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...
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Breakfast of Champions
I had long-desired a return encounter with Ed Kurtzman, winemaker of Roar, August West and Sandler. Denise (NVWE GM) and I had visited Roar's new San Francisco-based winery months ago, and we were startled by how wonderful Ed's various 2007 wines showed in barrel. Doug, the local distributor for Ed's wines, heard of my desire and approached me with an offer from Ed which could not be refused: a catered breakfast with wine tasting for our whole staff, at Roar!
Well, not all of us were able to make it, but Midori, Zoe, James Jackson and I got lucky. We joined Ed and Doug for a truly delicious repast. It began with lovely crab-filled pastries to match the fabulous August West Chardonnay (see below). It was immediately clear why Caroline Fey (mariposakitchen.com) is Ed's favorite caterer.
She followed the crab goodies with two dozen of the best turnovers I have ever tasted. The mix of dried berries these were stuffed with proved not only delicious, but somehow harmonious with the various Pinot Noirs we were tasting!
We left no turnovers on the plate, which is a tribute to their quality, as the main course was beef tenderloin and eggs baked with cheese! Here are my notes on five of the ten bottlings we imbibed with our "steak and eggs":
2007 August West
Chardonnay
Rosella's Vineyard
Santa Lucia Highlands
This is a stunning Chardonnay, with hard mineral undercurrents and gorgeous flavors of lemon zest, white peach, fresh pear, coconut custard and hints of fresh blossoms. It shows a chiseled precision on the palate, with a creamy texture cut quickly by firming fruit acidity and slate-like minerality, which together bring focus to lingering flavors of Riviera pears and lemon cream. It will be spectacular with cream sauce-based entrees. 94 cases produced.
2007 August West
Pinot Noir
Rosella's Vineyard
Santa Lucia Highlands
Sweet-natured and harmonious, this is a beautiful Pinot, with aromas of Boysenberry, ripe red plum, pink peppercorn, roasted grain, Hunter's broth and hints of powdered sumac. It is less evolved on the palate, where its otherwise creamy texture is tightened by strong mineral strains. Its coiled plum, berry, grain and vanilla flavors linger beautifully however and already give pleasure. If needing three more years to fully express all it has to offer, it will be well worth the wait. 901 cases produced.
2007 Roar
Pinot Noir
Santa Lucia Highlands
Firm, rich and very elegant, the nose of this beauty offers scents of red cherry, pomegranate syrup, dried cranberry, vanilla and hints of smoked meats in a fine harmony. It is plump in texture, as deep as expected on the palate and already quite delicious, with almost heady ripeness. The finish proves more elegant, but just as expressive, with lingering flavors of cherries, red berries, dried fruits, toast, cereal grains, vanilla and smoke. It should grow ever finer over the next two years or so. 820 cases produced.
2007 Roar
Pinot Noir
Garys' Vineyard
Santa Lucia Highlands
Sweetly rich and vividly focused, the aromas of this gorgeous and amazingly forward Pinot are a mix of Bright red cherry, Boysenberry syrup, dried orange peel, vanilla, minerals and hints of tobacco. It is super-rich on the palate and luscious in its ripeness, which carries through a lingering finish of cherry, red plum, pomegranate, vanilla, toast and earth. If ripe enough to almost completely mask its tannins, it never veers into over-ripeness. Almost an equal-opposite of the great, but more reticent (at release) 2004 Roar Garys', it should age more quickly, but will likely achieve the same level of distinction.
2007 Sandler
Pinot Noir
Sonoma Coast
This fine "value" Pinot has a very well-evolved plum, red berry, vanilla, smoke, hint white pepper and mineral nose. Sleek in mouth-feel, it has forthcoming flavors of dark cherry and plum and smoke, with mineral notes in support. Its youth is betrayed at the finish, which is still firmed by youthful acidity, but it should round out nicely if paired with Prime Rib or similar fatty dishes. Expect full maturity in another 12 months or so. 130 cases produced.
These Roar and August West wines are indicative of just how brilliant 2007 was in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The much less expensive Sandler Pinot (Ed's own label), from the Sonoma Coast, showed a similar degree of ripeness. The NVWE consensus was that, overall, these were damn good breakfast wines!