{"id":60,"date":"2010-09-01T04:35:00","date_gmt":"2010-09-01T04:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/?p=60"},"modified":"2010-09-01T04:35:00","modified_gmt":"2010-09-01T04:35:00","slug":"innumerable-enumeration-enumerable-inumbration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/?p=60","title":{"rendered":"Innumerable enumeration? Enumerable inumbration?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Once there was an elephant,
\nWho tried to use the telephant<\/p>\n

No! No! I mean an elephone

\nWho tried to use the telephone<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2014Laura E. Richards<\/p>\n

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Try to do the math. 342 wineries \u00f7 (2 days x 5 hrs\/day) = (34 wineries\/hr. \u00f7 60 min\/hr.)\u2212 1<\/sup><\/strong> = 1.7543 min\/winery. With no bathroom breaks. Forget swill & spit\u2014there\u2019s not even enough time to bring the glass to your lips!<\/span><\/div>\n

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On the plus side, Your West Coast Oenophile<\/strong> is happy to report that Family Winemakers of California<\/a> seems to<\/span> have finally settled comfortably into its August slot. But even if they had brought back the Aidells Sausage station and pumped me up with protein, there was no way I could visit even half the wineries in attendance.
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My must-see list for <\/span>Sostevinobile<\/strong><\/span> ran to around 98 wineries, which meant just a shade over 6 minutes with every prospect (again, assuming indefatigable bladder control)<\/em>, provided I didn\u2019t spend a moment with any of the folks I\u2019d already befriended over the years. In other words, still a Herculean feat to accomplish. And so, as always, I strove to do the best that I could.<\/span><\/div>\n

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ZAP<\/a>, Rh\u00f4ne Rangers<\/a>, Pinot Days<\/a>, T.A.P.A.S.<\/a>\u2014by now, I am sure I have exhausted every possible description of a large-scale wine tasting at Fort Mason\u2019s Festival Pavilion. All I can add is an enumeration of the innumerable wineries in attendance that I succeeded in sampling. Or is it an inumbration of the enumerable?<\/span><\/div>\n

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Arriving from Healdsburg Sunday afternoon, I attempted to survey the room and plot my plan of attack. Halfway down the first row, however, a \u201cHello, Marc!\u201d drew me over to Silkwood<\/a>\u2019s table owner\/winemaker John Monnich, whose Petite Sirahs are a mainstay of P.S. I Love You<\/a>, treated me to a sample of his NV Red Duet, a Cabernet Sauvignon\/Syrah<\/strong> blend primarily from his 2007 vintages. Over at the next table, Santa Barbara\u2019s Silver Wines<\/a> displayed a deft touch with blending, both with their 2005 Syrah-Mourv\u00e8dre Larner Vineyard <\/strong>and a unreleased, non-vintage I Tre Figli<\/strong>, a proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and 5% Cabernet Franc.And belying the complexity of their wines, the \u03c0<\/strong>-adorned Simple Math Cellars<\/a> derived a winning formula for their first Family Winemakers appearance, with their 2008 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast <\/strong>and a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Mayacamas Mountains<\/strong> that portends to age logarithmically.
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I only managed to taste their 2005 Barbera Napa Valley<\/strong>, but the eclectic Sunset Cellars<\/a> still made quite a calculable impression. Similarly, Alexander Valley\u2019s Stuhlmuller Vineyards<\/a> featured a 2008 Zinfandel <\/em><\/strong>(with 23% Petite Sirah)<\/em> that allowed me to extrapolate on the general quality of all their wines. I did, however, dawdle a bit longer at the Stonehedge<\/a> table, sampling their sweeter wines, the 2008 Terroir Select Gew\u00fcrztraminer<\/strong> and the 2009 Muscat Canelli,<\/strong> as well as the 2007 Terroir Select Malbec<\/strong>.
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Brentwood\u2019s Tamayo Family Vineyards<\/a> offered a 2009 Malbec Ryland\u2019s Block <\/strong>and a likable 2009 Viognier Bailey<\/strong> that preceded indulging in their Port-style\u00a02008 J. Jaden Red Dessert Wine<\/strong>, a Syrah derivative named, as are all their Signature Series wines, for one of their algebraic subset of grandchildren. The urge to become fruitful and multiply has also struck Ackerman Family Vineyards<\/a>, previously a single Cabernet venture, with the release of their 2007 Alavigna Tosca<\/strong>, a Super Tuscan blend of their Cabernet Sauvignon with 40% Sangiovese from Luna Vineyards<\/a>. And while Ancient Peaks<\/a> has never positioned itself as a one-wine venture, their own proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Merlot, and Petit Verdot<\/span>, the 2007 Oyster Ridge<\/strong> impressed, as always.
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Blue Moon Wines<\/a> now bills themselves as ADS Wines, though after perusing their website, I\u2019m tempted to refer to them as ADD<\/a>; nonetheless, their seeming lack of distinguishable focus did not prevent me from appreciating their NV Rare Red<\/strong>, a Valdigui\u00e9 from the Napa Valley. I had similar trouble getting a handle on the permutations of Azari Winery\/Corkscrew<\/a>, but found their 2007 Corkscrew Syrah<\/strong> more approachable their sweetish 2009 Chardonnay<\/strong>. Fortunately, I was immediately able to recalibrate with the numeric scaling of B Cellars<\/a>, a Napa label devoted to blends calibrated by the Brix of their grapes.The white 2009 Blend 23<\/strong> combines Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier; the 2006 Blend 24 <\/strong>mixes Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Sangiovese. The linear progression to the 2006 Blend 25<\/strong> brings a m\u00e9lange of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, while the single varietal 2006 Blend 26<\/strong> marries fruit from Napa\u2019s To Kalon, Dr. Crane & Stagecoach vineyards\u2014superior, I thought, to the undiluted 2006 Dr. Crane Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> they also poured.
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Despite being recruited to the Math Honors program at Dartmouth, I quit after one semester with the most soporific instructor I had ever encountered and switched to the Classics Department, where my comprehension of ancient Greek and Latin plays into my professional endeavors almost yearly. Of course, I didn\u2019t need to master the Ionic dialect to recognize the literary references in Arger-Martucci<\/a>\u2019s labels, the highly aromatic 2008 Iliad<\/strong>, a blend of Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Gew\u00fcrztraminer, and Muscat, nor the 2005 Odyssey Estate Reserve<\/strong>, a classic Napa Meritage that complements their varietal 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>. Italian being the direct evolution of Latin, I suppose August Ridge<\/a> could have countered by calling their wines Aeneid or the Golden Ass<\/a>, but the owners refrained from the pretense of allusion and instead elected to bestow simple varietal names on their 2009 Arneis<\/strong>, the 2007 Sangiovese<\/strong>, the very likable 2007 Nebbiolo<\/strong>, and a rustic 2008 Barbera<\/strong>.<\/span><\/div>\n

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How Bennet Lane<\/a> construes the names for its wines seems anything but formulaic; then again, neither were their stellar Cab-centric vintages: the new 2008 Turn 4 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>, equally impressive bottlings of the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> and the 2006 Maximus <\/strong>(a Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Malbec blend)<\/em>, and their standout, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve<\/strong>. My observations on Beau Vigne<\/a> would mirror this, as I didn\u2019t allow the nomenclature to befuddle my appreciation of their 2008 Persuasion<\/strong> (Chardonnay) <\/em>nor of their overtly labeled 2008 Cult<\/strong> (Cabernet Sauvignon)<\/em>.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Is 3\u2265<\/span>5? Sonoma\u2019s B Wise Vineyards<\/a> displays convincing proof with its 2006 Trio<\/strong>s<\/strong>, a proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Merlot, and Petite Verdot<\/span><\/span>, while their 2005 Brion Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> offered the singular complexity of a pure varietal expression. Calistoga\u2019s Barlow Vineyards<\/a> sampled a more orthodox <\/span>blend<\/span> of four Bordeaux varietals, the 2006 Barrouge<\/strong>, which straddled the middle ground between their 2006 Merlot<\/strong> and the slightly more impressive 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>. And though Carrefour<\/a> holds no mathematical significance, their range of varietals equated to 2005 Estate Merlot<\/strong> \u222a<\/strong> <\/strong><\/span>2006 Estate Cabernet Franc \u222a<\/strong> 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.<\/strong>
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Cartograph<\/a> echoes a distinct discipline with obvious dependency on trigonometry and other <\/span>branches <\/span>of mathematics, but for the purposes of Family Winemakers solely refers to the three vertices of this Healdsburg winery\u2019s vinification: the 2008 two Pisces Pinot Noir<\/strong>, the exceptional 2008 Split Rock Pinot Noir<\/strong>, and their somewhat anomalous white counterpoint, the 2009 Floodgate Vineyard Gew\u00fcrztraminer<\/strong>. A more southerly interpolation of this latter varietal came from the 2009 Monterey County\u00a0<\/strong>Gew\u00fcrztraminer<\/strong><\/span> that Banyan Wines<\/a> vinted, along with their new 2009 The Guardian Chardonnay<\/strong>. Meanwhile, their tasting room cohorts. Branham Estate<\/a>, showcased two intriguing blends, the 2007 Jazz<\/strong>, a mix that subordinates Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Syrah and Petite Sirah, to Zinfandel, and the 2007 Se\u00f1al<\/span><\/strong>, that similarly proportions the same varietals from Branham\u2019s Rockpile vineyard, as well as their 2006 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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The center of the California Delta does not fall within any recognized AVA, but Bixler Vineyards<\/a> grows a number of varietals there on its Union Island Farms. Admittedly, I was underwhelmed by their economical 2009 Union Island White <\/strong>and 2009 Union Island Red<\/strong> blends, but their splendid $12 2009 Union Island Pinot Grigio<\/strong> proved<\/span> (perpetuating the math theme here) <\/span><\/em> <\/em>an absolute value. Another rather obscure designation, Capay Valley, furnishes the Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Mourv\u00e8dre that comprise the 2008 Open Range Proprietary Red Blend<\/strong> from Casey Flat Ranch, based in Tiburon. And while Anderson Valley is no revelation to most wine enthusiasts, headquarters for Pinot specialist Black Kite Cellars<\/a> turned out to be a mere 1.5 blocks from my front door in Pacific Heights. (I restricted myself to sampling only their superb 2008 Pinot Noir Stony Terrace<\/strong> and the 2008 Pinot Noir Redwoods\u2019 Edge<\/strong>, along with the more generic 2007 Kite\u2019s Rest Pinot Noir<\/strong>, as owner Rebecca Birdsall Green invited me to join her private tasting the next day of every Pinot they had made since 2003!)<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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As always, my efforts to make new friends at Family Winemakers<\/strong> brings me into contact with numerous old friends who insist I taste their latest and greatest (not that this is any sort of burden)<\/em>, but in my ever-futile attempts to pare these blog entries to a reasonable length, let me list these in as a verbal depiction of a mathematical \u2211<\/strong>: Andrew Quady<\/a>\u2019s NV Deviation<\/strong>, an Orange Muscat infused with damiana and scented geranium;\u00a0Andrew Geoffrey<\/a>\u2019s unfailingly amazing 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>; my favorite 2007 Graciano<\/strong> from Bokisch Vineyards<\/a>; both the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> I\u2019d previously tasted at Joseph Family Vineyards<\/a> barbecue; Lava Cap<\/a>\u2019s 2008 Barbera <\/strong>and 2007 Zinfandel<\/strong>; Ty Caton<\/a>\u2019s superb 2008 Ballfield Syrah<\/strong>: his co-tenant\u00a0Muscardini<\/a>\u2019s Super Tuscan, the 2007 Tesoro<\/strong>; the 2006 Sangiovese<\/strong> (where was your Dolcetto?)<\/em> from Pietra Santa<\/a>; the new 2009 G<\/strong>ew\u00fcrztraminer<\/strong><\/span><\/span> (where was your Blanc de Pinot Noir?)<\/em> from Siduri<\/a>; the omnipresent JoAnne and Tony Truchard<\/a> with their 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>; and Steve and Marilee Shaffer of the newly-emboldened Urban Legend<\/a> with their 2008 Ironworks<\/strong>, a blend of Nebbiolo and Sangiovese.<\/span><\/div>\n

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I might have enumerated Bill Frick<\/a> among these members of this set, but I lingered at their table long enough to make my way through the 3 C\u2019s of his quintessential Rh\u00f4ne varietals: the 2006 Cinsault Dry Creek Valley<\/strong>, the 2005 Carignane Mendocino County<\/strong>, and the 2007 Estate Counoise Owl Hill Vineyard<\/strong>, as well as his more whimsical 2007 C\u00f4tes-du-Dry Creek<\/strong>,a blend of Grenache and Syrah (had I known I\u2019d be adopting a theme for this entry, I\u2019d have opted for his two North Coast red Rh\u00f4ne blends, the C\u00b2 <\/strong>and the C\u00b3<\/strong>)<\/em>! Bill does not bottle the Rh\u00f4ne \u201cvarietal du jour<\/strong><\/em>,\u201d but my friends at Rock Wall<\/a> (which does) <\/em>steered me to the table for Paso Robles\u2019 Lone Madrone<\/a>, which treated me to a taste of their 2005 Tannat<\/strong>. Another grape that is demanding attention in California made its Family Winemakers debut with the new release of the 2009 Gr\u00fcner Veltliner<\/strong> from Dancing Coyote<\/a>.
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My next summation covers wineries that will likely not prove revelations to my <\/span>Sostevinobile<\/strong> readers, but their renown proved too alluring to bypass along the way to my appointed destinations. Jeff Mathy & Karl Lehmann\u2019s Vellum Wine Craft<\/a>, a single bottling venture like Andrew Geoffrey, reinforced their considerable repute with their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/a>from the soon-to-be certified Coombsville AVA; another Coombsville denizen, <\/span>Pahlmeyer<\/a>, gained considerable fame for its 1991 Chardonnay in the movie Disclosure<\/strong><\/em><\/a> but flourished this afternoon with a Meritage, the 2006 Napa Valley Proprietary Red<\/strong>; another Chardonnay movie star, Ch\u00e2teau Montelena<\/a> (Bottle Shock<\/a><\/strong>)<\/em>, staked its claim with the 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon; my personal pedantry aside, Littorai<\/a> may not garner acclaim for their classical scholarship (Latin for \u201cshore\u201d is litus, litoris<\/strong>)<\/em>, but biodynamically farmed 2007 The Haven Pinot Noir<\/strong> proved exemplary of the many storied Chardonnays and Pinots they produce; Carneros pioneer Kent Rasmussen<\/a> showed a delightful 2007 Pinot Noir <\/strong>and his 2007 Esoterica Pete Sirah<\/strong>; and also from Carneros, Robert Stemmler<\/a> poured its acclaimed 2007 Pinot Noir Nugent Vineyard.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Writing this blog is a lot like Fermat\u2019s Last Theorem (an<\/sup>\u00a0+\u00a0bn<\/sup>\u00a0\u2260<\/span>\u00a0cn<\/sup> <\/strong>when n>2)<\/em>, an elegant, if not empirical, premise that took over 200 years to prove. I plot out these entries with every intention of being concise, but somehow my fidelity to every possible permutation means I must labor ad infinitum<\/em><\/strong>. Onward, onward!<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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My linear progression takes us next to Calstar Cellars<\/a>, a name many wineries must feel could be applicable to them, whose \u0153nological agility seemed most pronounced in their 2007 Alta Zinfandel Cardanini Vineyard<\/strong> and its companion 2007 ZaZa Zin<\/strong> grown in El Dorado County. Next up, Charnu Winery<\/a> derives its name from a French term for \u201cfleshy,\u201d a more than apt description of the small production 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> and its stunning predecessor, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>, both pure expressions of the varietal from Napa Valley. Likewise, Atlas Peak\u2019s Cobblestone Vineyards<\/a> <\/span> <\/span>dazzled with their 2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> and the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u00a0\"\"A good pun, whether expressed verbally or algebraically, is always a good pun,and in addition to their winemaking prowess, Napa\u2019s Crane Brothers<\/a>\u00a0skillfully eschew calling their blends Niles and Frasier<\/a>, opting instead for the 2007 Brodatious <\/strong>(a m\u00e9lange of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot)\u00a0<\/em>and the\u00a02007 Bromance\u00a0<\/strong>(a Port-style Syrah dessert wine)<\/em><\/span>, while also pouring a straightforward 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> and their trademark 2006 Syrah<\/strong>. Meanwhile, the rest of Family Winemakers<\/strong>\u2019 C-section included Croze<\/a>\u2019s 2006 Smith Wooton Cabernet Franc<\/strong>, Cort\u00e9 Riva<\/a>\u2019s equally-appealing 2006 Cabernet Franc<\/strong> and perfunctory 2006 Petite Sirah<\/strong>, an excellent 2007 Syrah<\/strong> and amiable 2008 Ros\u00e9<\/strong> of Syrah from Coastview Vineyard<\/a>, and the debut of Paul Hobbs<\/a>\u2019 new CrossBarn<\/a> label that contrasted the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> with his eponymous 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley<\/strong>.
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The addition of Dragonette Cellars<\/a> to the Family Winemakers<\/strong> roster meant an obligatory stop for Sostevinobile<\/strong><\/span>, but sampling their 2008 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard<\/strong>, along with their 2007 Syrah Santa Ynez Valley<\/strong> and the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Santa Ynez Valley<\/strong>, proved hardly a chore. Healdsburg\u2019s Dogwood Cellars<\/a> matched up nicely with their own 2007 Dry Creek Syrah<\/strong> and a 2007 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir<\/strong>, while truly flourishing with both their 2006 Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon <\/strong>and the 2006 Mendocino Meritage<\/strong>, a 1:1 Merlot\/Cabernet Sauvignon blend. And with four distinct points, Donati Family Vineyards<\/a> of Templeton defined their particular space, highlighted by the 2007 Estate Pinot Blanc Paicines<\/strong>, their Bordelaise-style 2007 Claret<\/strong>, the unblended 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>, and the 2006 Ezio<\/strong>, their marqu\u00e9 Meritage driven by Merlot.
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Decades after I studied (and excelled at)<\/em> calculus, I am still hard-pressed to explain why e, a mathematical constant roughly equivalent to 2.718218285904523536, forms the base of the natural logarithm, but with no E\u2019s from which to cull for the remaining wineries that I covered, I can refrain from having to contrive a forced segue. Indeed, my tasting notes bypass several letters until I neared the middle of the H section with Hearthstone<\/a>, another Paso Robles winery that stakes its claim primarily with Rh\u00f4ne varietals, including the 2007 Pearl<\/strong>, a Roussanne\/Viognier blend, and a superb 2007 Grenache<\/strong>. And even though I did manage it to taste Ispiri<\/a>\u2019s 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> and the 2007 Maylena<\/strong>, their Alexander Valley Merlot, I will resist any temptation to make a \u221a-1 = \u03b9<\/strong><\/em> correlation\u00a0<\/span>with the letter I.<\/div>\n
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Way back when, square roots introduced me (as I\u2019m sure it did most people)<\/em> to the concept of irrational numbers\u2014those endless sequences that defy any discernable pattern of regularity. And perhaps I should draw inspiration from this phenomenon, randomly selecting any order for the wineries I assay. And yet the next four wineries I plucked from my list share the bond of making their Family Winemakers debut in 2010. Two of these ventures featured well-seasoned winemakers whose craft was well apparent. Glen Ellen\u2019s Korbin Kameron<\/a> brought on board Bob Pepi to lend his deft touch to their Meritage, the 2007 Estate Blend Cuv\u00e9e Kristin<\/strong>, while Tandem\u2019s Greg La Follette<\/a> established his eponymous label with his 2008 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir<\/strong> and an extraordinary 2008 Sangiacomo Pinot Noir<\/strong>. The other two endeavors came from unfamiliar winemakers; nonetheless, Olin Wines<\/a> made a strong debut with their 2006 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>, while Kristian Story<\/a> showed considerable range with his 2006 Soir\u00e9e Estate Meritage<\/strong>, the 2006 Rhapsodie Estate Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>, and a proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Petit Verdot he simply calls the 2007 RED Special Vineyard<\/strong>.
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<\/span>Do Parallel Wines<\/a> ever meet? With all deference to Euclid\u2019s Fifth Postulate<\/a>, renowned winemaker Philippe Melka proves he warrants the hyperbolic praise for his \u0153nological skills with his 2008 Russian River Chardonnay<\/strong>, an intense 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>, and the evolving 2006 Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>. Also doing its part to maintain Napa\u2019s repute was Maroon Wines<\/a>, with seasoned winemaker Chris Corley excelling with his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville<\/strong>. And although Riboli Family Wines<\/a> has been headquartered in Los Angeles since 1917, their premium bottlings now herald from the Napa Valley, spearheaded by their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford<\/strong>. I found their 2006 San Simeon Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> just as enticing, while the 2008 Maddelena Pinot Gris<\/strong> and the 2005 San Simeon Petite Sirah<\/strong> also impressed.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Few of my Sostevinobile\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>know that I do assign a quantitative score to each of the wines I commend; one can always track down another published source to obtain wine ratings (should you feel that determines a wine\u2019s quality)<\/em>. I prefer simply to expose my followers to the diverse bounty of wines produced in our midst and allow them to make their own determination\u2014a road map, if you will, not a scorecard. Even my thematic links serve but as a literary conceit; nonetheless I found that both\u00a0Mitchella<\/a> and Vihuela Winery<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>shared common bond in their Paso Robles location, consistent quality, and distinctive nomenclature. The former <\/span>also focused on Rh\u00f4ne derivatives, first with their 2007 Syrah<\/strong>, followed by their unapologetic 2008 Shameless<\/strong>, a GMS blend<\/span>. Vihuela offered a euphonic 2007 Concierto del Rojo<\/strong>, a blend of Syrah, Merlot and Petit Verdot, their 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong> (tempered with 20% Petit Verdot)<\/em>, and the Syrah-based 2007 Incendio<\/strong>, a wine that is set to music. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Peter Paul Wines<\/a> is a serious viticultural endeavor, not the remaining \u2154 of a popular folk group; though far from mellifluous to pronounce, their\u00a02008 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Mill Station Road<\/strong>\u00a0drank euphoniously. And\u00a0juxtaposed here purely by coincidence, Mara Winery<\/a>\u00a0harmonized its range of vintages with\u00a0the 2009 Whitegrass<\/strong> (a Sauvignon Blanc)<\/em>, their 2006 Zinfandel Dolinsek<\/strong>, and the proprietary 2008 Syrage<\/strong>, a Syrah round<\/span>ed<\/span> with traditional Meritage varietals<\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Counting down to my finish, I very much liked the 2006 Dry Creek Syrah<\/strong> from Pe\u00f1a Ridge<\/a>. Plymouth\u2019s Sobon Estate struck gold, metaphorically, with their 2007 Syrah<\/strong>. Thorne Wines<\/a> from Buellton successfully staked its reputation with the single wine it produces, the 2007 Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills<\/strong>. And Tulip Hill<\/a> pleased the palate with their Lake County bottling of the 2008 Zinfandel Dorn Vineyard<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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A number of variables still remained. I opted for Yorba Wines<\/a>\u2019 chilled 2009 Touriga Ros\u00e9<\/strong>. And a much-needed touch of sweetness came from Voss Vineyards<\/a>\u2019 2005 Botrytis Sauvignon Blanc<\/strong>. In contrast, Napa-based Vitus<\/a> focused on more mainstream bottlings: the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc<\/strong> and 2007 Merlot<\/strong>, along with their notable 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>. And X Winery<\/a> (the name represents the letter, not the Roman numeral or multiplication sign)<\/em> summed up the tasting with its 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong>, alongside two proprietary blends: the 2006 Amicus<\/strong> (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot)<\/em><\/span> <\/em>and the 2008 Red X<\/strong> (Syrah, Tempranillo, Grenache, Zinfandel)<\/em><\/span>.
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In closing, allow me to enumerate once more. Two days. Ten hours. 342 wineries. 1700 professional attendees each day (plus an untabulated head count for Sunday\u2019s public portion). My personal tally: at least 76 wineries visited and over 155 wines sampled.
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Don\u2019t get me wrong. Family Winemakers is a wonderful conclave, one I have enjoyed long before I launched\u00a0<\/span>Sostevinobile<\/strong><\/span>. Now that I am attending in a trade capacity, it poses an invaluable resource for the wine program I am building. And while I would not go as far as labeling the numbers stifling, the event is far too large derive any notion of atmosphere or experience beyond the marathon of tasting as many wines as can be fit into the timeframe. And so, in order to depict the enormity of the experience, my craft as a Creative Writer must defer to the mathematical training I long ago abandoned. Word count: 3315.<\/div>\n

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Once there was an elephant, Who tried to use the telephant No! No! I mean an elephone Who tried to use the telephone \u2014Laura E. Richards Try to do the math. 342 wineries \u00f7 (2 days x 5 hrs\/day) = (34 wineries\/hr. \u00f7 60 min\/hr.)\u2212 1 = 1.7543 min\/winery. With no bathroom breaks. Forget swill […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[106,40,6,4,34,16,45,81,61,42,7,115,17,18,12,90,63,112,2,10,77,108,14,9,36,19,3,52,24,58,110,5,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arneis","category-barbera","category-cabernet-franc","category-cabernet-sauvignon","category-carignane","category-chardonnay","category-cinsault","category-counoise","category-gewurztraminer","category-graciano","category-grenache","category-gruner-veltliner","category-malbec","category-merlot","category-mourvedre","category-muscat-canelli","category-nebbiolo","category-orange-muscat","category-petit-verdot","category-petite-sirah","category-pinot-blanc","category-pinot-grigio","category-pinot-noir","category-roussanne","category-sangiovese","category-sauvignon-blanc","category-syrah","category-tannat","category-tempranillo","category-touriga","category-valdiguie","category-viognier","category-zinfandel"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60","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=60"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}