{ sommelier summit }

Connecting the EXPERTSUniverse DIG INTO UNIQUE GLOBAL TERROIR DURING THE SOMMELIER SUMMIT AT THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA AT COPIA

108 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } APRIL/MAY 2019

Somm Journal April-May_086-116_KNV3.indd 108 3/27/19 7:24 PM { real somm stories } VOUGEOT 1ER CRU, COOMBSVILLE AVA, , FRANCE NAPA VALLEY, Wine: Domaine de la Vougeraie 2015 Le Clos Blanc de CALIFORNIA Vougeot Wine: Silverado Vineyards GEO 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Presented by: Lisa Brown, Brand Manager for LVE & Presented by: Jon Import Portfolios, Boisset Collection Emmerich, Winemaker, Little did Austrian schol- Silverado Vineyards ar Rudolf Steiner—the Silverado’s Mt. George father of Biodynamic vineyard site near Napa farming—envision that has been farmed for his philosophy would grapes since the 1880s. eventually spread to a To further its estate- special plot of land in grown model, the winery the middle of the Côtes acquired this vineyard in de Nuits in Burgundy. the 1980s, and its mix All the more extraor- of Bordeaux varieties— dinary is the nature of Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine produced: Like Cabernet Franc, Petit a diamond set in the Verdot, and Malbec—has center of rubies, the site been a regular contribu- is known as “the White tor to Silverado Vine- Jon Emmerich is the Winemaker for Silverado Vineyards. Vineyard” and exclusively produces white despite yards wines ever since. being surrounded on all sides by prestigious reds. Located in the vicin- Planted in the early 12th century by the monks of ity of the new Coombsville AVA, this west-facing site with Cîteaux, who needed for the sacraments, volcanic-loamy soil also has proximity to the San Francisco the property was in the abbey’s use for nearly 700 Bay, which provides foggy air conditioning on summer morn- years. Now part of the Domaine de la Vougeraie, it has ings before yielding to mild to warm days. Diligent attention always been planted to white grapes and has remained in the vineyard helps maintain crop balance while providing a monopole; today, the vineyard primarily comprises consistent grape quality. with a touch of Pinot Gris (4%) and Pinot This focus on continuity is key to understanding, developing, Blanc (1%). and maintaining the terroir expression of a vineyard site, and Biodynamic practices govern management of the Silverado Vineyards Winemaker Jon Emmerich has nearly 30 slightly sloping, east-facing site, which sits on calcare- years of perspective in this arena. “[The winery] understands ous soils underlaid by silty clay. The winemaking team that the vineyards are the real story and they are what makes employs strict selection of clusters in the vineyard and the wine,” Emmerich said during the seminar. again during the sorting process to achieve a pure Cabernet Sauvignon is the sole grape featured in a special expression of terroir. After whole-cluster pressing, the wine crafted for the 20th anniversary of Silverado’s first must ferments in stainless-steel vats and finishes in oak. harvest from the vineyard: the appropriately named GEO, Both the primary and secondary fermentations are car- meant to symbolize both the Greek word for earth and a ried out by indigenous microbes and the wine rests for shorthand for George. The 2015 saw the requisite about 15 months in medium-toast Allier and Cîteaux ripeness reached in mid-September; after the fruit was oak barrels, of which a third are new. gathered for a 16-day maceration, it spent the subsequent While racking is not performed, bâtonnage is prac- 17 months in a combination of French and American oak. ticed twice a month in accordance with a lunar calen- This purplish-red, deeply extracted wine expresses dar; only light fining and soft filtration precedes bottling. forward fruit notes with herbaceousness. “Real Cab- Pale straw with just a hint of green, this wine shows ernet should be herbaceous with berry character, and stone fruit and apple with a pungent pop of sur-lie yeast Coombsville gives us that,” Emmerich said. “A unique con- complexity. The palate reveals a fleshy core accented by tribution of the vineyard is a mid-palate that is mouth-filling crisp acidity and a hint of butter. but not overblown, allowing tannins to come through. Our job as winemakers is to enable expression of the unique- ness of the soil and site every year.”

110 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } APRIL/MAY 2019

Somm Journal April-May_086-116_KNV3.indd 110 3/27/19 7:24 PM