Domain Carneros Pinot Noir 2009

The palate delivers cedar, juicy red fruit flavors, and a persistent hint of dark chocolate with a broad richness of even-tempered tannin that stretches into a long finish.

With all due respect to 2007, the 2009 might just be the vintage of the decade! Rain during berry set allowed only a modest crop level. But, the coolest summer in 20 years provided a long and mild growing season where our estate grown organic fruit attained full ripeness at a leisurely pace.

Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir begins in our four different Certified Organic (CCOF) estate vineyards. A selection of eleven different clones/selections of Pinot Noir all contributed their unique personality to make a compelling blend.

The fruit was gently de-stemmed, leaving many whole berries. A “cold soak” followed for five full days prior to fermentation, which took 9 to 12 days in small open-topped vats. The fermenting must was punched three times a day to heighten color and flavor development. After pressing off, the finished wine went directly into French oak barrels where it was gently racked once during the 10 months of barrel aging.

Region & Climate

The Carneros, which means ‘the Ram’ in Spanish, is an AVA (American Viticultural Appellation). It is the first American appellation to be defined by climate rather than along political lines. It is bordered by the San Pablo Bay to the south, the Mayacamas Mountains to the north and spans the southern ends of both Napa and Sonoma counties.

 The Carneros Appellation: An Ideal Climate

The Domaine Carneros estate extends over 138 acres in the Carneros appellation. Situated in the very heart of the Carneros region, Domaine Carneros stands alone as the only sparkling wine producer using exclusively Carneros grapes for the super-premium methode-champenoise. 

The Carneros appellation is characterized by a long, moderately cool growing season tempered by the maritime breezes and lingering fog of the San Pablo Bay just to the west. This environment, with temperatures slightly cooler than Burgundy yet slightly warmer than Champagne, provides optimum conditions for the slow, even ripening and perfect acidic balance in the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, the principal grapes used in making champagne.

History

In the late 1970’s, Claude Taittinger, the president of Champagne Taittinger, proclaimed his faith in the future of American wines and began the search on U.S. soil for a suitable winery site. In 1987, Champagne Taittinger, along with partner Kobrand Corporation, selected a 138 acre parcel in the heart of Carneros, a viticultural appellation they recognized to have the potential to produce world class sparkling wines. Also in 1987, Claude Taittinger selected Eileen Crane to oversee the planning and development of the property, as the winery’s first and only winemaker.

CEO/Founding Winemaker Eileen Crane has been at the helm of Domaine Carneros since the first harvest and continues to oversee and direct winemaking and operational duties.

From the beginning, Domaine Carneros has built a reputation on sparkling wines, in particular our Brut Vintage and luxury cuvée Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs. In addition, in the early years of the winery we sold our Pinot Noir fruit to some of California’s top producers for a number of years. We naturally came to the conclusion that we had something special on our hands for the creation of red wine. Beginning in 1992, we added the production of Pinot Noir to the Domaine Carneros repertoire. Our Pinot Noir is characterized by rich, red fruit flavor, layers of complexity and a velvety finish.

All of our wines bear the Carneros Appellation, with 95% of our fruit coming from estate vineyards. In April 2008, we received organic certification of all Estate vineyards by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).

Quinta dos Roques

Ruby color, brilliant, with an intense fruit bouquet and reminiscent of wild black currants and pine leaves. Raspberry, violet and brambles balanced out with hints of vanilla from the oak influence. On the palate it is smooth and generous with the astringency of its youth.

This is probably the finest Tinto so far. Fashioned from Touriga Nacional, Jaen, Alfrocheiro and Tinta Roriz this red sets the benchmark for the estate’s red wine. Tank fermented and aged for 6-9 months in new and seasoned barriques, it has a deep and black fruit intensity and combines silky texture with elegant flavors and freshness.

Touriga Nacional

Touriga Nacional is a relatively tiny blue-black grape produced in very small quantities by vines that have a tendency toward rampant growth if not regularly pruned. Because the yield is smaller than that of any other commercial grape variety, and because the vines are so unruly, some winemakers steer clear of Touriga Nacional. It’s important to understand that, where this grape is concerned, quality, not quantity, is of the essence. This is one reason why we typically find the grape blended with other varietals rather than all on its own.

Touriga Nacional plays an important part in any blend, however, as it lends structure, body, texture, and warmth. It is full of strong tannins and bright acidity, two factors that help to increase the longevity of wine, and add to its complexity over time. Despite the grape’s tannic quality, Portuguese reds blended with Touriga Nacional tend to be soft on the palate and easy to drink.

Touriga Nacional produces dark and aromatic wines that can taste richly fruity and savory at the same time, often with notes of flowers and tea. The floral notes have been likened to the scent of purple violet blossoms, and when the Touriga Nacional is featured in high concentration, this aroma can be quite overpowering. This is another reason why it is often used sparingly in blends. Other aromas of note include dark berries -- namely rich, ripe blueberries, blackberries and plum -- as well as dark chocolate. There can be a bit of spice, but such flavors are secondary to the fruity and floral notes.

Due to the range of blends in which Touriga Nacional can be found -- mixed with everything from native Portuguese varietals to international standards like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, it is tough to recommend the ideal pairings for it, yet the fact that it shows up in such a range of blends should be taken as a sign of its overall versatility and flexibility. It can also be enjoyed on its own, without food.

Dao wine region

What do you look for in a red wine? Do you favour elegance over power and concentration? Do you prefer a wine that is balanced and food friendly over one that’s soft and sweetly fruited? If so, the red wines of Dão could be just what you are looking for. The key to understanding these wines lies in the geography of the region. Dão is surrounded by mountains, and the vineyards themselves are at altitudes ranging from 200–900 m. This means that the region is protected to a degree from the vagaries of the Atlantic weather system to the west, but not fully exposed to the harsh continental climate to the east. As a result, rainfall is high, but most of this falls in the winter months, leaving mostly hot, dry weather for the majority of the grape growing season. The altitude also helps temper the heat and allows the grapes to retain their all-important natural acidity. In addition, the soils here are primarily granitic in origin (illustrated left), with a high proportion of sand or in some cases some clay. It’s a soil that also tends to produce grapes with high acidity.

So this climate, coupled with the granitic soils, creates terrain perfect for making fine, elegant wines with good acid. And, as with so much of Portugal, the relatively untapped potential is now beginning to be realized on a large scale. In the past, progress in the Dão has been hampered by restrictive wine laws that insisted that almost all the grapes were processed by the big co-operatives. While there’s no reason that co-ops can’t make good wine, they have tended to take away any incentive for growers to excel in the vineyard by paying them according to quantity of grapes produced, not their quality. Over the last decade these restrictions have been removed and the average quality of Dão wine has improved tremendously: it is a region with a potentially exciting future. Investment by some of the country’s leading wine producers has flowed into the region, and there’s been a gradual shift away from the multitude of tiny smallholdings towards properly designed and planted vineyards. In addition, a number of small privately owned estates have pushed back the boundaries of quality. Dão is sometimes likened to Portugal’s Burgundy. It’s not because of any physical similarity between the regions, but because of the style of wine. Like red Burgundy, good Dão doesn’t rely on power for its effect, but instead aims at subtlety and finesse, a cause helped by the good natural acidity of the grapes. These wines range from light, peppery and spicy to more full bodied and fruity, but there is almost always a lovely suppleness and brightness to the fruit. While rather rustic examples still exist, modern fruitier wines are becoming more common. But even these modern versions still retain their essentially Portuguese character, which is surely a good thing in a world of increased standardization and uniformity.

One of the keys to this individuality is the mix of grapes employed: you won’t find international superstar grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot here. One of the unique selling points of most Portuguese wines is their reliance on indigenous varieties, and the Dão is no exception. Touriga Nacional is the leading red variety of the Dão. On its own makes strikingly spicy, peppery wines with lovely forest fruit character, but it is more commonly blended with varieties such as Tinta Roriz (the Tempranillo of Spain), Jaen and Alfrocheiro Preto. Many Portuguese winemakers are experimenting with making wines from just a single variety, but the general consensus is that blends work best.

Mocali Rosso di Montalcino 2009

Mocali Winery

The Mocali estate, acquired by the Ciacci family (distant relations to Ciacci Piccolomini) in the 1950s, is a setting of natural Tuscan beauty where vineyards and olive groves alternate with oak and pine forests.  This harmony of man and nature comes through in the delicious, ripe and balanced wines produced here, available at prices that are incredibly low when compared to those of the more established producers of Montalcino.  The wines are particularly approachable when young, well-structured with ample body and an elegant, minerally character distinct to this growing area.  The Rosso "I Piaggioni" is one of the best values on the market - simply delicious Sangiovese at an excellent price.  Situated to the southwest of Montalcino at an altitude of 300-350 meters above sea-level on the slopes facing Castiglione del Bosco, the Mocali estate is comprised of 32 hectares, 6 of which are specialized vineyards (5 Hectares of Sangiovese grosso), and 4 dedicated to olive groves.  As over half of the estate is covered by a vegetation characteristic to the hill on which Montalcino stands, the vineyards and olive groves alternate with a landscape of woodland of ilex, oak and arbutus.  The soil is rendered highly mineral; salt owing to the presence of marl and limestone.  Not being overly large, the Mocali estate lies under family management with the consultation of an expert oenologist.

Sangiovese

In some ways sangiovese is to Chianti as cabernet sauvignon is to Bordeaux. Both form the base of wines normally blended with other varietals and both by themselves share a certain distinctive elegance and complexity, when well-made.

There are at least 14 separate and distinct clones of sangiovese. At one point, there was some attempt in Italy to identify two separate "families", Grosso and Piccolo, although this seemed to have more of a commercial basis ("mine's better than yours") than any compelling ampelographic or sensory evidence to justify this attempt to classify. Sangiovese makes wines that vary in quality from ordinary to superb and seems strongly affected by its environment, more than most varieties.

The fruit is slow to mature and late-ripening. With relatively thin skins, it has a tendency to rot in dampness and does not mature well if planted above an elevation of 1,500 feet. Sangiovese vineyards with limestone soil seem to produce wines with more forceful aromas.

The hot, dry climate, such as Tuscany provides, is where sangiovese thrives. Because these climatic criteria generally enhance quantity, rather than quality, it takes careful cultivation and winemaking techniques to produce really excellent wine from this grape. The official classification of Chianti itself demonstrates the widely fluctuating range of Sangiovese quality from those identified as ordinary vino di tavola to the highest classico superiore. Sangiovese is the #1 varietal in Italy with 247,000 acres, 10% of the entire wine grape crop.

The flavor profile of Sangiovese is fruity, with moderate to high natural acidity and generally a medium-body ranging from firm and elegant to assertive and robust and a finish that can tend towards bitterness. The aroma is generally not as assertive and easily identifiable as Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, but it can show a strawberry, blueberry, faintly floral, violet or plummy character.

Rosso di Montalcino

The Rosso di Montalcino DOC was established in 1984 as a means of giving Brunello di Montalcino producers the flexibility to continue the tradition of long aging of the region's flagship wine. Rosso di Montalcino is made from 100% Sangiovese grown in the same delineated region as Brunello di Montalcino. However, the wine is required to spend only six months aging in oak and 1 year total aging before release. This allows Brunello producers to make an earlier releasing wine that can generate cash flow while their Brunello di Montalcino age for their complete duration. In less than ideal vintages some producers will relegate all their grapes to Rosso di Montalcino production and not make a Brunello. Wineries can also declassify their Brunello that has already been aging 2–3 years and release it as Rosso di Montalcino if the wine is not developing to their expectations. Rosso di Montalcino is typically lighter, fresher and more approachable upon release though some producers will make wines with more Brunello like characteristics. These "Baby Brunellos" are often 1/3 to 1/2 the price of Brunello di Montalcino.

Matrot Bourgogne 2009

“A wine must be the reflection of its terroir and its vintage. The first step in preserving all of the different characteristics of my wines is to carry out careful and attentive work in the vineyards.

During the sixties, the Domaines Matrot did not escape the “chemical years” in winegrowing. It was not until my arrival on the estate in 1976 that chemical fertilisers were abandoned and replaced by organic products.

It was at the same time that my father and myself started to introduce a so-called reasoned approach to winegrowing (“lutte raisonnée” in French), which means adjusting the products and their dosage to the disease which needs to be treated.

It was as a result of a natural and progressive process that I began cultivating all of the vineyards of Domaines Matrot organically in the year 2000.

I grow the vines with the greatest respect for the soils using organic manure and ploughing them. Rigorous pruning and disbudding in the spring help to control the yields.

If necessary, I carry out a green harvest before the veraison (before the grapes change their colour). I carefully monitor their sanitary state, the yields as well as their maturity in order to decide on the best date for the harvest. We all know that only ripe grapes can produce high quality wines.

All of these cultivation techniques as well as the respect for the soils and for the vines confer purity of the fruit and the character of the terroir to our wines.

The controls are just as numerous during vinification. I exercise extreme care as regards barrel hygiene and temperature control during fermentation. I enjoy long and uneventful fermentations for eight to ten weeks. I also check the quality of the lees which accompany the wine during the maturing process and adjust the “bâtonnage” (stirring up of the lees) according to each vintage.

I try to avoid chaptalisation and never rectify the alcohol content by more than half a degree in order to maintain the natural balance of the grapes. It is important to know that a grape can be ripe at 12 degrees of potential alcohol one year and at 14 degrees the following year.
In a desire to accentuate the character of the vintage, the wines are matured for 11 to 12 months in oak barrels with a capacity of 228 litres.I use one- to five-year-old barrels for the white wines and 10 to 20 % new barrels for the reds. After monitoring the redox reactions for 9 to 12 months I decide on the date for bottling.

It is only thanks to the rigorous work carried out in the vineyards and in the cellars that my wines preserve their unique character. For all of the above reasons I recommend that you wait three to seven years after bottling before drinking them. Decanting the whites will allow them to breathe, to develop their complex aromas and to express their finesse and the personality of their terroir. “.

-Average age of the vines: 30 years.
-Indigenous yeasts.
-Fermentation for 8 to 10 weeks in oak barrels, 15 to 20 % of which are new.
-Temperature control (18-20 °C).
-Maturing on lees for 11 months
-“Bâtonnage” (stirring up of the lees) depending on the vintage.
-Complete malolactic fermentation.
-Bottling after one racking.

The grapes for this Chardonnay are picked near the appellation of Meursault. It is fruity and round and can be enjoyed as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to charcuterie, chicken and grilled fish. A great wine to enjoy with friends.

Chanrion Cote-de-Brouilly Beaujolais

Chanrion Cote-de-Brouilly

“Her Beaujolais is different from the rest, and when I have a glass of it in hand, I cannot imagine a better one. Hers is superbly winey, if you know what I mean. And forget any prejudice about wimpy Beaujolais. This woman makes macho wine. It is loaded! It is also super complex: mainly it smells of real, live red fruits, especially freshly crushed strawberries”

– Kermit Lynch

“Chanrion’s gorgeous cuvée is from a blend of five large old foudres housed in her earthen cellar…It shows a brilliant dark garnet hue and sports and aroma of fresh strawberries with a touch of cinnamon. On the palate it is rich, spicy, perfumed, and fine, loaded with red and black berry fruit, and it doesn’t disappoint on the long elegant finish.”

– Dixon Brooke, KLWM

Nicole Chanrion

When Nicole Chanrion began her career in the 1970s, convention relegated women to the enology labs and kept them out of the cellars—even her mother thought winemaking was man’s work—but she would not be deterred from her dream of becoming a vigneronne. With six generations of family tradition preceding her, she grew up helping her father in both the vineyards and the cellar in the Côte-de-Brouilly, one of the southernmost crus of the northern Beaujolais. Though she is mild-mannered and slight of build, her determination and conviction have consistently defied all doubts. Ever since taking over the family domaine in 1988, she works all 6.5 hectares entirely by herself, from pruning the vineyards and driving the tractors to winemaking and bottling, all without bravado or fanfare. In 2000 she became president of the Côte-de-Brouilly appellation, a position of respect and importance among peers. It’s small wonder then that she is affectionately referred to as “La Patronne de la Côte,” or the Boss of la Côte.

The Côte-de-Brouilly appellation sits on the hillsides of Mont Brouilly, a prehistoric volcano that left blue schist stones and volcanic rock along its slopes. These stones yield structured wines with pronounced minerality and great aging potential. After her formal training at the viticultural school in Beaune Nicole had a brief internship in the Napa Valley, where she learned another approach to winemaking but, happily for us, gained a deeper appreciation of the traditional winemaking techniques of the Beaujolais: hand harvesting, whole cluster fermentation, aging the wines in large oak foudres for at least nine months, and bottling unfiltered. The resulting wines are powerful, with loads of pure fruit character and floral aromas.

Gamay

Gamay noir is the primary black grape of France's Beaujolais region, where the wines are typically fermented quickly, spared from aging, and consumed young in order to appreciate their fresh, fruity qualities, with more tang than tannin.

Generally light in color with hue that usually is more blue-purple than red, wines made from gamay noir can be very fragrant, full of fruit and fresh, floral esters. Frequently tart in their youth, wines made from gamay noir tend nonetheless to be short lived. Like its distant cousins, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Gamay tends to easily lose its varietal aroma and flavor identity when blended with another grape variety. Both red wines and rosés are typically produced from unblended gamay noir.

The technique of carbonic maceration is quite often used to enhance the fruitiness of this grape. The fruit is placed whole, uncrushed, in the fermenting vessel and the fermentation begins within the individual berries, trapping the forming bubbles of carbon dioxide until the grape bursts. The resulting wine has a lighter, yet brighter color, a "banana", "candy" or "bubblegum" quality in the fruity aroma, often accompanied by a slight petillance or "tickle" to the texture.

Typical Gamay Smell/Flavor Descriptors

Varietal Aromas/Flavors:

Fruit: Strawberry, Raspberry, Cherry

Floral: Violet, Rose Petal

Processing Boquets/Flavors:

Carbonic Maceration: Bubblegum, Cotton Candy (spun sugar), Banana

Oak: Vanilla, Coconut

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

•  Vineyards are on the east- and northeast-facing mid-slopes of the Côte-de-Brouilly, planted to a density of 10,000 to 12,000 vines per hectare
•  Grapes are hand harvested, techniques in cellar are purely traditional
•  Fermentation is with whole clusters and natural yeasts
•  The wine is aged in foudres (A large oak or chestnut cask used for aging wine, usually between 3,960 to 9,240 gallons) for at least nine months before an unfiltered bottling.

Eberle Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Winemaker's notes:

The colors and aromatics from the 2009 vintage are exceptional and the result of a stellar growing and ripening season. Remarkably well-balanced, displaying concentrated fruit, intense flavor profiles and vivid color extraction. Approachable and enjoyable in its youth, lush with flavors of wild berries, cassis and moderate tannins. One of the best vintages from the Paso Robles Appellation yet!

Paso Robles

California’s Central Coast is geologically different from other California wine growing regions. Unlike others with deep, rich fertile valley soils, there are four general soil types in the Paso Robles AVA primarily formed from weathering granite, serpentine, shale and limestone, with shale and limestone being the most predominant bedrock types. Soil diversity is the norm and a vineyard block may commonly contain several different soil types.

One distinguishing factor of the Paso Robles AVA is the abundance of highly desirable limestone and calcareous-rich soils found throughout the region. Due to geologic uplift, chalky limestone shale is plentiful in Paso Robles’ west-side hills, where dense clay-based soils combine with relatively plentiful rainfall to make it possible for some vines to be dry-farmed without supplemental irrigation. East of the Salinas River, gently rolling hills, many of which are also rich in limestone, are covered with sandy, loamy soils. In the watershed areas, particularly the Estrella River plain, loam and clay are overlain with sand.

The western boundary is just six miles from the Pacific Ocean. The appellation lies on the inland side of the Santa Lucia coastal mountains in San Luis Obispo County, and roughly forms a rectangle 35 miles from east to west, and 25 miles from north to south. It extends from the Monterey County border to the north, to the Cuesta Grade below Santa Margarita to the south, and from the Santa Lucia Mountains to the west, to the Cholame Hills to the east.

The Paso Robles appellation comprises 614,000 acres of which more than 26,000 acres are in wine grape vines. It is the fastest growing and largest by far of three AVAs in San Luis Obispo County, and the main reason that the county ranks behind only Napa, Sonoma and Monterey counties in planted acreage among the state’s coastal growing areas.

DeLoach Pinot Noir 2008

Winemaker’s notes

Enticing red berry fruit aromas blend with rhubarb and cola. Delicate notes of anise and baking spices lace the fruit to unfold a rich palate of black cherries supported by medium fine-grain tannins. The finish lingers with attractive subtle toasty undertones, fine acid, and excellent balance.

Russian River Valley

Climate

With parts of the AVA located less than 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Pacific, the climate of the Russian River AVA is characterized by cool morning fog that comes in from the ocean through the Petaluma Gap and burns off during the day. This natural air-conditioning allows the grapes to develop full flavor maturity over an extended growing season — often 15 to 20 percent longer than neighboring areas — while retaining their life-giving natural acidity. The cooling influence of the fog is responsible for the large diurnal temperature variation with nighttime temperatures dropping as much as 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (about 20 °C) from daytime high. The Russian River is a rain-fed waterway that swells in the wintertime and provides vital irrigation to the region's vineyards during the dry season in late spring. In the summertime, the warmth of the season is tempered by the maritime influence of fog that facilitates a long, slow ripening period and limits the risk of over ripeness or "baked" flavors in the grapes. Harvest in the Russian River Area often take place at later dates than in its neighboring regions. The central and western reaches of the AVA are the coolest and tend to be most extensively planted with Pinot noir and Chardonnay.

 Soil

The geologic history of the Russian River Valley is both active and recent. The collision between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates caused the uplift of ancient bedrock, which then eroded. Within the last few million years the eruption of volcanic vents immediately to the east resulted in the deposition of volcanic ash on the shallow ocean bottom. The resulting sandstone gave us our famous Goldridge loam soil.

Water flowing off of the Sonoma Mountain range carried with it eroded volcanic material, creating soils with large amounts of clay in the central portion of the appellation. Then, in what remains a major mystery to geologists, the Russian River, which once flowed south to what is now San Francisco Bay, changed course and headed west through the coastal foothills. Along its course it deposited large amounts of alluvial materials that are now river benchlands. Each of these different soils has a profound effect on wine produced from grapes grown in this soil.

Turley Zinfandel, "Cedarman" Howell Mountain, 2008

"A prodigious effort, the 2008 Zinfandel Cedarman comes from some of the younger vines (25 years old), but wow, what an impressive example! Its deep purple color is accompanied by a glorious bouquet of blueberries, black raspberries, incense, crushed rocks, and spring flowers. Full-bodied, heady, dense, and sensationally textured as well as long, it should drink well for a decade."

-Robert Parker (93-95 pts.)

“Bright red-ruby. Aromas of raspberry liqueur, mace and licorice pastille. Complex, smoky and deep, with good energy to the superripe raspberry and chocolate flavors. This very rich, sweet wine boasts a creamy middle palate and impressive stuffing but seemed to shut down in the glass. With its suave tannins and solid kick of acidity, it should be better for a couple years in the bottle.”

-Stephen Tanzer (92 pts.)

Zinfandel

Red Zinfandel is an "American Classic" wine. It was even originally thought to be made of native Californian grapes. Research has now shown that the zinfandel grape originated in Croatia, and then made famous in the early days of Italy and the Roman Empire. The original wine is now known as "primitivo". The original Croatian name for this grape is Crljenak. Zinfandel first came to California in the early 1800s.

This grape is now primarily grown in California. Zinfandel grows its best in cool, coastal locations.

The color of a zinfandel wine is deep red, bordering on black. Zinfandel is a spicy, peppery wine, with a hint of fruity flavor - berries or dark cherries are often the taste range. Zinfandel goes well with "typical American" food - pizza, burgers, and steaks. It's hearty enough to match up with thick red sauces.

Red zinfandel, depending on how heavy the particular one you're drinking is, is best anywhere between about 57F and 67F. This temperature range is not as warm as room temperature nor is it as cold as fridge temperature. It's somewhere in the middle.

Zinfandel wine tastes best in a narrow-mouthed glass. Most people like to drink zinfandels young - within a year or two - but there are also quite a few zinfandels that age well. As a zinfandel ages, its flavor becomes much different, far more mellow. It's completely up to you if you favor the taste of a young zin over an old!

Turley Winery

Turley Wine Cellars is a popular California wine producer with wineries in both Templeton (Southern Cal-Paso Robles wine region) and St. Helena (Northern Cal-Napa Valley wine region). Turley wines are often recognized as "making some of the best, if not the best Zinfandel in California for decades." There is a two year waiting list for new recipients into their wine club.

Turley specializes in wines made from old-vine red Zinfandel. They source fruit from older vineyards, some date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In previous issues of Wine Spectator magazine, Turley wines have received favorable reviews.

In 1993, Turley Wine Cellars was founded by Larry Turley, brother of the well-known consulting winemaker Helen Turley. Turley, had entered the wine business in 1981 as co-founder of the multi-varietal Frog's Leap Winery, but soon realized that his interest lay in wines made from the Zinfandel grape.

Starting out with just one location in St. Helena, Turley Wine Cellars soon expanded to Templeton with the purchase of the historic Pesenti winery, where Zinfandel had been planted since 1923.

As of 2000, Turley Wine Cellars has had a two-year waiting list for new wine club customers.

In 2007, Turley Wine Cellars was producing approximately 14,000 cases a year of both single-vineyard and regional Zinfandel wines.

By 2011, Turley Wine Cellars is annually producing approximately 16,000 cases of award winning Zinfandel and Petite Sirah wines using multiple "small" vineyards located in Napa and Sonoma counties, and other Paso Robles locations.

Howell Mountain AVA

Where rivers, creeks and property lines usually define an American Viticultural Area (AVA), the Howell Mountain boundaries are defined by a 1,400 foot elevation contour line. Upon review of requests and evidence of the boundaries and elevation of the region, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) ruled that Howell Mountain was, indeed, worthy of one of the few AVAs granted in the early 1980's. And so, in 1983, the Howell Mountain Appellation was officially designated as an AVA—making it the first AVA within the greater Napa Valley AVA. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Climate

When the fog rolls off the ocean and into the Napa Valley, the weather on Howell Mountain is generally sunny and cool. The appellation owes its distinctive climate to the fact that it is positioned well above the valley floor. Because of its altitude, generally, evening temperatures are warmer and daytime temperatures are much cooler—leveling out spikes in heat that tend to be more exaggerated at lower elevations. Although it gets nearly twice as much rainfall as the valley below, the soil tends to be dry, because rocky, porous soil conditions allow for adequate drainage and less accumulation. Seasonally, cooler spring temperatures cause buds to break later than average, and warm summer nights produce fruit that demonstrates a great balance between acidity and sugar. All of which, translates into a rich diversity of complexity and flavor in your glass.

Soil

From the ground up, soil can have as much of an effect on the variety and intensity of grapes as the weather. This is clearly evident on Howell Mountain, where there are two main soil types. The first consists of decomposed volcanic ash, called “tufa”, and the second is red clay that is high in iron. Because both soil types are nutrient poor, they stress the vines, producing intense wines from small clusters and berries. In the end, the altitude, and thin, rocky, and dry soil conditions create wines with firm structure, incredible varietal intensity, and excellent aging properties.

Villa Maria Pinot Noir

Villa Maria Vineyards

Vineyard Description             

The 2008 Cellar Selection is a blend of selected vineyards in the Awatere and Wairau Valleys of Marlborough. These vineyards are meticulously managed to ensure that the most intensely flavoured and healthy fruit is obtained. An array of Pinot Noir clones were used to provide a selection of blending options. Crop levels were manipulated to between 2.0 & 3.0kg/vine depending on vine balance. This coupled with timely practices such as leaf plucking and careful water management has produced fruit of intense colour, flavour and ripeness.

Winemaking

Selected Pinot Noir clones were individually hand harvested, destemmed and cold soaked for a period of up to ten days. Specific parcels of wine were allowed to ferment naturally while others were inoculated with selected yeast strains. The cap was hand plunged four times daily to ensure soft extraction of the fruit. To intensify the flavour, colour and mouthfeel the fermentation temperatures were allowed to reach 32 Degrees Celsius. The wines were pressed to French barriques and rested over winter until spring when malolactic fermentation occurred. The wines again rested in oak until February when they were blended.

Winemaker's Comment

A perfumed bouquet of red and dark cherries, plums and spice notes. Fruit driven and elegant, with long layers of flavour, full-bodied and well-balanced with fine, grainy tannins. This wine is concentrated and rich – an elegant Pinot Noir with finesse and complexity. This wine can be enjoyed now but with careful cellaring will continue to develop for another five to eight years.

History

The Villa Maria story is one of absolute passion. The winery was founded in 1961 by George Fistonich who, through his dedication to quality, has led Villa Maria to become the New Zealand wine icon it is today.

Passionate from a young age, wine was a central part of his upbringing. “Being Croatian, wine is part of my blood,” says Fistonich. ‘It’s always been a part of life and I’m pleased to have spent my career pursuing this life-long passion.'

Many things have changed since George Fistonich won his first award at the Easter Show in 1962. The half-hectare of grapes in Mangere has turned into vineyards and wineries in four regions around New Zealand. Wines of a dozen grape varieties are exported to 50 countries around the world.

But Fistonich could not have imagined how far Villa Maria, and indeed the New Zealand wine industry itself would progress in the years to come. In the early 1970s he started to employ staff and the company began to expand rapidly.

A new winery in Auckland was essential for Villa Maria to meet the increased domestic and export demand for wines and has been designed to allow for long-term growth.

Then Prime Minister Helen Clark officially opened the new winery in February 2005.

Marlborough Wine

CLIMATE

Located on the east coast with mountains to the west, Marlborough is one of New Zealand’s sunniest and driest areas.  In these bright, but relatively ‘cool’ climate conditions, the grapes have the advantage of a long slow, flavour-intensifying ripening period.  The average daily temperature during summer is nearly 24 degrees C but clear cool nights keep acid levels high in the grapes.

Marked diurnal (day/night) temperature variations are a key factor behind the ability of Marlborough grapes to retain both fresh, vibrant fruit and crisp, herbaceous characters.  The contrast between day and night also helps to enhance the colour development in the skins of Pinot Noir.

SOILS            

Within the region, viticulture has been developed primarily on sites with moderate low fertility and a noticeably stony, sandy loam top soil overlying deep layers of free-draining shingle, as found in the viticulturally developed areas of the Wairau and Awatere Valleys.  These shallow, fast draining, low fertility soils help to produce a lush, aromatic ripe wine because they reduce the vines vigour.  Where a more herbaceous style is desired, sites with greater water retentive soils and moderate fertility are chosen.

Pinot Noir

Great Pinot Noir creates a lasting impression on the palate and in the memory. Its aroma is often one of the most complex of all varietals and can be intense with a ripe-grape or black cherry aroma, frequently accented by a pronounced spiciness that suggests cinnamon, sassafras, or mint. Ripe tomato, mushroom, and barnyard are also common descriptors for identifying Pinot Noir. It is medium to full-bodied and rich but not heavy, high in alcohol, yet neither acidic nor tannic, with substantial flavor despite its delicacy. The most appealing quality of Pinot Noir may be its soft, velvety texture. When right, it is like liquid silk, gently caressing the palate. Pinot does not have the longevity in the bottle of the darker red wines and tends to reach its peak at five to eight years past the vintage.

Pascual Toso Malbec

Tasting Notes

Plums and quince with a little touch of elegant oak. Blackberry and licorice fruit that keeps a firm grip through the finish. Rich and long finish with smoky accents of vanilla and lingering oak.

Terroir

In the Argentine Republic, the regions which are suitable for growing vines are located along the Andes Mountain Ridge, from 22º to 42º south latitude. This large North-South region and the latitude variations of its valleys produce various ecological conditions where different grape varieties are grown. In general, the soil of the various grape-growing areas originated from mountain rock and mineral decomposition and disintegration during the Quaternary period. Due to the soil youth there are no generic soil layers in its profile. There are many round stones, usually near the mountains. Organic matter is very scarce due to the quick decomposition it goes through because rains are not heavy and there is intensive cultural activity. Although the soils are of similar origin, various textures may be found in small areas.

Climate

In general, all grape-growing areas are located in dry regions with warm weather, where the winter seasons are well defined, there is high sun radiation level and the temperature range is nearly 15ºC. The annual mean temperature ranges between 13.8ºC and 18.3ºC. Following Winkler's system to classify grape-growing regions, these areas rank within the II and III region. Annual rainfall in all the grape-growing areas is between 150 and 400 mm. The highest rainfall levels occur in spring and summer. This amount of rainfall is not enough for vines, so it is necessary to resort river water or underground water watering systems. In general the area is not very windy.

Soil

The soil and climate conditions of the Mendoza river highland allow for growing quality varieties and producing high-quality wines. The area is located in the Province of Mendoza at approximately 33º south latitude. The mean temperature is 15ºC. The area is located near the city of Mendoza. Wines produced in this region are the greatest quality wines in Argentina. As one starts going down and losing altitude, the temperature is higher and different characteristics are found at close distance (not greater than 20 km). The climate conditions favor the development of color and tannins in wines, thus making them suitable for aging. The Malbec is a typical variety and the vineyards, which are 40 years old or older, make this region a valuable and well-known area.

History

When in the mid 1880s Pascual Toso set out towards Argentina from its home town, Canale D’Alba, in Piamonte, Italy, he could not have imagined that he would become the founder of a winery, which is today one of the oldest and most prestigious wineries in Argentina.

When he arrived in Argentina, he settled in Mendoza. As he had been closely involved in the development of his family wine business in Piedmont, he promptly saw the promising future for winemaking in the region and decided to use his expertise. Thus, in 1890, Pascual Toso established his first winery in San José, Guaymallén.

At the beginning of the 20th century, he decided to expand his business and acquired vineyards in Maipú. At his estate “Las Barrancas”, he built another winery, “Las Barrancas” (small Canyon) which is dedicated to producing and growing the finest grapes.

In 2001, the Bodega hired as winemaker consultant to Mr. Paul Hobbs for a new high quality wine project. He has been working head to head with our chief winemaker, Rolando Luppino, on the development of premium and super-premium wines. Today, Pascual Toso still makes wines of high quality under the most exigent procedures and rules. The Trophy for Best Argentine Producer awarded by the IWSC (London) in 2007 reflects this commitment to quality.

Today, the brand benefits of a real success in the national market but also worldwide. The Bodega has gained 12 years of experience in exporting to international markets and the wines are available in more than 30 markets such as United Kingdom, USA, Japan, Europe, Russia, Korea, Canada and Latin America.

The most important is our passion for the wines and the quality we try to achieve. Since 1890, Bodegas y Viñedos Pascual Toso has become one of the most exciting and promising Argentine wineries and remains faithful to its principles: Tradition, Authenticity, Innovation.

Malbec

One of the traditional "Bordeaux varietals", malbec has characteristics that fall somewhere between cabernet sauvignon and merlot. A midseason ripener, it can bring very deep color, ample tannin, and a particular plum-like flavor component to add complexity to claret blends.

Although malbec dominated vineyards of the Medoc in the 1800s, it has since fallen from favor with Bordeaux vignerons and there is negligible replanting as vines age and die. The average Bordeaux bottling today contains less than 2% malbec, and most have none.

The grape truly comes into its own in Argentina, where malbec is the major red variety planted and is most often bottled as a single varietal. Much of the country's malbec vines were transplanted from France prior to the European outbreak of phylloxera and therefore much was ungrafted, planted on its own roots. Sadly, over the years, phylloxera has infested Argentina, too, and vineyards are now being replanted on resistant rootstock.

Successful Argentine malbec growers claim that, in order to develop full maturity and distinction, malbec needs "hang time" even after sugar levels indicate ripeness. Otherwise, immature malbec can be very "green" tasting, without its characteristic notes of plum and anise.

Travaglini Gattinara

Gattinara DOCG

Gattinara is a red Italian wine with Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) status produced from Nebbiolo grapes grown within the boundaries of the commune of Gattinara which is located in the hills in the north of the province of Vercelli, northwest of Novara in the Piedmont region. It was awarded DOC status in 1967 and received its DOCG classification in 1990.

Wines-The wine is made primarily from the Nebbiolo grape variety (known locally as Spanna) which must constitute a minimum 90% of the wine and may be blended with up to 10% Bonarda di Gattinara and no more than 4% of Vespolina. The wine is aged in oak barrels for 1 year or two years if it is a riserva, with an additional two years of ageing in the bottle. The Oxford Companion to Wine asserts that wine from Vercelli hills on the west bank of the Sesia river and Novara hills are capable of producing rivals to Barolo and Barbaresco, and has at times in Piedmontese history been more admired than Barolo for its longevity.

Nebbiolo is considered one of the great wine varieties, bigger, darker and more tannic, even bitter, than most types, but consequently long-lived and prized by collectors. Jealously guarded in its native Italian home and most famous appellation of Piedmont, very few nebbiolo cuttings and clones have been exported to other countries.

The name nebbiolo has two probable origins. Ripe nebbiolo grapes have a very prominent "bloom" that gives them a "foggy" or "frosted" look, so the name could come from from "nebbia", Italian for "fog". It is an alternative possibility that the name simply comes from "nobile", Italian for "noble". Nebbiolo also goes by the names Spanna, Picutener and Chiavennasca in various Italian districts.

Nebbiolo is one of the more problematic grapes for both vineyardists and winemakers. It is very sensitive to both soil and geography and can yield wines that vary widely in body, tannin and acidity, as well as aroma and flavor complexity, when grown in only slightly different locales. A very late-season ripener, the vines need the best exposures, especially in cooler climates, in order to reach maturity. It performs much better in calcareous rather than sandy soils. Nebbiolo grape skins are thin, but quite tough and fairly resistant to molds and pests.

Some winemakers feel that nebbiolo is even more difficult to work with than pinot noir. It can be changeable, moody and unpredictable while undergoing typical cellar and aging procedures.

Nebbiolo Profile

• Growing Regions: Piedmont
• Bouquet and Flavor Profile: Earth, tar, raspberry, roses, violets, blackberry, wild cherry, plum, truffles
• Acidity: High
• Body: Medium
• Food Pairings: Venison, Beef Wellington, lamb, ribs, cheddar cheese

Travaglini Winery

The Travaglini winegrowing company, based in the heart of the hills of the Gattinara region, has 55 ha used for wine production.

There are 39 ha currently planted with vines and the rest is pending plantation. Both the “GATTINARA DOCG”, a highly structured wine for ageing, and a small part of the young wine known as “CINZIA”, are produced from the Nebbiolo grape variety (known locally as “Spanna”).

This is a family-run company and the experience and passion for quality has been passed on from Arturo Travaglini, who was already producing Gattinara way back in 1958, to his son Giancarlo. Nowadays the company is run by Giancarlo’s wife Liliana, his daughters Cristina and Cinzia and his son-in-law Massimo.

Tasting notes

A deep pomegranate red wine with delicate fragrances of violet and rose on the nose. The palate is mouth filling with red-fruit flavors of raspberry and cherry and hints of licorice and vanilla. Full-bodied with soft, silky tannins, the wine has a long, smooth finish. Total maturation time is 3 years.

Wine maker notes

Following traditional red fermentation, the wine is aged for one year in French oak barriques, followed by 18 months in Slovenian oak casks and six months in bottle.

Harvest Notes

WINTER - SPRING

A relatively mild winter with limited precipitation was followed by a spring season marked by cool temperatures and good rainfall.

JULY - AUGUST

We had the typical Piedmont summer with blue skies and little rain. In September we had strong thermal excursions between night and day which encouraged the accumulation of sugar for the maturation of grapes.

HARVEST:

We started the harvest on September 30th in fact this year the maturation of grapes was earlier than usually. Then we had to stop for some days because of the rain. Luckily the rain did not damage the grapes since they were healthy with a strong skin. After few days we continued the harvest and we finished on October 15. We had sunny and warm days and the grapes were sound and very good ripeness. Yields are about 8% lower then in 2004 but the quality is really good.

Chateau Les Rosiers

60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc

Ripe Plum, Red berries, cassis and an herbal note reminiscent of summer

Grapes in Red Bordeaux Blends

1.       Merlot- Gives color and richness of alcohol, making the wine round and supple. It has aromas of ripe plums and red fruit.

2.       Cabernet Sauvignon- Provides the tannic backbone and structure. It is very aromatic in its younger wines, with aromas of black currant, and allows the wine to gain complexity with age.

3.       Cabernet Franc- Adds gentleness and fresh summer aromas of red fruits.

Chalone Pinot Noir Monterey County 2009

Chalone Monterey Pinot Noir

Fragrant heirloom roses, ripe black cherries and a touch of tobacco invite the senses into this approachable and enjoyable Pinot Noir. The red fruit brightens across the palate, picking up raspberry and spice. Soft and silky through the middle, the wine crescendos on the finish, leaving a vibrant, juicy memory in the mouth—an excellent match to wild mushroom flatbread drizzled with a touch of truffle oil.

History

The oldest producing vineyard in Monterey County, Chalone Vineyard Estate rests on the Gavilan Mountain Range on the north slope of Chalone Peak. At 1,800 feet, the quiet splendor of the vineyards overlooks spectacular views of the wide-open Salinas Valley, made famous by local author John Steinbeck. The vineyard's name comes from the peak, which derives its name from the indigenous Costanoan Native American tribe, the Chalone, or Chollen.

1919: The first planting
The first viticultural activity began shortly after the turn of the 20th century when Charles Tamm, wandering California in search of soil similar to that of his native Burgundy, stumbled upon the property that is now Chalone Vineyard. In 1919 Tamm planted what is today the oldest producing Chenin Blanc in Monterey County. During Prohibition, the grapes were sold to wineries making sacramental wines.

1946: Expansion
In 1946 the vineyard now called "The Lower Vineyard," was planted by Will Silvear with more Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, and he added Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir. Silvear made some wine in Watsonville (we have an empty bottle of "Silvear's Light Wine," that was found in a rubble pile). He also sold grapes to the Wente family and Georges de Latour at Beaulieu in Napa. Mr. Silvear died in 1955 and his wife continued to operate the vineyard for a while, finally selling it to Dr. Liska and Mr. Sigman. They operated the vineyard for several years.

1960: Chalone label introduced
The first wine produced under the Chalone label was made in 1960 by Philip Togni, in what had been a brooding shed for chickens. Daily trips to Salinas for ice, which at that time was an hour and a half away, provided the cooling needed for the wine cellar.

1964: Dick Graff (pictured above)
In 1964, Dick Graff, a Harvard music graduate and former naval officer, tasted a Windsor Vineyard wine made from Chalone grapes. He was immediately entranced and after visiting the remote winery, was determined to own Chalone. In 1965 Dick embarked on what has now become a part of California winemaking and viticultural history, attending University of California, Davis to learn winemaking and then he and his mother, Estelle, saved the Chalone property from imminent bankruptcy. Almost single-handedly, Dick was responsible for introducing California winemakers to the intricacies of malolactic fermentation in white wines as well as the now widespread practice of fermenting and aging white wine in small oak barrels. He was also one of the first persons to import and sell barrels from Burgundy in the United States.

1966: First Wine
In 1966, the first commercial vintage was produced by Dick Graff under the Chalone Vineyard label.

1970s: Chalone Grows
By 1970 Chalone was planting more vineyards. In 1971 Dick was joined by Phil Woodward, a fellow wine enthusiast, who was working for the accounting firm of Touche Ross and Company. As president, Phil took over the financial and marketing aspects of running the winery and, together they began what became the Chalone Wine Group. In 1973, winemaking moved from the chicken shed to a new building just above the former winery. In the meantime, two of Dick's brothers, John and Peter, each served a stint as winemaker.

1980s: The 20th century finally arrives.
In 1984, caves were created to store Pinot Noir but conditions were still rustic. The sole means of communications was a radiotelephone in one of the pickup trucks, power came from one of several generators and water was carried up 3,000 gallons at a time by truck. In 1986, the company strung its own utility lines and constructed its own eight-mile long pipeline to bring water to the winery.
 

1998: A new beginning
An extensive updating program began in the vineyard. Much of the vineyard was replanted using the latest research on rootstocks and clones for the site and the entire vineyard was retrellised. For the first time at Chalone, Syrah was planted.

Today the Chalone estate is comprised of almost 1,000 contiguous acres, of which nearly 250 are planted to vines. It is the only winery in the Chalone appellation. Although the estate has grown, as has our winemaking and viticultural expertise, our unique terroir remains unchanged.

Chalone Vineyard is the sole winery in the Chalone American Viticultural Area (AVA), a federally designated area that has climatic, geologic and geographic features that distinguish it from the land surrounding it.

Dramatic climate changes occur at Chalone Vineyard not only from season to season but hour to hour. Temperatures can swing from intensely hot during the day (90 degrees F) to considerably cooler at night (50 degrees F) over much of the growing season. Grapes need these cold nights to maintain their acidity while fully developing their flavors.

The appellation is dry, with an average rainfall of less than 15 inches annually, and Climatological Data Reports from the U.S. Weather Bureau classify the Chalone appellation as Region I in some years and Region IV in others. Despite such variation, we see very little difference in wine quality from year to year. We feel Chalone Vineyard's unique character is not based on weather, but on its unique soils.

Terroir may not be tangible, but its presence is undeniable in the wines of Chalone Vineyard. French word that has no direct English translation, terroir can be loosely interpreted as a sense of place conveyed through wine. The earliest known use of the word comes from the medieval writings of the Cistercian monks of Burgundy. It is believed the monks literally tasted the dirt to understand its influence on wine production. Often misused, even in the wine industry, the idea of terroir encompasses not only the soil but also the subsoil, drainage, degree of slope, soil temperature, orientation to the sun and the influence of climate on all of these factors.

Into the 1980s, most California winegrowers didn't pay much attention to terroir because it was believed that the desired Old World characteristics could be achieved through winemaking technology. Back then, and even today, the major concern in considering a site was climate, but Dick Graff searched for soils. Recognizing that Chalone Vineyard's soil composition was significantly similar to that of Burgundy, Graff set out to produce great wines in which true terroir could be tasted.

Climate
Although the Chalone appellation is part of Monterey, it sits above the fog that shrouds the Salinas Valley for much of the day. During the growing season the fog usually burns off by 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Chalone, leaving intense sunlight in its wake. This warming effect is greatly tempered by the mists and cool air from the Pacific Ocean, which swirl around the Pinnacles and its neighbor, Chalone Peak. These afternoon cooling influences can provide for daily temperature variations of 40 degrees to 60 degrees during the growing season. If it were not for the upwelling of very cold Pacific Ocean water in Monterey Bay, the local climate would be more constant but much hotter.

The Results
These environmental elements combine to produce vividly flavored grapes and wines with pronounced varietal character, a great deal of complexity, and a pronounced "terroir," a French concept which describes those flavors unique to a specifically defined locality and derived from the soil, microclimate, and other environmental phenomena.

What is an AVA?

American Viticultural Area: A legally determined geographic area in the USA, which defines a particular appellation for wines grown within its boundaries. In the United States, in order for an AVA to be put on the label at least 85%, of the fruit must come from the designated region.