OVERVIEW CALIFORNIA Content Contributed by Larry Cekola and Chad Goodwill, Both of Imperial Beverage
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BUBBLES PINOT NOIR-CHARDONNAY, Pierre
Wines By The Glass BUBBLES PINOT NOIR-CHARDONNAY, Pierre Paillard, ‘Les Parcelles,’ Bouzy, Grand Cru, 25 Montagne de Reims, Extra Brut NV -treat yourself to this fizzy delight MACABEO-XARELLO-PARELLADA, Mestres, 'Coquet,' Gran Reserva, 14 Cava, Spain, Brut Nature 2013 -a century of winemaking prowess in every patiently aged bottle ROSÉ OF PINOT NOIR, Val de Mer, France, Brut Nature NV 15 -Piuze brings his signature vibrant acidity to this juicy berried fizz WHITE + ORANGE TOCAI FRIULANO, Mitja Sirk, Venezia Giulia, Friuli, Italy ‘18 14 -he made his first wine at 11; now he just makes one wine-- very well, we think FRIULANO-RIBOLLA GIALLA-chardonnay, Massican, ‘Annia,’ 17 Napa Valley, CA USA ‘17 -from the heart of American wine country, an homage to Northern Italy’s great whites CHENIN BLANC, Château Pierre Bise, ‘Roche aux Moines,’ 16 Savennières, Loire, France ‘15 -nerd juice for everyone! CHARDONNAY, Enfield Wine Co., 'Rorick Heritage,' 16 Sierra Foothills, CA, USA ‘18 -John Lockwood’s single vineyard dose of California sunshine RIESLING, Von Hövel, Feinherb, Saar, Mosel, Germany ‘16 11 -sugar and spice and everything nice TROUSSEAU GRIS, Jolie-Laide, ‘Fanucchi Wood Road,’ Russian River, CA, USA ‘18 15 -skin contact lends its textured, wild beauty to an intoxicating array of fruit 2 Wines By The Glass ¡VIVA ESPAÑA! -vibrant wines sprung from deeply rooted tradition and the passion of a new generation VIURA-MALVASIA-garnacha blanca, Olivier Rivière, ‘La Bastid,’ Rioja, Spain ‘16 16 HONDARRABI ZURI, Itsasmendi, ‘Bat Berri,’ Txakolina -
The Extremists of the Extreme Sonoma Coast
THE EXTREMISTS OF THE EXTREME SONOMA COAST The Fort Ross-Seaview AVA may be only three years old, but its ability to produce distinctive and thrilling wines has been recognized for far longer. Anne Krebiehl MW profiles the early pioneers and more recent producers who are brave enough to farm its inhospitable but rewarding coastal ridges he instructions were clear: Drive on, even when the tarmac ends. The vineyards of the Fort Ross- Seaview AVA are really remote, made so not by geographical distance—Jenner and Healdsburg are just one and a half to two hours away—but Tby terrain. Fort Ross-Seaview clings to the inhospitable, crunched-up, forested coastal ridges of northern California, between Pacific Highway No.1 and Sonoma Valley, right along the San Andreas Fault. The roads winding through these ridges are dark in broad daylight, so shaded by giant redwoods and large madrone that light barely filters through. Where forests were logged, open pasture is dotted by giant valley oaks and craggy rocks. You pass more raccoons than other cars. Everywhere, the proximity of the great, cold, deep, and endless Pacific is palpable. Sea air constantly mixes with the smell of conifer. This is where the Pacific and North American Plates meet. This is where the earth moves. Ocean and shore combine in a way that both unsettles and compels. On foggy days, the forests are almost primeval. In brilliant sunshine, the views are breath-taking: of the Pacific and of small vineyards, laid out like giant picnic blankets down the sides of a slope, surrounded by Douglas fir and ranching pasture. -
The West Sonoma Coast: the Region and Its Wines
No. 77 NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2019 AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY PRICE $25 The West Sonoma Coast: The Region and its Wines Unique Terroir Proposed AVA The Vineyards 1 viticultural area, its modern wine history dates back to the 1960-70s. During this period explorers and adventurous vintners attracted to this wild area of redwoods groves and Table of Contents sheep farms purchased land and began growing grapes. The history of the area reads like a who’s who of Sonoma’s wine industry. The early pioneers established their Introduction vineyards in the Fort Ross-Seaview area of high coastal Acknowledgements ridges, mountains, and dense redwood forests located The Region within a few miles of the Pacific Ocean situated above the fog line. In the decades that followed new vintners in Recent History search of other coastal growing conditions planted their The Vineyards vineyards up the coast around the Annapolis area and Winemaking down the coast towards Freestone, Occidental and the Sebastopol Hills. These three main regions are expected The West Sonoma Coast Vintners (WSCV) to constitute the new West Sonoma Coast AVA. Challenges and Opportunities Winery Profiles and Wine Reviews The report next examines the vineyards and viticultural practices of the West Sonoma Coast growing area. Many Annexes: of the sub-regions of the West Sonoma Coast are on the 1. Soil Map of Sonoma County fringes for successful viticulture, the edges of ripening for 2. Selected Sonoma Coast Vineyards Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Many of the vineyards are small scale and yields are low. Due to the scarcity of labor and remote and difficult locales of many of the vineyards and the high quality objectives of the winemakers, most operations have to be carried out by hand. -
Sonoma Wine Country Has an Unrivaled History As California’S First Premium Wine Region
Sonoma County Wine History Leaders in Sustainable With almost two hundred years of growing grapes, Sonoma County Winegrowing Sonoma Wine Country has an unrivaled history as California’s first premium wine region. Even before sustainability was a buzzword, Sonoma County’s grapegrowers have been naturally farming the land with respect 1817 Russian Colonists planted grapes at Fort Ross (Sonoma Coast). for generations. More than 30% of the County’s vineyard acres Sonoma County—What Wine Country Should Be 1823 Spanish Franciscans planted several thousand vines are enrolled in the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Programs. at the Sonoma Mission. Additionally, many Sonoma County wineries utilize some or all Sonoma County is truly one of the world’s premier spots for growing and making great wines of all types, 1834 Mexican government begins secularizing the missions, of the following practices to preserve the land for the generations and wine begins to move from the altar to the dinner table. to come. thanks to its ideal climate and varied terroirs. But it’s the environment that surrounds those growing 1845 Bear Flag Revolt in Sonoma; California becomes independent. conditions that also sets Sonoma County apart — the natural beauty, ranging from coast to redwoods to 1856 Cyrus Alexander plants grapes in northern Sonoma County. & Winery Vineyards of Quivera courtesy Photograph mountains; the history and heritage; the agricultural diversity leading to a bounty of locally grown foods. 1857 The Hungarian Count Agoston Haraszthy, “The Father of California Wine Industry,” founded Buena Vista winery Most of all, it’s the people — a true community of growers, winemakers, and friends whose artisan passion in Sonoma Valley. -
Roussanne06 Printable Wine Page.Indd
T ABLAS CREEK VINEYARD ROUSSANNE 2006 The 2006 Tablas Creek Vineyard Roussanne is Tablas Creek’s fi fth national release of its 100% Roussanne. The wine is exuberantly and elegantly in character of the Roussanne grape, with honey, honey- suckle, and pear aromatics, a rich, viscous mouthfeel with just a hint of oak, and a long, lingering fi nish. We use most of our Roussanne in our Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc each year. However, we often have some Roussanne lots in the cellar that are so powerfully characteristic of the varietal that we feel they would be too dominant in a blend. In these cases, we reserve a small quantity of this powerful Roussanne for a single-varietal bottling. As with all our wines, our Roussanne grapes were grown on our 120-acre certifi ed organic estate vineyard. The 2006 vintage was a study of contrasts, with a cold, wet start, a very hot early summer, a cool late summer and a warm, beautiful fall. Ample rainfall in late winter gave the grapevines ample groundwater, and produced relatively generous crop sizes. The relatively cool late- season temperatures resulted in a delayed but unhurried harvest, wines with lower than normal alcohols, strong varietal character, and good acids. The Roussanne grapes were whole cluster pressed, and fermented using native yeasts half in stainless steel and half in small French oak barrels. The wine was left on its lees for 6 months, and allowed to complete malolactic fermentation. After fermentation the wines were blended, and bottled in May 2007. The 2006 Roussanne is a vibrant expression of the Roussanne grape. -
2018 Roussanne
TEXAS HIGH PLAINS 2018 e Wine: Roussanne, originating from the Rhone Valley, has found a home in the Texas High Plains. Our Roussanne produces a distinctively rich white wine with wonderful aromatics reminiscent of tropical fruit, pineapple and honeysuckle. e palate is equally rich with hints of citrus, Mandarin orange, grilled nectarines and a light acidity. AVA: e Texas High Plains is the second largest AVA in Texas, comprising roughly 8 million acres in west Texas, mostly south of the panhandle region. e eastern border of the Texas High Plains AVA follows the 3000 elevation contour line along the Caprock Escarpment, the steep transitional zone separating the High Plains from the lower plains to the east. e elevation within the Texas High Plains gradually increases from 3,000 . to 4,100 . in the northwest portion of the AVA. is positioning provides an environment of long, hot dry summer days, which allow the grapes to mature and ripen to proper sugar levels, and cool evenings and nights, which help set the grape’s acidity levels. Grapes and wine have been produced in this region since the mid-1970s and vineyards here have become the major grape supplier to wineries throughout the state. ere are over 75 Wine Grape Varietals planted in the High Plains AVA, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Grenache, Merlot, Malbec, Dolcetto, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, and Viognier. Wine Makers Notes: We aged our Roussanne in new French Oak Barrels to provide a kiss of oak before moving the wine into stainless to complete its maturation. No malolactic fermentation was required with this grape as acidity is naturally so and the grape complex in phenolics. -
Pinotfile Vol 6, Issue 47
If You Drink No Noir You Pinot Noir PinotFile Volume 6, Issue 47 The First Wine Newsletter Exclusively Devoted to Pinotphiles December 3, 2007 Inside this issue: Fort Ross:Growing Pinot On the Edge Clos Saron 7 “It’s a long way from anywhere. It’s markedly cold - 10 degrees cooler Ramey Schulten 12 than Napa Valley on average. It’s extremely foggy. There’s no infrastructure. Pinot Briefs 13 It’s lonely. The locals don’t like outsiders. Strong winds break the vine Where are the Wine 14 shoots. There’s a high risk of devastation by wild pigs. Gophers frequent Scores in PinotFile? the area in droves.” Susan Keevil, The Wine News. June/July 2004 Growing Pinot Noir along the most western reaches of the Sonoma Coast might be regarded as pure folly to many, but the dedicated band of winegrowers who have accepted the challenge know that the fickle grape feels right at home here. This region is quickly becoming one of the epicenters of fine Pinot Noir in California. The Sonoma Coast AVA is the largest of the 13 AVAs in Sonoma County at 750 square miles. This cumbersome AVA was formed in 1987 primarily to allow certain wineries to include all of their scattered major vineyards within one boundary so they could use the “estate bottled” designation on their wine labels. “No two bottles are ever The Sonoma Coast AVA is defined by its truly identical: every coolness, with no more than 2,800 degree bottle is unique in its days of heat during the growing season. -
California's Edgiest Wine Region: the Western Sonoma Coast
Katie Kelly Bell, Contributor 03/06/2014 @ 12:11PM |178 views California's Edgiest Wine Region: The Western Sonoma Coast The grapes in Nick and Andy Peay’s vineyards are in a precarious state most of the time. Quivering on the edge of the San Andreas Fault, shrouded in hours of chilly fog and subjected to steady Pacific breezes, it’s a wonder these grapes can ripen at all. The Peay’s and their winemaker Vanessa Wong are not alone in the Western Sonoma Coast’s risky winemaking climate. In fact, they enjoy some highly regarded company including wineries such as Hirsch, Joseph Phelps and Littorai. I’m always impressed and slightly agog at winemakers who seek the outermost edge of anything; it takes certain boldness and, some might argue, insanity, to invite extreme challenges into your winemaking. Andy Peay admits there were more than enough naysayers when he and his brother started farming the coast. “Everyone said it was way too cold and that we’d never get grapes to ripen. In truth, we have had problems with ripening; some years are just really tough. Bill Phelps, president of Joseph Phelps wines, agrees with Peay’s assessment, noting that the Western Sonoma Coast wines exemplify a very cool climate style of chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah. “We would say we are truer to a Burgundian style; our wines are higher in minerality and not as plush on fruit. They tend to be more structured, lower in alcohol, and less extracted and fruit-dominated as wines from further inland, such as the Russian River Valley.” Phelps is also one of the founding members of the West Sonoma Coast Vintners Association which includes wineries from Annapolis, Fort Ross/Seaview, Occidental, Freestone, Green Valley and the Sebastopol Hills. -
Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon
SONOMA COUNTY CABERNET SAUVIGNON For more than three decades, Kenwood Vineyards Artist Series remains the ultimate expression of artistry and ne winemaking by blending the nest Cabernet Sauvignon produced in Sonoma County. THE ARTIST Clare E. Rojas (born 1976) tells stories though painting, music, installations and video work. Her narratives used to be based in folk art tableaus that tackled gender stereotypes. Recently she has moved into pure geometric abstractions. She sees them as part of a continuum free of limitations and tied to her interest in color, line, shape and space. The geometric abstractions reference West Coast modernism, Quaker art, Native American textiles, Byzantine mosaics, and Outsider art. “For me the shift to abstraction was personal. There are a couple of challenges I find in abstraction. One is letting go of the idea that the viewer is supposed to perceive my work one way. There is no right or wrong way to look at the work.” Based in San Francisco, CA Clare takes inspiration for her art from her surroundings. For the Untitled piece featured on the 2013 label, Clare was moved to capture the reflection of light and shadow of a landscape over the course of a day, capturing time in moments. THE VINEYARDS Since its first vintage in 1975, Kenwood Vineyards Artist Series has SONOMA COUNTY LAKE SONOMA represented the “best of the best” of our Cabernet Sauvignon. Each year ROCKPILE SONOMA COAST select vineyards located throughout Sonoma County’s premier Cabernet Sonoma County appellations are picked at the peak of flavor and then carefully crushed, DRY CREEK FORT ROSS VALLEY ALEXANDER VALLEY fermented, and aged. -
Wine-Book-210709.Pdf
02 04 08 09 21 52 53 54 02 04 08 09 21 52 53 54 2 SPARKLING Brut, Naveran — Cava (Penedès), 2018 .............................................................................................................. 8 Brut Rosé, Michel Briday – Bourgogne, NV......................................................................................................... 12 Brut, Taittinger — Champagne, NV.................................................................................................................... 18 ROSÉ Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah Peyrassol — Mediterranee 2020 ............................................................................ 10 Touriga Nacional, Maçanita - Douro 2019 ......................................................................................................... 14 WHITE Melon de Bourgogne, Eric Chevalier — Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu 2018 ................................................... 10 Sauvignon Blanc, Vincent Delaporte — Sancerre 2019 ..................................................................................... 16 Sauvignon Blanc, Spy Valley — Marlborough 2020............................................................................................ 11 Pinot Grigio, Jermann — Fruili-Venezia Giulia 2019 ........................................................................................... 14 Albariño, Fillaboa — Rias Baixas 2018 ................................................................................................................ 11 Grüner Veltliner, “Crazy Creatures,” Malat — -
Check out Our Tasting Menu
S UMMER 2 0 2 1 T HE W INEMAKER Tasting Notes $ 2 0 2016 Doo-Zwa-Zo HCellarsilmy. 56% Chenin Blanc; 39% Marsanne; 5% Orange Muscat fredericksburg, texas hilmywine.com 2019 Albariño 100% Albariño Welcome to Hilmy Cellars, in Fredericksburg, Texas, where our passion is artisan winemaking. In 2009, the first vineyard was planted. Now Hilmy has 4 varietals planted on 10 acres of our 60 acre property: Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Sirah and Malbec.. 2020 Tejas Blanc or 2017 Pinot Noir 50% Marsanne; 50% Roussanne or 100% Pinot Noir The Hilmy Cellars label produces and bottles wine in small lots. Our cellar uses stainless steel tanks in addition to French and American oak. In every bin, vat, tank, or barrel, we attempt to make a true wine of the highest quality. Over 85% of our grapes come from the Texas High Plains. We believe that Texas wines are unique and expressive. Our goal is to preserve the integrity 2018 Cabernet Franc of the grape in each bottle. We strive for quality in farming, and work to 100% Cabernet Franc achieve harmony among the factors contributing to quality winegrowing. We currently offer over 30 different bottles of wine in a mixture of white, red, rosé and sprkling. Texas is known for producing southern Medi- 2018 Malbec terranean varietals that you may not have experienced yet including 100% Malbec Viognier, Mourvedre and Roussanne. Our goal is to make your visit as special as it can be. Ask your serv- er about our wine club, The Flock, where you can be a part of an 2015 Hilmy a.k.a. -
Sonoma County Pinot Noir
2019 sonoma county pinot noir We’ve been making wine in Sonoma County for over ten years now and along the way, established a dynamic network of friends and colleagues that include vineyard owners, growers and winemakers. While we successfully navigated and maneuvered our way through the négoce market in the past, Valravn represents the next evolutionary step for us. Because of those forged relationships and friendships, we have exclusive access to grapes from fantastic vineyards and the team to oversee hands-on production from vineyard to bottle. We are proud of our past achievements and excited to realize the culmination of a decade of learning and focus, bringing authentic wines to the table that we have found, seen, and touched at every step. Valravn wines are out of the gate approachable, delicious, and table ready. VINEYARDS & WINEMAKING Valravn Pinot Noir is an exploration of Sonoma County, anchored in the Russian River Valley. Vineyards span at far NORTH as Annapolis, EAST as Sonoma Mountain, WEST as Freestone, SOUTH as Petaluma Gap. Noteable vineyards include Sunnyslope (Bennett Valley AVA), Gap’s Crown (Petaluma Gap - Sonoma Coast AVA), Grand Vent (Petaluma Gap - Sonoma Coast AVA), Gravenstein (Russian River), and Walala (Annapolis - Sonoma Coast AVA). In the cellar, hand-sorted grapes undergo cold soak followed by primary fermentation in small open- top stainless steel tanks for 12-14 days. Following primary, the wine was transferred to a blend of 25% new Cavin, François Freres, Remond, and Tremeaux barrels for 11 months malolactic and aging. PRESS - 90 points Wine & Spirits “Focused on vineyards in the Russian River Valley, this has simple red cherry flavors, light tannins and gentle elegance.