{"id":863,"date":"2017-06-08T12:58:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-08T19:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/?p=863"},"modified":"2017-06-26T11:22:39","modified_gmt":"2017-06-26T18:22:39","slug":"lacuna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/?p=863","title":{"rendered":"Lacuna"},"content":{"rendered":"
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lacuna<\/strong>: noun<\/span><\/span>, plural<\/span> <\/span><\/em>lacun\u00e6<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

1. a gap or missing part, as in a manuscript, series, or logical argument; hiatus.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n

<\/header>\n
2. <\/span><\/span>Anatomy<\/em>.<\/span> <\/span>one<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> numerous<\/span> minute<\/span> cavities<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> substance<\/span> of<\/span> bone,<\/span> supposed<\/span> to<\/span> contain<\/span> nucleate<\/span> cells.<\/span><\/span><\/header>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
3. <\/span><\/span>Botany<\/em>.<\/span> <\/span>an<\/span> air<\/span> space<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> cellular<\/span> tissue<\/span> of<\/span> plants.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

Loyal readers of the Sostevinobile<\/strong><\/span> blog have probably noticed a paucity of entries, so far, for 2017. As in none. This gap, however, has not occurred because Your West Coast Oenophile<\/strong> has been missing in action or confronting his worst case of writer\u2019s block since John Hawkes\u2019 graduate seminar in fiction writing. I have actually started several posts covering my wine forays to Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Amador, Lodi, Santa Cruz, and El Dorado (according to my odometer, nearly 77% of the miles I\u2019ve clocked in 2017 have been for wine tasting forays)<\/em>. Add to that the usual array of trade tastings, although I skipped ZAP<\/a><\/span> for the first time in 20 or so years, as it coincided with Premier Napa<\/span><\/a>, plus I single-handedly produced a wine tasting extravaganza<\/span><\/a> in Menlo Park, featuring some 30 wineries owned by or affiliated with alumni from my undergraduate institute.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In a word, I\u2019ve been hard-pressed to put words to the page. And since I am so woefully behind in timely coverage of the various events I have attended, let me focus on the various discoveries I have made over the past few months as I have been meandering throughout the state.<\/span><\/p>\n

As they usually do, my journeys began with a swing down to Paso Robles, though this time with one very significant difference: rain. After 5 years of drought, the weather gods seemed determined to atone for their dereliction in a single season, and <\/span>on the Friday before President\u2019s Day, <\/span>turned what is normally a 3\u00bc hour drive down US 101 into a 7+ hour ordeal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite oftentimes feeling as if I were taking my life into my own hands\u2014at one point, almost driving into the Salinas River\u2014I still managed to handle the deluge in stride, and managed to visit quite a number of wineries, while sandwiching in the regional Rh\u00f4ne Rangers tasting. It proved a most revelatory excursion, renewing my acquaintance with Roger Nicolas of RN Estate<\/span><\/a> (not to be confused with Roger Nicholas of Lodi\u2019s Grand Amis<\/span><\/a>)<\/em> and discussing his transition from the superb Rh\u00f4ne varietals he produces to a Bordeaux focus, including his sublime 2014 Malbec<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Readers here know that I have been championing Malbec as the Next Big Thing in California (along with my declaration of Pinot fatigue). <\/em>Just before joining Roger for his tasting, I waded through the Adelaida District to join Jim Madsen at Thacher<\/span><\/a>, where The Farm <\/a><\/span>was laboring through its annual day of bottling. Much to my surprise, Santiago Ach\u00e1val was also manning the line alongside his associates. Though we had not met before, we have corresponded over the past several years and have numerous mutual friends, including Manuel Ferrer Minetti, his former partner at Argentina\u2019s renowned Ach\u00e1val-Ferrer<\/span>. \"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

To learn from Santiago that The Farm was indeed planning to bottle their own Malbec in Paso Robles\u2014once it met his exacting standards\u2014was an epiphany. Further underscoring this prognostication was my discovery of Tooth & Nail<\/span><\/a>\u2019s 2014 The Fiend<\/strong>, a Malbec blended with 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petite Sirah, and 2% Syrah and a revisit with Wally Murray\u2019s Bon Niche<\/span><\/a>, whose 2011 Vo\u00fbtes\/Arches<\/strong> has long been a benchmark Malbec blend. In fact, Wally\u2019s second label, Birdland, is comprised of three mid-range Malbecs and Malbec blends, a further validation of my belief that California is no longer ceding this varietal to the South Americans. The only question that remains is whether Carm\u00e9n\u00e8re can be far behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I have been referring to this Paso Robles trip as my M&M excursion. True, before the massive proliferation of wineries throughout the AVA, a packet of these candies was my go-to choice whenever I stopped here for the obligatory refill the tank and relieve the bladder before the second leg of my drive to Los Angeles, but this winter, it took on a whole new meaning. Also rising up from relative obscurity among its peer varietals, Mourv\u00e8dre, at long last appears to be taking center stage for many Rh\u00f4ne red producers. If GSMs could be likened to a professional basketball squad, Grenache would be Kevin Durant, Syrah\u2014Steph Curry, and Mourv\u00e8dre, the overshadowed star of this triumvirate, Klay Thompson. But just as Thompson can manage to eclipse his co-stars every so often, so too can Mourv\u00e8dre find its niche as a primary varietal.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Saturday event at Broken Earth<\/span><\/a> proved, admittedly, a bit of an endurance test, given the decibel level of the concrete antechamber where the Grand Tasting took place. Placards hung from the ceiling celebrate each of the Rh\u00f4ne varietals, though the irony of misspelling \u201cMourv\u00e9dre\u201d was not lost. Still, eleven of the participating wineries featured a varietal Mourv\u00e8dre bottling, with particular standouts including Adelaida<\/span><\/a>\u2019s 2014 Mourv\u00e8dre Signature Anna\u2019s Estate Vineyard<\/strong>, Clauti\u00e8re<\/span><\/a>\u2019s 2012 Estate Mourv\u00e8dre,<\/strong> compelling bottlings of the 2014 Matar\u00f3<\/strong>\u00a0from Red Soles<\/span><\/a>, Summerwood<\/span><\/a>\u2019s 2013 Mourv\u00e8dre<\/strong>, and the 2014 Mourv\u00e8dre<\/b> from the redoubtable Vines on the Marycrest<\/span><\/a>. Rounding out the assemblage, both Seven Oxen<\/span><\/a> and Rh\u00f4ne virtuoso\u00a0Tablas Creek<\/span><\/a> offered superb renditions of their 2014 Mourv\u00e8dre<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s labeled as its Spanish name (Monastrell)<\/i> or its Catalan nomenclature (Matar\u00f3)<\/i>, Mourv\u00e8dre has been unheralded as a primary Rh\u00f4ne varietal for far too long on the West Coast. It is most gratifying to see that it is finally getting the measure of respect it deserves. Of course, I could say the same for the vast majority of the 200+ varietals I have sourced for\u00a0Sostevinobile<\/b><\/span> throughout the West Coast,\u00a0 but that would require a far more comprehensive undertaking than I have time to allocate currently. Still, my final takeaway from Paso Robles was the discovery of a true Gamay\u2014not Valdigui\u00e9\u2014the 2015 Stasis Gamay Noir<\/strong> from Rob Murray\u2019s Murmur VIneyard in nearby Santa Maria Valley, an exceptional wine that easily rivaled the 2012 RPM Gamay Noir, my overall favorite wine from that vintage. <\/span><\/p>\n

After stopping off in Carmel-by-the-Sea, I made it back to San Francisco with barely enough time to brush my teeth and reload my travel bags before heading up to Napa and Sonoma for a five day excursion. In many ways, I concede that the events surrounding Premi\u00e8re Napa<\/a><\/span> are more personal indulgence than research; after all, this is primary county-wide showcase of the year and it remains fairly difficult, for the most part, to distinguish, critically, wines that range from very good to phenomenal. Premi\u00e8re is about building and cementing relationships, cultivated over the years, in the hope of gaining discrete allocations if and when Sostevinobile<\/b><\/span> becomes able to take on a prestigious reserve list or cater to a private membership within the confines of our facilities. <\/span><\/p>\n

The other challenge, of course, is the rigid orthodoxy of the Bordeaux strictures to which the vast majority of Napa wineries adhere<\/span><\/a>. Encountering unheralded varietals or non-traditional blends is a rarity in this AVA. Highway 29, the backbone of the Napa Valley, interconnects its most mainstream AVAs: Oak Knoll, Yountville, Rutherford, Oakville, and St. Helena, and along this conduit one tends to find the least variance in deference to the near universal excellence of its Cabernets\u2014not to mention the price per ton Cabernet Sauvignon from here commands. Meanwhile, the more remote regions of the county, like Coombsville and Calistoga, generally seem more willing to delve into other varietals\u2014even those that have fallen into disuse in Bordeaux!<\/span><\/p>\n

As scarce as Malbec may be in California, the fabled sixth Bordeaux grape, Carm\u00e9n\u00e8re, is even rarer. Even its most noteworthy producer outside of South America, Yorkville Cellars<\/span><\/a> in Mendocino, seems almost reticent in promoting its varietal bottling. But with little fanfare, the redoubtable John Caldwell<\/span><\/a> has plantings in Coombsville, and what suppose to be a quick visit to discuss obtaining some graftings of Malbec and of Carm\u00e9n\u00e8re for my Paso Robles clients turned into a 3\u00bd hour bacchanal that only ended because I had to attend a memorial service at the Marin Art & Garden Center in Ross.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to believe the late Dr. Jim McCole<\/span> <\/a>would not have minded my missing his Celebration of Life. Certainly, he would have himself preferred to indulge in the 2014 Rocket Science<\/strong>, Caldwell\u2019s signature bottling of\u00a0 \u2154 Syrah with 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Pinot Noir, 4% Merlot, 3% Tannat, and 1% Carme\u0301ne\u0300re, a blend as unconventional as the man behind it.<\/span> I, in turn, cottoned to the 2012 Gold Cabernet Suavignon<\/strong> and an equally alluring 2014 Silver Proprietary Red<\/strong>, a rare blend of his six Bordeaux varietals, with a 1% dash of Syrah\u2014an homage to 19th Century Claret<\/span><\/a><\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Caldwell is renowned for the meticulously researched, albeit often smuggled, varietal clones grown on his estate, and labels his wines accordingly. The apex of this precision was his 2013 Merlot<\/strong> [Clone 181], along with the 2013 Malbec<\/strong> [Clone 595], but I still delighted most in the 2014 Carm\u00e9n\u00e8re<\/strong> [Clone 2].<\/span><\/p>\n

Readers well-familiar with my penchant for rare and obscure varietals will know that I am not satisfied with sourcing a mere six red Bordeaux varietals, and while John has yet to smuggle in cuttings of St. Macaire, both Mt. Veeder\u2019s Progeny<\/span><\/a> and O\u2019Shaughnessy<\/span> <\/a>on Howell Mountain have plantings. But like the elusive Planet X<\/span><\/a>, theoretically lurking undetected in the Kuiper Belt, the eighth Bordeaux red, Gros Verdot, has never found its niche in California, at least until now. Indeed, O\u2019Shaughnessy has covertly planted it at their Angwin estateand will be releasing their 8 varietal blend this spring, superseding their famed Howell Mountain Cabernet, renowned for its inclusion of St,. Maciare and Carm\u00e9n\u00e8re with the major Bordelaise grapes. Now if only Jancis Robinson hadn\u2019t debunked Cabernet Gernischt\u2026 <\/span><\/p>\n

(to be continued)<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

lacuna: noun, plural lacun\u00e6 \u00a0 1. a gap or missing part, as in a manuscript, series, or logical argument; hiatus. 2. Anatomy. one of the numerous minute cavities in the substance of bone, supposed to contain nucleate cells. \u00a0 3. Botany. an air space in the cellular tissue of plants. Loyal readers of the Sostevinobile […]<\/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":[6,4,103,111,501,17,18,12,2,53,3,52,1],"tags":[491,490,300,314,498,492,500,499,493,281,496,494,396,319,489,495,497],"class_list":["post-863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cabernet-franc","category-cabernet-sauvignon","category-carmenere","category-gamay-noir","category-gros-verdot","category-malbec","category-merlot","category-mourvedre","category-petit-verdot","category-st-macaire","category-syrah","category-tannat","category-uncategorized","tag-adelaida","tag-birdland","tag-bon-niche","tag-broken-earth","tag-caldwell","tag-clautiere","tag-oshaughnessy","tag-progeny","tag-red-soles","tag-rn-estate","tag-seven-oxen","tag-summerwood","tag-tablas-creek","tag-the-farm","tag-tooth-nail","tag-vines-on-the-marycrest","tag-yorkville-cellars"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863","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=863"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":882,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863\/revisions\/882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}