Sorry that this column is a bit late, but I just got back from California. The timing is a more than a bit serendipitous in that yesterday’s release features the wines from that state.
If you’ll forgive me, I’m going to show off by going over a little history, before getting on to the wines. If you don’t care about the history, just skip the next couple of paragraphs. If you are interested, here goes –
California was developing a rather nice little wine industry in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when prohibition hit. The entire thing collapsed like a house of cards and virtually every winery (except one or two that got contracts to supply altar wine to the Catholic church) went out of business and were either abandoned or turned to growing fruit and vegetables. When prohibition ended in 1933, you might have thought that there would be a comeback, but it was very slow to emerge, and most of the wine that was produced, for quite a long time, was of the cheap and nasty variety.
It was only in the 1960’s and 1970’s that a quality industry started to develop again, but it was still not well regarded, especially as compared to the traditional wine growing regions of France and Italy. As chronicled in the movie Bottle Shock – which hopelessly romanticized the whole story - a competitive tasting was arranged in Paris in 1976 (as part of the American bicentennial celebrations) between several Napa valley wines and some of their French counterparts. Much to the surprise (shock) of some, two American wines won the competition – Chateau Montelena for the whites, and Stag’s Leap for the reds. The victory gave the entire California wine industry a huge shot in the arm, and today the Napa and Sonoma valleys (just north and east of San Francisco) are chock a block full of wineries. Quite expensive ones too, for the most part.
Napa and Sonoma are well suited, both in respect of terroir and climate, to produce good wines, and they do, from almost every grape variety imaginable although (amongst reds) cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, zinfandel and malbec tend to dominate in the warmer Napa valley, while those same varieties, plus pinot noir, are grown in Sonoma. Chardonnay tends to dominate amongst the whites, and California is justly famous for its creamy, rich versions of that varietal, although you can certainly find sparkling wines and sauvignon blanc in abundance. If you want, which in my mind you shouldn’t, you can also find white zinfandel.
The California climate is also well suited to viticulture, and the weather tends to be pretty consistent from year to year, although 1994 and 1997 were known as exceptional years for reds, while 1998 and 2000 were a bit sub-standard. Amongst whites, 1995 and 1997 were praised, while 1994 and 2001 were not quite up to par. All of the other years, for both kinds of wine, were rated as 8’s or 9’s (out of 10) by those in the know.
It appears, however, that this year will be fairly challenging for California winemakers. They had one of the coldest summers on record, and, come September, the berries were far less ripe, with lower sugar levels, than normal. In order to help compensate, many wineries cut away much of the foliage on the vines so that the grapes could get maximum benefit from the remaining sun. Unfortunately, no sooner had they done so, but the temperature shot up to 110F for three straight days. Without the protection of the foliage, many of the grapes “sunburned” and a number of the wineries that we visited estimated that they would lose up to half of their crop.
California wines are usually ready to drink upon release, and are not made to require food in the same way that many European wines do. Don’t get the impression, however, that they won’t last. I recently opened a bottle of 1997 Silver Oak (Napa) and it was delicious. Several years ago, I participated in a tasting of eight lesser ranked bordeauxs, and one mystery wine, all from the same, 25 year old, vintage. The bordeauxs were all clearly past their best, with fading fruit and a “tea” like taste. The mystery wine, which turned out to be a Californian, was still lively and fresh – much better than the others.
I don’t mean to suggest that California wines are better than European wines. I still think that the best of European wines, properly aged, are more interesting than many Californians, and I deplore California prices, which are, I think, about twice what they should be, but I cannot deny that the state does produce some wonderful wines.
I cannot, in this one issue, do justice to the many wineries we visited, so some will have to wait for another issue, but I can start to give you an idea of our experiences.
We visited both Chateau Montelena and Stag’s Leap (in deference to the movie) and were treated very well at both – especially at Chateau Montelena. Chateau Montelena specializes in whites, and its chardonnays, in particular, are simply spectacular – rich and buttery, with notes of tropical fruit, vanilla and sweet oak. I was also very impressed with its red zinfandel, which was lighter than usual, with an abundance of red fruit flavours. Unfortunately, there is no Chateau Montelena product in this release, although many of the stores do stock it, and it shows up from time to time in Vintage releases.
There is a Stag’s Leap product in this release, the Stag’s Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($49.95). This wine is very ready to drink, with a lovely nose of leather and blackberry, and a complex, well integrated palate of plum, leather, dark chocolate and cassis. It will drink well on its own, or complement any red meat.
We also visited, and thoroughly enjoyed, wines from Duckhorn Estates and Ravenwood, both of which are featured in this release:
- The Duckhorn Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($29.95) is a Bordeaux blend of grapes, and is decently priced for a California cab. This is a rich, subtle blend of dark fruit, with some mineral and olive notes, and a long, succulent finish. Vintages suggests keeping it for 2 or 3 years, and I don’t disagree, but if you aerate for a couple of hours and serve with big, red meat, you will not be disappointed.
- Ravenswood is a specialist in red zinfandels, and they do them very well. We got there about 30 minutes before they closed, but they obliged by giving us samples of a least ten of their top wines, all of which were just great. I must admit, however, that tasting that many wines in that short a time, made note taking a difficult task. The Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel 2007 ($23.95) in this release is one of their more basic (and less expensive wines) but it is well worth trying. I find zinfandels a little more fruit forward, and a bit less complex, that cabernets, but this is a rich, concentrated wine with notes of sweet plum, blackberry, cherry and chocolate. It is the ideal complement for spareribs because the rich fruit matches the sweetness of the rib sauce so well. Don’t be afraid to try it on its own, or with a sharp cheese though.
Since I want to cover some of the other release wines, I am going to leave most of our California experience for another day. I do, however, want to mention several wineries where we had terrific tasting and were much impressed with their products. If you see wines from any of these wineries, do not hesitate to buy in:
Far Niente (lovely cabernets)
Silver Oak (Napa, which is a bordeax blend, or Sonoma, which is a straight cabernet sauvignon and a bit cheaper)
Caymus (I recommended this wine in my last column, and think, despite the price, that it’s some of the best value in the state)
Merry Edwards (a pinot noir producer from the Sonoma coast)
Chateau St. Jean (good chardonnays, and some great, higher priced cabernets)
Robert Mondavi (very good reds, and some excellent chardonnays, the latter at quite reasonable prices)
We were also very favourably impressed by Kendall Jackson, which I have (obviously wrongly) regarded as a producer of mass produced, rather than quality wines. We had a food and wine pairing there (cost $25/person) which was simply spectacular, and included some of their higher end wines.
We also had a very generous tasting at Gloria Ferrer, and a good tasting at Mumms, two solid sparkling wine producers. I must confess that, in both cases, their blanc de blancs (pure chardonnay) offerings impressed me more than some of their other products, but if you like a slightly off dry sparkling (white or rosé), they are both tasty and reasonably affordable.
OTHER RELEASE WINES
The Roederer Estate Brut Sparkling Wine ($28.95) from California is a crisp wine with green apple, brioche and a slight (but not at all unpleasant) yeast character. There’s a hint of cinnamon, on this very refreshing wine, with great mouth feel and a long finish.
If you prefer rosé sparkling, I have two suggestions:
- The Mezzodondo Sparkling Rosé from Italy is only $11.95. This is not a sophisticated champagne, but it is great value and a good thirst quencher. Expect strawberry, with a hint of roses, on this very pleasant, dry wine, that sports a good finish. If you like rosés of any description (still or sparkling) you can’t afford not to try it. This is not a release wine.
- For a rosé with a good deal more complexity, try the Taltarni Brut Tache 2008 ($24.95) from Australia. This is the full rosé experience, with brioche, raspberry, rose petal, apricot, and a touch of lime and green apple to keep it very dry. Serve as an aperitif, or with appetizers, or just drink it on its own to keep cool on a hot day.
White Wines
The Napa Creek Chardonnay 2008 ($19.95) is a good example of a California chardonnay (rich and creamy with tropical fruit, and citrus for balance). It’s lightly oaked, but the oak is so well integrated that it doesn’t dominate. Serve, and enjoy, with chicken or whitefish, or with a cream cheese.
I’m a big fan of Chablis, and there are two good examples in this release:
- The Domaine du Chardonnay Chablis 2008 is only $18.95 (a great price for a Chablis). It’s a lighter style wine, with lemon, green apple and honey, and a touch of mineral on the finish. It’s very refreshing, and has enough acid to go well with seafood in a cream sauce.
- The Alain Geoffroy Beauroy Chablis 1er Cru 2007 ($24.95) is a richer, more complex version of a chablis, with lemon drop, pink grapefruit, chalk and flinty finish. This wine will complement shellfish, whitefish, chicken, or goat cheese, or it can be enjoyed on its own.
Red Wines
My favourite red from this release is the Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove Dell’Ornellaia 2008 ($59.95) from Tuscany. This is the younger sibling of one of the world’s great wines, and I buy it every year, and have never regretted it. This wine delivers an entire gamut of flavours, everything from chocolate to cherries, plum and blackberry to leather and cloves. It is one of those wines where each mouthful tastes subtly different, but equally good. Decant for at least an hour and serve with virtually anything – pasta, red meat or hard cheese.
Rhone fans will like one (or more) of the following:
- The Alain Jaume Les Valats Rasteau 2007 ($18.95). This is a lighter style, with soft tannins and lots of sweet red fruit – raspberry, strawberry and cherry liqueur, and a touch of cocoa and eucalyptus. It’s a bit light for my taste, but many people will like the fact that it’s a smooth, easy drink, and doesn’t overpower the palate. Would go very well with pork chops.
- The Cave de Tain Crozes Hermitage 2007 ($17.95) is one of my staples. It’s dominated by black fruit (black cherry, cassis and plum) with notes of leather, earth, cedar and smoke. An ideal house wine, which will go with pizza, burgers or steak.
- The 2007 version of the Chateau de Beaucastel Coudelet de Beaucastel 2008 ($29.95) was released last July, and sold out in no time. This is another old favourite – a mini chateauneuf-du-pape from one of the best known houses in Chateauneuf-du-pape. You can’t not like this wine with its nose of sweet oak, herbs and smoked meat, and its chewy flavours of cassis, earth, leather, cherry, licorice and plum. If you missed it last time, don’t miss it again.
The surprise of the release for me, and the best value wine, was the Montgo Monastrell/Shiraz 2007 from Spain. At $13.95, this was a terrific buy, with Christmas cake, cedar, cocoa, blackberry, spice, marzipan and sweet oak flavours. It was really tasty on its own, but Vintages suggests (and I agree) that it would go very well with stew. Of course cheese is always an option too. Buy this wine.
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