{"id":8,"date":"2014-02-01T05:56:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-01T05:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/?p=8"},"modified":"2014-09-04T14:21:18","modified_gmt":"2014-09-04T21:21:18","slug":"a-blog-a-week-thats-all-we-ask","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/?p=8","title":{"rendered":"A blog a week, that\u2019s all we ask"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your West Coast Oenophile<\/b> realizes I may be setting myself up making the above declaration, but it\u2019s time for me to redouble my efforts on all fronts concerning Sostevinobile<\/b><\/span>. Later on, I will perhaps devote one or more of these entries to detailing the various aspects of what I am striving to do behind the scenes in order to effect our launch, but for now let me just say that the many, many months I have devoted (and kept both the wine world and my readership dangling)<\/i> with the promise of opening an unparalleled wine bar\/casual eatery\/retail outlet will result in a far more comprehensive and exciting establishment than what I had originally mapped out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/span><\/td>\nThe past few years have witnessed a
\ngrowing phenomenon, particularly in the Central Valley, of vineyards being
\ntorn out and replanted with nut trees, now that almonds have surpassed grapes as the second leading crop in California. I personally have never been a rabid nut aficionado, although the proven health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet suggest that I ought focus on more than simply the wine component of this regimen.
\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Ironically, almonds have served as a continuous thread throughout my professional career, from my initial forays in the wine industry to some of the most inspired (albei<\/i>t unproduced<\/i>) <\/i>copywriting I crafted during the thankless interregnum I employed myself in consumer advertising\u2014even to now, with the peripheral ventures I have recently undertaken in order to finance my long-awaited shrine to West Coast\u2019s viticultural prowess<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

After I had severed my ties to Merrill Lynch White Weld<\/span><\/a> and Bacardi\u2019s futile attempts to compete in the wine arena\u2014back then, apart from Gallo, the leading megaplayers in the industry were all food & beverage conglomerates like Coca Cola, Nestl\u00e9\u2019s, Heublein, Seagrams\u2014I took on a number of clients, including Agricultural Industries, Inc., the holding company that lost out to Suntory in its escalated bidding for Ch\u00e2teau St. Jean<\/a>, after the Merzoian family put the winery up for sale. I won\u2019t belabor readers with rehashing the story at this time, apart from my utter incredulity at this client\u2019s refusal to consider the alternative of acquiring the 1,000,000-case operations of Sonoma Vineyards, now known as Rodney Strong<\/a>, for $35,000,000 less<\/em><\/strong> than St. Jean\u2019s eventual sale price; rather, the salient aspect of recounting this calamity was that Agland principals Dick Jones and Buzz Carless, in addition to owning vast tracts of Central Valley grapes they had hoped to vinify, also controlled what was then 50% of California\u2019s almond crop.<\/span><\/p>\n

The collapse of this deal pretty much catalyzed my decision to exit the Merger & Acquisitions field and plummet into the miasma of the advertising world. If I had had my druthers, I would have concentrated exclusively on broadcast accounts\u2014script writing being my forte, particularly for radio. But advertising (as practiced in San Francisco)<\/i> proved more pernicious than I could have ever anticipated, a collusion where mediocrity triumphed over talent and where broadcast copywriting was treated as a plum, rather than a skilled specialty. My efforts to transcend these biases met with success far too infrequently, but I did encounter a rare interlude when I was introduced to Chuck Blore,<\/span><\/a> a radio legend in Los Angeles.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1995, Chuck hired me toscript a number of radio spots for Blue Diamond<\/span><\/a>, the cooperative that thencomprised the majority of almond growers in California. I created a campaign that dovetailed rom their signature A Can a Week, That\u2019s All We Ask<\/i><\/b>, juxtaposing their array of flavored almond selections against a series of satirical cameos spoofing prominent public figures as Just Plain Nuts.<\/b><\/i> These included such luminaries as Rush Limbaugh<\/span><\/a>: That\u2019s right, friends. A conspiracy of the Left to lower our average oxygen intake<\/i>; Ronald Reagan<\/span><\/a>: Well, if it doesn\u2019t work, maybe I can sell a whole bunch of goods to embargoed countries at ten times their worth and pay off the national debt with the profits<\/i>; and Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton<\/span><\/a>: The Borgias are still alive and controlling the world from a secret bunker below San Marino<\/i>. A memorable campaign, to be sure, but little chance of convincing more than 3,000 almond growers to take a calculated risk with their marketing!<\/span><\/p>\n

And so, putting the advertising profession in the rear view mirror, I created\u00a0Sostevinobile<\/b><\/span><\/span> after first tentative making tentative forays into starting my own label. Readers here know that launching a wine bar & retail operation this comprehensive has turned into quite a protracted process, compelling me to venture out into other practices while I assemble the necessary financing. Rather hesitantly, I allowed myself to reengage in Mergers & Acquisitions for the wine industry, on a limited basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t say that this practice has become any easier over the past 25 years, nor any more lucrative. While I have tried to remain as judicious as possible, only taking on projects where I deemed myself to have 110% faith in both the validity and the resolve of my clients, the few deals I have allowed myself to entertain have, so far, all been for naught. Still, I found it quite interesting to discover that the principals behind Clarksburg\u2019s Old Sugar Mill and the Clarksburg Wine Company now also control the majority of almonds grown in California! Some may call it d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu; some may call it an inexorable cycle. I just hope that the degree to which it drives me to drink inspires my customers when\u00a0Sostevinobile<\/b><\/span><\/span> finally opens its doors!<\/span><\/p>\n

While I am on the topic of alternative crops, I found myself abruptly confronted this past week with plum blossoms covering the hood of my Corolla! Fruit trees blossoming in mid-January? Normally, I would have anticipated seeing fruit trees flower in April, but coupled with the news that estates in Napa are already pruning their vines<\/span><\/a>, this accelerated vegetative cycle <\/i>bodes ominous for the 2014 harvest, with dire predictions of yields reduced by as much as 80%!<\/span><\/p>\n

But why fret over the uncertainty of the future? For now, with two consecutive bountiful harvests behind us, wine is in abundance, and as wineries begin to release and showcase their 2012 vintage, the quality of these wines appears to be just as impressive.<\/span><\/p>\n

In any year, the first major tasting has traditionally been ZAP<\/span><\/a>, radically reconfigured after 20+ years of captivating San Francisco in January. As I have cited in previous entries, every major trade tastings has forsaken the expanse of Fort Mason for an array of cozier venues throughout the Bay Area. ZAP<\/b> had actually precipitated this migration two years ago, setting up shop at the Concourse Exhibition Center<\/span><\/a> in the South of Market (SOMA<\/b>). But with the huge influx of techies and humans over the past several years, available housing is at a dearth in San Francisco, and so this pavilion is being razed for a new condominium development.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new format for 2014 bifurcated the Zinfandel tasting into separate trade and public events. The trade tasting took place three days before the public session, inexplicably excised from the logical relocation to the Presidio to Rock Wall\u2019s expansive barrel room in Alameda. The roster of wineries that had once filled two halls in Fort Mason now dwindled to 85 participants, the vast majority of which had poured at numerous previous tastings.<\/span><\/p>\n

The few discoveries I found here nonetheless proved consistently impressive. El Dorado\u2019s Gwinllan Estate<\/span><\/a> showcased a delightful 2009 Zinfandel<\/b>, surpassed only by its striking 2010 Zinfandel.<\/b> Healdsburg\u2019s Hart\u2019s Desire<\/span><\/a> contrasted their semi-generic 2012 Ponzo Vineyard Field Blend Zinfandel <\/b>with the superb\u00a02012 Ponzo Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel<\/b>. No stranger here (or at numerous other tastings)<\/i>, Rutherford Wine Company<\/span><\/a> showcased their Predator label\u2019s 2012 Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi <\/b>alongside their more formulaic 2012 Old Vine Zinfandel Napa Valley<\/b>, bottled under their Rutherford Ranch label.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Prisoner<\/span><\/a>, and its sister label, Saldo, helped catapult David Phinney to viticultural fame. Now owned by\u00a0the Huneeus family (Faust, Quintessa, Flowers),<\/i> these wines still delighted, though at a slight notch below their earlier zenith. Nonetheless, I held both the 2012 The Prisoner<\/b>, a Zinfandel blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Charbono, and Grenache, and the 2012 Saldo<\/b>, a mix of multiple Zinfandel plantings in\u00a0Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Amador, Mendocino, and Contra Costa counties, in equal esteem.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Moonlighting from his full-time gig at wine megabrokers Ciatti<\/span><\/a>, Glenn Proctor debuted his Puccioni Vineyards<\/span><\/a>, contrasting the 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley<\/b> with its equally worthy 2011 successor. And not content to devote her entire focus on her extraordinary Tierra Roja<\/span><\/a> label, my friend Linda Neal showed herself equally adept to her Cabernet craft with her Mellowood<\/span><\/a>\u2019s 2009 Zinfandel Fair Play<\/b>, its successor, the 2010 Zinfandel Fair Play<\/b>, and the foundation of a nascent solera(?)<\/i>, the 2009\/10 Red Hat<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Numerous friends and familiars filled the expansive setting here looking out across the bay to downtown San Francisco. Jerry Baldwin featured the 2010 Slater<\/b>, a blend of Zinfandels from Baldwin Wines<\/span><\/a>\u2019 from Rattlesnake Ridge, Dawn Hill Ranch and Madrone Ridge vineyards. Beekeeper<\/span><\/a> poured with its usual aplomb, dazzling with its 2011 Zinfandel Madrone Vineyard<\/b>, while Morgan Twain-Peterson returned with two gems, the 2012 Sonoma Valley Old Vine Zinfandel<\/b> and the 2012 Evangelho Heritage Wine<\/b>, a field blend of\u00a040% Carignane and 38% Mourv\u00e8dre, plus Zinfandel, Palomino, Alicante Bouschet, and Mission, from his Bedrock Wine<\/span><\/a>. Meanwhile, Bella Vineyards<\/span><\/a> dazzled with their 2011 Zinfandel Big River Ranch<\/b> and a remarkable 2010 Zinfandel Lily Hill Estate<\/b>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I first met the Parducci clan in the early 1980s; here I tasted through McNab Ridge<\/span><\/a>, Rich Parducci\u2019s successor to the label his family sold to Paul Dolan. I was mildly impressed with McNab\u2019s 2011 Mendo Zinfandel<\/b> and the 2010 Coloniah Reserve Zinfandel<\/b>, bottled under their Family Reserve label; more compelling were both the 2011 Zinzilla<\/b>, a blend of\u00a087% Zinfandel, 8% Pinotage, and 5% Petite Sirah, and the 2010 Zinister Reserve<\/b>, also a McNab Family Reserve. As I might have expected, Kyle and Jorja Lerner of Harney Lane<\/span><\/a> unfailingly wowed with their 2011 Lodi Zinfandel<\/b> and the incredible 2011 Old Vine Zinfandel Lizzy James Vineyard<\/b>. And my good friend Mike McCay<\/span><\/a> also ventured from Lodi to Alameda to feature a quartet of his eponymous wines, starting with the\u00a02010 Trulux Zinfandel<\/b>. Equally appealing were the\u00a02010 Jupiter Zinfandel <\/b>and his extraordinary 2010 Contentious Zinfandel<\/b><\/b>, but the 2011 Equity Zinfandel<\/b> proved the showstopper.<\/span><\/p>\n

Representing Paso Robles, Sextant<\/span><\/a>, producers of a rather rare Late Harvest Sauvignon Gris, comported themselves admirably with their flagship Zinfandel, the 2011 Wheelhouse<\/b>, but truly shone with the 2011 Holystone<\/b>. Their fellow Paso compatriots, Peachy Canyon<\/span><\/a>, strained credulity with their 2011 Incredible Red<\/b> but rebounded with their 2011 Westside Zinfandel<\/b>. The Sierra Foothills were well represented by Placerville\u2019s Lava Cap<\/span><\/a>, with competent bottlings of the 2011 Zinfandel Rocky Draw<\/b> and the 2011 Zinfandel Reserve<\/b>, while Plymouth\u2019s Andis<\/span><\/a> showcased a trifecta: their 2011 Zinfandel Amador County<\/b>, the 2011 Estate Zinfandel,<\/b> and the venerable 2011 Zinfandel Original Grandp\u00e8re<\/b>, a wine sourced from oldest documented Zinfandel vineyard in California.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, Napa was also well-represent at ZAP<\/i><\/b>, including Hendry<\/span><\/a> and its tangential progeny, Mike & Molly Hendry<\/span><\/a>. Their stellar 2011 Blocks 7 & 22 Zinfandel<\/b> gave way to an even superior (and more specific)<\/i> 2011 Block 28 Zinfandel<\/b>\u2014too bad they didn\u2019t pour the 2011 Block 24 Primitivo<\/b> to contrast! And Mike and Molly had previously committed not to producing the same as their family, they happily succumbed with the 2011 Zinfandel R. W. Moore Vineyard<\/b>. Meantime, at the next table over, Howell Mountain<\/span><\/a>\u2019s new owner, Mike Beatty, poured an equally noteworthy 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also under new ownership, Healdsburg\u2019s Limerick Lane<\/span><\/a>, a winery borne of Zinfandel, displayed flawless continuity with both their 2011 Zinfandel Russian River Valley Rocky Knoll<\/span><\/b> and their 2011 Zinfandel Russian River Valley Block 1910<\/b>. Geyserville stalwarts Trentadue<\/span><\/a> contrasted their\u00a02011 La Storia Zinfandel<\/b> with the 2012\u00a0Old Patch Red Lot 36<\/b>, a Zinfandel\/Petite Sirah blend, while their winemaker, Miroslav Tcholakov, showcased his Miro Cellars<\/span><\/a>\u2019 2011 Zinfandel Wolcott-Bevill & Piccetti Vineyards<\/b>. And biodynamic pioneers Quivira<\/span><\/a> featured their 2011 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley<\/b>, rounded with 10% Petite Sirah, 7% Carignane, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1%Syrah, plus their superb 2011 Quest<\/b>, a blend of 85% Zinfandel and 15% Petite Sirah.<\/span><\/p>\n

I freely admit a longstanding fondness for the Italian varietals Acorn<\/span><\/a> produces; here owner Bill Nachbaur demonstrated the range of his \u0153nological dexterity with the forthcoming 2012 Zinfandel Heritage Vines,<\/b>\u00a0and its current 2011 release, an astounding m\u00e9lange of 78% Zinfandel, 13% Alicante Bouschet, and 7% Petite Sirah, with the remaining 2% comprised of a field blend that includes Carignane, Trousseau, Sangiovese, Petit Bouschet, N\u00e9grette, Syrah, Plavac Mali, Tannat, Muscat Noir, Peloursin, B\u00e9clan, Cinsault, and Grenache. Next, over at ZAP<\/b>\u2019s first table, I paid my respects to Italian progetto<\/i>, Accademia dei Racemi<\/span><\/a>, which featured its 2011 Sinfonia<\/b>,a wine labeled as Zinfandel but cited as 100% Primitivo. No need to quibble\u2014Racemi\u2019s Gregory Perrucci has dedicated his efforts to preserving obscure Apulian varietals like Sussumaniello and Ottavianello, while patenting hybrids like Zinfandel\/Malvasia Nera.<\/span><\/p>\n

As intriguing as Racemi\u2019s programs may seem,\u00a0Sostevinobile<\/b><\/span><\/span> cannot bend its sustainable parameters to accommodate an imported producer. But I am gradually moving towards considering other AVAs beyond the California-Washington-Oregon axis, should they fall within the radius from San Francisco that I have proscribed. This expansion could include up & coming West Coast regions, such as the Okanagan Valley<\/span><\/a> in British Columbia or the Guadalupe Valley<\/span><\/a> in Baja California Norte, along with the burgeoning wine destinations of nearby Arizona.<\/span><\/p>\n

The experimental blends produced by Jerome Winery\/Cellar 433<\/span><\/a> certainly lend credence to this argument. Here at Rock Wall, the team from Gilbert, AZ poured eclectic concoctions like their NV Zinfandel\/<\/b>Blaufr\u00e4nkisch,<\/b> a 2010 Zinfandel\/<\/b>Marselan<\/b>, and a barrel sample of their Amuse Bouche<\/b>, a mix of\u00a0Primitivo and Arinarnoa<\/span>. Other offerings included\u00a0the\u00a02010 Bitter Creek Star XVII<\/b>,\u00a0their Primitivo\/Montepulciano blend rounded out with Tempranillo and Petite Sirah, and the 2010 Arizona Angel<\/b>\u2014by comparison, a staid\u00a0Zinfandel\/Syrah marriage\u2014<\/i>and the unblended 2012 Jerome Primitivo<\/b>. Whew!<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reaching back inside my originally designated boundaries, Oregon\u2019s lone representative here, Troon Vineyard<\/span><\/a>, offered a straight, if not exceptional, quartet of Zins, starting with their 2011 Foundation \u201972 Zinfandel<\/b>. The 2012 Foundation \u201972 Zinfandel<\/b> proved excellent, as did the 2011 Estate Zinfandel Applegate Valley<\/b>, but the absolute standout proved to be the 2010 Reserve Zinfandel<\/b>. Even closer to home, I concluded this tasting with Brown Estate<\/span><\/a>, one of ZAP\u2019s perennial favorites. Of course, their 2012 Napa Valley Zinfandel <\/b>was delightful, and the 2012 Chaos Theory<\/b>, this year blending\u00a060% Zinfandel, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petite Sirah, drew the customary crowd to their table. But arguably the best wine I tasted this afternoon had to be the 2012 Rosemary\u2019s Block Zinfandel<\/b>, a near-perfect expression of the grape.<\/span><\/p>\n

I did not have the bandwidth to take in the numerous other events scheduled for this year\u2019s festival, and so cannot evaluate the wisdom of dissociating the trade and public tastings. As for relocating to Alameda? Until they build a bicycle lane on the western span of the Bay Bridge, I will always opt for a San Francisco site. Whether the wineries concur, remains to be seen.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
No matter, when\u00a0Sostevinobile<\/b><\/span><\/span> opens its doors, they will always have a San Francisco showcase.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Your West Coast Oenophile realizes I may be setting myself up making the above declaration, but it\u2019s time for me to redouble my efforts on all fronts concerning Sostevinobile. Later on, I will perhaps devote one or more of these entries to detailing the various aspects of what I am striving to do behind the […]<\/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":[30,29,4,28,7,26,23,22,21,10,25,31,3,24,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arinarnoa","category-beclan","category-cabernet-sauvignon","category-charbono","category-grenache","category-marselan","category-montepulciano","category-muscat-noir","category-palomino","category-petite-sirah","category-plavac-mali","category-sauvignon-gris","category-syrah","category-tempranillo","category-zinfandel"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8","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=8"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":363,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8\/revisions\/363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}