whole cluster because he feels it adds more secondary character to the wines from his site. He began experimenting with whole cluster fermentation in 2004 and he found this “allows us to produce wines with full structure, allowing the complexity, density and purity of fruit to shine, and offering a clear expression of each layer of flavor.” By the 2011 vintage, all of Greg’s wines will be vinified with 100% whole cluster.

Because of White Rose Vineyard’s relatively high elevation (720 to 870 feet above sea level), extended hang times are the rule and Greg’s wines have benefited from the extended growing season at the site. Over the last four years, harvest has occurred in late October and in 2011, stretched from October 25 to November 6. This allows for slow, ideal flavor and phenolic development, balanced sugars and acids, and mature stems.

The White Rose Vineyard was planted between 1978 and 1982 and contains own-rooted Pommard clone. It is planted on an east-southeast facing slope of volcanic Jory soil. In 2009, an additional 4 acres of vineyard immediately north of the original site was acquired. This vineyard was planted in 2001 to Dijon 115 grafted to American rootstock and is showing more potential each year.

For a number of years White Rose Vineyard fruit was sold to prominent Willamette Valley wineries such as Panther Creek, St. Innocent and Torii Mor, and was often bottled as a vineyard designate. Beginning three years ago, all White Rose Vineyard fruit is kept for estate bottlings. In addition, fruit is sourced from growers in the Yamhill-Carlton District AVA, Dundee Hills AVA and Chehalem Mountains AVA and bottlings are offered in 2009 from each of these three appellations and the Willamette Valley appellation. The estate Pinot Noir wines include White Rose Vineyard, Winemaker’s Cuvée, “Guillen,” “Hand Select,” and “Whole Cluster.”

For 2009, yields averaged 1.5 to 1.75 tons per acre across all vineyard sites. The winemaking regimen for the estate Pinot Noirs is as follows. Fruit is typically cold soaked for 4 to 5 days before inoculation. 7 to 11 days of post-maceration skin contact follows the completion of fermentation. After 20 to 22 days of skin contact, the must is pressed off using an old world basket press and barreled down in French oak for 15 months of aging in the cellar. While in barrel, the wines are racked once after malolactic fermentation and then again just before blending.

The 2009 White Rose Estate wines do not have quite the startling intensity of flavor and structure of the 2008 vintage wines, but they are more approachable upon release and are very classy wines in their own right.

Greg has built an unusual tasting room with a small winery underneath whose main doors look out on to the Willamette Valley and Mt. Hood. The tasting room at 6250 NE Hilltop Lane in Dayton is open daily. Tours are available by reservation on Saturdays. The wines are sold through a mailing list, wine club and on the website (www.whiterosewines.com), with very limited retail distribution of some wines.

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Morning Dew Ranch Pinot Noir from Burt Williams

The list of admirers of winemaker Burt Williams reads like a who’s who of New World Pinot Noir producers: Bob Cabral (current winemaker at Williams Selyem), Michael Browne (Kosta Browne), Steve Doerner (Cristom Vineyards), Ted Lemon (Littorai), George Levkoff (George Wines), Tim Olson (Olson Ogden Wines), Manfred Krankl (Sine Qua Non), Jeff Fink (Tantara), Craig Brewer (Brewer-Clifton), Tom Dehlinger (Dehlinger), Chris Whitcraft (Whitcraft), Tom Rochioli (J. Rochioli Vineyards & Winery), Michael Sullivan (Benovia), Denise Selyem and Kirk Hubbard (WesMar), Ben Papapietro (Papapietro Perry), Nicolai Stez (Woodenhead), Ross Cobb (Cobb Wines), Mac McDonald (Vision Cellars), Guy Davis (Davis Family Vineyards) and Thomas Rivers Brown (Rivers-Marie). The are hundreds of other winemakers who have never met Williams, but have drank his wines and revere him.

Williams was among the very first California Pinot Noir producers who demonstrated that great wine, and in particular Pinot Noir, could be produced without artifice. Technological methods such as saignée, alcohol adjustment, addition of Rubired and other extracts, or other products to change color, flavor, acid, tannin and mouth feel were shown to simply not be required or desirable. Although technology and expensive equipment can be useful winemaking adjuncts, Williams showed that they are not requirements for fine wine production.

After Williams Selyem winery was sold in 1997, Williams bought a 40-acre property in the “deep end” of the Anderson Valley and planted 13 acres of Pinot Noir. Williams had searched for appropriate cool climate winegrowing sites including the Freestone area of the Sonoma Coast, but settled on the Anderson Valley, in part because the land was more affordable. Under the direction of viticulturist Steve Williams (no relation), the land was cleared and planted in 2000 to cuttings from the Rochioli vineyard, DRC suitcase selections from adjacent vineyards, clone 23 (Mariafeld - a clone Burt’s son favored), and Dijon clones 115, 777 and 828. The vineyard, named Morning Dew Ranch, had Franciscan soils, clay underlain with sandstone. The vines were irrigated to establish them initially, with limited irrigation used when required in certain vintages to fully ripen the fruit.

Grapes from Morning Dew Ranch have been released as a vineyard-designated Pinot Noir by Brogan Cellars (owned by Burt’s daughter, Margi Williams-Wierenga), Woodenhead, and Whitcraft. Williams crafted small amounts of Pinot Noir from his vineyard in 2008 and 2009 after his ten-year non compete agreement had expired at Williams Selyem. The 2008 vintage was released this year to a small number of lucky customers (some wine is still available as of the publication date of this newsletter - e-mail me for contact information to obtain the 2008 PInot Noir), and the 2009 vintage will be released in 2012. Williams has no plans to produce wine after the 2009 vintage, choosing instead to enjoy his much-deserved retirement.

The 2008 Pinot Noir was a selection of three blocks, each a different clone. 25% whole clusters were used with the rest of the grapes de-stemmed. Fermentation was carried out in open-top stainless steel tanks for 12 days, gravity racked and pressed to new French oak barrels. The wine was raised for 15 months on the gross lees before being racked to a tank for bottling. The wine was never pumped, fined nor filtered.

Williams’ notes on the wine: “The vintage and terroir are both present in this wine as they have been in all my wines. There is initially a smoky aroma that combines with a dark berry fruit component with hints of roasted nuts and earth, medium rich palate, ripe tannins and berries on the finish. To sum this wine up in a more poetic vein, ‘the veil of the vintage present as it should be does not obscure the strength of the terroir.’ My suggestion with this wine is to decant it for aeration to allow the smoky components to recede a bit, and allow the fruit to come forward showing berry and pie cherry complexities. The wine at all stages pairs well with grilled salmon, lamb, veal and pork.

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Recent Sips of New Zealand Pinot

I keep dabbling in New Zealand Pinot Noir, and although the wines can be very good, there are none that have sent me into such a state of nirvana that I have been willing to switch from my California and Oregon favorites. Here are a few exports available in the California marketplace that you should sample and judge for yourself.

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Pinot Briefs

Russian River Valley AVA Expansion The TTB has approved the previously proposed southern expansion of the Russian River Valley to Cotati, effective December 16, 2011. This was a very contentious proposal that was opposed by the Russian River Valley Winegrowers who have now acquiesced. The expansion was sought by E. & J. Gallo, which owns the 350-acres Two Rock Vineyard adjacent Highway 101 in Cotati. The change will add 14,000 acres to the Russian River Valley’s current 155,000 acres. For a complete summary on this decision, visit www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-11-16/pdf/2011-29519.pdf. Wine Industry Insight, published by Lewis Purdue, has challenged Gallo's proposed boundaries for an expanded Russian River Valley AVA, claiming they violate federal regulations (see www.wineindustryinsight.com). The last word on this issue has yet to be written. I believe the large AVA needs better delineation because of its diversity, since wines from the Middle Reach, for example, are noticeably different than the wines from Green Valley or those from the Santa Rosa Plain. Steve Heimoff has pointed out seven distinct terroirs in the Russian River Valley (see www.princeofpinot.com/article/1116/)

Sideways the Play Pickett, who wrote Sideways and its sequel Vertical, has now launched a social media presence including a blog at www.rexpickett.com. Around the third week of April, 2012, Sideways will be brought to the stage at Ruskin Group Theater Co., and Pickett is blogging about the play's progress before it premiers. A new documentary (My Life on Spec) is being made about the story behind Sideways: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY3n5rK_AyY. A curious tidbit of obscure information about Sideways is that George Clooney hoped to be cast in the movie but Thomas Haden Church was chosen instead.

World of Pinot Noir The WOPN has announced events for 2012. The 12th Annual World of Pinot Noir will be held at The Cliffs Resort in Shell Beach, California, Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3, 2012. New this year is a Vintage Burgundy Dinner being held at the Dolphin Bay Resort Friday evening. The cuisine will be prepared in collaboration by Chef Mark Peel of Campanile Restaurant in Los Angeles and Chef Brian Collins of Lido Restaurant. The Court of Master Sommeliers President, Fred Dame, will host and pour a selection of vintage and rare wines from the Court's cellar. Also new this year is the Seaside Fête which will take place on the beach at the Avila Beach Golf Resort also on Friday evening. More than 30 host wineries will be pouring to the sounds of a live band. On Saturday night, there will be Dine Around at local Central Coast restaurants with each restaurant hosting four wineries. Burgundy authority Allen Meadows will conduct a primer on the history, grapes, soils and geography of Burgundy on Saturday morning. Tickets for the two day events sell out quickly. Visit www.wopn.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

Australians Discover Brett's Genetic Blueprint Scientists at The Australian Wine Research Institute have sequenced the genome of Dekkera bruzellensis (Brettanomyces). The research was published in the November/December 2011 issue of the Wine and Viticulture Journal. The discovery could lead to better methods for controlling the yeast in wine.

Launch of VinNobles A team of Master Sommeliers has founded a new wine flash site at www.vinnobles.com that puts the emphasis on well vetted, hard-to-find, iconic wines, rather than simple discounts. Beginning with weekly offers, VinNobles will offer small production wines sourced by a team headed by Master Sommelier Barrie Larvin. An early offering included a selection of highly regarded wines from Baxter Winery, a small artisan producer of Pinot Noir located in Elk near the Anderson Valley.

Two California Pinots in Top 10 of Wine Spectator's Top 100 for 2011 The 2009 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (5,818 cases, $52) was named the wine of the year and the 2008 Dehlinger Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (1,050 cases, $35) was named the number 5 wine. The wines were chosen out of more than 16,000 wines reviewed by the Wine Spectator in blind tastings in 2011. The criteria for inclusion in the Top 100 include quality (score), value (release price), and availability (measured by case production). The full list will be published in the December 31, 2011-January 15, 2011 issue or at www.WineSpectator.com.

Oregon Wine Board Launches Wineries App To assist consumers in locating Oregon wineries on their mobile phones, the Oregon Wine Board has launched an app created by Portland-based LynkSnap, a developer of mobile websites for the wine industry. The app incorporates the Oregon Wine Map which has maps to tasting rooms, hours of operation, contact information and turn-by-turn directions. A guide to over 60 restaurants that earned “Super Cellars” awards from the Oregon Wine Press are also included (restaurants that offer exceptional selections of Oregon wines). Visit www.oregonwinemap.org where you will be directed to a mobile site to upload the app.

U.S. Alcohol Consumption At a 25-Year High A recent Gallup poll shows alcohol consumption reached a new 25-year high in 2010, with 67% of Americans reporting that they drank alcoholic beverages. The all-time alcohol benchmark of 71% was set in the 1970s. According to the Washington-based Beer Institute, people in the far West and the Upper Plains states drink the most, with the deep south and Mid- Atlantic region relatively dry. New Hampshire citizens are the biggest consumers of alcoholic beverages according to the poll, with the average adult in that state doubling the national per capita average, consuming an average of 6.7 gallons of wine each in 2010. Americans consumed wine at a record rate last year, about 2.3 gallons apiece.

Crushpad Offshoots in Urban San Francisco Jon Bonné wrote that two new projects have appeared in San Francisco recently that were founded by Crushpad veterans (SFGate.com, October 30, 2011). Dogpatch Wine Works was founded by Dave Gifford and Kevin Doucet, who are former Crushpad clients and investors. They are attempting to duplicate the Crushpad model on a smaller scale. Winemaker consultant for Dogpatch is Mike Zitlaff who was previously Crushpad's director of winemaking. The other project, Bluxome Street Winery, was founded by former Crushpad winemaker Chris Nelson and former Crushpad client (Connor Brennan Wines) Matthew Reidy. The partners make wine under the Bluxome Street Winery label but also host former Crushpad labels such as Furthermore and Waits-Mast Family Cellars. Visit www.dpwineworks.com and www.205.186.140.204.

International Pinot Noir Tasting A large blind tasting was held in London recently featuring wines from ten of the world's major Pinot Noir producing regions. German Pinot Noir grabbed seven of the top ten spots, but the 2009 Antica Terra Willamette Valley Pinot Noir took first place. The 2008 Au Bon Climat Isabelle Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir took third place and the 2009 Felton Road Block 5 Central Otago Pinot Noir was awarded eighth place. Consumers here in the U.S. have had almost no exposure to German Pinot Noir since just over 1% of its production is exported. Germany is the world's third largest producer of Pinot Noir and has more Pinot Noir plantings than Australia and New Zealand combined.

Wine Barrel Furniture Very cool furniture handmade from reclaimed American or French oak wine barrel staves by artisans in Texas. A contoured bar stool, an outdoor swing and a bench with a comfortable bend are also offered. Visit www.uncommongoods.com.

Riedel “Mamba” Decanter Wine aerates quickly through the coiled base and upright portion of this way-cool, mouth-blown lead crystal decanter, named for the world's fastest snake. The decanter was released in 2011 and is available in clear or limited edition black or green ($495 retail but available at significant discount from several online retailers). Visit www.riedel.com for other unusual decanters.

20th ¡Salud! Results 42 wineries poured at Domaine Drouhin Oregon's winery in the Dundee Hills and the 450 wine lovers in attendance bid on cases of 2010 special cuvée Oregon Pinot Noirs. Each of the 42 participating wineries produced five cases of their special cuvée. Bidding reached $2,000 per case in many instances. All five cases of Ponzi Vineyards' 2010 ¡Salud! Cuvée were sold to one bidder for $10,000. Preliminary estimates indicate the proceeds from Friday's Big Board Barrel Auction and Saturday's Dinner and Auction Gala were close to $680,000, topping last year's total. The Ponzi family was honored with the event's first-ever Founder's Award. Nancy Ponzi was one of the founders of ¡Salud!.