Don's Gillette's Weekly Wine Blog
Weekly 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. Check back here each week for Don's latest thoughts on various wine-related topics. Read Don's full bio...
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The Sun Has Set on 2007
It was a terrific year for those who love California wine and it was an especially pleasant one for those who get to sell it. It is easy to sell great vintages, particularly when they are eagerly awaited. That was the case with the great Cabernet and Pinot Noir crops that made their appearance in '07.
Easy Sailing
At NVWE we had long awaited the 2004 Cabs, stellar performers in barrel. Our only early worries about the '04s concerned the small crop size, potentially over-soft tannins, and the possibility that some wines might have blurry, overripe personalities. In the end, none of those issues represented even a minor a problem.
2004 proved a great Cabernet vintage by just about any standard. The finished wines showed great richness, focus, depth and more tannic structure than was revealed in barrel. The shortfall in crop size, while significant when it concerned an individual bottling (like Phelp's Insignia, for instance), was lessened in importance due to the fact that so very many producers were successful. There was never any shortage of fine wine to buy, and early press raves alerted Cab lovers. Our own customers quickly fell in love with the vintage. It was all easy sailing.
The Hits Just Keep on Comin'
Pinot Noir fans had no logical reason to expect that another great vintage would follow 2002, 2003 and 2004, but 2005 was just that. North to South, it was a brilliantly successful vintage, and the tidal wave of great new Pinot properties that we have seen in the recent past showed no sign of losing momentum.
Toward the end of 2007 it became clear that the emerging 2006 Pinot crop, if uneven in places, was going to produce many spectacular bottlings as well. It now appears that the 2007 Pinot crop will be brilliant also. In fact, many growers are talking about '07 as the greatest Pinot vintage ever!
Too much of a good thing?
One could almost have forgotten to drink white wine, unless one tried a 2005 Chardonnay from Chasseur, or a 2006 from Brewer Clifton or Lewis. I managed to give a lot of my personal attention to Palmina whites, and to the many new Rhone-ish bottlings (red and white) that came our way.
Let's hope 2008 can top it!