Here’s an interesting concept to ponder: among the best-known tech moguls we have here on the West Coast, with whom would you most want to share (or not) a bottle of wine? Of course, they will be picking up the tab…
I imagine Bill Gates would have an ultra hi-tech wine cellar with every bottle controlled by individual sensors monitoring its temperature, rate of loss diffusion, cork moisture, etc., and automatically making the necessary adjustments to maintain the wine’s optimal maturation and integrity. Here vin ordinaire might mean a 1994 Château Le Pin or a 1985 Domaine De La Romanée-Conti La Tâche, but no matter how extraordinary the repute or price of the wine, one senses that Gates simply wouldn’t know how to relish the moment—kind of like Richard Simmons in an all-women’s sauna. His successor, Steve Ballmer , probably would appreciate the wine, even savor it, but, with his gargantuan appetite, mostly like would have a decanter and goblet of hand-blown Venetian crystal, with a bowl large enough to accommodate an entire magnum of 2005 Chateau Pétrus Pomerol, all for himself.
Larry Ellison comes across as a guy who probably not only knows the world’s most esoteric wines but how to get them. Once his mind is set on a particular bottling, he would invite you to join him on his jet, fly to the source, and share the bottle on site—and probably buying the winery while he’s there. Paul Allen, on the other hand, has probably already purchased a 10,000 acre site in Eastern Washington where a team of enologists and botanical experts are experimenting with genetic engineering to create the hybrid varietal that will revolutionize the wine industry in the 21st century.
It isn’t political differences that would make Your West Coast Oenophile reluctant to join California’s current duo of tech execs turned political aspirant for preprandial libations. One senses that Meg Whitman could make even the leanest Chardonnay taste flabby, while Carli Fiorina would probably proclaim unwavering fealty to the California wine industry, then pour a 2004 Bouchard Le Montrachet.
The Google twins, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, leave me with the same sense of incredulity as does The Punahou Kid . The rhetoric is seductive (“do no evil”) but delivery of the same seems a hollow promise; moreover, they similarly lack sufficient seasoning to inspire any credence in their command of matters outside of their primary niche. But none of the tech titans I’ve lampooned here musters the same feeling of unsavoriness as does Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, who strikes me as the kind of guy who would fill a 750 ml bottle with cheap Chianti and glue on a 2003 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto label (even though he could easily afford to pour a case of the same).
My disdain for Facebook has been well-documented, and although I do maintain a page for Sostevinobile there, it stems from a sense of necessity, not a belief in the supreme importance of its social networking. But, just as I reluctantly admit that Gallo occasionally does make a good wine or two in Sonoma, I concede that Facebook intermittently offers benefits. Case in point, I might never have learned of Vin12 had I not noticed one of my Facebook compadres attending their latest wine soirée.
I started off last Thursday evening by attending the (re)launch of San Francisco’s chapter of the Clean Economy Network in the lofty reception loft of Orrick Herrington, a prominent local law firm. Given that this gathering was intended as an informal introduction to the nationwide network CEN is building in major urban centers like here, LA and San Diego, there seemed little to accomplish here, save a chance to catch up with prominent sustainable writers like Gil Friend and Dallas Kachan, study the sustainable design or Orrick’s architectural showcase, and partake in some fairly decent hors d’œuvres and a sip of Más—which is becoming to Green gatherings (mucho desmasiado!) what Two Buck Chuck is to art openings—before exchanging parting embraces with Danna West and heading around the corner to The Solarium at 55 Second Street.
Though new to me, Vin12 has been staging monthly wine events for more than a year. There’s definitely a quality to these tastings—the lineup of participating wineries struck me as more than respectable, and promoter Elie Ernest’s ability to convince numerous winemakers to attend such a moderately-scaled event certainly seemed impressive. I found few, if any, true discoveries among the wines being poured this evening (apart from there being scant few Zins in an event billed as Zinfandel Spring Event), but then, my familiarity with local wines is hardly typical of most of the people in attendance.
And that, in itself, was perhaps the major revelation of the evening. These events aren’t necessarily about wine so much as they are about bringing people together over wine—a critical component to Sostevinobile’s future success I tend to underplay in my zeal to assemble the best wine program in San Francisco.
Climbing the stairs to the event room, I first found myself at the table for Bohème, an Occidental winery. Here the 2007 Stuller Vineyard Pinot Noir impressed, alongside the approachable 2007 Que Syrah Vineyard Syrah. Meanwhile, its table mate, Sonoma’s Barber Cellars may not have brought their shears, but their 2008 Kitten with a Whip, a rosé of Syrah, most certainly dispelled any notion of blush wine as being dainty.
It had been a while since I’d sampled Bourassa Vineyards’ wines, so after reacquainting myself with Sostevinobile’s Facebook fan Efrain Barragan, I partook of their 2008 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley and the outstanding 2005 Harmony³, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc Meritage. Several months had also passed since my last visit to Adastra on the Napa side of Carneros, so it was quite enjoyable to catch up with Chris Thorpe and make my way through the organic offerings he had on hand: the 2008 Chardonnay, the always wonderful 2006 Proximus Pinot Noir, both his 2007 Merlot and his 2006 Merlot, whose enormous potential was just beginning to reveal itself, and, of course, his idiosyncratic 2007 Ed’s Red, a blend of Syrah, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot Adastra describes as “a hefty wine, best paired with mammoth.”
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I shouldn’t have stopped by the table for Flora Springs. Not that their 2007 Merlot and the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Soliloquy Vineyard weren’t both standout wines. It’s just that Flora Springs wines need to be experienced in their new St. Helena tasting room, a modernistic edifice reminiscent of a Pat Kuleto restaurant design. Further up St. Helena Highway, the Charles Krug winery offers an almost incongruously tranquil setting for such a conspicuous facility, but excels with its portfolio of orthodox varietals: the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley, a buttery 2008 Chardonnay Carneros, the 2006 Zinfandel St. Helena, and the utterly compelling 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville. Due Vigne shares a tasting facility in Napa with an ever-changing roster of wineries at Silenus, but this evening showed great consistency with their excellent 2006 Dolcetto, a promising 2007 Nebbiolo, a 2007 Viognier and the quite affordable 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. |
The Terraces is one of those wineries I’ve long had on Sostevinobile’s radar yet somehow had failed to sample, so it was a pleasure to meet Nat Page and quaff (yes, this was a quaffing night) their 2007 Napa Valley Zinfandel. On the other hand, as readers of my last entry know, I had recently reveled in Cornerstone’s rosé blended from Grenache and Syrah, so I was immensely please that their 2007 Stepping Stone Red Hills-Lake County Grenache was every bit its equal.
Normally, I like Vinum, but I was underwhelmed by their 2008 Chenin/Vio, a perfunctory blend of Viognier and Chenin Blanc. On the other hand, I have long championed Astrale e Terra, and their 2008 Sauvignon Blanc did not disappoint. Ditto for the 2008 Zinfandel Reserve Sonoma County from Rock Wall, whose wines had not crossed my lips in at least four days preceding this gathering!
this evening was billed as a Zin experience, so it seemed fitting to close out with a pair of wineries whose organic fare has received numerous citations here. Wild Hog’s 2006 Porter Bass Zinfandel may sound like a cross between wine and ale, but it proved a pure expression of this varietal; its 2006 Nova Zinfandel Lake County was flat-out excellent. Beyond organic, Demeter-certified
Quivira once again showed its deft touch in producing compelling wines without the taint of added sulfur with its 2007 Zinfandel from Dry Creek.
Quivira once again showed its deft touch in producing compelling wines without the taint of added sulfur with its 2007 Zinfandel from Dry Creek.
Many people know that between the time I began developing Sostevinobile and my early endeavors in putting together winery deals, I sloughed my way through the advertising industry, as well as a number of hi-tech ventures for which I provided advertising and marketing services. These realms contrast so starkly with the wine world and have played no small part in my impetus to open the warmth and civility so inextricable from wine to as many people as possible. With that in mind, I can only applaud the ambassadorship of Vin12. Who knows? In the months to follow, perhaps their growing following will find a most welcome home within our midst.
‡Three days after the Vin12 event, I finally made my way back to Vinify for this winery collective’s Open House that I had mistakenly tried to attend in April. This custom crush facility in a Santa Rosa industrial park houses production for 20 or so labels, some quite familiar, others obscure, and still others on the verge of breaking out. Having been first apprised of Vinify by fellow Lakeville refugee Steve Singer, I first paid a courtesy call to his table for Baker Lane. From a pair of small vineyard in Sonoma, Steve handcrafts small lots of Syrah and Pinot Noir—I especially liked the 2007 Estate Syrah and the 2008 Ramondo Pinot Noir he poured this afternoon.
Not surprisingly, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay would dominate this afternoon’s samplings. Exemplifying this backbone of Russian River winemaking, Pfendler Vineyards offered
both their 2007 Pinot Noir and its newly-released successor, while making their strongest statement with the 2008 Chardonnay. Meanwhile, Bjørnstad Cellars inundated attendees with 5 different Chards led by the 2007 Porter Bass Chardonnay and a trio of Pinots, including the equally striking 2007 Hellenthal Pinot Noir and the 2007 van der Kamp Pinot Noir. Of the two pink Pinots they also poured, I found the 2009 Rosé preferable and drier.
both their 2007 Pinot Noir and its newly-released successor, while making their strongest statement with the 2008 Chardonnay. Meanwhile, Bjørnstad Cellars inundated attendees with 5 different Chards led by the 2007 Porter Bass Chardonnay and a trio of Pinots, including the equally striking 2007 Hellenthal Pinot Noir and the 2007 van der Kamp Pinot Noir. Of the two pink Pinots they also poured, I found the 2009 Rosé preferable and drier.
Greg Bjørnstad provides winemaking services to Barbed Oak Vineyard, which debuted their 2008 Chardonnay Bennett Valley at this event. Another single wine effort, Westerhold Family Vineyards, showcased an extraordinary 2007 Estate Syrah Bennett Valley. In turn, their winemaker, Russell Bevan manifested his œnological versatility not only with a pair of his own Bevan Cellars Syrahs, the 2006 Syrah Bennett Valley Porter’s Cuvée and the outstanding 2007 Syrah Dry Stack Bob’s Cuvée, but ranging from the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Kick Ranch Maria’s Cuvée and 2008 Merlot Showket Vineyard Alexis’s Cuvée to his new Cuvée-less Meritage, the 2008 Ontogeny Oakville.
Because their table sign was partially obscured, I initially mistook Blagden Wine for Olson Ogden, which obfuscated a portion of my tasting notes. But I did like her 2006 Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon and its companion 2008 Rosé of Cab Monte Rosso, along with her various bottlings from Sangiacomo Vineyards. Olson Ogden, in turn, comported itself with the typical aplomb I have come to expect from this winery, particularly with the 2008 Margaret’s Mandate Stagecoach Vineyard Marsanne, the velvety 2007 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, and their 2007 Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah.
A quintet of San Francisco œnophiles banded together to form Cinque Insieme, which showcased their stellar 2006 Whitehawk Vineyard Syrah alongside the debut of their 2006 Wildcat Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir. Winemaking Partner Justin Lattanzio, who, with his joyfully enceinte spouse Hillary manage Vinify, also poured from his own Lattanzio Wines, again pairing the 2007 Fedrick Ranch Syrah with their 2008 W. E. Bottoms Pinot Noir.
Up until this day, I hadn’t enjoyed the opportunity to taste any of the wines Frostwatch Vineyard produces. Attorney-turned-winemaker Brett Raven ably comported himself with his 2007 Bennett Valley Merlot. the seductive 2007 Bennett Valley Chardonnay, and the proprietary 2009 Kismet, a blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Another revelation was Audelssa Winery, an exceptional effort out of Glen Ellen, roundly impressing with their 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve, a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley and their deft Meritage, the 2007 Summit, well-balanced Bordeaux blend dominate by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with significant portions of Cabernet Franc and Malbec, along with a splash of Petit Verdot.
It had been quite a while since I’d sampled the esteemed wines of Sojourn Cellars, so it was like a new indulgence to work my way through their justly-revered line of Pinots. While I clearly favored the 2008 Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard, sojourn’s new 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Mountain Terraces displayed quite the deft touch with this varietal, as well. In contrast, Desmond Wines staked their claim with two vintages of a single Pinot. This tiny venture offered a noteworthy 2007 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley and a younger, contrasting, yet equally appealing 2008 Pinot Noir Russian RiverValley.
I wasn’t quite as taken with the Pinot from Gracianna, but found myself quite impressed with both the 2008 Zinfandel Bacigalupi Vineyard and the 2009 Chardonnay Suzanne’s Blend. And I confess I was poised not to give much credence to Claypool Cellars , but despite the alliterative silliness of their labels, both the 2008 Purple Pachyderm Pinot Noir and the 2008 Pink Platypus Pinot Rosé proved serious wines.
Sostevinobile is my original portmanteau from sostenibile + vino + nobile, the Italian words for sustainable, noble, and wine; I have previously speculated in this column about the coinage of the names of a couple of wineries, but my guesses have been far from the truth. Calluna continued with its intense focus on Bordeaux varietals and blends, previewing their 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon The Colonel’s Vineyard and the Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot dominated 2008 Calluna Estate (both barrel samples). Their released vintages included their 2008 Merlot Aux Raynauds and the artful 2008 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée, which blends 44% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 23% Cabernet Sauvignon with Petit Verdot and Malbec. Much to my chagrin, their compatriots in apocryphal etymology, Jemrose, folded up their table before I could sample their wines, including the 2008 Cardiac Hill Syrah and the 2006 Two Sisters Merlot. But proprietor Jim Mack knows that I waxed eloquently last year about the previous release of their 2008 Egret Pond Viognier and positively gushed over their 2007 Gloria’s Gem, a proprietary blend of the above-mentioned Syrah and Merlot, just last month.
I was ready to symbolically fold my table, but first swung over to visit with and speak a little Italian with John Suacci of Suacci Carciere. Because I will be sampling his array of Pinot Noirs in a few weeks at Pinot Days, I focused instead on his 2007 Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay and the 2008 Bismark Vineyard Zinfandel, an unsinkable wine to be sure. with a couple of hours to kill before I was due in Marin, I tried to visit with Carol Shelton (closed for a private memorial!) and then head down the road to make my first visit to fellow paesan Giuseppe Battaglini since I started Sostevinobile.
I’ve long championed Battaglini’s natural wines since discovering their Petite Sirah at Family Winemakers about a decade ago; I have to admit I have a particular fondness for Joe and his ramshackle operations on Santa Rosa’s Piner Road, as it seems so reminiscent of my paternal grandfather and the barnyard operations and trellised grapes he planted after emigrating from Sturno, a commune in the province of Avellino (Regione Campania). When I started out in the California wine industry in the 1980s, there were still quite a number of old-school vignaioli like Elmo Martini, whose Martini & Prati at the northern edge of Santa Rosa has now morphed into a revived Martin Ray, and Ralph Montali of the now-defunct Audubon Cellars.
As one of the last remnants of this same rustic spirit, Joe produces a splendid array of unmanipulated, unpretentious Chardonnays, Zinfandels, and Petite Sirahs. As we sat back in his barn, he poured me seven different Zins from his 1999 through 2007 vintages, as well as his memorable 2005 Petite Sirah Proprietor’s Reserve. His Zinfandel line includes both a Select and Proprietor’s Reserve, in addition to his main bottling, yet, as is often the case with natural winemaking, the flavors of his youngest 2007 Zinfandel Proprietor’s Reserve left the strongest impression this afternoon.
I found some strong coffee at a nearby supermarket before attempting the trek down 101 and attracting the wiles of the CHP. Before I joined my date at E & O Trading Company in Larkspur Landing, I slipped into the local Bed, Bath & Beyond and picked out a large, stainless steel meat tenderizer. Whether this purchased had reunion that evening with the delightfully contentious Terry Graham, I cannot say. I’ll simply leave the math to my readers…