Tag Archives: Clarice

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.

See You Next Tuesday

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What goes with plaid? Your West Coast Oenophile would be inclined to suggest Scotch Whisky, haggis, and that manliest of sports, caber tossing. But fine wine would not have made this list, until Sostevinobile attended the recent Pinots and Plaid tasting at the newly-remodeled Hibernia Bank lobby in San Francisco’s up & coming Tenderloin district.

Admittedly, this pairing did not start off auspiciously. My trade pass clearly denoted a start time of 2pm, which included entry to the VIP lounge and a more intimate early hour with the wineries on hand. When I did arrive at the check-in table, however, I was informed that I was only included in for General Admission, and would have to wait until 3pm. I twice attempted to introduce myself and address this matter with event promoter Emily Martin, but she was focused on the extreme demands of posing for an interminable string of Pinterest photos.

But capitulating to solipsism was hardly in order for the afternoon, nor would the lack of a basic tasting program deter my appreciation of the many excellent wines on hand. I hadn’t tried using the newest version Pages with the latest update of my iPhone; the new iOS 13 makes for a clumsy interfaces when using this application for creating text files. I fumbled my way through tasting the wide array of Pinots from Anne Moller-Racke’s Blue Farm, highlighted by the 2016 Pinot Noir Anne Katherina, her eponymous estate vineyard, before switching to Notes, an .rtf application that enabled me to catalog each of the wines I sampled.

Another ludicrous aspect of this event was Martin’s insistence that the wineries hold back their Chardonnays until 45 minutes from closing (having produced numerous events myself, I recognize the advantage of enabling attendees to keep their palates balanced throughout the afternoon, lest they fatigue from a single varietal). Fortunately, many saw fit not to follow this guideline. The 2017 Peugh Vineyard Chardonnay from David Low’s Anthill Farms proved a fortuitous deviation from this edict, a rich, splendid expression of the grape.

Due to the Sonoma fires and evacuation orders, a number of wineries understandably could not participate. I had been greatly looking forward to Noah Dorrance’s selections from Reeve and was eager to try Adam Lee’s Clarice, his personal successor to Siduri. And, of course, if I had been granted access to the VIP Lounge, Roederer Estate has long been a personal favorite sparkling producer. Still, stalwarts like Peay and Three Sticks proved as consistently excellent as I have come to expect, the former with both the 2017 Scallop Shelf Estate Pinot Noir and the 2017 Pomarium Estate Pinot Noir, while Ryan Prichard, successor to acclaimed winemaker Don Van Staaveren, continued his legacy with two standout bottlings, the 2017 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and its contrasting 2017 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir.

I go to great lengths to ensure that winemakers at Sostevinobile events allocate enough inventory so all attendees can have the opportunity to experience what they are pouring. How frustrating to find a winery has depleted its stock on hand and already departed before reaching their table (though invariably the shortfall does not reflect the producer’s calculus). As such, it had been quite a while since I last sampled Michael Browne’s Cirq and was looking forward to revisiting their wines, but I ponied up to their table just as they finished packing. And as a former wine club member at Williams Selyem, I was eager to rediscover on what I had been missing out lately; when I moseyed over to their table, however, all that remained was their 2017 Pinot Noir Lewis MacGregor Estate.

I fared better with the remaining vintners, starting with Works & Days, the Burgundian sister of Coursey Graves; these wines proved an interesting discovery, with the 2016 Pinot Noir Hill Justice Vineyard the standout among the trio poured here. After decades of furnishing the preponderance of Carneros’ premium Pinot and Chardonnay grapes, Sangiacomo showcased its own label here, admirably comporting themselves with their 2017 Roberts Road Pinot Noir and the equally-splendid 2017 Green Acres Chardonnay.

I would be equally hard-pressed to choose a favorite from the 2018 Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay, the 2017 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, or the 2016 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Yountville’s Stewart Cellars featured. Of course, had they been a bit bolder, they might have brought along their 2017 Tartan, a Bordeaux-style Meritage that nonetheless offered thematic consistency. But it does betray my varietal prejudice when I note that my favorite wine of this event was the 2016 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon that Sojourn surreptitiously poured alongside its vineyard-designate Pinots. In close contention, however, were a pair of Carneros wines from Hyde Estate: the 2016 Chardonnay and their wondrous library selection, 2012 Carneros Pinot Noir. Jackson Family Wines highlighted their focused ultrapremium label program with the 2016 Jolie Pinot Noir from Maggy Hawk, their Anderson Valley operations.

Also blending from Mendocino vineyards, Erich Bradley’s Texture excelled with their 2014 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley. Given the proliferation of Pinot regions throughout Northern California, it seemed a more perspicacious event producer would have featured a wide variety of AVAs outside of the Sonoma appellations, like the Santa Cruz Mountains or Santa Lucia Highlands (how Pinots & Plaid did not include Talbott is beyond me). Beyond the latter two aforementioned wines, the sole exception to this myopic focus was the 2016 Pinot Noir Star Mooring, a Willamette Valley selection Ellie Phipps Price’s Dunstan added to her line of acclaimed Durrell Vineyard vintages.

Still, the paltry gaggle of plaided patrons in attendance this afternoon probably paid little heed to this oversight and reveled in the opportunity to experience such iconic producers as Gary Farrell, with his members-only bottling of the 2016 Pinot Noir Rochioli Vineyard. For many, I am sure Sebastopol’s Red Car also proved a rare treat, showcasing both their 2016 Estate Pinot Noir Fort Ross-Seaview and a superbly matured library selection, the 2012 Pinot Noir Zephyr Farms. Kosta Browne alum Sam Lando featured a duo of his limited-production wines, the 2017 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and a compelling 2017 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Another highly acclaimed vigneron, John Bucher, also brought a pair of his current releases, the 2017 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir and the 2017 Russian River Valley Estate Pinot Noir.

Lacking a tasting room, my San Francisco neighbor, Kutch is a rare treat for the public; here, they did not disappoint, with three routinely excellent Sonoma Coast vineyard designates: their 2017 Bohan Chardonnay, the 2017 Falstaff Pinot Noir, and the 2017 McDougall Pinot Noir. The rest of the tasting featured widely familiar labels, including peripatetic winemaker Ross Cobb’s own brand, highlighted by the 2016 Pinot Noir Diane Cobb from his family’s vineyard. Wells Guthrie’s Copain may now be part of the Jackson Family portfolio, but remains distinctively subtle, as evidenced by both their 2017 Chardonnay and the 2016 Les Voisins Pinot Noir.

It is always a pleasure to visit with Ken & Akiko Freeman and to taste through their sundry wines. As it is named, the 2017 Ryo-Fu Chardonnay was indeed a “cool breeze” with which to wind down, while the 2016 Yu-Ki Pinot Noir sparkled. I concluded my tastings with my friend Valerie Wathen, ambassador extraordinaire for Dutton-Goldfield, with both the 2016 Rued Vineyard Chardonnay and their new 2017 Azaya Ranch Pinot Noir serving as an excellent coda to the afternoon.

There are numerous Pinot Noir events throughout the year, of course, including dueling versions of Pinot on the River in Sonoma, this month’s upcoming PinotFest, West of West, and World of Pinot Noir. Granted, the largest of these, Pinot Days, has fallen by the wayside, but is there really a need to add yet another? Certainly, a different angle on such an event is necessary to keep it from being redundant, but pairing it to a dilettantish vision for an unrelated fashion display hardly meets this criterion.

I say this as not only an accomplished œnophile but someone known for his sartorial splendor. If somehow there is a Pinots & Plaid II, they may wish to take my picture so you can see for yourself.