{"id":9,"date":"2014-01-16T21:02:42","date_gmt":"2014-01-16T21:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/?p=9"},"modified":"2014-01-16T21:02:42","modified_gmt":"2014-01-16T21:02:42","slug":"burns-baby-burns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/?p=9","title":{"rendered":"Burns, baby, Burns!"},"content":{"rendered":"

An elliptical way for Your West Coast Oenophile<\/b> to toast to Auld Lang Syne<\/i>, usher in the New Year, wish all of our Sostevinobile<\/b><\/font> readers the best in 2014, etc. If only Scotland\u2019s greatest poet, Robert Burns, had written a tribute to wine, although his <\/font>homage to Scotch<\/a> may inspire me to switch to a wee dram of Talisker or Oban for thes<\/font>e festivities.
<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/div>\n
My favorite aspect of the New Year celebrations isn\u2019t the day itself or the night before, but the Monday following, which I have christened The Parade of the NYRs<\/i><\/b>. This is a phenomenon that I\u2019m sure occurs at every health club: the annual rush of newly-resolved fitness devotees, adorned in spanking new aerobic outfits they gifted themselves for Christmas, sworn to exercise fervently, shed 15 pounds and embark on a newer, richer\u2014perhaps even amorous\u2014lifestyle. Of course, 90% of these zealots will concede defeat <\/font>and <\/font><\/font>vanish by Valentine\u2019s Day, reverting to a familiar and comfortable lethargy until next January 2; still, though<\/font> they may create a cue to ride the elliptical trainer and clog the garage over the ensuing six weeks, for 10\u00bd months afterwards, their MIA status subsidizes my membership! <\/font>
<\/font><\/div>\n
<\/font><\/div>\n
In any case, trite as it may seem, I\u2019m going to share<\/font> a number of my own resolutions for 2014<\/font>:<\/p>\n
\n
    \n
  1. First and foremost, I am not going to be run over by another truck as I navigate the streets of San Francisco on my new carbon frame bicycle. <\/font><\/li>\n
  2. Should anyone should even try<\/i> to steal this bicycle, I will renounce my lifelong commitment to pacifism and deal with them accordingly.
    <\/font><\/li>\n
  3. I did add nearly 25 pounds after my accident and still need further physical therapy before I m restored to my optimal condition and weight. This will happen.<\/font><\/li>\n
  4. I have \u2076\u2044\u2087 of Sostevinobile<\/b><\/font>\u2019s funding completed. Now all I need is the digit in front of the two triple-aughts. This, too, will<\/b><\/i> happen.<\/font><\/li>\n
  5. I will keep these Sostevinobile<\/b><\/font><\/font> blog entries succinct. (keep laughing)<\/i><\/font><\/li>\n
  6. I will post these Sostevinobile<\/b><\/font><\/font> blog entries in a timely fashion. (keep laughing)<\/i><\/font><\/font><\/li>\n
  7. At long last, I will open Sostevinobile<\/font><\/font> as the most dramatic wine bar in the Bay Area.<\/b>
    <\/font><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    In several previous posts<\/font>, I\u2019ve alluded that big changes are afoot on the trade tasting circuit, precipitated by diminishing attendance and participation, exorbitant rental fees, and the pending renovation of the Fort Mason Center. Small tastings that can be accommodated by The Golden Gate Room, where I first attended ZAP<\/a> 24 years ago, will continue, as the upcoming Santa Lucia Highlands Trade & Press Tasting<\/a> affirms, but the larger mainstays have fled for newer turf and revamped formats. ZAP<\/a>, for instance, has bifurcated, holding a trade tasting mid-week at Rock Wall<\/a> in Alameda, then presenting a dizzying, multi-venue public session in The Presidio<\/a> the ensuing weekend.<\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    I have a number of fond associations with Fort Mason. My play Stillborn House <\/i><\/b>saw its first public script-in-hand performance there. I commenced learning Italian at Museo ItaloAmericano<\/a> in Building C. For several years I took Jim Cranna\u2019s Improv Comedy Class<\/a> there on Saturdays, discovering my unparalleled talent for l\u2019esprit de l\u2019escalier<\/i>\u2014invariably, on Sunday, I had the wittiest repart\u00e9e of the group! And I concede that I attended more than a few tastings before I acquired legitimate trade & press credentials in the wine industry.<\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    So, in return, let me highlight the last two major events I attended in 2013, starting with Family Winemakers of California<\/a>\u2019s<\/font> swan song at Fort Mason. Originally I had been informed that the 2014 event would take place in Point Richmond, at the New Craneway Pavilion<\/a>, to where Rh\u00f4ne Rangers<\/a> will be relocating their 2014 Grand Tasting; now, the plan is apparently to hold this event at a yet-undesignated site in San Mateo. While Family Winemakers enthusiastically touts the benefits of a new locale, they seem less sanguine
    \nabout conceding the attrition in winery participation over the last
    \nseveral years.<\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Of the 218 wineries on hand in 2013, Sostevinobile<\/b><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font> had established contact with all but a mere fifteen since 2009. From the top, including a number of labels I had previously sampled but inadvertently omitted from these posts, I delved into Windsor\u2019s Balverne<\/a>, a revival of the label John Kongsgaard and Doug Nalle popularized in the 1980s, reemerged with a 2012 Russian River Chardonnay<\/b>, as well as a noteworthy 2012 Russian River Sauvignon Blanc <\/b>and 2010 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir<\/b>, all crafted under Doug\u2019s tutelage. Like Stone the Crows<\/a>, Arroyo Grande\u2019s Center of Effort<\/a> had me predisposed toward their wines merely by virtue of their name, while the lineup poured here only solidified this bias. Particularly superb wines included their 2009 <\/b><\/font>Chardonnay <\/font><\/b>Effort <\/b>and the cuv\u00e9e, the 2010 Chardonnay Center of Effort<\/b>;, Similarly, the<\/font> 2010 Pinot Noir<\/b><\/font> <\/font><\/b>Effort <\/b>and their red cuv\u00e9e, the 2010 Pinot Noir Center of Effort<\/b> excelled, while both the 2012 Chardonnay Fossil Point<\/b> and the 2012 Pinot Noir Effort<\/b> portended to come into their own at some later point.
    <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/b><\/font><\/p>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Cenyth<\/a> represented yet another of Barbara Banke\u2019s single-wine projects, debuting here with its inaugural 2009 Red Blend<\/b>, a Bordeaux style wine consisting of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot and 7% Malbec from select estate vineyards in Alexander Valley, Bennett Valley and Chalk Hill. A bit more diversified, Santa Maria\u2019s Double Bond Winery<\/a>, offered distinctive renditions of a 2009 Pinot Noir Wolff Vineyard<\/b>, their 2009 Syrah Larner Vineyards<\/b>, and a 2011 Chardonnay Edna Ranch Vineyards<\/b>.
    <\/font><\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    With Julien Fayard at the winemaking helm, Napa\u2019s EDICT<\/a> poured a wide range of varietals and blends, ranging from their 2011 Oakville Sauvignon Blanc<\/b> and 2010 Napa Valley Chardonnay <\/b>to a 2010 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir<\/b> and an utterly superb 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b>. The 2011 Napa Valley Proprietary White<\/b> blended Sauvignon Blanc, S\u00e9millon, Chardonnay and Viognier, while the 2010 Napa Valley Proprietary Red <\/b>married Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec in unspecified proportions.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Without trying to be elliptical, I had judged most of the wines Healdsburg\u2019s Ellipsis<\/a> poured here at Taste TV\u2019s New Release Wines Taste-Off<\/a> but had not been introduced to winery principals Chris Sevilla and Jonathan Neisingh, and so was pleased to sample their pleasant 2011 Ros\u00e9 of Sangiovese<\/b> here. A similarly clever segue to introduce Eonian<\/a> eludes me, yet their inaugural 2010 Eonian<\/b>, an Australian-style blend of 80% Syrah with Cabernet Sauvignon, boldly eschewed the dominant paradigm for St. Helena. <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    In contrast, Oakville\u2019s Galerie<\/a>, yet another Barbara Banke discrete varietal venture, holds firm to Napa\u2019s fealty to Bordeaux strictures, pouring its first<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font> selection, the <\/font><\/font>2012 Naissance Sauvignon Blanc<\/font><\/b><\/font> (to be followed with release of its Cabernet selection later this year)<\/i>. Also from the Napa Valley, Herb Lamb <\/a>may sound more like an entr\u00e9 that goes with Cabernet Sauvignon, not its producer, yet I was vastly impressed with both their 2010 HL Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b> and from the cooler blocks of this tract, the 2010 Two Old Dogs Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b>, along with their tangy new 2010 Two Old Dogs Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b>.<\/font>
    <\/font><\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    I took a brief pause before venturing onto Hiatus Cellars<\/a><\/font>, a winery that lists its address in Carlsbad but sources the grapes<\/font> (I shudder to imagine, were the converse to be true!)<\/i><\/font> for its 2011 Idle Hour Simpson Vineyard Barrel Select Viognier<\/b> from prominent vineyards in Sonoma and Napa; their results ranged from quite appealing interpretations of a 2011 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Griffin\u2019s Lair Vineyard<\/b> and a 2012 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc <\/b>to their 2007 Red Wine Julianna\u2019s Vineyard,<\/b> a blend of 39% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Franc, 22% Petit Sirah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Zinfandel, and the apex of their efforts, the 2010 Apex,<\/b> an exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon softened with 7% Merlot and 2% Malbec. Next I idled my time with Idle Hour<\/a>, an Oakhurst label featuring wines from the Clarksburg, Madera, and Santa Lucia Highlands AVAs. From its perch overlooking the Fresno River, owners Anna Marie dos Remedios and Deb Payne shone with their Rh\u00f4ne selections, the 2011 Idle
    \nHour Simpson Vineyard Barrel Select Viognier<\/b> and 2010 Syrah Love Ranch Vineyard<\/b>. Along with their 2010 Tempranillo Heringer Estate Vineyard<\/b><\/font><\/b>, even more impressive standouts included the 2011 Cabernet Franc Heringer Estate Vineyard <\/b>and the 2009 Cuv\u00e9e Rouge Love Ranch Vineyard<\/b>, a deft blend of 53% Mourv\u00e8dre with 47% Syrah.
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    I\u2019m trying quite hard to resist any pithy observations about a wine label called Law Estate<\/a>, especially in face of their splendid interpretations of several Rh\u00f4ne-style blends. This Paso Robles winery offered compelling nomenclature for their four wines here, not to mention the wines themselves: the 2010 Sagacious<\/b>, a GMS comprised of 44% Grenache, 42% Syrah, and 14% Mourv\u00e8dre; a straight Syrah, the 2010 Intrepid<\/b>; the 2010 Beguiling<\/b>, a Grenache tempered with 6% Syrah; and their most esoteric 2010 Audacious<\/b>, a proprietary blend of 44% Grenache, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, and 10% Petit Sirah.<\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Also known for his audacious blends, esteemed winemaker David Phinney debuted his Locations<\/a> label, a project highlighting the viticultural fortes of five distinct winemaking nations, here pouring his understated<\/font> <\/i>selection from<\/font> Republic of California (\u201cCalifornia is a country unto itself, and fittingly, an appropriate addition to the Locations family\u201d)<\/i>, the non-vintage CA-2<\/b>, a masterful blend of Tempranillo, Barbera, Petit Sirah, Syrah, and Grenache. Lost Canyon<\/a>, the Burgundian-focused sister to Cloverdale\u2019s Fritz Winery<\/a>, showcased their 2011 Ruxton Vineyard Chardonnay <\/b>and a pair of vineyard-designate Pinots: the 2010 Morelli Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir<\/b> and an excellent 2010 Goff-Whitton Vineyard Pinot Noir<\/b>.<\/p>\n
    <\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    O\u2019Connell Family Wines<\/a>, a Napa winery founded in 1988, certainly seems the kind of prolific producer Sostevinobile<\/b><\/font> ought to have encountered long before this past summer. Happily, Family Winemakers gave remedy to this oversight and enabled me to sample through a wide swath of the numerous wines they produce under four interdependent labels. Under CE Cellars, they produced a lighthearted Sauvignon Blanc, the 2010 Levity<\/font><\/font><\/b><\/font>, as well as an economical Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2010 Bash<\/b>. Their Pietro label also featured a 2012 Pietro Sauvignon Blanc <\/b>and a Cab, the 2010 Pietro Napa Valley<\/b>, plus their 2010 Pietro Chardonnay<\/b>. Other Cabernets included the ultrapremium O\u2019Connell Family Estate bottlings and the Gabrielle Collection, here featuring both the 2010 Equilateral Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b> and the 2008 Vertex Red Cuv\u00e9e Blend 615<\/b>.
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Not to be outdone in the quest for elliptical nomenclature, Templeton\u2019s ONX<\/a> featured a sextet of esoteric blends, beginning with their 2012 Field Day<\/b>, a m\u00e9lange of 59% Sauvignon Blanc and 41% Viognier. The appropriately-named 2011 Brash<\/b> comprised 62% Zinfandel 62%, 21% Petite Sirah and 17% Tempranillo, while the 2011 Crux <\/b>added 7% Cabernet Sauvignon to a 51\/16\/26 GMS. The 2011 Mad Crush<\/b> substituted Tempranillo for Syrah in what would have been a 65\/14\/21 GMS blend; the 2011 Reckoning<\/b> combined 64% Syrah<\/font>, 20%<\/font> Petite Sirah<\/font>, 8%<\/font> Zinfandel<\/font>, 4% <\/font>Tempranillo, and 4% <\/font>Grenache; most beguilingly, the 2011 Pr\u00e6torian <\/b>consisted of 64% Tempranillo with equal parts Grenache, Mourv\u00e8dre and Malbec rounding it out.<\/font><\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Simplifying matters, Pegasus Estate<\/a><\/font> offered a single bottling from their Santa Ynez Valley perch, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b>., while Calistoga\u2019s Picayune Cellars poured both their 2012 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley<\/b> and the 2011 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast<\/b>. Simplicity may also mark the style of beloved Papa Francesco<\/a>, but a modesty reflected in Pope Valley Winery<\/a>, where an unostentatious profile belies a complexity in its viticulture, with a diverse inventory of wines, including a sparkling 2010 Blanc de Blancs<\/b>, their 2012 Sauvignon Blanc Rutherford<\/b>, and the 2012 Chenin Blanc Meyercamp Vineyard<\/b>. Red selections ranged from the 2010 Merlot Eakle Ranch<\/b> and 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Eakle Ranch<\/b> to the 2010 Tre Uve<\/b>, a SuperTuscan blend of 55% Sangiovese, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot and the remarkable 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve<\/b>.
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Powell Mountain<\/a> <\/font>should not<\/font> be confused with Calistoga\u2019s Howell Mountain; true to form for its Paso Robles base, it straddles an affinity for both Rh\u00f4ne and Bordeaux grapes, with a Primitivo identified as their 2010 Zinfandel<\/b> for good measure. Varietal bottlings include the 2010 Viognier,<\/b> the 2010 S
    \nyrah, a 2011 Grenache<\/b>, an outstanding 2010 Mourv\u00e8dre<\/b>, and their pure Paso 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b>. Proprietary blends the 2010 Summit<\/b>, a m\u00e9lange of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah, a GMS, the 2010 Ascent<\/b>, and their Meritage, the 2010 Pinnacle<\/b>, with 20% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 6.5%<\/font> Malbec, and 6.5%<\/font> Petit Verdot rounding out the Cabernet Sauvignon.
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    With wines from both Paso Robles and the Santa Maria Valley, Rob Murray Vineyards<\/a> d<\/font>ivvies up its wines into four disparate collections. Here they featured the 2010 Amor Fati Grenache Murmur Vineyard<\/b> and its spectacular kin, the 2010 Amor Fati Syrah Murmur Vineyard<\/font><\/b>. Quite pleasing was the 2010 Chardonnay Murmur Vineyard<\/b>, produced as part of the Stasis collection, and the 2012 Force of Nature Pinot Gris<\/b>, also from Murmur Vineyard.
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Sonoma\u2019s Saxon Brown<\/a> is a seasoned Sonoma operation offering a striking range of vineyard-specific bottlings. My sampling bean with the 2011 S\u00e9millon Cricket Creek<\/b>, then segued to a contrasting pair of Chards: the exceptional 2009 Chardonnay Durrell Vineyard<\/b> and the atypical 2010 \u00catre Chardonnay Sonoma Coast<\/b>, a blend with 5% each of Roussanne, Marsanne and Vermentino from Prenda Vineyards. Their two Pinots consisted of a striking 2009 Pinot Noir Parmalee-Hill<\/b> and the 2009 Pinot Noir Durrell Hayfield<\/b>. Several Saxon Brown wines focused on designated blocks within a parcel, as exemplified by the wondrous 2007 Syrah Parmelee-Hill Camp Block<\/font><\/b>, while the <\/font>2009 Zinfandel <\/font>Parmelee-Hill Stonewall<\/font><\/font><\/b> contrasted favorably with their <\/font><\/font>2009 Zinfandel Fighting Brothers<\/font><\/font><\/b>. And the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley<\/b> proved more than a worthy coda to their diverse capabilities.<\/font><\/font>
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    A new participant, Silver Trident<\/a>, described its inaugural releases here as \u201cour maiden voyage,\u201d an auspicious debut, to be sure, for both their 2010 Benevolent Dictator<\/b>, a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and the 2010 Twenty Seven Fathoms,<\/b> a Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Napa Valley. Another initiate, St. Helena\u2019s Taplin Cellars<\/a>, offered their first two Julien Fayard-crafted vintages, a well-rounded 2008 Terra 9 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b> and the young 2009 Terra 9 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b><\/font>.<\/font><\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    My last stop over the two-day stretch was The Wine Foundry<\/a>, a collective from Sonoma\u2019s East 8th Street. Representing this group at Family Winemakers was Egyptian-themed Ankh, showcasing both their 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley<\/b> and a relatively improved 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley<\/font><\/b>; Ankh\u2019s wines may not have yet achieved noteworthy distinction, but the sheer bombast of their grandiose membership program\u2014Inundation: The Path to Eternal Allocation<\/b><\/i>\u2014certainly deserves plaudits. <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    A<\/font>nother Wine Foundry co-tenant, Platinum Crush<\/a>, also offered a modest 2007 Ink Grade Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b> from Howell Mountain. Additionally, 5 Bridges<\/a> paired their 2007 Tempranillo<\/b> with a three year vertical of their proprietary Bordeaux (Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon)<\/i>: the 2005 Red<\/b>, along with the 2007 and 2008 vintages.<\/p>\n
    \n

    <\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    The Wine Foundry was prominently represented at what may very well turn out to be the last major tasting at Fort Mason, this fall\u2019s Vintners Market<\/a>. Along with Ankh, 5 Bridges. and Platinum Crush, their colleagues Antonio Patric<\/a>, Kaye Wines<\/a>, Mulvane<\/a>, and RockRoom<\/a> poured inside the Reserve Room.<\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Antonio Patric, another Kian Tavakoli project, entitles their wine club Vignoble<\/i><\/b>\u2014not quite as lyrical as Ankh\u2019s Inundation<\/b><\/i>, but surely akin to Sostevinobile<\/b><\/font>. Here I developed a definite affinity for both their 2009 La Encantada Vineyard Pinot Noir<\/b> and their 2009 Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b>, inexplicably listed as part of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA on their product sheet! Their tablemates, Mulvane, Rocco Califano\u2019s boutique Sonoma label demarcated by its clever rebus, notably featured their 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Neal 3 Vineyard<\/b> and the 2011 Syrah White Hawk Vineyard<\/b>.
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    I found myself rather enthralled the Pinot-focused Sonoma label from owner\/winemaker Ed Thralls<\/a><\/font>, whose day gig consists of directing social media at <\na href=\"http:\/\/www.flowerswinery.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Flowers<\/a>. Under his eponymous label, he distinguished himself with both his 2012 Pinot Noir Bucher Vineyard <\/b>and 2012 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley<\/b>, along with an elegant 2008 Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard<\/b>.<\/font> Readers know that I have been an avid proponent of NVMAVA<\/a> from its outset; here, I had hoped to introduce Honrama Cellars\u2019<\/a> owners Juan Jos\u00e9 and Miriam Puentes to this association, only to learn they had become acquainted before I could discover them! And while their 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b> seemed a bit early in its evolution, it did portend of intriguing releases with future vintages. <\/p>\n
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n
    <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/td>\nT<\/font><\/font>hough the name Honrama derives from a contraction meant to pay tribute to Miriam\u2019s father, Hon<\/b>orio Ra<\/b>m\u00edrez-Ma<\/b>ta, my linguistic propensity initially led me to suspect it was a Japanese surname. Similarly, I anticipated that Mastro Scheidt<\/a>
    \nmight have produced Italian varietals, or, more aptly, wines in the
    \ntradition of     Alto Adige<\/a>, aka S\u00fcdtirol, the autonomous Northern Italian
    \nregion that straddles both Italian and Austro-Germanic cultures. The
    \ntruth could not have been farther away, yet I was hardly disappointed in
    \ntheir 2010 Cabernet Harris Kratka Vineyard <\/b>or the 2011 Generations,<\/b> a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon from Dry Creek Valley and 9% Merlot from Alexander Valley, and I especially cottoned to their 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley<\/b>. Similarly, my presuppositions about     Enoteca 5<\/a>
    \nwere quickly dispelled by their emulation of     St. \u00c9milion<\/a>, with a decidedly
    \nnon-Italian focus that eschewing the five principal Bordelaise varietals for but three: the Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot that
    \npredominate on the Right Bank of the Gironde River.<\/font><\/font> The winery poured two <\/font>contrasting releases: the 2011 Cabernet Franc Silvaspoons Vineyard <\/b>from Lodi and the 2011 Cabernet Franc Alegr\u00eda Vineyard<\/b> from Acorn\u2019s highly prized Russian River Valley vineyard, then previewed their forthcoming 2012 Petit Verdot Ripken Vineyards<\/font><\/b>.<\/font>
    <\/p>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n

    I did manage to appease my Italian cravings, somewhat ironically, with St. Barth\u00e9lemy Cellars<\/a>, a contrarian Napa operation producing seven varietal-focused fortified wines, of which I sampled the 2003 Barbera Port<\/b> before delving into the 2003 Syrah Port <\/b>and the 2003 Petite Sirah Port<\/b> (the Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot and Pinot Noir version will have to wait until our next encounter)<\/i>. And I might have had another fix, had Lucca<\/a> decided to bring their 2011 <\/b><\/font>Sangiovese<\/font><\/b> <\/b>or even their Bordeaux-Barbera blend, the 2011 Grande<\/b>, but I was hardly disappointed by their 2011 Old Vine Carignane <\/b>nor their astounding 2011 Old Vine Mourv\u00e8dre<\/b>.
    <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/p>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Other<\/font> most impressive discoveries were the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon<\/b> from TwentyFour<\/a>, the label produced by storied Oakland Raider Charles Woodson and, seemingly, a graphic homage to Edward Gorey<\/a>, the superb 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon <\/b>from Cameron Woodbridge\u2019s Stormy Weather<\/a>. \u00c0 propos, Stephanie Cook Sedmak\u2019s Wonderment Wines<\/a> indeed proved a wonderment, starting with her delightful 2012 Dr. Stan\u2019s Pinot Noir<\/b> and utterly remarkable 2012 Campbell\u2019s Vineyard Pinot Noir. <\/b>Similarly, her wondrous 2011 Bastioni Zinfandel<\/b> was nonetheless exceeded by the sheer complexity of her 2011 Burton Ranch Zinfandel<\/b>.<\/font><\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Napa\u2019s Holman Cellars<\/a> eschewed convention to produce a most unorthodox 2010 Uncharted Vineyard Blend<\/b>, an esoteric m\u00e9lange of Syrah and Tempranillo, with 12% Viognier added for balance. Their 2010 Uncharted Red Wine<\/b> married Cabernet Sauvignon with 28% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, while the 2010 Fate Red <\/b>offered a well-rounded Bordelaise blend with an additional 8% Petit Verdot.<\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    I was less sanguine about OFFbeat Brands<\/a>\u2019 2012 Zin-Phomaniac<\/b>, an Old Vine Zinfandel sourced from Lodi that was long on the pun and less so on the delivery (I could not bring myself to sample their saccharine Jellybean Wines)<\/i>. And I hoped for more complex wines than Jamieson Ranch<\/a>\u2019s bargain brand 2012 Light Horse Pinot Noir <\/b>and 2012 Light Horse Chardonnay<\/b> proved. But my final discovery, Solvang\u2019s Larner Vineyard and Winery<\/a>, redeemed these disappointments with a quartet of exceptional Rh\u00f4ne-style wines: the 2009 Grenache<\/b>, a Grenache-focused GSM dubbed the 2009 Elemental<\/b>, an even more delectable 2009 Syrah<\/b>, and the coup de gr\u00e2ce<\/i>, their 2009 Reserve Syrah,<\/b> an utterly spectacular wine. <\/p>\n
    \n

    <\/font><\/div>\n

    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Vintners Market has announced its intentions to return to Fort Mason for its Spring 2014 rendition, though I will not be surprised to see them abruptly announce a change of venue. Then again, perhaps the mass defection of the other major events will give pause to the Board of Trustees and precipitate a more favorable revision of their rental policies and pricing.
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    Regardless of what transpires this year, the overarching issue\u2014from a personal standpoint\u2014is the ongoing viability of major trade events. For some time now, I have been discussing the resurrection of an Italian varietal trade association, and have recently taken a number of steps towards realizing this vision. From the wineries\u2019 standpoint, such an organization makes tremendous sense; as of December 2013, I had cataloged 311 West Coast wineries producing varietals and blends with Italian grapes, with 42 Italian varietals grown here (admittedly, I haven\u2019t found anyone bottling Schioppettino yet)<\/i>. But the steady decline in winery participation and public attendance at each of the major trade events, coupled with the schizophrenic demands of suitable venues calls into question the wisdom of trying to found a new trade association and concomitant perennial event on par with Rh\u00f4nes Rangers<\/a> and T.A.P.A.S.<\/a><\/font><\/div>\n
    <\/font><\/div>\n
    So let me sign off with a vetching question: should my Resolution #8 be to launch Risorgimento<\/i><\/b>?<\/font><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    An elliptical way for Your West Coast Oenophile to toast to Auld Lang Syne, usher in the New Year, wish all of our Sostevinobile readers the best in 2014, etc. If only Scotland\u2019s greatest poet, Robert Burns, had written a tribute to wine, although his homage to Scotch may inspire me to switch to a wee […]<\/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":[40,6,4,34,16,32,7,17,15,18,12,2,10,38,14,35,9,36,19,39,13,37,3,24,33,5,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-barbera","category-cabernet-franc","category-cabernet-sauvignon","category-carignane","category-chardonnay","category-chenin-blanc","category-grenache","category-malbec","category-marsanne","category-merlot","category-mourvedre","category-petit-verdot","category-petite-sirah","category-pinot-gris","category-pinot-noir","category-primitivo","category-roussanne","category-sangiovese","category-sauvignon-blanc","category-schioppettino","category-semillon","category-sparkling-wine","category-syrah","category-tempranillo","category-vermentino","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\/9","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=9"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sostevinobile.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}