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Somms Gone Wild - Friday, 9:00AM |
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(l
to r) John Alban, Rob Perkins, Richard Betts, Cris Cherry, John Lancaster, and Paul Lato |
(Moderated
by John Alban, this seminar takes
look at the outcomes of several former (or current) sommeliers who are taking on the challenge of making their own wines.)
The first seminar from the 2009 Hospice du Rhône, endeavored to show how a few like-minded sommeliers decided to enter the sometimes daunting process of actually making their own wines.
| SOMMS GONE WILD :
2006 Betts & Scholl Grenache - Barossa.
Made from 86 yr old vines, the wine spent 2 yrs in neutral oak. Definite "old viney" quality, with a smooth refined slight flowery smell and taste and more of a root/bark/herb quality. Bit soft in mouthfeel, and somewhat short finish.
2007 Skylark Grenache - Mendocino. A previous Cab vineyard, this was budded over to Tablas Clone Grenache. Certainly a contrast to the previous old vine, this wine was obviously younger, but also seemed to have a wider spectrum of aromas and flavors. Floral nose, with huge mouthfeel, and hint of pine on the finish.
2007 Villa Creek Garnacha.
Ripe and a bit fumey in the nose, with a predominent dark olive characteristic. Bittersweet mouthfeel, tannic medium-long finish.
2007 Villa Creek "La Boda". This 50/50 blend of Grenache/Mourvedre has a nice earthy/floral nose. Tasty mouthfeel, moderately integrated flavors, with nice long finish.
2005 Villa Creek "Bete Noir". This 60/40 Sryah/Mourvedre has a big espresso-infused nose of dark fruit. A bit closed in mouthfeel, with traces of anise and leather, and moderate finish.
2004 Betts & Scholl "Hermitage Rouge". Made with JL Chave fruit, from first wiff there is obvious brett in the nose of red-pushing black fruit. Austere in mouthfeel, with tones of dried fruit, sage and lavender. Way to young to ruminate about.
2004 Betts & Scholl Syrah - Hudson Vnyd. Hint of Viognier co-ferment in the lovely nose of black fruit. Beautiful mouthfeel, sooth, creamy fruit compote and anise, excellent balance, succulent finish.
2006 Skylark Syrah - Sonoma Coast. Creamy, black cherry pie nose. Smooth, slightly candied mouthfeel seems initially one-dimensional. But, some complexity develops with time through the somewhat soft finish.
2007 Paul Lato "Cinematique" Syrah - Larner Vnyd. A 5% co-ferment with Viognier along with the toasted herbs gives a nice lift to the black fruit. Off-sweet flavor, nice balance, and lovely aftertaste.
2007 Paul Lato "Il Padrino" Syrah - Bien Nacido Vnyd. Similar aromatics to the Larner version, but less-so in mouthfeel. Seems a bit warmer in ripeness, along with a more overt pepper quality. |
A sommelier, by definition, is a wine steward or server, providing customer service largely in the areas of restaurant procurement, storage, and wine cellar management. A sommelier is also frequently responsible for the development of wine lists, and for the delivery of wine service and training for the other restaurant staff. Often working along with the culinary team, they pair and suggest wines that will best complement each particular food menu item.
This type of responsiblty then requires the necessity for a more than a basic knowledge of how food works in harmony with wine, beer, spirits and other beverages. A professional sommelier usually works on the floor of the restaurant and is in direct contact with restaurant patrons. The sommelier has a responsibility to work within the taste preference and budget parameters of the patron. It should be no surprise that Sommeliers are also responsible for pouring each of the wines at events such as the HdR.
There are a number of governing bodies that issue diplomas, certificates and degrees for purposes of accrediting the education of sommeliers. With all of this in mind, one might expect that wines created or produced by someone with this level of wine education ought to perform well in a tasting. That's what we were here to see...or taste.
The Betts & Scholl label is the product of Richard Betts, wine director of , the Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning Montagna restaurant at the Little Nell in Aspen, Colo. and Dennis Scholl, a Miami-based collector of contemporary art. The two teamed up in 2001 to make Grenache in Australia, a 30-hour commute from their homes in Colorado.
They began looking for old-vine Grenache vineyards in Australia and partnered with local winemaker Christian Canute, who made the first wines in 2001 with Betts' input at his small winery, Rusden. They later added an Australian Riesling, and partnered with winemaker Randy Lewis in California to produce a Syrah and with Jean-Louis Chave in the Rhône to produce a Hermitage.
Skylark Wine Company is a collaboration between Boulevard Restaurant Wine Directors John Lancaster and Robert Perkins. John and Robert have run the wine program at the acclaimed Boulevard Restaurant in San Francisco for the past nine years. During their tenure at Boulevard, they have built a close friendship, an inventory of wines from around the globe and a palate of tasting wines of the world from vintage to vintage. While the original plan was simply a barrel, they quickly jumped in with 14 barrels of Syrah from the 2002 Harvest. Skylark Wine Company was formed.
The Villa Creek name - both restaurant and wine label - is no secret in these parts. Cris Cherry and his wife JoAnn are producers of wines in the style of the southern Rhone and Rioja and Priorat. In Cris' words, blending is what Villa Creek does best. The Paso Robles area’s Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Tempranillo Vineyards are just a stone’s throw from the winery where these blends are concocted and produced.
Paul Lato states from the outset that he believes in harmony and elegance, something he constantly tries to capture in his wines. For Paul, it is all about aroma and texture, and he is always striving for the structure and balance to complement food. He looks for vineyards that are cared for by talented vineyard managers, then during the growing season, works with them to control yields to achieve the characteristics he is looking for. Paul's cellar work is based on minimal intervention and cleanliness. He says he does not believe in making wine by recipe, keeping lots small, which allows him to work at his own pace.
Impressions:
Very divergent vineyard sources, but interesting look at how sommeliers - even with the same stated goals in mind - use different approaches to winemaking.
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East Side West Side
- Friday, 10:30AM |
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(l
to r) Greg Brewer, Clarissa Nagy, and Patrick Comiskey |
(Moderated
by Patrick Comiskey, we
take a look at the style of wines from two separate areas of the Santa Ynez Valley, represented by Syrahs from the East and West sides of Hwy 101...well,not entirely.)
Seminar 2 gave us a closer look at two interesting Syrah-growing areas of the Santa Ynez Valley. Largely separated by Hwy 101, these growing areas differ mainly in temperature, but also in terroir, that French word that loosely describes the effects of climate, soil, and other phenomena.
The Melville family brings past experience to their new venture here in the western Santa Ynez Valley. Previously, Ron Melville and family were operating a successful grape growing business in Calistoga, farming the usual Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The quality of their fruit was excellent, and much of it found its way into the reserve wines of Geyser Peak, Dry Creek Vineyards, and Chateau St. Jean -- no small feat. Deciding to relocate the family, yet continue in the grape growing business, Ron selected an 82 acre location in Lompoc, and began to pursue his interest in Pinot Noir. Recently, the project took on additional emphasis, and Ron, along with sons, Brent and Chad, became not only growers of high quality Pinot Noir, but also decided to become winemakers as well. Their 1999 debut vintage includes a Santa Maria and an Estate Pinot, as well as a Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay. A miniscule amount of Estate '99 Syrah (23 cases) was released December 1, 2000.
MELVILLE and BONACCORSI :
2008 Melville 100% whole cluster Sta. Rita Hills Syrah. All about the herbed and earthy nuances, with dark peppery fruit playing a bass in the background.
2008 Melville Sta. Rita Hills destemmed Syrah. Quite the reverse here, with a primary macerated sweet fruit al over the front end of this wine.
2007 Melville Donna’s Syrah. Nice smoky richness to this wine throughout, with a peppered anise quality and long finish.
2007 Melville Verna’s Syrah. Showing a bit more warmth of the fruit in the nose and mouth (redder - less black), this wine gives off the more of the licorice and bacon fat.
2001 Melville Estate Syrah. Nice balance of the warm vs. cool climate Syrah, with peppery herb-scented notes and nice chewy finish.
2006 Bonaccorsi Santa Ynez Valley Syrah. Seemingly a perfect blend of qualities here, with just enough of savory and sweet notes to blend well.
2006 Bonaccorsi Star Lane Vineyard Syrah. Probably Estrella clone, with a nose of black fruit and licorice. Rich on the palate, very well-balanced, smooth finish.
2006 Bonaccorsi Larner Vineyard Syrah. Interesting hit of citrus peel in the complex tar-infused nose. Quite dark and very smooth on the palate, with almost perfect ripeness, excellent balance and very long finish.
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Melville currently has 75 acres under vine on the property, distributed to produce about 55% Pinot Noir, 30% Syrah, and 15% Chardonnay. In 1998, they added another 55-60 acres (of the 100 owned) in Cat Canyon (near Los Alamos). The Melvilles have planted 11 clones of Pinot Noir in mostly sandy and loamy soil (with some clay), as well as 3 clones of Chardonnay, and 7 clones of Syrah, on 5 different rootstocks. Although currently augmenting the fruit from outside sources while waiting for maturity of their vines, intentions call for Melville to become Estate-only with the 2000 vintage. Aside from their own production, the Melville fruit is largely committed to other local wineries: Brewer-Clifton, Babcock, Jaffurs, Santa Barbara Winery, Lane Tanner, and Ojai. Ron selected Greg Brewer as winemaker for the label, given Greg's reputation and familiarity with Santa Barbara County fruit. Brewer, formerly of Santa Barbara Winery, also has his own Brewer-Clifton label, which is currently utilizing the Melville facility as well.
The Bonaccorsi Wine Company was formed in 1999 by Michael Bonnacorsi and Jenne Lee Bonaccorsi. Michael, a sommelier at Spago Restaurant in Beverly Hills was one of the small handful of Americans who had been awarded the prestigious Master Sommelier Diploma. Since Michael's untimely death in 2004, Jenne has continued to produce wines, now with the help of winemaker Clarissa Nagy, who arrived in 2004.
Much has already been written about the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. So, here are factoids about those vineyards East fo the 101. Star Lane Vineyard is located in the hot inland reaches of an area called Happy Canyon, which is reputed to hold much promise for Bordeaux varieties, as well as some Rhone varieties. Larner Vineyard is located in the Ballard Canyon portion of Santa Ynez Valley. little bit about Ballard Canyon is probably in order here. Ballard Canyon Road extends from Buellton to Los Olivos, but it is the northern half of this road that bears a closer look. Well-known vineyards like Larner, Rusack, Stolpman, Purisima Mtn, and Tierra Alta are all located on the upper part of this road, nearer to Los Olivos than to Buellton. I recently rode along on a tour of four of the aforementioned vineyards (see).
Impressions:
this seminar said less to me about different terroirs, and more about different winemaking processes.
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Riedel - What's in Your Cabinet? - Saturday, 9:00AM |
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(l
to r) Patrick Will, François Villard, John Larchet, Dave Miner, and Georg Riedel |
(Moderated
by Patrick Will of Ex Cellars, this seminar gave us a look at the different Riedel stemware, and how they changed a wine's nuances.)
Based on the tried - and arguably true - impression that wines taste and smell different when consumed from different stemware, this seminar was devised to show just how different the wines will seem. Interestingly, 3 of the 4 glasses were designed for Syrah. The Stemware used for this event were as follows: Riedel Restaurant = Oregon Pinot glass #0447/07; Sommeliers = Hermitage 0400/30; Vinum Extreme = Syrah 4444/30; and Flow = Syrah 0407/30.
RIEDEL TASTING :
2005 E. Guigal - St. Joseph.
Riedel Restaurant stem - somewhat closed and austere, with a chalky/talc impression in mouthfeel, and austere finish.
Sommelier stem - bit more complex, picking up some licorice and tar influence and deeper texture in mouthfeel.
Vinum Extreme - nose was somewhat brighter, still some tar and licorice, and mouthfeel gets more lush.
Flow stem - nose is very austere, slightly muddled mouthfeel, somewhat bitter/interrupted finish.
2005 Elderton Shiraz - Barossa.
Riedel Restaurant stem - big, huge and slightly sweet, with a chalky/talc impression in mouthfeel, and sweet tasty finish.
Sommelier stem - more complexities appear, with major tar influence and more bass notes in the wine.
Vinum Extreme - nose gets noticably brighter, tar still there, and mouthfeel gets creamier.
Flow stem - nose is nearly closed, creamy mouthfeel, fine-grained tannins more obvious, somewhat bitter/broken finish.
2007 Miner/Villard "La Diligence" Stagecoach Vnyd, Napa.
Riedel Restaurant stem - very floral, with slightly sweet mouthfeel, bright minerality, tannic.
Sommelier stem - more expansive aromatics, licorice and tar more obvious, still somewhat tannic.
Vinum Extreme - very dense, with licorice and tar,nice finish.
Flow stem - widest of aromatics, yet also distinctly separate, bit chalky but big tasty mouthfeel. |
The "science" behind the shape of the wine glass seems to always cause conversation. I don't know anyone who hasn't experienced that one glass shape/style seems better than another. Most are non-science/engineering types are unable to explain the phenomena. So, here's a brief attempt to acknowledge what Riedel has done.
It is their belief the shape of the glass, dictates the emission of aroma, somewhat based on how a person positions their head while drinking, which ultimately alters the way the wine flows into the mouth. By narrowing the rim of the glass, this focuses the drinker to tilt his head back, delivering the wine to potentially different zones of the tongue, which results in the brain perceiving different flavors. The volume of the glass, the diameter of its rim, the thickness of the crystal, and the finish also all play a role in the roll of the wine onto the tongue.
The rim, in particular, controls the flow of wine, with certain rims possessing an open waterway and others building a bit of a dam. For instance, a thin rim allows the wine to flow onto the tongue in a smooth, consistent manner. Whereas, a rolled rim on a less-expensive stem will slow the flow of wine, potentially enhanced all of the wrong things.
Impressions:
(there was actually a plastic cup as well, used in the tasting. Needless to say, it completely disappointed in transmitting anything approaching quality in the wines, and I didn't bother to record my impressions.) I was a little surprised the Pinot glass didn't perform better - or, maybe it was just that the others seemed to do such a better job. However, the most obvious thing I learned was than the style of the Syrah had a great deal to do the proper glass.
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Beyond the Yellow Brick Road - Saturday, 10:45AM |
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(l
to r) Sashi Moorman, John Alban, Justin Smith |
(Moderated by John Alban, this seminar which takes an in-depth look at the wines produced by Sashi Moorman and those of Justin Smith.)
An look at the wine styles and innovations of Sashi Moorman of Stolpman Vineyard wines and his own project Piedrassasi wines, and Justin Smith of James Berry Vineyard and Saxum wines.
Prior to joining Stolpman, Sashi Moorman had been assistant winemaker at Ojai Vnyds for several years. By this time, Stolpman Vnyds already had an enviable reputation for its Central Coast fruit, but Sashi obviously saw even more potential for its future.
Located in Santa Ynez Valley's Ballard Canyon corridor, Stolpman Vineyard was first planted in 1992. It is blessed with several microclimates, as well as some weak clay soils over a limestone substrate (a good thing for grapevines). From its first harvest (1994), things have looked very promising. Indeed, the 170 acres of Cabernet, Cab Franc, Merlot, Syrah, along with Sangiovese and Nebbiolo has been going into many vineyard-designated bottlings made by several well-known wineries such as Ojai, Jaffurs, and Qupe.
THE WINES OF SASHI MOORMAN and JUSTIN SMITH :
2008 Stolpman - low density 877 clone. Black fruit, with slightly herbaceous notes of beet and rhubarb, sweet mouthfeel, nice minerality and acids.
2008 Stolpman - medium density Estrella clone.
Some Grenache-like quality in the mostly red fruit; bit simple and primary, with a big grip in mouthfeel.
2008 Stolpman - high density Alban 1/2.
Somewhat more floral quality, with tarry backnotes, slightly sweet mouthfeel, very nice flavors, with a herbed aftertaste. Lots of garrigue.
2008 Stolpman - super high density Rostaing.
10% whole cluster, and it's noticable in both nose and mouth, though less so in mouthfeel. Nice!
2007 Piedrassasi - Rimrock vnyd, Nipomo.
100% whole cluster, with significantly less stem than the previous wine. Lots of floral, rose petal, flower shop notes,along with tons of spices and mint. Fabulous mid-palate, meaty, rich, tightens on back end through the long finish. 100% new oak.
2007 Piedrassasi - James Berry/Heartstone vnyd, Paso Robles. Slightly more fruit forward, with more emphasis on fruit and less so on spice. 80% new oak.
2005 James Berry Vineyard - 20 mos on oak. Meaty in nose and mouth, lots of garrigue throughout.
2005 James Berry Vineyard - 43 mos on oak. Much more spicy than previous wine, with a warmer sweeter mouthfeel. 40/20/10 Syrah/Mouvrvedre/Grenache.
2006 James Berry Vineyard - Bone Rock, - 19 mos on oak. More primary that previous wine, though arguably not a expansive. 76/18/6 Syrah/Mourvedre/Grenache.
2006 James Berry Vineyard - Bone Rock, - 31 mos on oak. This is the same wine as above, except longer on oak and in a barrique. Roasted beet, wheaty, toasty in the nose, elegantly smooth in mouthfeel, with softer tannins and a nice peppery taste.
2007 James Berry Vineyard, GSM - 400L barrel. Nose of rose bush and flower shop-infused fruit. Big tasty off-sweet mouthfeel, but with lots of ripeness. 41/31/21 Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre.
2007 James Berry Vineyard, GSM - 228L barrel. Same wine as above, but in a smaller barrel. Lovely nose, ripe yet wonderfully complex. Seems initially sweet and ripe in mouthfeel, but this becomes more complex with time. |
By 1997, Stolpman Vnyds was producing its own line of wines from the wide varieties of fruit planted. When Sashi arrived in 2001, they were already producing a Rhone blend and a Bordeaux blend, as well as some Sangiovese and Nebbiolo bottlings under the Stolpman label. But, Sashi also saw the potential of using the California Sangiovese - not necessarily the current rage in domestic wine - for a Tuscan blend. I've always found Stolpman's fruit to be really delicious, and Bruno D'Alfonso from Sanford Winery has also made a very tasty wine from these grapes. However, it looks like the fruit's future usage will largely go into producing two new "Super-Tuscan" blends - L’Angeli and La Croce. Interestingly, the La Croce is a Syrah/Sangiovese blend - something I've not seen before in a "Super-Tuscan."
What was also needed at Stolpman was a revitalization of the vineyards - including some replanting. The Cab Franc got replaced with 30 new acres of grapes. New row alignments, along with higher density plantings and different trellising is also being used. Sashi recounted how the influence of Antinori's former Director of Enology, Alberto Antonini, helped convince Tom Stolpman to embark on the many changes that Stolpman Vnyds is now undertaking. And, considering the investment that Stolpman was undertaking, getting the blessing from a high profile consultant like Antonini would certainly bolster one's courage to go ahead.
Sashi described his winemaking process at Stolpman as using plenty of small lot fermentation, pointing to what they referred to as the "FYB's" (funny yellow bins), and also pointed out the new harmonic shaker table that's used in sorting (not many of these around). Sashi's also experimenting with a variety of barrel shapes, sizes, and manufacturers, as well as country of origin. He seems to have found a niche in something interesting - he prefers barrels from the Cognac region (Cognac gets more rain, and more rain leaches the sap out of the barrels faster). Sashi is also using a couple of different shapes - both Burgundian as well as the traditional Bordeaux barrels, and has even tried a few pungeons (80-100 gal barrels). He also mentioned that he has found that the Stolpman Sangiovese seems to do best in 1-yr old barrels.
Since their first harvest in the early '80s, Justin Smith's family has always made a little barrel of this and that in their own micro-winery. This allowed Justin to hone his winemaking as well as vineyard skills. Meanwhile, Justin's college friend, Matt Trevisan, had been working at nearby Wild Horse winery. The two decided to throw in together, and after a few more years of experimenting, they figured it was about time to drop the amateur status, and try their hand at operating a viable winery. Through the 2000 vintage, the wines have been made at Wild Horse, which has a very large facility. This year, Justin and Matt have setup shop at Mat Garretson's new place on Hwy 46 East. Current production is about 1200-1500 cases, with final production expected to cap out at about 2500 cases.
Originally planting the JBV to Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc in 1981, the Smith family became "converted" to Rhone varietals after seeing the results of planting test blocks of Mourvedre, Viognier, and a 4 acre block of Syrah in 1988. Since then, the they have added twenty more acres to the James Berry Vnyd, and included Grenache Noir and Roussanne to the Rhone varietal plantings. The 75 acre vineyard now has 55 acres planted, including a 3.5 acre block known as Bone Rock Terraces. Constructed in 1990 on a very steep rocky hillside, the fractured shale rocks of the Bone Rock section is primarily planted to the Estrella clone of Syrah. This fractured-rock soil has fabulous drainage, thanks to a prehistoric sea that once covered the area. In fact, the section was named in homage to a large whale skeleton that was unearthed while constructing the terraced slopes in the vineyard. This quick-draining soil forces the vines to work extra hard for nutrients, which in turn creates a more concentrated fruit. Appropriately, we tried the '99 James Berry blend.
The growing conditions in the area are highly influenced by both its altitude (about 1200'-1400') and a geologic formation known as the Templeton Gap, the first low point south of Monterey in the Santa Lucia Mountains. This gap allows a cooling ocean fog to permeate the area well into the morning, yet brings nice warm (or, in this case very warm) days, and pleasant cool evenings.
Impressions:
heavy on the tech notes and vine-growing/wine-making processes, this nonetheless was fascinating to see/hear how much experimentation is going on. It's comforting to know that no one here is resting on their laurels.
2009
HdR : Syrah Shootout
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