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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In 2007, the Wind Blows Our Way
Roar, the brilliant Santa Lucia Highlands winery that is named after the sound of the wind through its vineyards, is now crushing its grapes and making its wines in San Francisco.
A recent visit indicated that 2007 was as successful for Pinot Noir at Roar as it is for their SLH neighbors, and as it is proving to be in Sonoma County and Santa Barbara. Roar's winemaker Ed Kurtzman led Denise and I through various barrels of Roar's Rosella's and Pisoni '07s and other toys.
We began though, by sampling barrels of Ed's own highly regarded label, August West, which moved along with Roar. AWs 2007 Rosella's Chardonnay from a "neutral" barrel was a delicious beginning, packed with white peach and lemon. Blending it with the same juice from a newer barrel brought greater generosity and layers of delicious coconut cream and baked apple.
We tried four barrels of the AW Rosella's Pinot. The 1 year-old Cadus barrel showed raspberry, red rose, toast, mineral and Amarena cherry flavors in a sleek package, with lots of backbone. The 1 year-old Francois Freres barrel was predictably toastier, but longer-seeming and more generous, with a red raspberry, red rose, red plum and creamy vanilla profile. A new Cadus barrel, holding only clone 667 fruit, was full of contrasts, being at once feminine, but with super-rich raspberry syrup-Amarena cherry fruit, and herbal-citric-yellow rose-roasted grain notes at the end. Another new Cadus barrel, of clone 113, was similar, but more citric-herbal still, finishing with cranberry-orange relish hints.
We tried three barrels of August West '07 from the Graham vineyard, a Russian River property. A new Cadus barrel, of clone 777, was super toasty, rather tannic, but deeply layered with peppered beef, dark Bing cherry, sweet red plum, boysenberry and vanilla cream. The 667 clone, in a new Francois Freres barrel, was deeper still, with densely-packed strains of roasted grain, Amarena cherry, boysenberry, bouillon, dry rose, coriander seed and smoke. Another new Francois Freres, with a clonal mix of 667 and Swan seemed broader and less evolved, with cherry-berry-boysenberry fruit and dark earthy notes.
The Lion Steps Up
The Roar Garys' Pinot Vineyard is planted entirely to Pisoni clone, although portions are on different rootstocks. We tried two barrels of 2007. The first, from a Remond barrel (new, I think), had sweet-natured aromas of red cherry, sweet rose, grenadine, dried orange and boysenberry, but was firm and surprisingly powerful on the palate, with a hard minerality, plenty of tannin, and flavors of grenadine, crabapple syrup, boysenberry jam and smoky vanilla. A similar barrel, but with juice from a different rootstock, was denser still, with an earthier, smokier impression and a penetrating finish of sweet raspberry, cherry, orange liqueur and minerals. It showed plenty of tannin and has a great future ahead.
Roar also bottles a Pisoni Vineyard bottling and their 2005 was one of my favorite Pinots of the last few years. The Pisoni clone is justifiably famous and, as in Rosella's, is exclusive throughout this vineyard. We tried two barrels and then an "approximate final blend".
Our first sample, from a new Hermitage barrel, cut from the Troncais forest in France, was a show-stopper. It was a wildly fruity, Grand Opera cascade of aroma and flavor, with pomegranate syrup, red raspberry, sweet crabapple syrup, leather, peppery braised beef, dried orange, Maraschino cherry, yellow rose, toast and vanilla. It had penetrating intensity, length and focus and was altogether distinctive.
The Remond barrel sample that followed was a creature of much greater restraint, but of real beauty. The aromas were an elegant mix of cherry, cinnamon, red plum, red rose petal, minerals and roasted grain. It was sleek in mouth-feel and super-long, with great grip. The finish was finely polished and elegantly layered with cereal grain, cinnamon, yellow rose, red raspberry and red currant fruit, and it had a truly fine sense of "grip".
Roar's final blending decisions were about to be made and owners Gary and Rosella Franscioni would soon be joining consultant Adam Lee and Ed to finish that process. Ed was kind enough to let us taste what he though might be the final Pisoni blend. It was a tremendously impressive wine; deep, grapey, sinewy and full of grip, with flamboyant fruit that fanned out seamlessly from the first sniff to the final swallow. Scents of raspberry syrup, Mr. Lincoln rose, grenadine, orange peel, pink peppercorn and powdered sumac were all clearly apparent in the aromas, while the mid-palate and finish were a tightly structured, energy packed concentrate of the same elements. Clearly a wine for the cellar, it was also clearly a potentially great wine.
Ed was a great host, as have been Gary and Rosella, over the years. It was a pleasure to discover that their previous success may be just a prelude to something even greater!