Don's Gillette's Wine Blog
Musings from our store's resident wine guru
Don has over thirty years experience in the wine industry. For the last eighteen years his attention has been focused on the growing local industry. Don has a large following of customers who search out his opinions (never in short supply!) on new releases and on what's currently most distinctive on our shelves. Others seek his insights on wineries and trends that are still under the radar. Read Don's full bio...
Email Don directly with your wine-related questions.
December 31, 2009
Things to be Greatfull for in 2009
I don't know anyone who isn't glad that 2009 is over. In too many ways it was a trial for us all. Yet for the wine consumer and salesman it was a year when - assuming that both were still employed - the marketplace was packed with wonderful things.
What follows is a random and by no ways complete list of wine news that pleased me personally in 2009. Forgive me if I forget things that were important in January or March in favor of more recent events, as such "senior moments" come often to me these days.
Most upbeat year-long topic: The near-endless supply of fine 2007 Pinots. A disappointing bottle from such a vintage could only lower ones estimation of its winemaker. All but the truly incompetent made delicious '07s.
Best indication of my future job security: The maturation of all those great young Pinot Noir vineyards.
Next best indication of my own job security: An orderly progression through five straight outstanding Napa Cabernet vintages: 2004-2008.
Most helpful recent trend: Three fine Chardonnay harvests on the shelves at once: 2006-2008. The best 2007s are as good as it gets. Anyone tasting a "regular" '07 bottling from Chasseur or Lewis will get the picture.
Best new Chardonnay producer: Clearly Morlet, although for Tiffany prices one should get a pretty jewel.
Other likable trends: Napa Cabernet "appellation blends", like Whitehall Lanes' St Helena and Rutherford bottlings. Fancy Pink Bubblies like those from Schramsberg & Roederer. $60.00 Cabs for under $40.00.
Best reasons to gulp Sauvignon Blanc: 2007 Grgich Hills; 2008 Signaterra Shone Farm.
Indications we should plant more Italian varietals in California: 2008 Palmina Arneis; 2008 Mahoney Vermentino.
Best reason to collect Merlot: 2007 Paloma.
Best Cab Franc in memory: 2006 Keenan.
Good excuses to buy Syrah: Lewis, Peay, Roar, Lucia & Spotted Owl.
Top pourers at Zap 2009: Seghesio and Gamba.
Favorite new Cab producers (both 2006s from Napa): Malk - from a plot astride the famous Fay vineyard in Stags Leap; and Boeschen - next to Chabot vineyard, at the base of Howell Mountain.
My personal favorite "Eureka!" moment: Learning where the Malk vineyard was located after describing that 2006 Cab as "Cask 23-like".
Winery of the year: Bill Hunter's Chasseur. With 6 fine-to-great whites and about 11 fine-to-historic Pinots. No one else was really even close.
Posted by Don on December 31, 2009 12:21 AM |Permalink
November 25, 2009
Of Books, Movies and People Who Make an Impact
My daughter is a senior in high school. One of her latest assignments is to compare a work of fiction with a film representation of it. She is behind in her work (due to illness) and was irritated by the assignment. She wearily asked her dad for book/film suggestions (she finds adults in general and her father in particular, verbose). Naturally, I had dozens of suggestions. Most of my choices got her eyes rolling, but she agreed (when I assured her that the book was short and the movie in color) to read Conrad's novel Heart of darkness and watch Coppola's film Apocalypse now.
I bring this up because mention of Coppola's film (which I saw upon release and had not seen since) always brings back memories of Anne Chiquoine.
In the 1970s, I worked in a wine store in Santa Barbara. Through my job I became friends with Chuck Henderson, a Gallo salesman who serviced the store. Chuck had a dull job, but lots of outside interests and much more free time than I. He was a literature and film buff and most of our conversations were about books, especially modern fiction. We used to surreptitiously share wine and chat as I worked behind the counter. Often we continued our conversations over Margaritas after I got off work.
One day he loaned me a John Hawkes book: "The Beetle Leg", which I loved. I had never heard of Hawkes and asked where I could buy more of his books. Chuck sent me to a tiny bookstore in Ventura, owned by Anne Chiquoine. He said her's was the only store in the state to carry them. He said she had dozens and dozens of books from small publishers which could not be bought in LA of San Francisco.
A few weeks later, I drove to Ventura and found her shop. It had little in the way of window displays and was very cramped inside. It was longer and thinner, but not larger than the display area at Napa Valley Winery Exchange. The interior was entirely filled with revolving wire book racks and each wall was tightly packed also, mostly with paperbacks. One had to weave a path around the wire racks. When I stepped in, the only occupant was a small woman, apparently of late middle age. She stood, loading a wire rack, with her back to me.
When She heard me, she looked over her shoulder and asked tersely, with no warmth or welcome in her voice: "What do you want". Rather startled, I told her I had been sent by my friend Chuck and that I wanted to track down some John Hawkes books. She turned backed to sorting her books and said, in a neutral voice: "You can stay".
I looked through the dozen or so racks and was surprised to find but one copy of each book. Customers had to leaf through every section of every rack just to learn what was for sale. What was for sale was remarkable. Anne specialized in small publishing houses and bought only books she was excited about. She could describe any book you asked her about and could minutely criticize the vices or defend the virtues of emerging writers from all over the world. She was the only west coast source for much of her inventory. I later learned that college English departments from Northern California, Oregon and Washington would buy their books from her, making annual safaris down to Ventura to explore the new ones.
The Passions of the Day
One day, while shopping at Anne's store, I became involved in a conversation with another customer about the just released film "Apocalypse Now". He had read various pro and con reviews, but had yet to see it. I had gone to opening night (after rereading Heart of Darkness in preparation). I said that it was a remarkable and important movie, and then went on to nit-pick it to pieces. I said, rather emphatically, that it had missed being a great film because Coppola had so filled it with visual "impact" (the word I actually used might have been "distractions") that the public might miss the message that the darkness (or its potential anyway) lay not in the jungle and in all the "rockets red glare", but in the hearts of the men who hoped to conquer it. At a pause in this conversation, Anne interjected a comment. She too had been to opening night. She said the she also had some criticisms, but that: "Make no mistake, twenty years from now our complaints will be forgotten and we will be grateful that he has made such a remarkable film".
I lived in Santa Barbara for over seven years and regularly made the 45 minute drive to Anne Chiquoine books. She introduced me to writers like Alain Robbe-Grillet, Sebastian Japrisot, Kodo Abe, Yukio Mishima and Heinrich Boll. She tracked down five of the six B Traven "Jungle novels" (we could never find an English copy of "Trozas"). She insisted that I buy the first ever reprinting of Ben Hecht's (banned for 50 years as obscene) Fantazius Mallare novels, which I treasure.
I always thought Anne could smile a bit more and intimidate her customers less. I also came to think that her business profile might work well for a wine store.
After writing this blog, I watched Apocalypse Now and discovered that Anne was right, the essence of the book comes through clearly. I also Googled the name Anne Chiquoine. I learned that she passed away in 2003, leaving over a million dollars (apparently earned prior to the opening of her bookstore) to a college. I also learned that Anne is talked about in a book called: "An Alphabetical Life", written by a friend who was also in the trade. I can't wait to read it!
Posted by Don on November 25, 2009 5:58 AM |Permalink
November 20, 2009
Posted by Don on November 20, 2009 5:58 PM |Permalink
September 21, 2009
Sometimes in Sonoma
Fine Sonoma Cabernets are so few in number that it is seldom one has reason to write about a vintage. How small is the field?
The greatest Sonoma Cabs come from Sonoma Mountain:, yet Laurel Glen, Benziger, Kamen, and Audellsa are the only real contenders here. The quality range, in a worthy vintage, is fine to great.
Alexander Valley is Sonoma's most famous Cab appellation. It was made so by the success of Silver Oak and Jordan, neither of which has attempted to produce great wine there for some time. The other bearers these days include estates like Lancaster, Simi or tiny Eric Guerra. The quality range is OK to very fine.
Dry Creek Cabernets are notorious for being heavy in tannin and frail of fruit, although higher elevation (Bradford Mountain) is certainly a plus factor and a few wineries (Rafanelli for instance) succeed fairly regularly. That being said, I have tasted more fruitless and bitterly short Dry Creek Cabs than I care to remember. It is certainly possible to make fine Cabernet here, but bad Dry Creek Cab is truly bad. The quality range runs dismal to fine.
The few Russian River Cabs still being produced are firm, racy-textured bottlings, notable for style, more than ripeness. The quality of winemaking here is very high, but there is scant reason to grow Cabernet at all. One rarely sees a poorly made wine, yet the best wines need age to be just very good.
Sonoma Valley Cabs are occasionally quite attractive and Sonoma Valley fruit is also used in some very attractive blends. The Sonoma County appellation however, is a broad one that is popular with many large corporate wineries, who generally do little to elevate its prestige. Their bottlings are frequently watery and/or dull. Again, higher elevation land usually helps.
The Chalk Hill area is capable of producing outstanding wines, but they are a rarity. The most interesting these days come from a newer producer called Demuth Kemos. They make darkly powerful Cabernets of fine ripeness but manageable tannin.
I said at the start that fine Sonoma Cabernets are so few in number that it is seldom one has reason to write about a vintage. Well 2006 is a good reason. For the first time in several years there is a cross section of fine Sonoma Cabernet available. If the opportunity arises, try any of these:
2006 Audellsa Cabernet Sauvignons
2006 Audellsa Summit Proprietary Red Wine (like a fine Pomerol)
2006 Eric Guerra Cabernet Sauvignon (a great value)
2006 Eric Guerra Ispiri Proprietary Red Wine
2006 Dumuth Kemos Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon (cellar-worthy and full of guts)
2006 Kamen Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Mountain (a truly great, Margaux-like Cab)
When they are released, I am personally longing to taste:
2006 Benziger Tribute Proprietary Red Wine
2006 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon
I am keeping my eyes peeled and won't be surprised if Sonoma has more exciting '06s in store!
Posted by Don on September 21, 2009 11:07 AM |Permalink
August 27, 2009
In Praise of the 89s
I have long expected that the Wine Spectator Magazine would do a grand-scale review of the 2007 California Pinot Noirs, a vintage not to be ignored. In mid-August I was searching the WS website for something from a previous issue and noticed that September was to be their Pinot issue. The cover headline proclaimed it our best Pinot vintage ever, an easy proposition to agree with. Clicking on the cover I found a long list of advance reviews. I printed the list and then promptly forgot it.
I did not think of the printout again until customers started to call me about the reviews. This happens all the time, as east-coast and mid-west readers seem to get their copies well before we do. Most of the calls concerned Chasseur (which we are well-known suppliers of), Kosta Browne and Red Car. One caller got me at lunch, so I had some time to talk. The conversation went something along the following lines.
Customer: I am looking at the new Spectator's Pinot reviews, do you have any of the heavy hitters in yet.
Don: I have only seen the cover. Which wines do you mean?
Customer: Chasseur Rayhill, Red Car Heaven & Earth and the Black Kites.
Don: The Black Kites are on our website. Red Car is long gone. Chasseurs are coming in the Fall. Did they review all of the Chasseurs?
Customer: Yes, mostly big ratings.
Don: The Rayhill is one of my current favorites, along with the Sexton and Joyce. I really adore the Joyce, but who knows which of the nine Chasseurs will ultimately turn out to be the best, I certainly don't have any idea. Did they review the Benovia's?
Customer: Just the Sonoma Coast: 88 points.
Don: For Heaven's sake.
Customer: Is it better than that?
Don: Of course, and the three Vineyard Designates are all wonderful, especially the Savoy. Two are coming out any day now.
Customer: Can I read you some more reviews and see what else has been released?
Don: Sure, fire away. Wait a minute: let me predict some more 88 and 89 point scores first.
Customer: What do you mean?
Don: Every year a bunch of the most exciting wines get 88s and 89s. They aren't big enough, jammy enough, or off-dry enough to fit in the Spectator's preferred mould. There are a group of winemakers, who are super-respected by the trade, but whose wines never get into the 90s in the Spectator.
Customer: Like who?
Don: Dutton-Goldfield, Arista, Russian Hill, the less dramatic years of Chasseur: others.
Customer: I'm looking. The Aristas are all 88s and 89s.
Don: Of course. Did they do the Dutton-Goldfield '07s?
Customer: 89 for the Freestone and 90 for the straight Dutton Ranch.
Don: The Freestone is a brilliant wine and the Sanchetti is even better in '07.
Customer: No Russian Hill.
Don: The Russian Hill Tara was fabulous in barrel. You could fill a nice cellar with 89s, bye the way.
Customer: Apparently. Don't worry, I know which ones I like. I just want to be sure a big review doesn't run you out of something I want.
Don: The good news is that there is an ocean of good Pinot still in the pipeline. Lets hear the rest of your list.
Posted by Don on August 27, 2009 2:08 PM |Permalink
August 10, 2009
The Paradoxes of Perfection: Part two of two
Last year, I was lucky enough to barrel-taste a substantial number of 2007 Pinots from the Russian River Valley and a good smattering of others from the Santa Lucia Highlands. I had occasional looks at wines from Carneros, Anderson Valley, the Santa Rita Hills and Edna Valley.
What I saw was pretty consistent. Wines that were impressive for: bright focus; engaging zest; pristine varietal and regional accuracy; fruit intensity that easily dominated barrel character; generous, supple mouth-feel; polished, but gripping tannins; and fine length. In other words, it looked to be a nearly ideal vintage.
Nothing I have seen in bottle challenges the assumption I made back then that 2007 was going to be a terrific vintage. 2007 is not only brilliant, but reliably so throughout the state. This has not happened since 2002 and 1994 and no previous vintage has produced as many successful Pinots. That happy result reflects both the largesse of Mother Nature and twenty years of continual planting of new vineyards.
As a retailer, and Pinot lover, I should be happy with this situation. Certainly I am. The wines have been easy to sell, despite the economy, and everything about the vintage seems like "smooth sailing". 2007 is proving a challenging year in only one respect: describing the wines!
Usually, wines (good ones) are fruitier in barrel. They more clearly reveal tannin, acidity, oak influence and overall structure after they are bottled. Flaws become more obvious. What puzzles me is that many '07s are doing the opposite!
Some Self-Indulgent Complaining
In barrel, 2007 Roar Garys' Pinot from the SLH, had backbone, tannic grip, hard fruit acids and loads of structure. Of course it had wonderful fruit as well. I imagined it in barrel, as a clone of the brilliant 2004 Roar Garys'. The 2004 is now recognized as a brilliant wine, although it was mean as a snake upon release.
The 2007 Roar Garys' turned out to be, upon release, a total fruit bomb! The skeletal parts of the wine had become invisible and it was as easy-drinking as Hawaiian Punch. I don't for a minute think that the structure is gone (it has no where to go), but the wine has now been reviewed as though it will be mature in six months to a year. There is the clear and present danger that it will be dismissed as a lightweight by Pinot collectors.
My notes on a final tank sample of the 2007 Chamisal Califa Pinot Noir from Edna Valley describe a wine where ferocious tannic grip and cutting acidity coil intense, but extremely youthful fruit into a tightly wound ball. I made the wine a component of our summer Pinot Noir Club six pack, and the notes I included advised customers to be extremely patient with it. Six weeks after I wrote those notes, I re-tasted the wine. It is now behaving like a more zesty equivalent of the Roar. I continue to believe that the Califa '07 is the best and most age-worthy Edna Pinot ever made, but I am now telling my customers to try it while it can still be reordered!
Last Thursday, I had the 2007 Fort Ross Fort Ross Vineyard Pinot, from what may be the coldest part of the Sonoma Coast. This is typically a mineral-dominated, tightly-wound, fruit-shy bottling, that in its youth often behaves like a particularly austere mid/low-priced Burgudy. In 2007, it has not become a fruit bomb, but the vintage has elevated it considerably beyond its usual limitations. It is graceful and sweet-natured, yet retains its obvious Burgundian personality. When you actually try to reproduce Burgundy in California, you usually get tart, austere wine. This time you get a Premier Cru.
I just tasted all nine (yes, they made 9 Reserve bottlings) of Chasseur's 2007 Vineyard Designated Pinots. How to explain that each was tightly-wound and shockingly oaky when opened, yet most were vividly fruity after 8 hours of airing and that each was distinctively different. When my notes were finished my hand ached and I felt like Marcel Proust!
That's enough complaints from me, but I hope my message gets across: Don't under estimate the 2007s, they are special.
Posted by Don on August 10, 2009 12:35 PM |Permalink
July 26, 2009
Riding an Expanding Wave: Part one of two
This blog is ultimately about the process of writing descriptive notes for the 2007 California Pinot Noirs. First though, I want to note a bit of history and clarify some personal opinions and prejudices.
From Santa Barbara to Mendocino, California is now checker-boarded with outstanding Pinot Noir vineyards. It's early yet, but I expect the marketplace to eventually sort those sites into levels of quality, fame and price. I am firmly convinced that many of our emerging vineyards will prove to be the equal of Burgundy's Premier Cru and Grand Cru properties. I am just as certain that dozens and dozens of brilliant sites are yet to be discovered.
Thirty years ago, I was absolutely certain that we would never see a local "Slope of Gold". At this point however, we have multiple candidates for that distinction (the Russian River Valley being the most widely developed thus far) and time may reveal more. Each of these appellations is producing great wine, although a few have limitations that may not be overcome in the short term (for instance, much of the best land in the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation is currently in the hands of profit-driven corporate owners).
I believe that foremost among the factors which still elevate French Pinots above our California bottlings is vine age. Other obvious factors include: who owns the land; marketplace forces, including the influence of critics; and the winemakers' talent, commitment and experience with the land.
Vine age is overwhelmingly important with Pinot. Not so with all grapes. I learned early on that Cabernet can produce brilliant wine from young vines. I barrel-tasted multiple young-vine Cabs in the 1970s, several of which became great wines and plenty of which turned out to be fine and age-worthy. Viognier can produce fine results from the outset, as can Syrah. I cannot name any new vine California Pinot Noir that became an outstanding wine.
Dozens of new Pinot bottlings are introduced each year, some from existing vineyards, even more from new properties. A consequence is that, with each new fine vintage, an expanded supply of fine wine becomes available. If our weather remains as helpfully clement as in the recent past (hurrahs for global warming anyone?), we can expect each new year to produce a larger group of successful bottlings.
Pinot lovers have been the beneficiaries of this situation for about 20 years now. The 1988 bottles, a small but memorable group, were entirely eclipsed by the even better and more numerous Pinots of 1990. The memory of 1990 (a year when the best California wines were favorably discussed vs. the famous 1990 Burgundies in Wine Spectator Magazine) was virtually erased when the fabulous and much more numerous 1994s (successful state-wide) arrived.
During this period, an enormous amount of new planting was taking place, as growers were learning to fully exploit a newfound availability of authentic Burgundian Pinot clones. The next state-wide success occurred in 2002, when (despite a bit of overripeness in places) quality was both very high and uniform.
We have, in each vintage since then, seen great wines produced in appellations around the state. We have, from 2002 on, had six consecutive fine years in the Russian River Valley. Our next state-wide great vintage came in 2007, which is at this moment bringing us an enormous selection of truly delicious wines.
Next week, part two: Paradoxes of Perfection?
Posted by Don on July 26, 2009 3:36 PM |Permalink
July 6, 2009
A Good Season for Oddballs
In recent years Summer has become a showcase for California's non traditional white grapes. This includes historically important, but lately more obscure varietals like Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Semillon, along with relative newcomers like Verdelho and Arneis. This year we have a group that is bountifully diverse and highly successful. What follows is a brief guided tour for the curious.
Last week I tasted two new offerings from Doug Margerum. The first was a genteel and delightfully sip-able 2008 Riesling from Santa Barbara ($19.95), while number two was the best local Chenin Blanc I have had in years. Margerum's 2008 Chenin Blanc from Santa Ynez Valley ($19.95) combines California-style richness with pristine focus and the stone-hard minerality encountered in the best French bottlings. It should be ideal for twilight dinners.
Minerality and focus are also hallmarks of the 2007 Kynsi Pinot Blanc from Santa Barbara's famous Bien Nacido vineyard ($22.95), while luxurious Sauterne-esque richness is hinted at by the 2007 Bridegroom 80% Semillon/20% Sauvignon Blanc Blend ($19.95) from Napa. Palminas 2007 Arneis, from Santa Barbara's Honea vineyard ($21.95) is a richly textured and subtly complex offering, while Seghesio's 2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Gris ($20.95) showcases another piece of the Italian palate, delivering gushing fruit, balanced by cutting acidity.
Portugal and Spain are nicely represented as well. Two Verdelhos, from vineyards 400 miles apart, demonstrate that adventurous planters can be well-rewarded. The 2008 Lee "Silvaspoons" ($16.95), from the new Alta Mesa appellation in Lodi, is a quietly refreshing, subtly-rich and tasty effort. In Paso Robles, Ken Volk has made a fuller, yet even more vibrant 2008 bottling from a property called El Pomar Junction ($23.95). Tangent's 2007 Central Coast Albarino ($18.95), delivers the thirst-quenching refreshment and food-companionability one expects from Spain's official Tapas-tamer.
The spirit of the Rhone Valley looms behind two other contributions. The 2006 Nadia White ($36.95) showcases the new Santa Barbara Highlands area by joining Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne in a creamy and delicious marriage. The new 2007 North Coast release from Sol Rouge winery, called Gypsy Blanc ($28.95), makes a brighter and more floral, but equally impressive statement.
I have long hoped that someone would bring Austria's Gruner Veltliner grape to California. Although I have yet to see a California example, I couldn't resist the 2007 Daedalus Elton Vineyard bottling ($23.95) from Oregon's Willamette Valley. The Daedalus is a bit low-key, but shows appropriate mineral strains and texture, and developing fruit that already satisfies.
Darker Hues
No Spring or Summer is complete without ros. Three jumped out at us this year. Samsara's 2008 California Grenache ($19.95) is a vibrant refresher, packed with wild strawberry, watermelon and Kirsch flavors. Made in a much warmer locale, hundreds of miles to the north, the 2008 Elizabeth Rose ($18.95) takes Napa Syrah to an truly unexpected place, as layers of fruity/peppery/floral aromas and flavors are kept bone-dry by wonderfully vibrant zest.
The 2005 Schramsberg North Coast Sparkling Ros, is simple the best domestic example I have ever tasted. It combines the vivid Pinot-based flavors one hopes for, with the chiseled dryness and sophistication of fine French bubbly. I have built several dinners around it, to general applause!
To those who believe that a wines first duty is to be red, yet still want refreshment, I recommend the bright, refreshing and brilliantly food-worthy 2008 Chukker Happy Canyon Cabernet Franc from Santa Barbara ($17.95). For the heartier dishes, like the grilled Rib Eye I had last night, I suggest the Ken Volk's 2007 Negrette, from San Benito County ($23.95). It is impressively refreshing, fairly gutsy, and tastes good with just about everything!
Time to belly-up to the backyard bar!
Posted by Don on July 6, 2009 9:54 AM |Permalink
July 1, 2009
Clubbing Away at the Pinot Noir Grape
Our store offers several wine clubs, some monthly, others quarterly. I have a hand in the administration of most of them and I think about them all the time. In fact, each attractive new sample we taste sends electricity to circuits in my brain set aside for the evaluation of "club wines". I need several such circuits, as each club box tries to meet the expectations of a slightly different group of drinkers.
For a while now I have contemplated writing about the various strategies adopted when picking wines for the different clubs, as customers ask me about this topic regularly. Today I have decided to explain my thinking to our Pinot Club members, with am eye toward dropping a copy of this blog into the July PC box.
When I was younger (about the time Moses joined the choir invisible) and Burgundy was the only choice, Pinot lovers traditionally built their cellars along the following lines:
1 - Buy as many fine-vintage/age-worthy Premier-Cru & Grand-Cru Burgundies as are affordable, preferably with a preponderance of "vineyard-designated" bottlings over less distinguished "village" blends.
2 - Judiciously buy the best examples from less prestigious (cheaper) appellations and like Santenay or Volnay. If not up to dinner at the Ritz, these will be better than a Chambertain with the next veal chop you grill!
3 - Finally, capture the occasional bottle of something truly extravagant, like a Romanee-Conti for instance. This is not only an extremely expensive treat, it is a wine you probably couldn't find by the case anyway, regardless of your current bank balance. It isn't replaceable once its gone, so you cellar it patiently, reserving it for that special dinner with like-minded Pinot-philes.
I try to incorporate the above traditions into our Pinot Club boxes, but with some extra provisions that take into account the extraordinary availability of outstanding Pinot we are now experiencing.
Cause the Hits Just Keep on Comin'
California Pinot Noir planting has expanded exponentially since the late 1980s and that expansion rate remains steady. When a new and exciting vineyard or winery appears; or one reaches a level of maturity that it challenges its competitors for quality; or if a planter or winery literally braves new ground in some unexpected place to produce something of merit: it deserves inclusion in the Pinot box.
The box should also introduce any new vintage of merit, which (in light of the fact that we have just had multiple consecutive brilliant Pinot vintages) means that the box will typically contain the early-release appellation bottlings of a new vintage, along-side the late-release vineyard-designates of one or two previous years.
What should subscribers expect? Something that is a fine value, perhaps from an evolving property that is showing great promise. Something that shows the pedigree of its year or highly regarded produced. Something that drinks beautifully, yet can improve. Something that truly impresses and will clearly repay cellaring. Something read about but never successfully acquired. Something never before seen that will startle with its quality.
Some of the six wines will be easily re-ordable. Some are scarce enough that only the fleet of foot will be able to order more. Some utilize every bottle that NVWE has been able to procure and will likely never be available again. We include those wines because we recognize that our most passionate Pinot customers might otherwise never be exposed to them.
A Quick Word about Pinot Days and the highly anticipated 2007 Vintage
Sunday, June 28th, marked the Grand Tasting of this year's Pinot Days celebration. Here is a brief list of new wines that especially impressed me (excluding most appellation bottlings).
The most clearly outstanding 2007s (in alphabetical order):
2007 Arista Longbow
2007 Arista Perli
2007 August West Rosella's
2007 Benovia Savoy
2007 Benovia Sonoma Coast
2007 Black Kite Redwoods Edge
2007 Black Kite Kites Rest
2007 Chasseur Umino
2007 Chasseur Blank
2007 Dutton-Goldfield Sanchetti
2007 Dutton-Goldfield Freestone Hill
2007 Londer Ferrington
2007 Lucia Garys'
2007 Roessler Sanford & Benedict
2007 Roessler Gaps Crown
2007 Tantara La Colline
2007 Tantara Rio Vista
Others 2007s that looked very impressive but seemed not yet as complete or as focused, as they should be in a few months:
2007 Ancien Mink
2007 Arista Mononi
2007 Arista Toboni
2007 Baton
2007 Benovia Cohn
2007 Benovia Bella Una
2007 Black Kite Stony Terrace
2007 Black Kite Rivers Turn
2007 Cargasacchi SRH
2007 Dutton Estate Manzana
2007 Kastania Proprietor's Reserve
2007 Kendric Marin Estate
2007 Ketcham Estate
2007 Londer Anderson Valley
2007 Londer Parabol
2007 Roessler Savoy
2007 Russian Hill Estate
2007 Tantara Garys'
2008 Bohemian Estate
Apologies to Dutton-Goldfield, Dutton Estate, Freeman, Melville and any others whose tables I failed to fully explore! Apologies to all those who poured delicious 2006s! Special thanks to Lisa & Steve Rigisich and all those who made this wonderfully successful tasting possible!
Posted by Don on July 1, 2009 1:17 PM |Permalink
June 25, 2009
Five of a kind, more or less
It is now apparent that 2008 will be the fifth consecutive "great vintage" for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The persistent rumors to that effect were nicely substantiated at the annual Passport to Cabernet barrel tasting, this May.
Each successive vintage has shown a personality of its own, although not every one has been easy to understand at the outset (particularly 2006). The character of 2008 is already clearly defined however, despite its immaturity: wine lovers will be able to recognize it by its concentration.
Winter 2008 was extremely dry and frost damage was a serious issue in the Spring.These and other events resulted in a tiny crop. That may seem a blessing at this point, as the market is currently swamped with fine Cabernets, yet someday we will wish there were more. If there is not much juice, it is apparent that quality in 2008 is consistently exceptional throughout Napa's multiple appellations.
What is especially appealing to me is that this could be a classic grand-scale vintage, without being an overripe one. The statement seems as appropriate in all the valley appellations as well as in the much different mountain areas. This means that even those producers committed to classic elegance and polish will have the raw materials to make wines of impressive longevity.
The most impressive example of the classic-style I have thus far encountered is the gorgeous 2008 Martin Estate Reserve (it reminds of '60s BV Reserves). The intense, yet wonderfully graceful 2008 Arns shows that similar results were possible at higher elevations.
The most powerful and dramatic 2008 I have so far tasted is the Keenan Reserve. It has extraordinary depth and focus; pristinely ripe varietal character; authentic Spring Mountain terroir; and a mountain musculature reminiscent of the great '60s and '70s Cabs of Mayacamas and Ridge.
Other exciting examples poured at the Passport tasting included the tightly-would and powerful '08 Carter "Tokalon" from Oakville; the concentrated and attractively herbal O'Saughnessy from above Arns on Howell mountain; and the vividly fruity Sherwin and Spring Mountain Winery samples.
Cabs blended across appellation lines, like the rich Whitehall Lane Reserve (Rutherford & St Helena fruit), should really benefit from the grape's general success here.
Bye the way, two Paso Robles Cabs poured at Passport were of similar stature. Adelaida's Viking Cab, and Justin's sample (assumed to be headed into 2008 Isoceles) were as rich and vibrantly fruity as the northern wines.
2004 through 2008 looks a bit like a Royal Flush!