Sonoma Valley Open House, Nov 27

The Heart of Sonoma Valley association sponsors a holiday open house after Thanksgiving. There were 22 participating wineries; I sampled at the following. They are ranked in order of my preference, favorite to least.

Audelssa - They have been a favorite since my first stop there about 1-1/2 years ago. Great blends 


Deerfield Ranch caves
Image from inside-sonoma.com

 and Cabs from mountain fruit. The Tephra $28 blend of four varietals is a good deal.

Enkidu - The Petite Sirah was soooo good I still have just a bit of enamel left on my teeth! :)

Deerfiled Ranch - More subtle, maybe more French style in their balance. Some good Cabs and Syrahs.

Landmark - A standard of Chard and Pinot.  They did the minimum to participate in this event. (It's supposed to be a food & wine event guys).

Loxton - Good Syrah and Zinfandel at reasonable prices.

Paradise Ridge - Rockpile and Russian River reds. Unfortunately, no one seemed to be interested in pouring the RRV wines while I was there--too busy talking amongst themselves.

VJB - Going for Italian style wines.

Eric Ross - Unusual varietals with sometimes good results.

Wellington - "Funky" is my best description. Not for me.

Happy 100th Mr. Foppiano

Lou Foppiano turned 100 years old November 25th.   Yeah, you could call him a fixture in Sonoma County farming as he spent about 80 years in the vineyards and cellar.

Foppiano Winery has been around a very long time as it was Lou's grandfather who started the winery after arriving from Italy.  The family is now in its fifth generation of managing the winery.

What does Lou attribute his long life to?  One glass of wine a day, no more.  Others would say it's his hard work up until just a few years ago.

Foppiano wines aren't at the forefront of trendy wines.   I mean, they specialize in Petite Sirah for crize sakes!   And it's not exactly an approachable wine when young.  I going to guess Robert Parker never gave a 95 to anything from Foppiano.

Lou's legacy though, may be in his helping to organize the first local winery association to help market their part of Sonoma County.

Read more about Lou Foppiano turning 100 in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Selling wine to China

Everybody wants a piece of the new consumer economy in China--can't let General Motors have all the fun.

Even though U.S. exports of wine overall have dropped with the tough economy exports to China (and Hong Kong) have increased substantially in the last few years.

Chinese investors recently bought Silenus Vintners and their vineyards in Napa Valley.   But it's not just California as Chinese have bought interests in Australian wineries and even French.   Foreign investments in California wines is nothing new, but in the past it's been primarily the French and Australians.

Does China have its own wineries?   They do but apparently the quality has a long way to go before the wines can be considered premium.   Maybe the Chinese hope to learn that from the French, Australians and Americans.   Bordeaux's Chateau Lafite is helping the Chinese develop a vineyard in the Shandong Province, already home to Cabernet, Merlot and Cab Franc vineyards.  Shandong has been called "China's Bordeaux."

The French have been importing wine into China for a long time and own nearly half of the import market.  The U.S. is only five percent.    China, of course, has a billion potential customers.  Many are very poor, some are part of the growing middle class, other are nouveau riche.  There is no wine culture in China, but that used to be said about the U.S.

What's going on at Foster's wine division?

Foster's renamed their wine division to Treasury Wine Estates a few months ago.   Previous to this there had been some reorganizations and realignment leading to speculation that maybe Foster's was setting up their wine brands for a sell-off.  At the time of the renaming Foster's said they would "spin off" the wine group so that group could have a dedicated focus on wine.  Yeah, it sounds like a lot of corporate mumbo-jumbo to me, too.

Locally Treasury owns Beringer, Stags Leap, Souverain, and Chateau St. Jean.  Also Penfolds and Rosemount plus some others.   It's quite a line-up.

They have a headquarters in Napa.   Why do I ask what the hell is going on?    Because they are hiring for every corporate-type position imaginable.  Looking at one of the wine job sites I see 17 current openings.  Here's a few examples:

Regional Chain Manager

Packaging Manager

Industrial Technology & Systems Specialist

Logistics Business Analyst

Studio Project Manager

Strategic Pricing Manager

 Huh?   I have no idea how the small guys do it without all this.   So what's going on?    I see two possibilities:

1. They are  being run by people with a manufacturing background who don't know a f**king thing about wine.
2. They are building up to sell out.   Maybe the more employees the more the business is worth?   That seems counter-intuitive to me.

This is a lot of overhead and is probably only the tip of the iceberg.  I guess their margins can support this.  It seems pretty wacky to me.   Maybe I'm missing something.

So what are the plans for Treasury Estates now?  Foster's has said a 2011 spin-off will happen though they've had at least one offer to sell, but was rejected because it wasn't enough money.  

Foster's said they are starting to see cost savings with the new division--must be because they're hiring all these middle-managers and analysts.   Also they want to increase profits by, um, raising prices at Beringer--probably to be able to pay all the new middle-managers and analysts.

November Sonoma Valley Photos

Autumn is in full swing in the vineyards.
November 15, 2010 in the north end of Sonoma Valley (Kenwood vicinity).

Click on any photo to enlarge

Chateau St Jean

From Kenwood Vyds looking south into Kunde property

Kunde Winery

Cave entrance at Kunde

Kunde

Kunde

St Francis Winery

Sonoma Wineries: A few old-timers

If you're looking for big, jammy, expensive fruit-bombs then this post isn't for you.  This is about some of the guys that have been around for decades and still making their wines the same way, for better or worse, depending on your tastes.

I sampled mostly red wines.


PEDRONCELLI since 1927

Image from pedroncelli.com

First thing that hit me were the prices with most wines in the $15-$18 range.  The Friends Red, a blend of Zinfandel, Sangiovese, and Merlot, is a steal at $10.   The Mother Clone Zinfandel is an old vine Zin with typical Dry Creek brambly characteristics, and another steal at $15.

These aren't big, lush wines, but they are excellent food wines and can stand a bit of ageing.


PRESTON since 1975

Exquisite balance. Not too tannic, good fruit, but not jammy or alcoholic.   Folks who like the Turley-esque fruit bomb wine should try Preston's Zinfandel.  You can have nice fruit without 16% alcohol (they don't go over 14.5% on their wines).

Higher-priced with most in the mid-$30s.  Besides the Zinfandel, the LPreston Rhone-style blend and Syrah-Sirah blend were excellent.   Some really great wines.


DRY CREEK VINEYARDS since 1972

Semi-nice, but not Preston nice though at Preston prices.  I tried their three available Zinfandels (you know you're in Dry Creek when you can taste three Zins at one stop) and preferred the Beeson Ranch at $34.   I have been a fan of Dry Creek for a long time, but a bit disappointing this time.


FOPPIANO since 1896

It's all about the Petite Sirah.  They have an Estate Petite (I tried) and a Reserve Petite (I didn't).  The Estate Petite Sirah had a nice spicy, peppery note to it that you don't often find though it also had some of the tannins you often do. This is what you'd call a manly wine--it ain't for sissies!  Don't drink this wine tonight; wait a few years.

Dry Creek Vly Vineyard Photos

Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California.  November 8, 2010.
Not quite at peak autumn color yet.

Click on any photo to enlarge

Mid-valley looking east near the Family Wineries

Mid-valley looking west



At Mauritson Vyds. Fruit cut and left to rot on the ground
because it had raisined



North valley from Yoakim Road looking west



Looking south towards Wilson Winery



From same location as previous photo but looking west



Sangiovese: Not popular in the US, never will be

Okay, if I'm wrong on this prediction in 50 years you can sue me!  

It's quite popular in Italy, of course, but Americans think it's yucky.   Why is that?

One, it's kind of hard to pronounce, but so are other varieties.  I tell folks if you "talk with your arms" Italian-style while saying "san-jee-oh-VAY-zee" it just rolls off the tongue.

The biggest problem is the acidity of the wine.   All wines have it, but many of the most popular are soft (low acid) wines.   That's why Chardonnay sells more than Sauvignon Blanc.   The high acid in Sangiovese can come across as "bright," "tart," or "bitter."   It depends on the wine and it depends on the individual.   Some people seem to be more sensitive to the acid.

Why do the Italians seem to love it then?    Because they eat a lot of high acid tomato-based foods.    Pastas, pizza, grilled meat with BBQ sauces, and the like are great matches for Sangiovese.   Of course, people will sample their first Sangiovese in a tasting room or at home without food first and will go, "Yuck, where's the Merlot?"

Sangi is one of those grapes that works well in blends as the Italians make it.   California has a hard time with blending, but that's a subject for another time.   If Sangiovese is to catch on in this country it'll be because it's blended.   Italian Chianti is mostly Sangi with a couple other obscure (to us) grapes blended in.   Super Tuscans are a fairly new idea of blending Sangiovese with Cabernet, Merlot or Syrah.   It seems Sangi might be a natural for blending with Zinfandel, but you never see it (at least I haven't).

In California, Sangiovese grows well in parts of Sonoma and Napa, but seems to do best in the Sierra Foothills such as in Amador County.    I believe CA is still trying to figure out where and how to grow Sangi.

Sangiovese also makes a nice dry rosé wine usually called Rosato di Sangiovese.

Ferrari-Carano's Siena and Viansa's Thalia, both blends, are a couple you might want to look for.  If you want a nice, cheap one try Pedroncelli. From Napa I love the Benessere Sangiovese. Remember to have it with a hearty meal!

Interesting Winery Architecture

A number of visitors are interested in seeing wineries with unique architecture and there are quite a few around.   I split them into old, fascinating, and odd (as in amusing) plus those that have great landscaping.    There are others--this is just a sampling.  These cover both Napa and Sonoma counties.

Old

Beringer


Buena Vista
Image from buenavistacarneros.com



The main winery building is about 125 years old.  The tour goes through some of the old wine making areas.  Beringer is very crowded on summer and autumn weekends, but this is a must-see if you've never been to Napa.

Buena Vista

They call themselves "the oldest premium winery in the state."  You can look around the grounds and the large tasting room area.  This is the birthplace of wine in Sonoma County. 

Castello di Amorosa
I couldn't really decide if the Castello belongs under Old, Fascinating or Odd. Lots of money plus a big ego yields an amazing replica of a medieval castle. OK, it's not really old, but it sure looks that way. Worth a visit for the tour if not for the wine.

Hop Kiln
Taste in a 19th century hop barn.  Sonoma County used to have a lot of hops ... then the grapes came in.

Korbel
The winery site contains the original 19th century winery building.  Their free tour starts at the old train station. They even have an antique rose garden.  There's a lot of history here--ask about the ghost in the old house on the hill above the rose garden.

Schramsberg
Take the great tour of their old wine caves.  Appointment required.

Simi
A 19th century stone building houses the winery (except for the more modern visitors' center).  They used to offer public tours, but I can't tell if they still do from their website.

Fascinating



Opus One
Image from gocalifornia.about.com

 Artesa

Modern architecture that blends in well with the surroundings.

Clos Pegase

A famous architect, an eccentric owner, and a desire to recreate a modern version of ancient Greece.

Domaine Carneros
Several wineries try to emulate a French chateau--Domain Carneros does it best.

Opus One

Very modern and a bit pretentious, just like the wine and the people, but a simple, beautiful mix of classical and contemporary.  Yeah, I know, all those terms don't go together exactly.

Odd



Darioush
Image from darioush.com

 Darioush

I can't think of a structure that's more out of place, but that doesn't mean it's not beautiful or impressive.

Ledson

Not your typical winery building.  Looks more like grandma's house.    Or the Addams Family house.

Landscaping



Ferrari Carano
Image from ferrari-carano.com



Chateau Montelena
And old stone building with a great landscaped pond.

Chateau St. Jean
Very beautiful Mediterranean-style gardens.

Ferrari Carano
Amazing grounds.  They must keep an army of maintenance people busy.

Matanzas Creek
A naturally beautiful corner of Bennett Valley (you'll have to look that up on a map) with nice landscaping and their famous lavendar gardens.

Wine Accessories

You can't just buy a $5 cork screw and be done with it.   Noooo, this is capitalism at work!    There are a ton of accessories you can buy to go with your drinking habit.   Some make sense.

Bottle Openers

There are the waiter's pull (a standard screw pull), Ahsos, and Rabbit (lever) pulls.   Now there's even electric ones where you just push a button.

You should have a waiter's pull and an Ahso (sometimes called a two-prong cork puller).

The waiter's pull works great for most everything.  The two-prong puller is great for older wines with soft, dry corks where putting a thread into them will just make the cork disintegrate.  The two-prong pulls don't work well for synthetic corks.

I also use the lever-style screw pull because it's easy.

Most of the other types either don't work well or are expensive.   There are numerous different takes on the basic screw-type puller with different handles that you pull down or push up and it doesn't matter because none work as well as those pictured above.

Of course, the best idea is to just use screw caps!


Wine Preservatives

If you have a partially full bottle you let lots of oxygen get in contact with the wine. O2 is the enemy because it will spoil your wine in a short time.    There are two schools of thought to prevent this:  remove the oxygen or put a heavier than air neutral gas on top of the wine in the bottle to insulate the wine from the oxygen.

The vacuum pumps are cheap and you never run out of anything (like argon gas).   The only problem is that don't work well.

The other option is to buy cans of gas that you spray into the bottle.

Or a better option may be to just finish off the bottle and take a couple aspirin before going to bed!

I've seen fancy preservative systems that control the temperature and pump gas into the bottles that cost over $200.

Wine Mellowers

I'm not sure what else to call these items that are meant to smooth out a young wine.   Decanting is the obvious way to do this.   Tumbling the wine and getting air to it mellows the wine.  Essentially, your ageing the wine in a few seconds.   You can pour the wine in to almost any clean container, preferably a glass one, but of course, you can buy a $75 crystal decanter.

Fairly new on the market are the wine aerators where you pour from the bottle directly into your glass through this funnel that has little air tubes (venturis) running through it.   These are more convenient than decanters and they work.    But decanters have another use--getting sediment out of your wine.

If you primarily drink younger wines the aerators is the way to go.  If you drink older wine then get the decanter.

There are numerous other gizmos to stick in your wine that will magically age your wine in seconds.  These are most likely snake oil.

Palate Cleansers

Drinking too much young red wine, such as when you're out visiting wineries or at a wine tasting event can lead to what's called palate fatigue.   Your mouth just gets too tired to taste wine anymore.   Bread and sparkling water do a decent job of reviving your taste buds.    There's a new product specifically designed for this and it does a good job.   It's a sort of a sparkling water with "secret ingredients" that seem to really work called SanTasti.

Other Crap

Don't forget the wine racks, 18 different kinds of Riedel glassware, coolers, foil cutters, champagne stoppers, blah, blah, blah.

My favorite, after years of being told to hold the wine glass by the stem so as not to transfer body heat to the wine, is Riedel's stemless wine glass.  This is their Pinot Noir tumbler.   Yes, it's expensive.   But hey, if you're a clumsy drunk maybe it'll keep you from knocking over your wine glass.

Yeah, this one's for Pinot Noir only.    Don't let me catch you drinking Sauvignon Blanc out of this thing!

What kind of wine with .....?

You never know when one of these weird combinations may come up so as a public service here's what to serve with these, um, foods.


It's not just for breakfast anymore


Chocolate-covered Bacon
This was at the county fair this year.   No, I didn't try it--couldn't even get the kids to try.   Well, sparkling with goes with salty food and the acids in a sparkler are probably good at cutting through grease so we've got the bacon part figured out.  Chocolate is almost always good with a young Cabernet, but would probably suck with bacon.  Off-dry sparkling wines, however, are great with chocolate.  See, bubbles don't have to be just for Valentine's Day.

Squirrel
I assume there are still people in the South that eat squirrel.  It also seems to be trendy in England for some reason. I don't know what the heck squirrels taste like and I really don't care if I ever find out, but I'm guessing it has a wild gamey flavor.   I'm going with a full-bodied red like a Syrah.   They grow a lot of Syrah in Australia and they seem crazy enough to eat things like squirrels.

Buffalo Burgers
Merlot is a good choice. I think that's what the Indians drank.

Vegemite
This is a nasty, salty yeast paste that Australians use to make sandwiches. Think "stale beer."  I guess they don't get peanut butter down there. I'm going with a robust red similar to what you've have with a stinky French cheese.

Garlic Ice Cream
There's an annual garlic festival in Gilroy, CA (the garlic capital) where they sell this creation.  I believe it needs a somewhat sweet rosé. 

Snickerdoodle Cookies
This is a cinnamon sugar cookie that really needs a glass of milk, but if you insist on wine then go with a late harvest Gewurztraminer.

Jelly Beans
Muscat.   At least something sweet and syrupy.  Think "Log Cabin syrup with alcohol."

The Final Push in the 2010 Harvest from Hell

Mother Nature has not been kind to the Sonoma County grape growers in 2010.   It was a cool, wet spring followed by a much cooler than average summer with a few blasts of record heat.  The crop loss will be significant.

As of October 19th the weather forecast is for the possibility of rain showers beginning Friday that will last for several days.   Rain and mature grapes don't get along well.   So this week will be the last major push to get the rest of the wine grapes in.

If you're thinking about visiting the North Bay wine country to see the harvest in action then this may be your last chance this year.

Santa Rosa Press Democrat article.