På vejen igen*

It has been all too long since Your West Coast Oenophile has appeared on these pages. I could plead medical reasons, which did seem to consume me throughout the latter part of 2023 (fortunately, everything has turned out unfounded or has been resolved with minimal intervention). More saliently, I have turned to a new wine venture, called BlueStream, which is a venue I have co-created, not as an alternative to Sostevinobile, but rather as a chance to hone my chops in the retail sector.

It was intended merely to be a consultancy on my part, but I found myself spending some 60-70 hours a week since last June building the website and ecommerce platform, writing and designing all our marketing deliverables, physically assembling the brick & mortar operations, sampling and ordering our entire wine stock, and putting in some 4,000+ miles visiting sundry wine regions from up & down the state.

In other words, scant time to write. But it’s time to get back in the saddle and revive these pages. Thus my report on my return to Solvang, some six years after opportunistic infection landed me in the ICU at Lompoc Valley Medical Center. Years before that, I had made my first sojourn to the February rendition of the Garagiste Festival, just after a couple of tourists at Fog Crest Vineyards insisted I looked just like Miles Raymond from Sideways.

Granted, there are numerous similarities between myself and Paul Giamatti: we’re both, quite obviously, Italian; we both have Ivy League degrees in English; I, too, am a writer longing for recognition of my sundry literary forays and tend to assuage my frustration with a copious amount of daily wine (I do, however, enjoy Merlot and and am alleged to have coined the term “Pinot fatigue”)

And then there is the alleged physical resemblance, which you can judge for yourself. Similar physique, similar coloration, even a somewhat similar hairline. But c’mon! That ridiculous scraggle of a sculpted beard cannot even begin to stand up to my lush, full hirsuite visage!

But the die had been cast, so when I made the obligatory pilgrimage to Hitching Post, I stood in the middle of the barroom floor and announced “If any calls me Miles, they’re getting punched out!”

It took over six hours to drive last week from San Francisco to Solvang. Being somewhat wary of returning to Lompoc—perhaps the future home of Trump et Fils—I headed straight to the Solvang Veterans’ Memorial Hall for the opening night’s “Rare & Reserve” Kick-off Party. But the delays to my drive meant I only had 30 minutes or so to enjoy these selections, and so I returned to Buellton, where it had all began, 15 or so years ago.

This time no one called me Miles.

*Danish for “On the Road Again”

 

 

LiLo unStitched

Ever since Your West Coast Oenophile launched Sostevinobile, our aim has been to discover and promote sustainable West Coast wines that elude the mainstream, both in terms of varietal offerings and from lesser-known wineries and AVAs. Which is not to say that we eschew Chardonnay and Cabernet, Napa and Sonoma, but look to go beyond these familiar offerings and popular locales.

The casual consumer or tourist may recognize Paso Robles and Santa Barbara as major wine regions in California, but others are likely to elude them. Which, of course, a main reason for us venturing out to both Livermore and Lodi recently. Admittedly, no one has yet to contrive a clever acronym these east-of-San Francisco, non-contiguous AVAs, as real estate agents are wont to do; apart from their relative proximity, the two regions are marked dissimilar in viticultural focus, weather, and terroir. But since I am under the gun to post on both this month, LiLo will have an ephemeral debut.

First up was our return to Lodi for their resumed annual Lodi Wine Experience on Lodi Lake, a pocket of the Mokelumne River stuck up on the north side of the city. COVID obviously had a deleterious effect on many of the leading wine regions, but Lodi seems not to have missed a beat in the three year stretch since I last visited,n something I find quite heartening. Unlike other AVAs emerging into prominence, Lodi has had significant hurdles to overcome over the past several decades. Its efforts to transition from principally a source for cheap filler grapes, back when the threshold for varietal labeling was only 51% encompassed a tremendous amount of missteps and, frankly, mediocre wines well into the late 1990s. Since then, it has been well-documented that Lodi has become a premier AVA for Zinfandel, and, in particular, Old Vine Zin.

Less well-known has been how several prominent wineries from outside the AVA are expanding their operations to Lodi and developing second labels here, not only to take advantage of the lower costs for viticulture but in recognition the suitability of Lodi’s terroir for Mediterranean varietals and its adaptability to meet the challenges posed by climate change. Ably showcasing an affinity for these grapes was Anaya, where Geraldo Espinosa vinifies grapes from his grandfather’s eponymous vineyard and other Lodi-based tracts. My first time sampling these wines proved revelatory, with standout bottlings of both the 2018 Tempranillo and the 2018 Nebbiolo, alongside a noteworthy 2019 Albariño and the 2019 Pinot Gris.

Similarly, former Napan Chris Mora’s Christopher Cellars featured a compelling pair of Rhône-style wines, his 2021 Carignan Mule Plane Vineyard and the 2022 Cinsault. Chris Rivera’s winery Seis Soles, on the other hand, poured more of eclectic mix, ranging from their Syrah-infused 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2019 Soltierra, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Petite Sirah to the 2021 Grenache & Mourvèdre Rosé and the esoteric 2021 White Blend, a singular marriage of Grenache Blanc and Albariño.

I would have expected the coyly named Purple Corduroy to be extravagant in their varietal selections; rather, I found the 2020 Lorelei Cabernet Sauvignon to be a bit…khaki. And although Burlington Chandler sounds more like a company that produces Earl Grey Tea or crumpets, they comported themselves quite admirably with their 2017 Malbec and 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. Though hardly monolithic, One Way Winery poured a somewhat orthodox skew of wines, highlighted by their 2021 Chardonnay.

It was disappointing not to see Michael Klouda at this event. Readers here know that I have been the unabashed champion of his unheralded wines. But this year’s rendition of the Lodi Wine Experience finally gave me the opportunity to sample the stellar selections of Markus Wine Company, headed by the inestimable Markus Niggli. To say his reputation preceded him is quite an understatement; all four wines poured here were spectacular, starting with his 2022 Nativo. Many winemakers now source Kerner from the Mokelumne Glen Vineyard, but this singular expression of the varietal, blended with 9% Bacchus, was especially noteworthy. The 2020 Essenzo proved equally compelling, deftly marrying Old Vine Zinfandel with 9% Carignane, 7% Petite Sirah, and 4% Alicante Bouschet. While his 2020 Zeitlos, a Syrah blend carries a similar supporting cast, the 2019 vintage poured here proved much more straight forward, being rounded out with 12% Cinsault and 11% Petite Sirah. But the most distinctive of this quartet had to have been the 2019 Toura, a nearly equal blend of Touriga Nacional from Silvaspoons Vineyard, along with Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon! Little wonder why stlawarts from Napa and Sonoma are seeking greener pastures—or vineyards—out near the Delta!

Of course, it was great to revisit so many old friends out here: Acquiesce, Bokisch, Berghold, Harney Lane, Lange Twins, Jeremy, St. Amant, while reacquainting with D’Art, M2, Oak Farm, Perlegos, Prie, Peltier, and others. But as this was a journey for new discoveries, I will bypass chronicling these wines for now and highlight the second leg of our LiLo excursion, the inaugural Cab Franc-A-Palooza in Livermore.

A bit of background, first. In 1988, I attempted to launch Thousand Points of Light Wines to produce George Herbert Walker BlushA Kinder, Gentler Wine. With Pat Paulsen vacillating on our proposed partnership, I turned to Mirassou in San Martin as a bulk bottler, with a proposed commitment of some 250,000 cases. But TTB blocked approval of my label, thereby effectively nullifying our deal.

Fourteen years later, Gallo acquired Mirassou and rolled the label into its portfolio. I am no longer aware of the whereabouts of the Mirassou family members with whom I dealt. The physical winery in San Martin has now been razed and the vineyards have been turned into Silicon Valley housing developments. However, Steven Mirassou took his share of the sale and built his eponymous Steven Kent Winery in Livermore, producing Cabernets and Bordeaux-style wines that rival some of Napa’s best.

As such, the winery proved an ideal setting for Cab Franc-A-Palooza. Though moderately attended, the festival gathered an extraordinary range of producers, ranging from as far south as Santa Barbara to the Walla Walla Valley in the north, as well as east to the Sierra Foothills. Additionally, wineries came from Texas, Virginia, Colorado, and Long Island, plus importers representing estates from France, Italy, Argentina, and South Africa. Considering that most people in San Francisco need a map to find the Livermore Valley, this turnout was an extraordinary coup for a first-time event.

Little known outside professional wine circles is that Cabernet Franc actually commands a higher price per ton than its offspring, Cabernet Sauvignon, given the relative scarcity of its plantings in California. Which makes it all the more remarkable that Jean Hoefliger’s The Debate produces three distinct CFs from three renowned vineyards in Napa. Here, however, the winery introduced attendees to a stellar fourth selection, the 2019 Cabernet Franc Red Hills from nearby Lake County.

Equally focused on Cabernet Franc, Leah Jørgensen poured her three renditions from Oregon: a delightful 2021 Blanc de Cabernet Franc, her mainstay, the 2021 Oregon Cabernet Franc, and a truly outstanding 2018 Clos Rogue Valley Reserve Cabernet Franc. I should niotw that our host, Steven Mirassou, greeted attendees as we entered with the 2022 Cabernet Franc Blanc from his L’Autre Côte label, then followed up with two superb reds: the 2021 L’Autre Côte Cabernet Franc and the 2019 L’Autre Côte.

Sonoma winemaker Chris Taddei featured his 2020 Cabernet Franc Fountain Grove District and the 2021 Cabernet Franc (Tu Es Belle) from Chalk Hill, then dazzled with his 2011 Super Sonoman (it may have been 2017—I can never read my own handwriting these day). He also assisted in the production of the 2020 Cabernet Franc and the 2022 Burnett Ranch Cabernet Franc from Selin Cellars.

Usually I eschew the wines from regions Sostevinobile does not cover at these large tastings, but my curiosity got the better of me as I stumbled upon the table for Pindar Vineyards. Apart fro its alleged repute as Long Island’s leading winery, I took an entire seminar on the poet for whom it was named as a graduate student (I would wager I was the only attendee on hand this pareticular afternoon who had read the Pindaric odes in Ancient Greek). But as for their 2019 Cabernet Franc? Let’s just say we won’t be expanding our geographic horizons…

Wine Country Weekend

Your West Coast Oenophile finds himself between the proverbial rock and hard place these days. Things are starting to feel close to normal in the wine world, at long last, but Sostevinobile faces a veritable quandary in its quest to launch a brick & mortar operation in San Francisco.So rather than wallow in my frustration, the best solution for now seems to be to get back on the road and revive my various wine connections whiole waiting for my $10,000,000 ship to come in.

And so I gathered myself up a couple of weekends back and returned to Sonoma for its rendition of my favorite quarterly gathering: the Garagiste Festival. I’ve written numerous times on how this event always enables me to discover half a dozen or more new or unknown (to me) labels; this session did not disappoint. Given that I eschew these new-fangled co-ferments like piquette and wine-cider hybrids, I glossed over the most of the offerings from Bard Clan, but did cotton to their 2018 Night Cabernet Sauvignon, Nearby, it was great to see Bertus van Zyl, head winemaker for The Farm Collective (Regusci Winery, James Cole Winery, T-Vine Cellars, and Tank Garage Winery), fronting for his own label, Belong Wines. His appealing 2019 Mourvèdre paired nicely with the distinctive 2022 Chasing the Sun Rosé, a proprietary blend of 47% Mourvèdre, 28% Cinsault, and 25% Grenache.

It was most interesting to discover that Darling Wines is the eponymous appellation for winemaker Tom Darling. Here, his 2021 Pinot Noir Turnstone Vineyard was accompanied by two other Sonoma, plus an amiable 2022 Pinot Gris La Cruz Vineyard from the Petaluma Gap. It may not be criminal, but Patrick Callagy achieves his vinification with Intent; his first degree bottlings here included the 2018 Pinot Noir Golden Fleece Vineyard and a most impresive 2018 Sangiovese Ipichella Vineyard.

Specializing in Sangiovese, Manzanita Grove piur a three year vertical, starting with a remarkable 2018 Estate Sangiovese. Not surprisingly, her 2020 Super Tuscan wowed with the intensified flavors of its Sangiovese blend. Next over,I confess I initially had trouble with Monroy—autocorrect kept insisting it was Monroe! But there was no need to ameliorate the three year vertical of their Cabernet Sauvignon Chalk Hill, capped by the superb 2020 vintage.

San Martin’s Moose Mountain is a rather esoteric venture, focused on an eclectic selection of grapes like French Colombard and Malbec, but their standout offering here was the 2019 Nattan but Tannat, a palindrome inside a palindrome. Similarly, Omega Road from the Livermore Valley showcased their distinct varietal bottlings: a delightful 2022 Torrontés and a rare 2022 Sangiovese Rosé.

New wine ventures at Garagiste are always intriguing to discover, and Parea comported themselves admirably with both their 2021 Cole Ranch Riesling  and the 2021 H. Klopp Chardonnay. So, too, was the debut of The Elkhoury, a boutique husband & wife project from Carneros, producing both their 2012 Pinot Noir Estate and the 2022 Pinot Noir Rosé Estate. Though billed as their first vintage, Sugarloaf is a long-standing custom crush facility in Santa Rosa that numbers such acclaimed labels as Clarice and Korbin Kameron, as well as owners Joe & Elena Reynoso’s Crescere, but this eponymous label now offers a 2021 Estate Rosé Pinot Noir and a matching 2021 Estate Pinot Noir.

Ashley Holland of Read Holland
Always a standout!

Speaking of renewing acquaintances, I first met the alliterative Thomas T. Thomas more than 20 years ago through my college friend Alan Jones, who was then dating now Vice President Kamala Harris.Nearly a decade ago, he pulled up roots and planted Burgundian grapes in Philo. Admittedly, I was skeptical about his efforts to focus exclusively on Pinot Noir, along with an inaugural Chardonnay, but found myself most impressed with his offerings of both the 2018 Estate Pinot Noir and the 2018 Buster’s Hill Pinot Noir, a standout of the afternoon. But perhaps my most notable discovery of the tasting was Rob Barney’s aptly-named Stressed Vines. His standoput offerings included two distinct Cabs: the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Reynoso Vineyards and the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Cavedale Vineyards, alongside a profound 2021 Block 4 Chardonnay.

I was also quite impressed with Sonoma’s Tiny Vineyards, even though its 500 case production put it at mid-sized for a Garagiste winery. This nascent venture poured a redoubtable 2022 Chardonnay Sonoma Vineyard and their 2021 Eclipse Malbec, plus an atypical 2022 Requisite Red Blend, a mélange of Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. An even more esoteric offering was the 2022 Festa Bianco, a 100% Friulano sourced from the Sierra Foothills by Puppione Family Wines. Its sister 2022 Festa Rosso blended this same grape into a blend of 45% Syrah & 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, a unique combo to be sure. But their deftness with Syrah truly ruled the day, as evidenced by the superb 2021 Intero Syrah Don Miguel Vineyard.

As putative head of Risorgimento, I was also glad to add Puppione to our roster as the 852nd Italian varietal producer I have identified on the West Coast. Of course, I wish I could also add Tognetti, but for now none of these grapes constitute their selections. Srtilltheir deft utilization of Chardonnay in both their 2016 Chardonnay Aloise Francisco Vineyard and the sparkling 2015 Blanc de Blancs proved impressive, while the both the 2014 and 2015 Estate Cabernet Sauvvignon came close to flawless. And with that, I readied myself to cross the metaphoric divide and tackl;e the wonders of Napa winemaking on the next day.


It’s not often I get to try what is arguably the rarest grape in production in California.Even as Jonata is planting an array of Greek varietals in Buellton,  Ponte and Cougar experiment with Vernaccia Nera in Temecula,  pockets of Béclan are discovered, and even Saperavi is making an appearance, there is but one source for Koshu, the only true Japanese vitis vinifera. I had been introduced to Michelle Kazumi Sakazaki several months before, but had not had a chance to sample this esoteric wine.

It was well worth the wait. Kozumi, Michelle’s eponymous label, conducts its business operations from her parents’ well-appointed estate on Canyon Drive on Napa’s Atlas Peak, above the Silverado Resort & Spa. The release of her 2022 Napa Valley Koshu was cause for an intimate gathering, elegantly catered with original Japanese hors d’oeuvres paired perfectly with the three wines being released: besides the Koshu, her 2020 Sauvignon Blanc was a delicate , appealing wine, while the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon proved redolent of the myriad accolades this vintage has received.

But the Koshu was the star of the afternoon. Blended from two of the producing sites Michelele has contracted, this white winewas neither sweet nor aromatic, more akin to an Arinto than, say, a Viognier, and without the citrus overtones of a Sauvignon Blanc. Certainly a wine that can hold its own not only with an array of lighter Asian dishes but as a perfect complement to almost any shellfish or whitefish fillet.


I hadn’t originally intended to attend A Vintner’s Choice, the 59th Annual Grand Tasting benefiting the Napa Wine Library, but the promoters were generous enough to provide me with a trade pass, and since it was being held just down the hill from Kazumi, I was happy to trek over to the Silverado Resort. Wine in Napa is, of course, predominantly a commercial enterprise, but its wineries contribute enormously to innumerable causes and charities throughout the county. plus there are concerts, festivals, soirées, and such that have become mainstays of the community fabric.

But wine is far more than a commodity or beverage, but as integral to modern civilization as music or literature or art. And in this regard, the Napa Valley Wine Library Collection serves as a preserve for wine’s many cultural artifacts, “an incomparable resource for research, appreciation, andd understanding of wine in all its ramifications.” As such, it was a pleasure to participate in this event and raffle, to help maintain this most important endeavor.

As a guest, it is not my place to complain, but as I was requested to provide my insights into the event, given that I have produced similar affairs, I did note that the two hours allotted to the outdoor tasting was really insufficient. Not because of the price, as this was a charity affair, but becausde so many wineries generously offered their time and samples. With 57 vintners on hand and pouring, two hours equated to roughly two minutes at each table. Of course, only a rare person could even fathom visitng with everyone on hand, but donor wineries do hope to reach as many attendees as possible at such events.

Adroit as I may be, I began my tasting, as I am wont, with the handful of wineries I had yet to meet and try, then filled in as many others as I could. Striking out on her own, Carolyn Martini moved from the sale of her family’s multigenerational venture, Louis M. Martini, to their Chiles Valley vineyard where she built Napa’s secondmost formidable fortress, Castlevale. Aided by another third-generation vintner, winemaker Angelina Mondavi, she showcased her 2019 Chiles Valley Defender, a powerful Cabernet from one of Napa’s less-heralded AVAs.

Another longstanding Napa legend, Robert Pepi, now making wine at Gregory Rodeno’s Villa Ragazzi, further his renown for Italian varietals with a vastly impressive 2019 Napa Valley Sangiovese, along with the 2022 Oakville Rosato di Sangiovese. I would have expected Massimo Di Costanzo also to produce noteworthy Italian selections from his eponymous label, but nonetheless, I was greatly impressed with both the 2020 Napa Valley DI CO Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2019 Coombsville Caldwell Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon poured here.

Perhaps the most striking discovery of the day was Okapi, whose Jungle Love Vineyard sits on Big Ranch Road not far from Robert Biale. The non-vintage Proprietor’s Blend Alkimmy was indeed a revelatory blend of Old Vine Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Merlot, while the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Jungle Love Vineyard more than warranted an O-E-O-E-O. But I had to save my greatest cries of ecstasy for the 2013 Calistoga Amoenus Cabernet Sauvignon from Maybach. I unfortunately get to taste these wines as often as I ride in one of their namesake automobiles, but it’s most certainly a rare treat when I do.

 

No butts

Folks familiar with Your West Coast Oenophile know I (almost) never demur from making a pithy comment or witticism whenever I am given an opening. I may not be Dorothy Parker, but I do think some of my more piquant observations will stand the test of time.

Not too long, I opined that “natural wine is to the 2020s what granola was to the 1970s.” Given the half-century that spans my analogy, Millennials may dismiss this pronouncement as being out-of-touch, but I still hold it to be valid. When I previously attended a natural wine event in Richmond, I was quite stunned to find a swath of grass between the two tents littered with dozens of cigarette butts! So much for all the health and environmental benefits of natural winemaking that the 20somethings tout—this copious tobacco consumption and flagrant littering underscores the fact that their contentions are but a fad with blind allegiance for most of these adherents.

Do not get me wrong. I am not being dismissive of natural wine; many of its tenets completely align with what Sostevinobile looks to promulgate. But, by the same token, I refuse to be dogmatic about any individual school of œnology, as long as they adhere to responsible stewardship of the land and the environment.

Obviously, if we are going to serve any wine, the primary criterion is that it had better taste good! With no apology, here is where I do break with those who maintain that the mouse—or funkiness—that permeates so many of the natural wines is a mark of character. No, it is flawed, if not undrinkable, and should be eschewed, not espoused. But rather than reduce this to a generational argument, let me counter this pabulum of non-intervention with examples of superb natural wines from true craftsmen I encountered at the recent Wine from Here at Subject to Change in Point Richmond.

Harvesting its German from the acclaimed Mokelumne Glen Vineyard in Lodi, Vai e Vem excelled with its 2021 Psychosphere, an impressive rendition of Kerner, the vineyard’s main white varietal. Even more esoteric—at least at this stage— Matt Niess’ North American Press showcased its 2021 The Rebel Sonoma Coast, a wine derived from Baco Noir, the hybridized cross of Folle Blanche with an unknown member of North America’s native Vitis riparia family.

It’s hard for me to offer an objective assay of Clos Saron’s wines, given my long-standing friendship with winemaker Gideon Beinstock, whom many consider the de facto high priest natural wine; his wines can range from the unapproachable to the sublime, in which latter case, the 2018 Pinot Noir Home Vineyard richly attests. Nearby, Gideon’s protégés and Oregon House neighbors at Frenchtown Farms displayed their own virtuosity with an excellent 2021 Cotillion, a deft blend of Syrah, Sémillon, Zinfandel, and Carignane.

Meantime, Los Angles-based visual artist Ashkahn Shahparnia’s eponymous label showcased its subtle 2022 Clairette Blanche, a Rhône varietal that is finding increased popularity in California, especially along the Central Coast. Also boasting distinctive varietals from the Central Coast, Phelan Farm’s inestimable Rajat Parr featured a 2022 Chardonnay Rosé, a red-skinned mutation of the varietal rarely seen in California. Rajat also presented two esoteric blends, the 2022 Savignin & Chardonnay and the extraordinary 2021 Misturado, a Mencia rounded out with 25% Trousseau (aka Bastardo).

Not all the wineries on hand in Richmond were neophytes. Time-tested pros like La Clarine Farm proved their mettle with a delightful 2023 Vermentino and their 2020 Mourvèdre. Likewise, Healdsburg transplant Ruth Lewandowski featured a 2022 Stock Pot Grüner Veltliner and the noteworthy 2020 L Stone Sangiovese, while Megan Bell’s Margins impressed with a wonderful 2022 Paicines Verdejo. It is always a treat when a winery like Santa Cruz’s Florèz produces a 2021 Cabernet Pfeffer, while Sonoma’s Côte des Cailloux impressed with their 2021 Sauvignon Blanc.

Similarly, the 2022 Sauvignon Blanc starred at Les Lunes and Subject to Change’s Populis label, with the event host adding a jammy 2021 Old-Vine Zinfandel Mendocino. And along with its Sauvignon Blanc, the 2021 Thirst Trap, Stagiaire added its 2021 Epiphanies in Place, a Santa Crux Mountasin Pinot Noir and the 2021 Consistency in Chaos, a mouth-watering Syrah from Sonoma.

Of course, there were numerous trendy wines and hybrids on hand, including the ubiquitous piquets and ludicrous cider & fruit-blended wines. Then again, my generation had Boone’s Farm and Ripple, not to mention the viticultural equivalent of Pineapple Pizza, wine coolers. But, over time, we learned to put aside the pseudoscientific veneer of granola for the flavors and environmental benefits of organic produce, while stomping out pernicious tobacco from mainstream acceptance; and with this maturity came our appreciation of the centuries-old refinement of varietal selections. And so I have faith that this current myopia shall soon pass.

A cautionary tale

Your West Coast Oenophile is starting to feel like the wine realm has returned to its pre-COVID demeanor, at least outside of the Napa-Sonoma axis. Having taken to the road on behalf of Sostevinobile last month, I trekked down to Paso Robles for Rhône Rangers, then stayed on to resume my favorite part of this occupation: visiting with the wineries. For this trip, I stuck with the Willow Creek District, what many consider the crown jewel among Paso’s sub-AVAs.

Among the places I stopped by was Denner, a premier winery that has long been on my radar. It did not disappoint: stunning architecture, incredible vistas—the hallmark of Paso’s westside wineries, and, of course, exceptional wines. Part of what Paso Robles such a dynamic wine region is its flexibility and experimentation. Unbound to the strictures of Bordeaux, as Napa mostly is, nor confined to other adherences, winemakers here feel free to cross varietals from differing regions to create esoteric blends. Denner is one of the region’s foremost proponents of this unorthodox approach to œnology, amply demonstrated by the five new releases I sampled. The 2021 Theresa, while technically remaining within the strictures of the Rhône, married six white varietals: Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Picpoul Blanc, Vermentino (Rolle), and Clairette Blanche, to produce a distinctive, if not proprietary blend that balanced just the right acidity to accompany any dish that called for white wine.

As billed, the 2021 Zinfandel might seem straightforward, yet with 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot as its blending components, this wine put a singular spin on its base varietals. Even more esoteric, the 2020 Ditch Digger augmented the traditional GMS (Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah) with both Carignane and Graciano to produce a most enticing mélange of this quintet. And the Carignane again played an atypical ancillary role in rounding out the otherwise orthodox Right Bank Bordelaise blend of the 2020 Gold Digger.

Perhaps even more esoteric, but easily as excellent, the 2020 Mother of Exiles focused on Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with nearly ⅓ Petit Verdot, then rounded out with Tannat as well as 1% Cabernet Franc. A truly remarkable wine at this early stage, with portents of a most superlative zenith over the next 3-7 years.

My procrastination in visiting Denner caused me to miss out on meeting with the original ownership, as sale of the winery marked Gallo’s entry into premium labels from the Central Coast. As always with such acquisitions, promises of non-interference and preservation of the brand have been made and so far kept. And, admittedly, I am somewhat placated by Gallo having reconfigured their operations and launched a luxury division to include their high-end brands like Denner and J. But such guarantees have been known to change.

A mere two years after purchasing Rosenblum Cellars for $105 million, Diageo shut down their Alameda facilities and rolled the label into their Napa operations ultimately eviscerating the prestigious label until it was acquired by Delicato and restored to its earlier luster under late winemaker Kent Rosenblum. Similarly, Gallo’s previous acquisition of Louis M. Martini revamped this Napa mainstay into a chimera that must have its founders spinning in their graves, while their redesign of alembic spirits pioneer Germain-Robin has been nothing short of tragic.

Still, nothing can quite compare to the dismantling of Château St. Jean. In its prime, St. Jean was a crown jewel of the California wine industry, so much so tha when the Merzoian family put it up for sale in the mid-1980s, it sold for what was considered nearly three times its valuation—much to my chagrin, my M&A client came in second in the bidding war—to Japan’s Suntory. Over the years, the winery changed hands numerous times, having lost its primary luster as the premier producer of vineyard-designate Chardonnays, only to recoup its glory with the 1996 Cinq Cépages, which won Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year in 1999. The next year St.Jean was acquired by Treasury Wine Estates, which ultimately eroded the brand to the point that they eliminated its winemaker!

Late in 2021, Foley Family Wines added St. Jean to its ever-expanding portfolio and promptly set about to revive the label. Part of the strategy, I suspect, is to dump all of its lower-end inventory from its Treasury reign and start anew. At least, so it seems, given the sheer volume of Château St. Wines being turned over at Grocery Outlet Bargain Markets.

Now, as previously stated in an earlier post, many savvy buyers, including myself, discovered this chain during the pandemic and realized there were true gems among the clutter of failed American Canyon bulk labels selling for $5.99. My policy when shopping here is to eschew any label I can’t recognized and only buy those I would gladly have purchased for full price elsewhere. And so I picked up a bottle of St. Jean’s 2019 Merlot, expecting it to be a sound choice.

My verdict? Quite possibly the worst wine I have ever tried outside of the undrinkable Two Buck Chuck served at cheap art gallery openings. And so my sober advice to Denner, harkening my 12 years of Latin studies, is “Caveat scriptor!”

 

A Tale between Two Cities

Your West Coast Oenophile is not above resorting to cliché on occasion. Like for so many others, for years Paso Robles was the place to refill the tank and take a leak when driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles (or vice-versa). But ever since I launched Sostevinobile, this central coast hamlet has become so much more. And since the COVID-pandemic. Paso has emerged as the nexus between these antipoles, drawing thousands of new residents from both North and South while blossoming into a full-fledged resort destination, much as Healdsburg did a couple of decades ago.

Admittedly, the wine communities I encounter outside of Napa & Sonoma often consist of a hodgepodge of endeavors, a handful of prestigious labels alongside a wide swath of lesser endeavors. With its 11 sub-AVAs, however, Paso Robles can now hold its own as one of California’s top-tier appellations. But producing great wines is only part of the equation; marketing and promotion of the region is equally important, if not more so in the  hypercompetitive environment the myopic distribution system has fostered.

Lately, I have been surveying the big chain liquor stores and supermarkets to gain an appreciation of how they handle wines, specifically the California and West Coast producers on which I focus. The lack of diversity in these offerings is both astonishing and appalling. White wines are virtually limited to Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, with perhaps two or three Rieslings like Kung Fu Girl, a paltry Pinot Grigio, and, occasionally, a sacchrine-sweet Moscato. On the red side, there are Cabernt Sauvignons, Merlots, Pinot Noirs, and Zinfandels, with unspecified Syrah blends and perhaps a mislabeled Petite Sirah. Your average consumeer has no idea that wines like Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignane, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Aglianico, Dolcetto, Sangiovese, St. Laurent, Valdiguié, Kerner, Blaufränkish, Pinotage, Saperavi, Tempranillo, Graciano, Albariño, Arinto, Assyrtiko, Rkatsiteli, Chasselas Doré, Colombard, Sémillon, Roussanne, Marsanne, Dreirebe, Fiano, Vermentino, Verdelho, Verdejo, Arneis, etc. even exist.

Which is why in 2023 trade tastings and associations are more important than ever for the growers and producers of these “esoteric” varietals, in order to gain any semblance of awareness of their wines. And in 2023, no organization does this better than Rhône Rangers, particularly with its revived Rhône Rangers Experience in Paso Robles. I trekked down to the Paso Robles Event Center, a charming faux-Western town near the northern end of the city, for my second visit to this event since the COVID pandemic. Normally, this is the time of year I am inundated with trade events; 2023 was no exception, with Rhône Rangers sandwiched between ZinEx and Première Napa (also the Garagiste Festival in Solvang, but car troubles prevented me from attending). But where the other two events had notably dwindled from their more robust past, Rhône Rangers flourished with even greater vitality this year.

Granted, attendance may have been slightly down, but the reduced crowd made for easy navigation from table-to-table and kept the atmosphere festive.  More importantly, with over 70 wineries on hand, a significant portion traveled from regions outside of San Luis Obispo county, including Ventura, Santa Barbara, Napa, Sonoma, Lodi, Monterey, the Sierra Foothills, and several Oregon locales, testimony to their belief not only in the event but in this organization.

Over the past several decades, I have owed much of my wine education to major trade events, including Rhône Rangers when it was a mainstay at Fort Mason. Most of the other Grand Tastings are now at a standstill, with dwindling attendance and a mere fraction of their constituent wineries participating. Moreover, they have lacked the necessary dynamic to attract the up & coming under-30 age bracket. Coupled with the myopia of the distribution network, it would almost seem that the validity of these events has run its course.

Except for what Rhône Rangers has shown. First, they have a clearly focus, defined not by a theme or region, but in a specific category of varietals. To its advantage, the sheer number of different grapes, along with their propensity for formulating an even wider array of blends, means there is enough diversity here to satisfy almost any taste. Secondly, the singular focus of this event is to create awareness of its membership and the wines they produce. Thirdly, this tasting has just the right balance: not prohibitively costly, which underscores the accessibility of these wines; a healthy balance of (catered) food and wine that keeps things from becoming a drunkfest; no shortcutting the materials and accessories trade and media need to ply their trade and ultimately bring greater recognition to these 23 varietals and the wines they produce.

Lastly, with a casual, down home venue, an up & coming, dynamic destination, and all the right elements in place, little wonder attendees traveled from as far north as the Bay Area and as far south as San Diego. To put things simply, the Rhône Rangers Experience is a sheer joyful event.

Moving forward, the organization has elected new leadership for 2023, with their incoming President heralding from Oregon. And with regional events being revived, it is a clear sign that a focused, committed trade organization still has the ability to make a difference in the wine realm. Suffice it to say, I expect it will be a long time before someone has to ask me “what’s a Counoise?” again!

Blank de blanc

Your West Coast Oenophile wonders whether 2023 will prove the make-or-break year for Sostevinobile. The realities of the post-COVID landscape are still slowly sinking in, starting with the new economics of the restaurant & bar realm. I had envisioned being able to offer the majority of our wines in the $12-15 range; is the new norm of $17/glass viable?

On top of that, the latest State of the Industry report from Silicon Valley Bank paints a rather gloomy picture of wine’s prospects among the Millennials. To paraphrase a familiar rhetorical question, “suppose I built a wine bar and nobody came?” Ever since life as we used to know it came to a grinding halt in 2019, I have been focusing my energies on a number of major wine-related and restaurant projects, principally in countries that weathered the pandemic far more smoothly than we did in California, with the goal of raising enough capital to fund the development of Sostevinobile as a private wine club, with ancillary facilities as a public wine bar, café, and retail shop devoted exclusively to the wines of the ecological continuum of the Northern Pacific West Coast (British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, and Baja), a projected facility not dissimilar to Wine Spectator’s WS on Manhattan’s West Side. But if such a venture proves merely a bottomless pit, I might as well buy myself a yacht instead.

OK, so maybe I ought not be so pessimistic. Wine has always had its share of disaffecting the young consumers market, only to be embraced as it grows beyond the sheer hedonism that youth inculcates; eight millennia of history have shown as much. So even if my white beard doesn’t resonate with the under-30 crowd, I can certainly assemble a perspicacious team with insights into the mindsets of their generation. And having vetted more than 5,200 labels over the course of my current wine career, I feel I should be able to tailor a plethora of wine programs that resonate with their preferences.

What I cannot hire, however, is an appreciation of flavors that do not align with my palate. I notoriously loathe eggs, especially soft-boiled (and god forbid anyone ever offer me an egg salad sandwich)! And I have a similar aversion to blue cheese, apart from the occasional Gorgonzola. Over the years, my tastes have migrated from a tolerance for keg-spouted lager in college basements to the point that I spent the entirety of 2022 without imbibing a single beer. And in the wine realm, I have long struggled to develop an unbridled appreciation for Sauvignon Blanc.

My introduction to this varietal came at a time when California expressions were, frankly, close to awful. Sure, Robert Mondavi had his pioneering Fumé Blanc, but even this rendition struck me as somewhat lackluster. But it was the grassiness of most Sauv Blancs in the 1980s that colored my palate and precipitated my reluctance toward this varietal. Over the years, vintages smoothed and varied stylistically, rounded out from blending with Sémillon or deftly balanced with Sauvignon Musqué, I gradually gained a more nuanced understanding of this wine. I will even go as far as crediting Mendocino’s Greenwood Ridge not only with being the first Sauvignon Blanc that truly appealed but also the first organic wine to demonstrate the potential superiority of this viticultural standard.

And yet, I still never reached the stage where a trip to the local wine shop had me beelining to the Sauv Blanc section. Sure, I knew many times when it would have paired well with the fish entrée I was preparing, particularly a sole or halibut dish, but instead I would opt for a Pinot Blanc or a Falanghina or the utter versatility of an Albariño, if these wines were available—not to mention Roussanne or Chasselas Doré or even Colombard.*

As we got deeper into this century, Sauvignon Blanc began to undergo a resurgence, led by New Zealand. But whenever I had a chance to sample these bottlings, all I encountered were echoes of the cloying citrus flavors that I had found so alienating 40 years ago. Thereafter, the grape apparently experienced a California renaissance, to the extent that wineries were scrounging to find enough tonnage to meet their demands. Propelling this new wave of interest were glowing reviews in Wine Spectator and other trade journals. And, of course, there was the mystique of Screaming Eagle’s Sauvignon Blanc, a wine whose lofty price tag makes it the most expensive bottling produced in North America.

And so I decided to take the plunge. And yes, I found a number of selections to be quite amiable, if not highly worthwhile options when Chardonnay clearly won’t do. But nothing truly jazzed me until I stumbled upon the 2017 Peak Sauvignon Blanc from Acumen at Grocery Outlet. It may seem counterintuitive for a wine professional to be shopping at a bargain market, but for those who have the patience, these venues are a secret gem in the Bay Area. Most of their wine selections are failures from innumerable “I can get into the wine business by buying up $5,000 worth of bulk and slapping on my own label” ventures that litter the landscape of American Canyon and other outlying regions, as well as remainders from ventures like Rock Wall or Kenneth Volk that elected to close their doors. In addition to these latter bargains, a number of well-established wineries like Raymond and Monticello have sold allotments of their lower-tier selections here, likely stemming from the wine glut that occurred just prior to COVID.

To be honest, I have no idea how a relatively boutique operation like Acumen fits int this spectrum, especially given that their Peak portfolio represents their premium selections. Nonetheless, when I saw a wine of this caliber marked down to $17, I decided to gamble. The result? The first Sauvignon Blanc I can recall purchasing on a second, third, and fourth occasion. In other words, a truly remarkable wine that has finally opened my eyes to the potential of this varietal—put in the right hands. But now the question stands: does a Sauvignon Blanc need to be at a $75 price point to warrant my encomiums?

To be continued…

*In selecting these varietals, I still remain steadfast in my commitment to wines produced on the West Coast. But the three-tier distribution system and the consolidation of megabrands within the industry makes their obtaining even a semblance of shelf space and increasing rarity.

Volk’s waggin’

Your West Coast Oenophile is somewhat reluctant ever to plug a retail wine operation—after all, this represents a large part of what Sostevinobile hopes to be doing as the pre-eminent purveyor of wines of the North American Pacific Coast. But the pandemic caused a radical reconfiguration  of my business objectives, and while we seem finally vack to a semblance of normalcy, it’s still impossible to assess the new terrain of San Francisco objectively. And so many of the mechanisms I devised in order to cope with the constraints of COVID restrictions remain ingrained in my weekly routine.

Granted, I have enough wine on hand to coast through a year or more without purchasing a bottle, but a $60 or $70 wine needs to be shard, not consumed in solitary isolation. And with that in mind—coupled by a long-standing inability to visit wineries and utilize my trade discount—I soon discovered the wonders of Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. In the past, of course, I’ve brokered sales of surplus inventory to this outfit, but I had not previously experienced them as a customer. I anticipated they would somewhat of grocery equivalent to Ross Dress for Less or  Smart & Final, and, to a large extent, this analogy bears true.

On the other, Grocery Outlet wine section is impressively vast—that it, until you inspect the labels. Like Trader Joe’s or BevMo or the now-debunked California specialists Total Wine, many of the selections are in-house private labels of dubious origin. Others apparently come from ill-begotten attempts to launch a private label, often at a mass custom crush facility in places like American Canyon. One surefire sign of mediocrity is a label that lists California as its place of origin, rather than a county or specific AVA. But interspersed among these dubious bottlings, a savvy connoisseur can often find a sprinkling of incredible bargains. Sometimes it’s a slow-moving product that a winery allocates to make room for their other selections, like the Presidential Red from Monticello Vineyards that sold briskly at $12.99/bottle or a Joel Gott Grenache, a steal at $4.99.

Other times, a notable winery will shut down and sell Grocery Outlet the bulk of their remaining inventory, which can be substantial. Throughout the pandemic, I greatly enjoyed numerous selections from Michel-Schlumberger, a winery actively seeking new ownership, whose selections at Grocery Outlet seem endless. As did those from Rock Wall, which unloaded its unsold inventory after deciding to disband.

The most recent steals, however, have come from Kenneth Volk, the pioneering Santa Maria winemaker famed for his Cabernet Pfeffer, as well as for his various Rhône-style bottlings. Ken, who was the first president of Rhône Rangers, suffered a debilitating stroke a few years back; his condition has reluctantly compelled him to close his winery and dispense with his wines still on hand, which date back to 2013. It seems Grocery Outlet will be staggering these selections, which, so far, not only have included Pinot Noir and red Rhônes like Petite Sirah and Tannat but also Blaufränkish and a wondrous Souzåo. All of which are utterly steals at $5.99!

Each of the Grocery Outlets individually manages its own inventory, so you are apt to find different selections even among stores in the same city. So, go ahead, peruse the shelves and see what you discover. You never know what gems you may find amid the Uncle Billy, Fox in the Hen House, Séance, and the Pra Vinera!

Total Why? and More

There are times Your West Coast Oenophile finds himself short on wine. Not that my cellar is depleted, but occasionally I may not have the right wine for that evening’s dinner, or anything approximately close, on hand. So when Sostevinobile duties had me traveling down to Los Gatos for the trade tasting with the Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Association, I considered swinging by Total Wine & More in Daly City on my way back on 280. Coincidentally, just before I departed from San Francisco, I received a Flash Sale notice, offering $20 off the purchase of three or more bottles, and , with that, my mind was set.

The Santa Cruz tasting was most pleasant: small crowd; ample catering:a mere eleven wineries, including Cabernet legends Ridge, Mount Eden, and Kathryn Kennedy to taste through. In other words, hardly the kind of onerous event some tastings turn out to be. Of course, the event was not without its dose of theatrics, but once the histrionics had died down, I headed up the Peninsula to meet a college friend for happy hour at the Stanford Faculty Club.

Admittedly, if I could have secured a position at Stanford, I would probably have finished my PhD in Comparative Literature and remained in academia. It’s a fascinating university, a near-idyllic setting amidst the sprawl of Silicon Valley, and, quite importantly, extremely well-endowed. Having top-notch students would have been a critical factor for me—who wants to be burdened with teaching remedial skills that ought to have been learned in high school?—and to have ready access to a world-class metropolis like San Francisco would have sealed the deal. Little wonder Jim has spent his entire career here.

But an academic career would have kept me from my level of involvement in the wine realm, so ultimately I decided to apply my finely-honed research skills to acquiring an encyclopedic knowledge of the West Coast wine industry, so I feel my time in grad school was not spent in vain. The same, however, could not be said for my side trip to Total Wine. The store in Daly City is vast, at least twice the size of any of the local BevMo shops here. And the chain boasts of having the largest selection of California wines, compared to chains like the aforementioned BevMo, Trader Joe’s, Costco, etc. And, yes, their selection is vast, however…

Now I was in search of a white wine to pair with the chicken dish I had on tap for the evening, and, of course, I was only interested in a West Coast bottling. Total Wine offered nearly an entire aisle of Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs, but I was the mood for something else. Off to the side, there was a tiny selection of Other Whites, which turned out to be mostly sweet wines like Moscato, along with a generic Riesling from Kung Fu Girl. But a Rhône White like a Roussanne or Picpoul Blanc? Or an Italian varietal such as Vermentino or Fiano? No Sémillons or Grüner Veltliners. No Chenin Blancs. No Pinot Blancs. Not even a local Pinot Grigio or Ramato! I could find more diversity in a 7-11!

And so, I returned to the mainstream aisle. After a cursory inspection of the Sauvignon Blancs, I reluctantly combed through the 100+ Chardonnays, hoping to find a clean, unoaked interpretation that suited my needs. And there I discovered that the $20 off three bottles only applied to their Winery Direct selections. Sure, there were a number of high-end labels included here, but an $80 bottle is not in my Wednesday evening dinner budget. But low & behold, virtually every one of their reasonably priced Chards were the private label brands they commission and sell exclusively.—ostensibly generic wines, sourced from whatever available bulk is out on the market, and bottled on some assembly line in American Canyon or the Central Valley. The sort of wine just barely above Two Buck Chuck and suitable (perhaps) for lowbrow art gallery openings.

Ultimately, I grabbed a bottle without even inspecting its label and regretted from the moment I uncorked it. But Total Wine does sell the staple of my pandemic survival, VYA Sweet Vermouth, for $5/bottle less than what I pay in San Francisco, so my trip was not a complete waste of gas and time…

Everybody wants to get into the act

Your West Coast Oenophile has been avidly involved in the wine realm for over 40 years now, including more than a dozen running Sostevinobile, but even with this track record, there are still some mainstays in viticulture whose popularity I do not comprehend. Like Valdiguié, formerly known as Napa Gamay, a varietal that flourished as ubiquitously as Chenin Blanc when I started out in 1982. Call it what you will, the varietal still strikes me as clawing. But, perhaps like Lagrein, an Italian grape to which I initially did not cotton, it the right hands, it can prove to be wondrous.

My introduction to Sauvignon Blancs came from the grassy-grapefruity renditions that dominated the 1980s; 40 years later, I still struggle to approach this varietal without trepidation. Granted, I am quite fond of Sauvignon Blanc deftly tempered with Sémillon or a blend heaviluy mixed with a Musqué clone, but when I am searching for a white wine, I will almost always opt for a Falanghina or Albariño or Roussanne or Pinot Blanc or a dozen other non-Chardonnay selections before I consider an SB. Try as I mght, the varietal simply doesn’t resonate with me the way it does with so many other dedicated œnophiles. On the other hand, if someone wants to gift me a bottle of the 2019 Screaming Eagle Sauvignon Blanc…

Just as I cannot comprehend the tremendous enthusiasm so many have for Sauvignon Blanc, I find myself unable to ascribe to the fanaticism many have for Pinot Noir. It’s not just Pinotism, the cult-like devotion to the grape, as Andrew Jeffords recently illustrated; I also revel in the nuances of an amazing Pinot but shy from the lesser expressions of the varietal. My incredulity, however, is more directed at the implied post-Sideways notion that a winery must produce Pinot Noir as the sine qua non in order to be considered credible. In recent weeks, I have attended events like Pinot Paradise at Gravenstein Grill in Sebastopol and the Petaluma Gap’s AVA-focused Wind to Wine Festival; of course, there were a plethora of truly wonderful Pinots poured at each. But my overall impression was “why?” Labels like Scherrer and Radio Coteau have long validated their inclusion in the upper echelons of Pinot producers. Likewise, major vineyard holders like Dutton Goldfield and Three Sticks offer amazing renditions of their own grapes. But how many wineries can make a truly distinctive Pinot Noir from the same vineyard?

I cannot recall a preference for or noteworthy difference among the half-dozen or so Pinots sourced from Sangiacomo Vineyards. Nor those I tasted from Sun Chase. I see the same inundation of labels from other distinguished vineyards in Sonoma, including Carneros, Russian River Valley, and West Sonoma. It becomes even more egregious in renowned Pinot regions such as the Santa Lucia Highlands, where innumerable labels source grapes from a dozen or so mega-vineyards like Garys’ or Rosella’s.

But Pinot Noir isn’t simply limited to  plantings in Sonoma and Monterey Counties. Anderson Valley in Mendocino, Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara, wide swaths of the various counties in Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, and, of course, Burgundy’s twin Willamette Valley AVA in Oregon all contribute to an amalgam of more Pinot producers than one could possibly enumerate.

And it doesn’t end there. Ridge Vineyards, a winery whose considerable prestige needs no validation, now produces a Corralitos Pinot Noir, simply because legacy owner Ichiro Otsuka wants it made. A similar reason releasing a Pinot was expressed by the financial partner of Tansy, a new label otherwise focused exclusively on Italian varietals. As the late, great Jimmy Durante was fond of saying, “everybody wants to get into the act.”

At its finest, I recognize that Pinot Noir offers greater complexity and variation than almost any other varietal. As my colleague Laura Ness recently illustrated, the grape offers a vast array of clones, each with distinctive character and viticultural properties. On the other hand, most mainstream (aka affordable) Pinots approach being lackluster, which once begs the question “why are so many producers insistent on making this varietal?”


Oenology may represent a cultural apex on par with the fine arts, but it is also has a pragmatic business aspect few producers can afford to eschew. I cannot fathom how so many labels can focus on Pinot Noir and thrive in a competitive market but it is not my position to tell winemakers what they should produce. I will, however, proffer that one can just as readily demonstrate one’s viticultural acuity with any number of other varietals, such as Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Malbec, and, yes, even Merlot!

It may seem contradictory that, despite my protestation of Pinot fatigue, I am heading to Sonoma next week for the annual Pinot Noir-focused Healdsburg Crush, but I have interspersed these visits with a number of other Grand Tastings from AVAs that focus on a variety of different grapes. Though known as the foremost rival to Napa’s claim to Cabernet supremacy, its western neighbor excels in a number of varietals, including Sangiovese, Barbera, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and a wide range of Rhône-style wines. Labor Day weekend’s poolside Access Alexander Valley featured long-established wineries like Seghesio, Rodney Strong, and renowned Chardonnay specialist Robert Young, alongside showcase châteaux Lancaster and Ferrari-Carano, as well as ambitious starters like ACTA and La Cienega.

A couple of weeks later, I wound my way up to Yountville for the return of Taste of Mount Veeder, a showcase for one of Napa’s most prestigious hillside AVAs. Despite the threat of atypical September rainshowers, this event still proceeded on the lawn of Domaine Chandon; though the terrain proved challenging at times, the muddied field could hardly rival the famed “Pinot in the River” tasting in Healdsburg several years ago. But between intermittent cloudbursts, the afternoon proved a wonder opportunity to revisit with numerous wineries and sample through their current releases.

Of course, like Alexander Valley, Mount Veeder is known primarily for its Cabernet Sauvignon, but the vintners here demonstrated their prowess with a disparate assortment of varietals. with such bottlings as Lagier Meredith’s always-intriguing 2019 Mondeuse and the 2014 Precious Bane, a port-style (fortified) Mount Veeder Syrah. meanwhile, heir apparent Aaron Pott held his own with the 2021 Viognier Pott Art.

My overt fondness for Mary Yates aside, her Yates Family Vineyard’s 2018 Fleur de Veeder Merlot proved most impressive. As did the 2014 Mount Veeder Malbec from Godspeed. And relatively atypical Cabernet blends abounded here, like the sumptuous 2015 Mary Ann Red from Gamble Family, a Cheval Blanc homage consisting of 56% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot, and a mere 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. In signature fashion, Paul Woolls’ Progeny rounded out the typical five Bordeaux varietal blend in their 2018 Reserve Cabernet with 2% Carménère from their Mount Veeder estate, while Random Ridge replicated a SuperTuscan, marrying Sangiovese and Cabernet in their 2019 Fortunata.

Still, it goes without saying that Cabernet Sauvignon reigns supreme in this AVA, and it was most heartening to see Newton, an historic winery obliterated in Spring Mountains’ Grass Fire of 2020, rise like the Phoenix from its embers and dazzle here their 2016 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon. But my guiltiest pleasure from any Mount Veeder Grand Tasting will always be the glorious yet unheralded Mithra Winery, which year in and year out produces one of Napa’s greatest Cabernets, represented here by the 2016 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon and the near-flawless library offering, the 2009 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon.

Ha-cha-cha-cha!