The Shout Outs

I am having difficulty posting a blog-roll on the main page, so until I figure it out this will have to do. This is where I have to give props– to the other websites inhabiting the exciting blogosphere, the other wineries in California and abroad that I dig on, and the coopers and equipment makers that allow my winery to function. Check them out, they are worth the love…

Blogs

Pinotblogger.com– A source of internet inspiration and excellent Pinot grapes from the Russian River Valley.

The Wine Doctor– Great source of information on European estates and wines.

Wineries

Copain Wine Cellars: Wells Guthrie is turning out some of the very best Syrah’s and Pinot’s in the state right now. He sources from incredibly cool locations allowing for great flavors at lower alcohol levels– making wines of fineness, aromatic complexity, and excellent balance. I am particularly enamored with the Hawks Butte, Brosseau, and Cailloux bottlings (the lattermost he unfortunately no longer makes).

Havens Wine Cellars: Michael was one of the first people to focus on Syrah and Merlot in California. His excellent Hudson Syrah is a pinnacle of finesse from a vineyard where everyone else seems to be making wines focused on extraction (except for Neyers). For those looking for a bit more his Black and Blue bottling, which is a blend of Cabernet and Syrah, tips more toward the spoofilated side of the spectrum. Also, Michael is the first to plant Albarino, the great white varietal of Spain’s Riax Baixas, and the results are absolutely delicious.

Neyers: Ehren Jordan and Tadeo Borchardt are turning out some really nice high-pitched and complex Syrah’s and Chardonnays. I particularly love the Old Lakeville Vineyard, from which I am also making a Syrah, and the Cuvee D’honneur Syrah which uses an enormous amount of whole cluster, like 80-90%, from Hudson Vineyard.

Failla: And speaking of Ehren Jordan, this is his own label. His virtuosity when it comes to Pinot, Chardonnay, and Syrah is remarkable. They tend to tread a deeper path into elements of power and alcohol than the wines of, let us say Copain, but also serve up much of the aromatic brilliance that cooler sites and whole clusters can provide to wines. The Estate Syrah is one of my favorite. Interesting that as much as Cornas’s Jean-Luc Colombo eschews California wine that two of his former pupils in Ehren Jordan and Wells Guthrie are redefining what Syrah can taste like in California.

JC Cellars: Syrah and Zinfandel are truly California’s grape. Jeff Cohn’s Syrahs are from primarily warmer climate Syrah vineyards and he focuses on power and weight. For those who want to see the range of incredible quality Syrah made in California try a Copain wine and one of Jeff’s side-by-side. There is something for everything.

Macrostie Winery: The greatest Chardonnay I have had from California in the last year is not from Kistler, Aubert, Kongsgaard, Marcassin, etc. it is from the incredible Wildcat Mountain Vineyard owned by Steve MacRostie and the Lilly family. High up on a coastal mountain this vineyard is battered by cold, coastal winds resulting in crop levels between 1 and 2 tons per acre. The resulting wines are characterful and delicious. The Pinot and Syrah is also fabulous– textural and rich wines. Also, check out the Wildcat Syrah made by Jen and Alex Beloz (if you can find it). Rocking stuff. Now if only I could buy some fruit…..

Laurel Glen: An oldie but goodie, Patrick Campbell’s wines continue to set the standard for Sonoma Mountain Cabernet. The second wine, Counterpoint, made from declassified fruit is consistently one of the best values for California Cabernet. In a recent blind tasting both wines showed really well next to some currently vogue heavy hitters such as Ramey’s Jericho Canyon, Ladera, Dominus, and Quintessa.

Corison Winery: Cathy Corison consistently turns out age-worthy Cabernet that actually develops with age. She is firmly in the “If you have to pick at 29 brix to get mature fruit something is wrong in the vineyard” category of winemaker. The result is wines that are, gasp, under 15% alcohol with good acid/fruit balance. Make sure to check out the Kronos Vineyard as well– an old-vine Cabernet vineyard planted on St. George rootstock, thus surviving the root-louse outbreak of the last couple decades.

Ravenswood Winery: Well, what did you expect. I started tasting the stuff at 3. In my mind, Ravenswood gets major props for fermenting everything wild yeast (my guess is it is the largest wild-yeast ferment facility in the world) from the vineyard designates to the schlock that goes into Vintner’s Blend. The 2005 vineyard designates are excellent, the best produced since 1999 in my opinion. I am particularly fond of Teldeschi, Belloni, Old Hill, and Todd Vineyard (also check out Michael Dashe’s excellent Todd Vineyard Zinfandels).

Clonakilla: This Aussie producer redefined everything that I thought about Australian wines, and that is after I had been there for a couple months. If you can find the Shiraz/Viognier blend it is a wine of mind-stretching aromatic proportions. Also, the Hilltops Shiraz is equally wonderful. Fie on Torbreck for $300, and find some of this for $50, it is just as good, and someone like me would even say it is better.

Noon Winery: I spent a couple of days working with Drew and Rae Noon while in McLaren Vale during the 2006 harvest. Though all too brief of an experience it reminded me of how wines of great personality and interest can be made no matter how small a cellar, or how little high-tech equipment is available. Though you would never know it because he does not advertise the fact, Drew is also one of the rare M.W. winemakers in the world– in the ranks of Steve Smith at Craggy Range in New Zealand, Olivier Humbrecht of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, and Bob Betz of Betz Cellars in Washington. I realize that Noon wines have their many admirers and critics in the unfortunately polarized world of “To love Parker or to hate him, that is the question” that is the contemporary American wine market. To me, Drew and Rae do the most you can ask of anybody devoting themselves to wine– making something distinct, special, and full of the love and hard work that goes into the bottle. The rest is simply a matter of taste….

Sonoma Grange: This excellent tasting room features some excellent small producers, including a couple of my new favorites, Tallulah (their Farina Vnyd. Sauv. Blanc is oh-so-excellent) and Carica, making excellent S.B. and Syrah from Kick Ranch.

Coopers

Tonnellerie Nadalie and Tonnellerie Marsannay– Heirloom Wines

Tonnellerie Gillet- Pinot Noir

Tonnellerie Boutes- Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonnellerie Darnajou- Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonnellerie Bel Air- Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonnellerie Sylvain- Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonnellerie Baron- Fermentation barrels

Tonnellerie Meyrieux- Syrah

Tonnellerie Desrieux- Syrah

Tonnellerie Hermitage- Syrah

Tonnellerie Saury- Syrah