Grapes of Black and Gold

Napa County wine coverage: Visit us online at NapaValleyRegister.com/wine for more coverage of the wine ON WINE industry. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2019 | napavalleyregister.com | SECTION C DAN THE WINE MAN California bubbles: available and aordable i there, Napa Valley winers. I wrote today’s Hpiece for Lee Enterprises, The Napa Valley Register’s parent company, for national distribution. Here is the un- abridged version. I’m so glad I researched and wrote this as I’ve historically leaned toward Spanish Cava and French Crémants for quality, value sparkling wines. Today’s picks are world-class, af- fordable and lo- DAN cal. Napa Valley’s DAWSON supermarkets will have most, if not all, of these TONY POER PHOTO on their shelves. Donald Patz, Stuart Bewley and François Villard pour wine at Envy Winery. Patz and Villard are collaborating on a project using Bewley’s sought- Parties love a bottle of spar- after grapes. kling wine. Conversely, “bubbles” love a good party. Not just on holidays and big events, either. Think of a reason, any reason, to throw a party, add bubbles and you are good to go. Grapes of Black and Gold Want a sure-fi re hit of a party? Invite friends to bring a bottle of sparkling wine, open them Three wine veterans partners sold their popular label, all and set up a self-serve table. Patz & Hall. Now, his two-de- What are you going to serve share a vision for cade relationship with one of at this party? I’ve got your back the grape growers who helped on the bubbles and the snacks! Rhône varieties in put that brand on the map is Here are three California Spar- bearing a di erent kind of fruit. kling Wine recommendations, Mendocino François Villard has everything each with a super-simple snack to do with it. idea that will pair perfectly TONY POER “When I used to go up to look with that wine. I know … I tried Wedged into a corner at Envy at Chardonnay and Pinot Noir them all to write this piece. winery in Calistoga, the 20 oak for Patz & Hall, I’d drive by the Tough work, eh? casks hardly stand out from oth- Syrah and think, ‘Oh my God, In a world bubbling over with ers piled halfway to the ceiling. that stu looks gorgeous,’” Patz sparkling wines, I recommend Napa Valley Cabernet they said, recounting trips to Alder California sparkling for qual- are not. The barrels of Syrah Springs Vineyard near the Men- ity, value and reliable supply. and white Rhône varieties from docino County town of Layton- And you don’t have to worry Mendocino County belong to ville. “It’s my favorite place in about tari s bumping up the Terminim Wines, a 2-year-old California for Rhône varieties. I price. These three California project and the brainchild of mean, certainly other people do sparkling wines are available Napa’s Donald Patz. To produce well with them, but I just always throughout the U.S., so ask them, the industry veteran part- coveted Stu’s Syrah in particu- your wine shop or grocer’s wine nered with François Villard, a re- lar.” department if you don’t see spected winemaker in France’s As it turns out, Patz had lots them. northern Rhône Valley and a of company. Note regarding my notes: master of Syrah, Viognier, and Alder Springs is a 6,000- While you can go deep with other noble grapes grown in this acre ranch that its owner, Stu- descriptors, I’ll focus on the ancient region. art Bewley, began to plant with sparkling wine “parent fl a- By most production standards, grapevines in 1993. Last month, vors” fruity, tangy, toasty and it’s a small stack of barrels, but during a visit with the Terminim creamy. These four are not the wines they contain could end partners to taste through their mutually exclusive in a wine up making a big statement. wines in barrel at Envy, Bewley so I double up on each of my Patz and Villard refer to them- described his large property as picks. My snack pairings match selves, on their bottles and in per- contiguous but very spread- the wine fl avors (tangy bub- son, as collaborateurs. With one out, viticulturally. “Some of the bles-tangy snack, etc). foot in California and another in vineyard blocks are miles away — J Sparkling Wine “Cu- France, Terminim is a long-dis- TONY POER PHOTO from each other,” he said. vée 20” Russian River Val- tance and, indeed, multi-lingual The Terminim and Villard labels. The patchwork of vine plant- ley, $32 arrangement. Communication ings at Alder Springs notwith- This is the best “palate-perk- is mainly through email and text barrels and winery equipment times a year. Depending on what standing, there has always been er-upper” of the lot. I call this messages, with accompanying — and also over lunches, din- his schedule and availability are, a concentration of artisan wine- fruity and tangy, like icy-cold photographs and data that allow ners, and plenty of tastings with François is here. And he really is makers vying to get their hands Granny Smith apples, citrus the Rhône winemaker to make the California colleagues he calls involved with the winemaking. on the Syrah and Viognier grown spray and toothsome pineapple. decisions Patz might not be able his friends. It’s not like, ‘Do whatever you there. Patz is just one of the lat- J Winery is a national leader in to on his own. “You know, it’s kind of amaz- want to do, Donald, and then you est. In person, Villard gets to prac- ing,” said Patz in a recent phone can use my name.’” Please see DAWSON, Page C5 tice his English standing around call. “Probably two or three In 2016, Patz and his former Please see WINERY, Page C5 PLEASE THE PALATE Moscato d’Asti – spring in a glass ainy, cold weather getting hectares planted, of which 1,400 The Consorzio provides quality you down? Longing for hectares are planted on hills, control throughout the entire Rspring to come? Open up across 52 municipalities in the process for each and every one a bottle of Moscato d’Asti and provinces of Alessandria, Asti of these bottles. They do labora- transport yourself to a picnic in and Cuneo in Piemonte. tory tests on the wines that have the spring. No matter the time Ten years ago, no more than requested DOCG or DOC status. of the year, no matter the tem- 2 million bottles were exported They do instrumental analysis perature outside, Moscato d’Asti from Italy. Today, there are 18 and microbiological inspections. is fresh and is like million bottles exported to the They prevent the counterfeit use spring in a glass. U.S.. As 67 percent of Moscato of the name. Now, your fi rst d’Asti consumption is in the The Moscato grape produces ALLISON LEVINE PHOTO thought might United States, we must already beautifully aromatic wines that Moscato d’Asti is a popular Italian wine with a strong following in the U.S. be, “but Moscato know that it is delicious! maintain sensory qualities from d’Asti is a sweet The world’s most popular the grape to the bottle to the ready to bottle, the stored musts orange, honey and little spice. wine.” It is OK to sweet aromatic wine, Moscato is glass. It is a grape that ripens late. are fermented to the desired alco- Moscato d’Asti DOCG, which ALLISON admit you like a a regulated product. It is over- If it is picked too soon, the wine is hol by volume and then separate achieved DOCG status in 1993, is LEVINE little sweetness in seen by the Consorzio per la too acidic. If it is picked too late, the solids. not a sparkling wine. It is a still your wine. When Tutela dell’Asti (Consortium for the wine is too sweet and fl at. The There are three DOCG Mos- wine with some residual sugar a little residual the Protection of Asti Wines). ideal moment to harvest is when cato wines. Asti Dolce DOCG, and low alcohol. It has intense sugar is balanced by bright Founded in 1932 and recognized the acidity and the sugars are in Moscato d’Asti DOCG and the aromas of lemon, peach, apricot, acidity, there is nothing not to in 1934, the Consorzio has 1109 balance. new Asti Seco DOCG. Asti Dolce orange blossom and sage and del- like. And Moscato d’Asti is just members. Of the members, there This is far more challenging DOCG is what we also call Asti icate sweet fl avors on the palate. that. It is fun, fruity, light and are 1,023 estates (including 116 than it sounds as the producer Spumante and was established Asti Secco DOCG is the newest refreshing but it is also a serious estate wineries), 17 must pro- must also preserve the fragrant as a DOCG in 1993. The Mos- DOCG as of 2017 and is a dry, wine with a lot of care is put into ducers, 16 cooperative wineries aromas. The grapes are softly cato comes from hilly areas with fragrant wine with a persistent making it. and 53 spumante producers. pressed and then undergo an in- chalky soils and is harvested by perlage and delicate aromas of The fi rst written records of There are 88 million bottles complete alcoholic fermentation. hand to maintain whole clusters. apple, pear, acacia, lavender and the Moscato Bianco grape in produced each year.

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