{"id":35,"date":"2011-04-23T16:11:00","date_gmt":"2011-04-23T16:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/?p=35"},"modified":"2011-04-23T16:11:00","modified_gmt":"2011-04-23T16:11:00","slug":"the-wine-was-terrific-the-food-was-offal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/?p=35","title":{"rendered":"The wine was terrific. The food was offal."},"content":{"rendered":"
Readers here realize that <\/font><\/font>Sostevinobile<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/b> will offer a vastly different wine \u00e6sthetic than <\/font><\/font>RN74<\/font><\/font><\/a>, and given the subordinate role local wines play at this establishment, it\u2019s a bit surprising to see them host trade association events in their vast antechamber. But a growing number of wineries, particularly Syrah and Pinot Noir producers, are falling within sommelier Rajat Parr\u2019s strictures, and so, recently, this pioneering viticultural shrine has conducted a pair of truly excellent tastings that Your West Coast Oenophile<\/b> has attended.<\/font><\/font>
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A few weeks back, San Francisco saw its first gathering of the <\/font><\/font>Santa Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance<\/font><\/font><\/a>. While this diverse collection of wineries has banded together for the past ten years, this tasting represented, to the best of my knowledge, their first collective foray outside their region. Among the 19 wineries on hand, several new faces were interspersed alongside a handful of familiars, but given the utterly manageable scope of the event, I was able to allot equal attention to all.
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Sta. Rita Hills, of course, is <\/font><\/font>Sideways<\/font><\/font><\/b><\/i> territory, and so it made sense to commence with <\/font><\/font>Hitching Post<\/font><\/font><\/a>, where owner Gray Hartley poured a selection of\u2014what else?\u2014his Pinots. We started off with the <\/font><\/font>2006 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard <\/font><\/font><\/b>before settling into the more selective <\/font><\/font>2007 Pinot Noir Perfect Set<\/font><\/font><\/b>, a barrel selection from their Fiddlestix fruit. The literally named <\/font><\/font>2007 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita\u2019s Earth<\/font><\/font><\/b> preceded his best selection, the lyrical <\/font><\/font>2006 Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b>. <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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Of course, it was no surprise to find Peter <\/font><\/font>Cargasacchi<\/font><\/font><\/a> among this group. Under his eponymous label, he contrasted the rounded <\/font><\/font>2007 Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font><\/font> with the developing <\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard <\/font><\/font><\/b>(I forget why he bypassed the 2008)<\/font><\/font><\/i>. From his Point Concepci\u00f3n label, he poured a striking interpretation of Pinot Grigio, the <\/font><\/font>2009 Celestina<\/font><\/font><\/b>, a wine vinified by destemming the clusters and allowing them to cold soak on their own reddish-pink skins to extract greater flavor, as well as its pink\/orange hue. Following this unconventional bottling, he capped his appearance with Cargasacchi\u2019s compelling <\/font><\/font>2009 Late Harvest Pinot Grigio<\/font><\/font><\/b>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n
Demetria<\/font><\/font><\/a> also presented an anomalous lineup that eschewed the 2008 vintage. Starting with their<\/font><\/font> 2007 Eighteen Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills<\/font><\/font><\/b>, this extraordinary bottling edged out its 2009 version. I preferred the <\/font><\/font>2007 Pinot Noir Cuv\u00e9e Sandra<\/font><\/font><\/b> to the <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>2007 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills<\/font><\/font><\/b>, while finding both the <\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Cuv\u00e9e Sandra<\/font><\/font><\/b> to the <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills<\/font><\/font><\/b>, while finding both the quite exceptional<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>. Conversely, <\/font><\/font>Kessler-Haak<\/font><\/font><\/a> poured only from their 2008 vintage, offering a likable <\/font><\/font>2008 Syrah Turner Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b>, their estate <\/font><\/font>2008 Pinot Noir Kessler-Haak<\/font><\/font><\/b> Vineyard, and the impressive <\/font><\/font>2008 Chardonnay Kessler-Haak Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b>.
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I would have expected less orthodoxy within this AVA, but, at least this afternoon, few other producers showed<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font> much outside the Chardonnay-Pinot Noir-Syrah triumvirate that predominates throughout the Central Coast. <\/font><\/font>Fiddlehead Cellars<\/font><\/font><\/a> did pour a <\/font><\/font>2010 Ros\u00e9 of Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b> before serving up their trio of traditional Pinots from their Fiddlestix Vineyard, starting with the <\/font><\/font>2007 <\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font>Lollapalooza <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/b>Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b>. From the same vintage, the <\/font><\/font>2007 Seven Twenty Eight Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b> proved notably superior, as did the <\/font><\/font>2005 Lollapalooza Pinot Noir.<\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font><\/div>\n

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Fiddlehead<\/font><\/font><\/a> is one of the growing number of wineries that bifurcate their operations between California and Oregon. <\/font><\/font>Siduri<\/font><\/font><\/a>, similarly, produces wines in both states, but leaves its more experimental winemaking to their Novy label.
\nAt RN74, no disappointment could be found with <\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills<\/font><\/font><\/b> nor the <\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b>, yet both were eclipsed by the sensational <\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>. Just as enticing, the <\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font> from <\/font><\/font>Pali Wine Company<\/font><\/font><\/a> proved their best effort here, overshadowing their versions of both the <\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard <\/font><\/font><\/b>and its preceding vintage. Still, their <\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Huntington<\/font><\/font><\/b> showed true individuality.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>
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I\u2019ve tried <\/font><\/font>Dragonette<\/font><\/font><\/a> at a number of different Pinot events, so was pleased to be able explore the diversity of their lineup here, starting with their <\/font><\/font>2009 Sauvignon Blanc Santa Ynez Valley<\/font><\/font><\/b>, one of three they produce from the Happy Canyon sub-sub-AVA. Moving on, their <\/font><\/font>2010 Ros\u00e9 of Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b> provided a superb transition to their red bottlings, including the <\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills<\/font><\/font><\/b> and their distinctive <\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Hilliard Bruce Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b>. To my taste, however, Dragonette showed most strongly with their Rh\u00f4ne vintages, the<\/font><\/font> 2008 Syrah<\/font><\/font><\/b> and the <\/font><\/font>2008 MJM<\/font><\/font><\/b>, a profound Syrah blended with Grenache, Mourv\u00e8dre, and Viognier.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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I am always fond of a good Viognier, and so it was extraordinary to discover <\/font><\/font>Cold Heaven<\/font><\/font><\/a>, a wine venture devoted to this oft-times fickle grape. Supremely complemented by the allure of winemaker Morgan Clendenen\u2019s golden tresses, this lineup began with her<\/font><\/font> 2009 Viognier Au Bon Climat<\/font><\/font><\/b>, then followed by the <\/font><\/font>2009 Viognier Sanford & Benedict Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b>. Of course, I had to admire a wine coyly called the <\/font><\/font>2009 Pinot Noir Never Tell<\/font><\/font><\/b>, but Morgan\u2019s forte proved to be the<\/font><\/font> 2009 Late Harvest Viognier<\/font><\/font><\/b>, an exceptional dessert wine.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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D\u2019Alfonso-Curran<\/font><\/font><\/a> didn\u2019t try to match Cold Heaven, but they comport themselves more than admirably with their <\/font><\/font>2009 Di Bruno Pinot Grigio<\/font><\/font><\/b> from the same, acclaimed Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. Holding back their wines longer than most, they then presented a quartet of Pinots, starting with the <\/font><\/font>2006 Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b> Sanford & Benedict Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font> I felt a bit tepid about the <\/font><\/font>2006 Pinot Noir Rancho Las Hermanas Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b>, but truly cottoned to the <\/font><\/font>2006 Pinot Noir Rancho La Vi\u00f1a Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b>. And it was wonderful to learn from Marketing Director Lisa Christensen that their euphonic <\/font><\/font>2006 BADGE Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b> did indeed derive its name form the <\/font><\/font>Cream classic<\/font><\/font><\/a>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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It was good to meet noted vineyardist Wes Hagen and plow my way through the seven <\/font><\/font>Clos Pepe<\/font><\/font><\/a> wines he poured. First, he contrasted the austere <\/font><\/font>2009 Estate Chardonnay \u201cHommage to Chablis\u201d<\/font><\/font><\/b> with the luscious <\/font><\/font>2009 Estate Chardonnay Barrel Fermented<\/font><\/font><\/b>. Demonstrating the longevity of his wines, he next poured the <\/font><\/font>2000 Estate Chardonnay<\/font><\/font><\/b>, a wine showing remarkably well after 11 years. Wes\u2019 Pinot selections showcased a disjointed vertical, with a young <\/font><\/font>2009 Estate Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b> to start. I found the 2007 and 2006 vintages equivalent yet better, while being happily surprised to see the <\/font><\/font>2000 Estate Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b> had aged so elegantly<\/font><\/font>.<\/font><\/font><\/b>
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Seven wines in one stop meant I needed a dose of sustenance before moving on. Fortunately, RN74 put out a generous spread of salumi, including an addictive <\/font><\/font>finocchiona<\/font><\/font><\/i><\/b> (dry fennel sausage)<\/font><\/font><\/i>. What I mistook for a variant on head cheese turned out to be <\/font><\/font>pat\u00e9 de compagne<\/font><\/font><\/i>, a ground blend of pork and bacon. Very good, if not offal.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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Back at the tasting stations, I brought myself next to <\/font><\/font>Foley Family Wines<\/font><\/font><\/a>\u2019 table, where this burgeoning conglomerate served up a selection from a pair of its labels
\n. From <\/font><\/font>Lincourt<\/font><\/font><\/a>, the <\/font><\/font>2009 Chardonnay Steel <\/font><\/font><\/b>was delightful, the <\/font><\/font>2008 Pinot Noir Rancho Santa Rosa Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b> even more so. Their home brand, <\/font><\/font>Foley Estate<\/font><\/font><\/a>, compared favorably with their own 2<\/font><\/font>008 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills<\/font><\/font><\/b>. With his Byron and Io labels now part of Jackson Family Wines, Santa Barbara pioneer <\/font><\/font>Ken Brown<\/font><\/font><\/a> showcased his eponymous line, starting with a <\/font><\/font>2009 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b>. The<\/font><\/font> 2008 Rancho La Vi\u00f1a Vineyard Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b> proved an even more noteworthy expression, as did both the <\/font><\/font>2007 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b> and the <\/font><\/font>2007 Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir<\/font><\/font><\/b>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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A couple wineries that <\/font><\/font>Sostevinobile<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font> had yet to cover proved fortuitous finds. At 18,000 cases, <\/font><\/font>Gainey Vineyards<\/font><\/font><\/a> qualifies as more than a boutique operations, yet both their <\/font><\/font>2009 Chardonnay<\/font><\/font><\/b> and <\/font><\/font>2008 Limited Selection Pinot Noi<\/font><\/font><\/b>r showed handcrafted elegance. The tiny production of <\/font><\/font>Gypsy Canyon<\/font><\/font><\/a> <\/font><\/font>(<200 cases) <\/font><\/font><\/i>belies a sophistication both with their 2009 Pinot Noir<\/b> and the non-vintage<\/font><\/font> Ancient Vine Angelica Dona Marcelina’s Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b>, a seductive dessert wine vinted from the historic Mission grapes originally planted in the AVA.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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Longoria Wines <\/a>offers quite a diverse portfolio of varietals and blends, so it seemed surprising that they only poured a selection of their Pinots here. Nonetheless, there was much to admire in their 2008 Pinot Noir Lovely Rita<\/b> and the 2007 Pinot Noir Fe Ciega Vineyard<\/b>, as well as the approachable 2008 Pinot Noir Rancho Santa Rosa<\/b>. Others, like Zotovich<\/a>, which grows Dolcetto and Barbera for Italian varietal specialists Palmina<\/a>, showcased compelling bottlings of both their 2007 Estate Pinot<\/b> Noir<\/b> and 2008 Estate Syrah.<\/b>
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Sweeney Canyon<\/a> is an understated, dry-farmed vineyard producing wines from its own fruit. Their 2008 Chardonnay Sweeney Canyon Vineyard<\/b> preceded an even more extraordinary 2006 Chardonnay Sweeney Canyon Vineyard<\/b>, while the 2007 Pinot Noir Sweeney Canyon Vineyard<\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font> proved slightly preferable to the 2008 Pinot Noir Sweeney Canyon Vineyard<\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>. Completing this tasting, Kenneth-Crawford Wines<\/a> scored across-the-board excellence with 2007 Pinot Noir Turner Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b> and the 2006 Syrah Lafond Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b>, then ratcheted things up a notch with both the 2008 Pinot Noir Babcock Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font> and the 2006 Syrah Turner Vineyard<\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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I must tip my hat to RN74 for this splendid gathering. Great wine, delicious house-cured meats, and a cozy, manageable setting. Just the kind of industry tasting Sostevinobile<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font> will strive to host in the near future.<\/p>\n
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A couple of weeks later, Rajat & Co. managed to outdo themselves with their own conference and tasting: California Pinot Noir: In Pursuit of Balance<\/a><\/b>. Here 23 diverse Pinot Noir producers who fit within RN74\u2019s dictum against wines exceeding 14% alcohol levels. In many ways, a bouquet to the select California producers among this wine emporium\u2019s vast roster, this gathering felt like a veritable Who\u2019s Who of the leading winemakers who emphasize restraint above all in their vinification practices.
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And in keeping with the spirit of the event, I am going to try to record my summaries of the various wines equally restrained\u2014or at least as succinct as I can ever be! I did not attend the seminar which preceded this tasting, but I did know that Vanessa Wong was one of the panelists, so starting with Peay<\/a> seemed as logical a choice as any. A rare event where Andy Peay was not representing the winery; in his stead, Vanessa\u2019s husband (and Andy\u2019s brother) <\/i>Nick poured a trio of their wines, starting with the more general 2009 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast<\/b>, then moving on to the 2009 Pinot Noir Ama Estate<\/b>, and, finally, to the superb 2009 Pinot Noir Pomarium Estate<\/b>. I can always count on Peay to have something outside a tasting\u2019s parameters hidden under the table, and thus was ecstatic to sample their utterly marvelous estate Syrah, the 2008 Les Titans<\/b>
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Given the affinity many of these wineries share for also producing Syrah, I would have expected there to have been a strong overlap here from the previous day\u2019s Rh\u00f4ne Rangers<\/a> tasting, but only found Pax Mahle, whom I just met for the first time. I would not have minded trying his Wind Gap<\/a> wines every day that week, with a caveat. Wind Gap epitomizes the precepts of In Pursuit of Balance<\/b><\/i>, and in its relentless fidelity to the production of wines that suppress the level of alcohol in order to promote greater expression
\nof terroir<\/i>, they fall prey to the same pitfalls that bedevils many of the French wines I have sampled of late. There is little question that these wines handsomely complement food, yet I find the way they are structured makes them dependent on<\/b><\/i> food to succeed. This nuance holds significant ramifications for the wine program Sostevinobile<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font> is establishing.
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Nonetheless, within this context, I did like the 2008 Pinot Noir Woodruff Vineyard<\/b> that Wind Gap produced from the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. I found the 2009 vintage preferable, however, on par with their 2009 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast<\/b>. Another winery often mentioned in the context, Josh Jensen\u2019s Calera<\/a> holds the enviable position of occupying its own AVA, Mt. Harlan in San Benito County. One of California\u2019s only producers of Aligot\u00e9, Calera represented themselves this afternoon with a trio of Pinot, the broadly focused 2009 Pinot Noir Central Coast<\/b> and two from their exclusive enclave, the 2007 Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard Mt. Harlan<\/b> and the 2007 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard Mt. Harlan<\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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I hadn\u2019t had a chance to try Flowers<\/a> wines since Keiko Niccolini left to start her own company. Not that she had made the wine. Somehow, she just made it taste better. Still, I was extremely pleased with both their 2007 Pinot Noir Sea View Ridge Estate<\/b> and the 2007 Pinot Noir Thompson Ridge Estate<\/b> Estate Director Christopher Barefoot poured here. Failla<\/a> came through with their usual aplomb, impressing with the 2009 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard<\/b> and the 2009 Pinot Noir Pearlessence Vineyard<\/b>; I did feel the 2009 Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch<\/b> was a tad too young for release.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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Speaking of Hirsch Vineyards<\/a>, Jasmine Hirsch, who orchestrated this tasting, and her father David poured a trio of their famed Pinots, starting with the 2009 Pinot Noir Bohan Dillon<\/b>. This fine bottling preceded the exceptional 2007 Pinot Noir San Andreas<\/b>, followed by a preliminary tasting of their 2009 Estate Pinot Noir <\/b>(barrel sample)<\/i>. On the same level, Jim Clendenen\u2019s Au Bon Climat<\/a> is revered in these wine circles, and, indeed, his 2008 <\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font>Isabelle <\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>Pinot Noir <\/b>was close to perfect. keeping pace was his 2009 Le Bon Climat \u2014K&U Pinot Noir<\/b> and the superb, organically-grown 2007 Clendenen Family Vineyards Pinot Noir<\/b>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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My command of French may not match up with Jim\u2019s but I will hold my Latin skills up to anyone\u2019s. Of course, it rarely offers any practical use, though I did manage to compel RN74 to correct the En Vino Veritas<\/b><\/i> they had misprinted on their receipts last year. Similarly, I take issue with fellow Brunonian Ted Lemon\u2019s choice of orthography for his Littorai<\/a> (should be litora<\/b>)<\/i>, but I cannot quarrel with his selection as the 2010 Winemaker of the Year <\/a>by SFGate. Both his 2009 Pinot Noir The Pivot Vineyard<\/b> and the 2009 Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard<\/b> struck me as equally fine wines, exceeded by the splendid 2007 Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard<\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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Another fixture in these circles, Copain, contrasted four of their Anderson Valley bottlings, starting with the 2009 Les Voisons<\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font> Pinot Noir<\/b> and the single vineyard 2009 Wentzel Pinot Noir<\/b>. tied for Copain\u2019s acme were the 2009 Monument Tree<\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font> Pinot Noir<\/b> and the tongue-twister, 2009 Kiser En Haute Pinot Noir<\/b>. Though I liked their wines, admittedly, the vertical selection of Freestone<\/a>\u2019s Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast<\/b>, starting with the 2007 and 2008 bottlings, along with a tank sample of the 2009, paled in comparison.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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Santa Cruz\u2019 Mount Eden<\/a> always stood as the odd duck amid the Napa and Sonoma wineries that had bought into The Press Club<\/a>. The success of this cooperative tasting room\u2019s metamorphosis into a wine lounge remains to be seen, but Mount Eden has emerged no worse for the wear and tear, boasting an exceptional odd-year vertical, the 2009 Estate Pinot Noir<\/b>, their benchmark 2007 Estate Pinot Noir<\/b>, and a remarkably well-aged 2005 Pinot Noir<\/b>. Another familiar venture I was pleased to see here was Native\u2079<\/a> pouring a mini-vertical of their 2009 Pinot Noir Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard<\/b> and its superior predecessor, the 2008 Pinot Noir Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard<\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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I hadn\u2019t previously tried James Ontiveros\u2019 other label, Alta Maria<\/a>, a collaboration with Paul Wilkins of Autonom<\/a>. Here the 2008 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley <\/b>proved slightly preferable to the otherwise wondrous 2009 vintage. I had not heard of Chanin Wine Company<\/a> before this event, but developed a great fondness for their 2008 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard <\/b>and the preferable 2008 Pinot Noir Le Bon Climat Vineyard<\/b>. Similarly, I discovered Kutch Wines<\/a> here and sampled my way through their 2009 Pinot Noir McDougall Ranch<\/b> and 2009 Pinot Noir Falstaff<\/b>, both Sonoma Coast, as well as their 2009 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley<\/b>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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Before delving into the several other wineries I had not tr<\/font>i<\/font><\/font>ed before, I needed to recharge my system with the delectable Prosciutto<\/font>, as well as the same salumi and offal-looking pat\u00e9 RN74 had provided at the previous event. Revitalized, I moved onto Sol\u00edste<\/a>, the winery here that offered the most contrast to the Pinot uniformity. Starting with a crisp 2010 Lune et Soleil Sauvignon Blanc<\/b>, we segued into the red selections first with the 2009 Soleil Rouge<\/b>, a ros\u00e9 of Pinot Noir. The fruity 2008 Pinot Noir L\u2019Esperance<\/b> preceded a more subdued 2007 vintage, while both contrasted with the younger 2009 Pinot Noir Sonatera Vineyards<\/b>. Sol\u00edste\u2019s forte, however, proved to be their 2008 Syrah Out of the Shadows<\/b>, a wine that made one wish others had brought along a Syrah as well.
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Rajat\u2019s own label, Sandhi<\/a>, did not pour their Syrah but did assert their viticultural prowess with the 2009 ELV Tempest Pinot Noir<\/b>; for contrast, the 2009 Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay<\/b> showed itself to be a worthy balance to its Burgundian counterpart. One of Sandhi\u2019s winemakers, Sashi Moorman, is partnered with former Rubicon General Manager Lawrence Stone in Evening Land Vineyards<\/a>, a far-flung venture making wines from Sonoma, Santa Rita Hills, the Willamette Valley, and even Burgundy. At In Pursuit of Balance<\/i><\/b>, they sampled both their 2009 Pinot Noir Tempest Bloom\u2019s Field<\/b> from the SRH appellation and the exceptional 2009 Pinot Noir Occidental Vineyards<\/b> along the Sonoma Coas<\/font><\/font><\/font>t<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>
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Also from the Sonoma Coast, Cobb Wines<\/a> offered an assimilable threesome: the 2007 Pinot No
\nir Emmaline Vineyard<\/b>, the uxorial 2008 Pinot Noir Diane Cobb: Coastlands Vineyard<\/b>, and their standout, the 2008 Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard<\/b>. This appellation also featured John Raytek\u2019s Ceritas<\/a>, with their 2008 Pinot Noir Escarpa Vineyard <\/b>and its successive vintage; with Sanglier\u2019s Glenn Alexander, he also produced the 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir<\/b> under the Cartha<\/a> label, a venture that has been widely praised for its Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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I had had disparate experiences with the final three wineries. Lioco<\/a>, a stalwart of the Natural Wine movement, balanced their offerings here between the 2009 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard<\/b> and their outstanding 2009 Pinot Noir Michaud Vineyard<\/b> from the Chalone appellation. Miura<\/a>, which I had cajoled into donating wine to The Asia Society<\/a>\u2019s Annual Dinner but never tasted myself, featured their emblematic 2008 Pinot Noir Silacci Vineyard\u2013Matador,<\/b> along with the 2008 Pinot Noir Garys\u2019 Vineyard<\/b> and their standout, the 2008 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard<\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>. Rounding out the afternoon, understated Tyler, a winery I had not heard of before, scored with an impressive lineup of Pinots from Santa Barbara: the 2009 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido N Block\u2013Old Vines<\/b>, a beautiful 2008 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe<\/b>, and the 2008 Pinot Noir Presidio<\/b>.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

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All in all, In Pursuit of Balance<\/i><\/b> turned out to be a splendid event, so much so that I remained for the first hour of the public tasting to resample several of the wines and nosh on some more offal. In doing so, I made one final discovery for the day: our host Rajat Parr plays squash at the same racquets club where I belong. A match will soon be arranged, Sostevinobile<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font> vs. RN74. Don\u2019t let on about my court strategy\u2014I intend to subdue by my display of restraint<\/font><\/font><\/font>!
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Readers here realize that Sostevinobile will offer a vastly different wine \u00e6sthetic than RN74, and given the subordinate role local wines play at this establishment, it\u2019s a bit surprising to see them host trade association events in their vast antechamber. But a growing number of wineries, particularly Syrah and Pinot Noir producers, are falling within […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,7,109,12,108,38,14,82,19,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chardonnay","category-grenache","category-mission","category-mourvedre","category-pinot-grigio","category-pinot-gris","category-pinot-noir","category-rose","category-sauvignon-blanc","category-syrah","category-viognier"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}